Secure Media Recording Control for Transport Incident Reporting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing on-demand services face challenges in managing media recordings by users, which can infringe on privacy and reliability, especially in transport matching services where requesters and service providers are strangers, and existing systems lack effective mechanisms to handle such recordings securely.

Innovation Solution

A computing device structures media data into unrenderable files on the user device, associates them with trip activities, and enables secure submission to a remote system for rendering, using cryptographic data to control access and ensure privacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If users are allowed to record media on their devices during transport services, then incident documentation capability is improved, but user privacy and security are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveincident documentation capabilityVSAvoiduser privacy invasion
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the media rendering capability from the user device and relocates it to a remote server. Media files are recorded and stored in encrypted form on the user device, but the actual decryption and rendering occur remotely only when authorized by the service provider. This separation allows incident documentation to be captured while preventing users from accessing or misusing the media content.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a service provider server as an intermediary between the user device and the media content. The server acts as a controlled access point that receives encrypted media files from user devices, verifies authorization, and then renders the content. This intermediary mechanism enables reliable incident documentation while maintaining privacy control through centralized authorization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If media recordings are made accessible to users for incident reporting, then reporting effectiveness is improved, but unauthorized access and misuse increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveincident reporting effectivenessVSAvoidunauthorized access control
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the media file into encrypted chunks that cannot be individually accessed or rendered without the proper authorization key. The encryption key is controlled by the service provider, not the user. This segmentation ensures that while users can submit incident reports with media evidence, they cannot access, download, or misuse the actual media content without explicit authorization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the state of media files from readable to encrypted form on the user device. The media is stored with cryptographic protection, and the decryption parameter (authorization key) is controlled by the service provider. This parameter change maintains the ease of incident reporting submission while preventing unauthorized access through cryptographic control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3866032B1Computer system and device for controlling use of secure media recordings
Publication Date: 2025.10.01 UBER TECHNOLOGIES INC
  • EP3866032B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3866032B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3866032B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A network system is provided that enables a user to record media in connection with a user operating a service application to participate in a transport service. In examples, the network system includes a user computing device on which media is recorded and stored in an unrenderable state. The user can elect to make a media recording submission for a particular service activity (e.g., trip provided or received by user). In response to the media recording submission, the user computing device identifies one or more media files that contain media data which depict the service activity. The identified media files are transmitted to a service computing system where the media files can be rendered.