Hidden Graphical Element Detection in Electronic Documents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for redacting text in electronic documents can provide a false sense of security, as users may not be aware that the text can be unrevealed by removing non-textual elements, leading to incomplete redaction and unintended text display.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the generation of bitmaps to detect hidden graphical elements by comparing a first bitmap containing all graphical elements with a second bitmap omitting a specific element, determining if the element is hidden by identifying matching pixel configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If non-textual elements are overlaid on textual elements to redact text, then text obscuration is achieved, but the text can still be revealed by removing the non-textual elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the textual elements from the graphic data structure and stores them separately in a dedicated data structure. This separation ensures that even if non-textual elements are removed, the textual content cannot be recovered, thereby achieving reliable redaction while preserving the ability to permanently eliminate text information when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary extraction of textual elements before applying non-textual overlays. By pre-extracting and isolating the text data into a separate structure, the system ensures that the text is fundamentally separated from the visual rendering layer, making it impossible to recover through simple removal of overlay elements.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If graphical elements are overlaid to hide text, then text visibility is reduced, but users may not be aware that the text can be unrevealed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism that detects and reports the presence of extracted textual elements in the graphic. This feedback informs users that text has been extracted and stored separately, making them aware that the text can potentially be recovered or that the redaction is not permanent, thereby eliminating the false sense of security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary data structure that acts as a mediator between the visual rendering of graphics and the stored textual content. This intermediary layer makes the relationship between visible and hidden text explicit, allowing users to detect whether text has been extracted and understand the implications for redaction reliability.
3Shape
If text is redacted by overlaying non-textual elements, then text is obscured in the rendered graphic, but the original text remains in the file
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the graphic data into distinct components: visual rendering elements and extracted textual elements stored in a separate data structure. This segmentation allows the graphic to display the desired appearance with non-textual overlays while maintaining separate, identifiable text data that can be permanently removed or managed independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts textual elements from the graphic rendering process and stores them in a dedicated data structure. This extraction ensures that text data is separated from the visual representation, allowing the graphic to display cleaned appearance while the extracted text can be permanently eliminated from the file to achieve true redaction.
Data Source
AI summary
In an embodiment, hidden graphical elements in a graphic are detected by generating a first bitmap based on a plurality of graphical elements and a second bitmap based on a first subset of the plurality of graphical elements where the first subset omits a first graphical element of the plurality of elements and includes a second graphical element of the plurality of elements. The first bitmap is then compared with the second bitmap to determine if they match. If they match, the first graphical element is considered to be hidden by the second graphical element.