Remote Screen Sharing with Sensitive Data Masking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current customer support methods, such as in-person, email, and telephone support, face challenges in effectively communicating technical issues due to varying user expertise and limitations in communication formats, leading to inefficiencies in problem resolution.
Innovation Solution
A support application that enables remote screen sharing with masking of sensitive information, combined with live voice chat and secure clipboard functionality, allowing customers to interact with remote agents while protecting sensitive data and providing guided assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If in-person customer support is provided at retail locations, then service quality is improved, but operational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the in-person support experience by transmitting the user's screen images to the support agent, who can then view and interact with the user's device interface remotely. This eliminates the need for physical presence while maintaining the quality of assistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The support application acts as an intermediary between the user and the support agent, enabling communication and collaboration through screen sharing, annotation, and guided interaction without requiring physical co-location.
2Ease of operation
If e-mail customer support is used, then convenience is improved, but response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support application enables continuous, real-time interaction between the user and support agent through live screen sharing and communication. The support session can be initiated at any time and continues without interruption, eliminating the asynchronous delays inherent in email support.
3Loss of time
If telephone support is provided, then response time is improved, but communication clarity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges audio communication (voice chat) with visual communication (screen sharing, annotation, and graphical guidance) into a unified support interface. This combination preserves the real-time responsiveness of telephone support while adding visual clarity to eliminate communication misunderstandings.
Solution Approach 2:
The support application adds a visual dimension to traditional voice-based support by incorporating screen images, annotations, and graphical elements. This transforms the support interaction from purely auditory to a multi-dimensional experience that includes sight and spatial awareness.
4Loss of information
If screen sharing is enabled for support, then communication clarity is improved, but data security risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support application implements selective masking that applies different quality characteristics to different regions of the screen. Sensitive areas (password fields, personal information) are automatically masked or blurred, while other areas remain clear for effective support. This allows screen sharing to proceed with maintained security protections.
Data Source
AI summary
A customer support application provides screen sharing of the user's computing device with a remote customer support agent, thereby enabling the customer support agent to view the content displayed on the user's device. At least a portion of the content displayed on the user's device may contain sensitive information. Coordinates corresponding to the content displayed on the user's device may be obtained and the portion of the display corresponding to the coordinates may be obscured from the remote customer support agent.