Screen Content Anti-Replication via Temporal Pixel Masking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for preventing screen content replication, such as those using digital watermarks or camera functions, are ineffective when a digital camera without anti-shoplifting features is used, allowing unauthorized reproduction of sensitive or copyrighted material.
Innovation Solution
A data-generating device and method that generates movie data by masking pixels in still image data and varying their positions across multiple frames, displayed at a predetermined frame rate, making it difficult to accurately replicate the original screen content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If screen capture function is provided to store and display electronic data, then ease of operation is improved, but content security deteriorates as users can easily replicate displayed content
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by generating multiple masked versions of the original image before display. Each frame in the movie data contains the same original image with different pixel masking patterns applied in advance, so that when any frame is captured, the replicated content is already degraded and unusable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by varying the masking patterns across multiple frames. Different frames have different pixels masked out, creating temporal variations in the displayed content. This parameter change over time ensures that screen capture only captures a fraction of the original image quality.
2Reliability
If digital watermark is printed on book pages to prevent digital shoplifting, then content security is improved, but device complexity increases as the camera itself must have anti-shoplifting function
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the anti-shoplifting function from the camera device and places it in the content delivery system. Instead of requiring the camera to detect and respond to watermarks, the system embeds masking information directly in the displayed content, making the protection mechanism independent of the capturing device's capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where masked frames act as a mediator between the original content and the captured image. The masking pattern serves as an intermediate layer that degrades the captured content quality without requiring direct interaction or detection by the camera device.
3Reliability
If all pixels are masked in still image data to prevent replication, then content security is improved, but loss of information increases making the content unrecognizable
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial masking rather than complete masking. By masking only a portion of pixels in each frame while leaving other pixels visible, the system achieves sufficient degradation to prevent accurate replication while maintaining enough visual information for content recognizability and user experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic action by displaying multiple frames in sequence, where each frame has different pixels masked. Over the period of displaying all frames, different portions of the original image are masked, ensuring that any single capture only gets a fraction of the total information while the complete sequence maintains recognizability.
4Reliability
If multiple still image data with varied masked pixels are generated and displayed as movie data, then content security is improved, but device complexity increases requiring generation and playback of multiple frames
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple masked versions of the same original image into a single movie data file. By combining the protection mechanism with the display format, the system achieves enhanced security without requiring separate systems for protection and display, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The movie data structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays visual content to users, embeds the anti-replication protection mechanism, and enables easy distribution through standard video formats. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
Data is generated, which can prevent content displayed on a screen from being accurately replicated. There are provided: an acquiring means that acquires still image data; a still image data generating means that generates a predetermined number of items of still image data in which at least part of pixels of the acquired still image data are masked, and that varies positions of at least part of pixels of pixels to be masked, between at least two items of still image data of the predetermined number of still image data; and a movie data generating means that generates movie data for which each of the generated still image data is displayed at a predetermined frame rate.