IP Library Granted Patent US 12,658,162
Granted Patent B2
US 12,658,162 · App. 17/651,479 · Granted Jun 16, 2026

Device having a camera overlaid by display

Inventors: Mengnan Wang (Chapel Hill, NC); John W. Nicholson (Cary, NC); Howard Locker (Cary, NC); Daryl C. Cromer (Raleigh, NC)
Assignee: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD
G09G5/10G06F21/121G06F21/83G06V40/165G06V40/171G09G3/3225G09G5/02
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,658,162
App. No.
17/651,479
Granted
Jun 16, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic device is provided that includes a display stack having display pixels and at least one camera sensor located proximate to the display stack. The electronic device also includes a processor, and a memory storing program instructions accessible by the processor. Responsive to execution of the program instructions, the processor is configured to determine an identification of a user of the electronic device. The processor is also configured to determine selected display pixels of the display pixels based on a location of the display stack of the electronic device to the user, and actuate the selected display pixels to obstruct a field of view of the at least one camera sensor.

Claims (43)

1 . A electronic device, comprising:

a display stack having display pixels;

at least one camera sensor located proximate to the display stack,

a processor; and

a memory storing program instructions accessible by the processor, wherein, responsive to execution of the program instructions, the processor configured to:

determine selected display pixels of the display pixels based on a location of the display stack of the electronic device to a user of the electronic device; and

actuate the selected display pixels by varying a characteristic of the selected display pixels to selectively blur a portion of an image in a field of view of the at least one camera sensor based on the location of the display stack to the user;

wherein varying the characteristic of the selected display pixels includes varying color and light intensity of the selected display pixels;

wherein the processor is configured to vary the selected display pixels by turning on and turning off selected display pixels; wherein the number of selected display pixels turned on and off prevent a biometric algorithm from extracting user facial feature.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to vary the selected display pixels based on continuously determining a position of the display stack in relation to a face of a user.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to vary the selected display pixels by turning on and turning off selected display pixels; wherein the number of selected display pixels turned on and off prevent a biometric algorithm from extracting user facial feature.

4 . The electronic device of claim 1 , the processor is configured to determine a launching of an application on the electronic device; determine whether the application allows use of the at least one camera sensor; and stop actuating the selected display pixels in response to determining the application allows use of the at least on camera.

5 . The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the application is a web conferencing application.

6 . The electronic device of claim 4 wherein the processor is configured to determine the application has ended, and actuate the selected display pixels to selectively blur a portion of an image in a field of view of the at least one camera sensor in response to determining the application has ended.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein to determine the selected display pixels includes determining a location of at least one of an eye, nose, or mouth of a user and selecting the selected display pixels based on the location of the at least one of the eye, nose, or mouth of the user.

8 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a smartphone and the at least one camera sensor is part of a camera under display of the smartphone.

9 . A electronic device, comprising:

a display stack having display pixels;

at least one camera sensor located proximate to the display stack,

a processor; and

a memory storing program instructions accessible by the processor, wherein, responsive to execution of the program instructions, the processor configured to:

determine an identification of a user of the electronic device;

determine selected display pixels of the display pixels based on a location of the display stack of the electronic device to the user;

vary the selected display pixels based on a position of the display stack to a face of the user as the user moves in relation to the electronic device;

actuate the selected display pixels by varying a characteristic of the selected display pixels after varying the selected display pixels based on the position of the display stack to the face of the user as the user moves in relation to the electronic device to selectively blur a portion of an image in a field of view of the at least one camera sensor in response to determining the selected display pixels to prevent a biometric algorithm from extracting user facial features;

determine a launching of an application on the electronic device;

determine whether the application allows use of the at least one camera sensor; and

stop actuating the selected display pixels in response to determining the application allows use of the at least on camera.

10 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the characteristic of the selected display pixels includes color and light intensity.

11 . A electronic device, comprising:

a display stack having display pixels;

at least one camera sensor located proximate to the display stack,

a processor; and

a memory storing program instructions accessible by the processor, wherein, responsive to execution of the program instructions, the processor configured to:

determine selected display pixels of the display pixels based on a location of the display stack of the electronic device to a user of the electronic device; and

actuate the selected display pixels by varying a characteristic of the selected display pixels to selectively blur a portion of an image in a field of view of the at least one camera sensor to prevent a biometric algorithm from extracting user facial features based on the location of the display stack to the user;

wherein the processor is configured to vary the selected display pixels by turning on and turning off selected display pixels; wherein the number of selected display pixels turned on and off prevent a biometric algorithm from extracting user facial feature.

12 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein varying the characteristic of the selected display pixels includes varying color and light intensity of the selected display pixels.

13 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to vary the selected display pixels based on continuously determining a position of the display stack in relation to a face of a user.

14 . The electronic device of claim 11 , the processor is configured to determine a launching of an application on the electronic device; determine whether the application allows use of the at least one camera sensor; and stop actuating the selected display pixels in response to determining the application allows use of the at least on camera.

15 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the application is a web conferencing application.

16 . The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the processor is configured to determine the application has ended, and actuate the selected display pixels to selectively blur a portion of an image in a field of view of the at least one camera sensor in response to determining the application has ended.

17 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein to determine the selected display pixels includes determining a location of at least one of an eye, nose, or mouth of a user and selecting the selected display pixels based on the location of the at least one of the eye, nose, or mouth of the user.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 3, 2022
From: LENOVO (UNITED STATES) INC.
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 061880/0110 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 17, 2022
From: WANG, MENGNAN; NICHOLSON, JOHN W.; LOCKER, HOWARD; CROMER, DARYL C.
To: LENOVO (UNITED STATES) INC.
Reel/Frame 059035/0522 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230260481A1 · Aug 17, 2023
References Cited (13)
US 20080298571A1 · Kurtz · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20100149073A1 · Chaum · 2010 [cited by examiner]
US 20120293643A1 · Hanna · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 20150004382A1 · Menon · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20180276468A1 · Lee · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20190303724A1 · Linden · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190370448A1 · Devine · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200212368A1 · Tang · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200363902A1 · Choi · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20210176383A1 · Kim · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210360154A1 · Slobodin · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20220116546A1 · Gummadi · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20230238416A1 · Noudo · 2023 [cited by examiner]