Mobile Screen Capture Anonymization for Privacy Protection

Solution Overview

Problem

Users of mobile devices face challenges in sharing conversation records while protecting personal information, as existing methods require manual anonymization or use of dedicated image editing tools, which are technically demanding and prone to errors.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for capturing a screen on a mobile device that generates a screen capture image by replacing personal information with predefined anonymized data, ensuring privacy protection through automated anonymization during the screen capturing process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual anonymization or dedicated image editing tools are used to protect personal information in screen captures, then privacy protection is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoidtechnical threshold

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically detects personal information in the screen capture and performs anonymization without requiring user intervention. The mobile device itself provides the anonymization service through integrated software that identifies sensitive data patterns and replaces them with anonymized versions, eliminating the need for external editing tools or manual processing by the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

An intermediary software layer is introduced between the screen capture function and the user. This intermediary automatically processes the captured image by detecting personal information and applying anonymization algorithms, serving as a mediator that handles the complex privacy protection tasks transparently without requiring the user to directly engage with editing tools or technical processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If manual anonymization or dedicated image editing tools are used to protect personal information in screen captures, then privacy protection is improved, but ease of operation worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoiderror rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically detects personal information in the screen capture and performs anonymization without requiring user intervention. The mobile device itself provides the anonymization service through integrated software that identifies sensitive data patterns and replaces them with anonymized versions, eliminating the need for external editing tools or manual processing by the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system employs feedback mechanisms where the anonymization software continuously monitors the screen capture content, identifies personal information based on predefined patterns, and automatically adjusts the anonymization process. This feedback loop ensures consistent and accurate privacy protection by comparing detected personal information against protection rules and refining the anonymization output accordingly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If automated anonymization is implemented during screen capturing, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetechnical thresholdVSAvoidquality of anonymization

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs feedback mechanisms where the anonymization software continuously monitors the screen capture content, identifies personal information based on predefined patterns, and automatically adjusts the anonymization process. This feedback loop ensures consistent and accurate privacy protection by comparing detected personal information against protection rules and refining the anonymization output accordingly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-defining anonymization rules and patterns for common personal information types before the actual screen capture occurs. These preliminary configurations include predefined patterns for detecting names, phone numbers, addresses, and other sensitive data, allowing the automated system to quickly and accurately anonymize content without compromising quality through ad-hoc processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10891395B2Method and apparatus for capturing screen on mobile device

Publication Date: 2021.01.12 QINGDAO HISENSE MOBILE COMM TECH CO LTD

AI summary

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method and an apparatus for capturing a screen on a mobile device, the method including: receiving, at the mobile device, a screen-capturing request for a current interface, where the current interface includes first data, and the first data includes personal information; and generating, according to screen-capturing request, a screen capture image for the current interface, where the first data in the current interface is replaced in the screen capture image with second data which is predefined. These embodiments avoid the need to manually mask an image by starting a dedicated image editing tool to anonymize a screen capture image, thereby significantly lowering the relatively high technical threshold of anonymization processing, reducing the error rate, and improving the modification quality of anonymization. Moreover, the replacement is directly made to the image while the screen is captured without interfering with normal use of reading.