Facial Segment Encryption with Unique Server Key

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image privacy protection techniques fail to provide users with customized control over their facial segments in images, as the control is often centralized and does not account for multiple participants in the rendering process, potentially compromising individual privacy.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that use a unique server key to encrypt and decrypt facial segments in images, associating each segment with a specific user through facial recognition, generating a protection frame that can be unlocked with the unique key, allowing users to control access to their own facial segments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a centralized control matrix is used to manage facial segment visibility, then image rendering control is simplified, but user individual privacy control is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol management complexityVSAvoiduser individual privacy control

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the image into multiple independent facial segments, each associated with a different user. Each facial segment has its own encryption key and protection frame, allowing independent control of privacy for each user's facial data without requiring centralized management of the entire image.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different encryption and protection mechanisms to different facial segments based on local user preferences. Each user can independently control the visibility and protection level of their own facial segment, enabling localized privacy control rather than uniform control across the entire image.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of operation

If the publisher controls image visibility criteria, then image sharing is simplified, but individual user privacy preferences are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage sharing controlVSAvoidindividual privacy protection

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary encryption and protection frame generation for each facial segment before image sharing. Users pre-configure their privacy preferences and encryption keys, so when the image is shared, each facial segment is already protected according to the user's predetermined preferences, eliminating the need for publisher-mediated privacy control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces protection frames as an intermediary layer between the facial segments and the image rendering process. These protection frames act as mediators that control visibility based on user-defined criteria, independent of the publisher's control, allowing users to enforce their privacy preferences through an intermediate mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Quantity of substance

If original images are stored with blurred layers in a single image file, then storage is simplified, but user-specific privacy control is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage file storageVSAvoiduser-specific privacy control

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the single image file into multiple independent facial segment components, each with its own encryption key and protection frame metadata. This segmentation allows the system to maintain a unified storage structure while enabling user-specific privacy control through the modular organization of facial segments and their associated protection mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Reliability

If encryption is applied to complete images, then privacy protection is simplified, but individual user control over specific facial segments is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoidindividual facial segment control

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies encryption selectively to individual facial segments rather than encrypting the entire image. Each facial segment has its own encryption key and protection frame, allowing users to control and manage encryption for their specific facial segment independently, maintaining both strong privacy protection and individual user control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements local encryption and protection mechanisms for each facial segment based on user-specific preferences. Users can control the encryption level and visibility of their own facial segment independently from other users, enabling localized privacy protection rather than uniform encryption across the entire image.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11606197B2Method and system for encrypting and decrypting a facial segment in an image

Publication Date: 2023.03.14 HCL TECH ITAL SPA

AI summary

This disclosure relates to method and system for encrypting and decrypting a facial segment in an image with a unique server key. The method includes receiving an image from one of a plurality of users. The image includes a plurality of facial segments. The method further includes, for each facial segment from the plurality of facial segments, identifying a unique user associated with the facial segment using a facial recognition algorithm, encrypting the facial segment with a unique server key, generating a protection frame, unlockable with the unique server key, to cover the facial segment, and decrypting the facial segment while rendering the image for at least one of the plurality of users upon receiving the unique server key from the at least one of the plurality of users.