Dynamic Display Masking for Confidential Content Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods fail to effectively ensure that sensitive information on a computing device's display is not visible to others in public spaces, as they do not adequately account for varying confidentiality levels and usage contexts, leading to inadequate protection of confidential content.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines an unmask rule based on the confidentiality level of content and current context, applying a mask to the display that requires users to physically shield the content to a specific extent for unmasking, using sensors and cameras to detect the shielding level and adjust the masking accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If content is displayed without masking, then user convenience is improved, but confidentiality protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The display dynamically switches between masked and unmasked states based on detected shielding actions. The masking level is not static but adapts in real-time according to sensor inputs detecting user shielding behavior, allowing the system to balance confidentiality and convenience dynamically rather than through fixed settings
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, microphones) to detect user actions and environmental context, then feeds this information back to adjust the masking level. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows the display to respond to user shielding attempts and contextual factors, automatically adjusting protection levels without requiring manual user configuration
2Reliability
If masking is applied to protect confidential content, then confidentiality protection is improved, but user convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects user shielding actions and contextual factors without requiring manual input. The masking adjustment is self-service in nature, where the system monitors its own display environment and user behavior through sensors, then autonomously adjusts the masking level to provide protection while maintaining convenience without user intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies masking as a default preliminary state before any viewing occurs. Rather than requiring users to activate protection when needed, the masking is already in place and only removed automatically when shielding actions are detected, ensuring protection is always prepared in advance
3Device complexity
If fixed masking level is used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different contexts deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the masking parameter dynamically based on detected contextual factors such as proximity of other devices, ambient lighting conditions, and user shielding actions. Rather than using a fixed masking level, the system adjusts the degree of masking as a variable parameter responsive to environmental and behavioral inputs
Data Source
AI summary
Facilities are provided herein for unmasking content presented on a display of a computing device. An unmask rule for unmasking the content on the display is determined based on confidentiality level of the content and includes an unmasking parameter indicating an extent to which a masked version of the content is to be physically shielded to unmask the content. A mask is selected and applied to the content in displaying the content on the display. The mask is selected based on the determined unmask rule to convey the unmasking parameter to a user. A shielding level indicating an extent to which the user has physically shielded the masked content on the display is detected and it is determined whether the detected shielding level satisfies the unmasking parameter. If so, the content is temporarily unmasked on the display.