Per-Window Digital Watermarking for Desktop Applications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for watermarking on computing devices often result in a less-than-ideal user experience due to the placement of watermarks over entire graphical user interfaces, including non-sensitive content, which is inefficient and burdensome for enterprises handling sensitive information.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a per-window visual watermarking system that determines whether specific application windows require a watermark and calculates uncovered regions for each window, allowing for efficient placement of watermarks only on designated areas, thereby improving user experience and reducing unnecessary watermarking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a watermark is placed over the entire graphical user interface, then all sensitive content is protected, but applications that do not need watermarking and interface portions like menus and backgrounds are unnecessarily watermarked, resulting in poor user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing watermarks selectively only on specific application windows that contain sensitive content, rather than uniformly across the entire graphical user interface. The system determines which windows require watermarks based on their content sensitivity, and applies watermarks only to those specific regions, leaving menus, backgrounds, and non-sensitive applications unaffected.
2Reliability
If watermarks are placed on all content, then comprehensive security is achieved, but the burden of watermarking increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the graphical user interface into individual application windows and evaluates each window separately for watermarking requirements. Instead of treating the entire GUI as a single unit, the system divides it into discrete segments (windows) and applies watermarks only to those segments containing sensitive content, reducing the overall burden of the watermarking system.
3Reliability
If watermarks are placed on interface portions like menus and backgrounds, then complete interface coverage is achieved, but unnecessary areas are watermarked reducing usability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by restricting watermarks to specific application window regions that contain sensitive content, while excluding interface portions such as menus, toolbars, and backgrounds from watermarking. This selective approach maintains interface usability by keeping navigation and control elements clear and unobtrusive.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are described for placing a watermark over application windows in a desktop. For each application window that is opened in the desktop, the system can determine whether the application requires a watermark, for example, based on a predefined list that specifies which applications require watermarks. For each application window that requires a watermark, a uncovered watermark region can be calculated where the watermark will appear. An overlay can be placed over the application windows, for example in a top-level window that does not receive mouse and keyboard inputs, and the watermark can be drawn in the overlay over the location of the uncovered watermark region of each application. As a result, watermarks can be placed over a plurality of specified application windows in an efficient and convenient manner.