IP Library Granted Patent US 9,401,000
Granted Patent B2
US 9,401,000 · App. 14/570,496 · Granted Jul 26, 2016

Protecting content on a mobile device from mining

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,401,000
App. No.
14/570,496
Granted
Jul 26, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods prevent or restrict the mining of content on a mobile device. For example, a method may include determining that content to be displayed on a screen includes content that matches a mining-restriction trigger, inserting a mining-restriction mark in the content that protects at least a portion of the content, and displaying the content with the mining-restriction mark on the screen. As another example, a method may include identifying, by a first application running on a mobile device, a mining-restriction mark in frame buffer data, the mining-restriction mark having been inserted by a second application, and determining whether the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of content. The method may also include preventing mining when the mining-restriction mark prevents mining and, when the mining-restriction mark does not prevent mining, determining a restriction for the data based on the mining-restriction mark and providing the restriction with the data for further processing.

Claims (55)

1. A method comprising:

determining, on a client device, that content to be displayed on a screen of a mobile device includes content that matches a mining-restriction trigger;

inserting a mining-restriction mark in the content that protects at least a portion of the content;

displaying the content, including the inserted mining-restriction mark, on the screen;

identifying, by a content agent, the mining-restriction mark in the content subsequent to display on the screen; and

disregarding, by the content agent, the portion of the content protected by the mining-restriction mark responsive to identifying the mining-restriction mark.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from a user of the mobile device, text, wherein the text is the mining-restriction trigger.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mining-restriction trigger is determined by a developer of an application that generated the content.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the mining-restriction trigger protects less than all the content,

wherein inserting the mining-restriction mark includes positioning the mining-restriction mark so that the portion of the content is encompassed by the mining-restriction mark and remaining content is not.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from a user of the mobile device, an indication of a data element,

wherein the data element is the mining-restriction trigger.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mining-restriction trigger represents a data element and determining that the content includes content that matches the mining-restriction trigger includes determining that the content includes content that matches a pattern for the data element.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mining-restriction trigger specifies a text format and determining that the content includes content that matches the mining-restriction trigger includes determining that the content includes text with the text format.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mining-restriction trigger is a media type.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mining restriction mark is visible to a user of the mobile device and provides an indication to the user that the portion is protected.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mining-restriction mark has a color or pattern that provides an indication of a type of protection provided.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion represents all of the content.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mining-restriction mark includes a hash of a device identifier for the mobile device.

13. A mobile device comprising:

at least one processor;

a display device; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

determining that content to be displayed on the display device includes content that matches a mining-restriction trigger;

inserting a mining-restriction mark in the content that protects at least a portion of the content;

triggering display of the content, including the inserted mining-restriction mark, on the display device;

identifying, by a content agent, the mining-restriction mark in the content subsequent to display on the display device; and

disregarding the portion of the content protected by the mining-restriction mark responsive to identifying the mining-restriction mark.

14. The mobile device of claim 13 , the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

identifying the mining-restriction mark in low order bits or high order bits in a frame buffer of the mobile device,

determining whether the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of content, wherein mining includes non-transient storage of a copy or derivations of data in the frame buffer, and

preventing mining of data in the frame buffer when the mining-restriction mark prevents mining.

15. The mobile device of claim 14 , the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

determining a restriction for the data in the frame buffer based on the mining-restriction mark when the mining-restriction mark does not prevent mining; and

providing the restriction with the data for further processing.

16. The mobile device of claim 13 , the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

determining that the mining-restriction trigger protects less than all the content,

wherein inserting the mining-restriction mark includes positioning the mining-restriction mark so that the portion of the content is encompassed by the mining-restriction mark and remaining content is not.

17. The mobile device of claim 13 , wherein the mining-restriction mark is a first mining-restriction mark that prevents mining and the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

receiving a restriction for the mining-restriction trigger;

replace an association of the mining-restriction trigger with the first mining-restriction mark with an association of the mining-restriction trigger with a second mining-restriction mark that permits mining with the restriction; and

store the mining-restriction trigger associated with the second mining-restriction mark.

18. The mobile device of claim 17 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, executes a mobile application configured to:

generate content for display on the display device;

determine that the content includes content that matches the mining-restriction trigger;

insert the second mining-restriction mark in the content; and

provide the content to a frame buffer for display on the display device.

19. The mobile device of claim 13 , the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

receiving, from a user of the mobile device, an indication of a data element,

wherein the data element is the mining-restriction trigger.

20. The mobile device of claim 13 , wherein the mining-restriction trigger represents a data element and determining that the content includes content that matches the mining-restriction trigger includes determining that the content includes content that matches a pattern for the data element.

21. The mobile device of claim 13 , wherein the mining restriction mark is visible to a user of the mobile device and provides an indication to the user that the portion is protected.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 2, 2017
From: GOOGLE INC.
To: GOOGLE LLC
Reel/Frame 044566/0657 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 8, 2015
From: SPECTOR, ALFRED ZALMON; PETROU, DAVID; AGUERA-ARCAS, BLAISE; SHARIFI, MATTHEW
To: GOOGLE INC.
Reel/Frame 035360/0612 →