Privacy-Preserving Video Representation via Semantic Status Extraction

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing videoconferencing systems lack the ability to provide privacy-preserving and comfort-enhancing representations of participants, typically forcing users to choose between streaming raw footage or not streaming at all.

Innovation Solution

A computing system that detects the semantic status of users within a video stream, generates a generalized video representation based on this status, and transmits only this representation to other devices, thereby maintaining privacy and reducing unnecessary information transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If raw video footage is streamed, then complete participant information is transmitted, but privacy is compromised and network bandwidth is wasted on unnecessary details

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparticipant information transmissionVSAvoidprivacy compromise

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential semantic status information from the video stream, separating meaningful participant states (talking, listening, reacting) from unnecessary visual details. This extraction process transmits only the critical information needed for effective videoconferencing while filtering out privacy-sensitive and redundant data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer between the video camera and the transmission channel. This intermediary system analyzes the raw video feed, identifies semantic status, and converts it into a compressed representation format, acting as a mediator that preserves information while eliminating privacy risks and bandwidth waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If raw video footage is streamed, then complete participant information is transmitted, but network bandwidth is consumed by unnecessary details

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparticipant information transmissionVSAvoidnetwork bandwidth usage

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential semantic status information from the video stream, separating meaningful participant states (talking, listening, reacting) from unnecessary visual details. This extraction process transmits only the critical information needed for effective videoconferencing while filtering out privacy-sensitive and redundant data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms the video data from high-resolution visual information into a low-dimensional semantic status representation. This parameter change converts complex pixel data into simplified state indicators, dramatically reducing the data transmission requirements while preserving the essential communication functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-affected harmful factors

If generalized video representation is used, then privacy is preserved and bandwidth is reduced, but complete participant information is not transmitted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoidparticipant information completeness

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer between the video camera and the transmission channel. This intermediary system analyzes the raw video feed, identifies semantic status, and converts it into a compressed representation format, acting as a mediator that preserves information while eliminating privacy risks and bandwidth waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback mechanisms to ensure that the generalized representation adequately captures participant information. By continuously monitoring communication effectiveness and adjusting the semantic status detection, the system maintains information completeness while preserving privacy and reducing bandwidth usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12309212B2Safe and privacy preserving video representation

Publication Date: 2025.05.20 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

A computing system and method that can be used for safe and privacy preserving video representations of participants in a videoconference. In particular, the present disclosure provides a general pipeline for generating reconstructions of videoconference participants based on semantic statuses and/or activity statuses of the participants. The systems and methods of the present disclosure allow for videoconferences that convey necessary or meaningful information of participants through presentation of generalized representations of participants while filtering unnecessary or unwanted information from the representations by leveraging machine-learning models.