System, method and module for a content control layer for an optical imaging device

Abstract

A system, method and content filtering module is provided for analyzing image data received from an imaging sensor, such as a CCD camera, determining whether or not image data meets appropriate image content criteria, and potentially blocking unacceptable image data, before the data is stored in a device memory or on some other storage medium, or passed to other applications. This system encourages safer and more responsible use of electronic imaging devices without compromising the general utility of said devices. In particular, it may help to protect young people from making and distributing nude, or sexually suggestive pictures, or pictures containing content that is deemed inappropriate, when using a PDA, camera phone, or computer equipped with a camera.

1 . An electronic device comprising:
 an imaging sensor for generating image data containing locally created image content , a processor, at least one of a data storage medium and a communications interface, and an image content control layer;   the image content control layer being interposed between the imaging sensor and the at least one data storage medium and communications interface, to receive said image data from the imaging sensor;   the image content control layer storing instructions, executable by the processor, for analyzing and filtering said image data received from the imaging sensor, said instructions comprising pre-defined image content criteria defining inappropriate content comprising sexually inappropriate content, said predefined image content criteria being applicable for filtering any image data received from the imaging sensor;   the image content control layer being configured for analyzing and filtering all image data received from the imaging sensor based on said image content criteria before storing and before passing said image data for further processing, by intercepting image data before rendering of the image data as viewable, displayable, transmittable and otherwise accessible;   wherein analyzing comprises detecting, based on said stored image content criteria, whether or not the image data contain sexually inappropriate content; and   wherein filtering comprises blocking storage, transmission and further processing of said image data when it contains sexually inappropriate content, and otherwise passing said image data to the data storage medium or communications interface for any one of storing, transmitting, and further processing of the image data by the electronic device.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the image content control layer comprises an object and scene analysis module. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic device of  claim 2 , wherein the image content control layer blocks output of image data determined to comprise objects and scenes indicative of sexually inappropriate content, and otherwise allows output of mage data for storing in memory or for further processing by other programs and applications running on the electronic device. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the image content control layer is disposed between the imaging sensor and all other software and hardware applications on the electronic device such that the software and hardware applications on the electronic device are not able to access unfiltered image data from the imaging sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises an operating system and the image content control layer comprises an image analysis layer of the operating system of the device. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the imaging sensor comprises a device driver and the image content control layer comprises a layer between the device driver of the imaging sensor and other software and hardware applications on the device. 
     
     
         7 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the imaging sensor comprises a device driver and the image content control layer comprises part of the device driver of the imaging sensor. 
     
     
         8 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the image content control layer comprises a part of the data storage medium. 
     
     
         9 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the image content control layer provides an interface to the storage medium. 
     
     
         10 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the data storage medium comprises a non-volatile memory. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the data storage medium comprises a removable storage device comprising an SD (Secure Digital) Card, or a MicroSD (Micro Secure Digital) Card. 
     
     
         12 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises one of a personal computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and other mobile personal communications devices comprising an imaging sensor. 
     
     
         13 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the image content control layer storing said instructions comprises one of: a hardware module; a software module embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . A method for content filtering of image data in an electronic device comprising an imaging sensor, at least one of a data storage medium and a communications interface, the method comprising performing, in a content filtering module interposed between the imaging sensor and the at least one storage medium and the communications interface, the steps of:
 receiving, directly from the imaging sensor, image data comprising locally created image content captured by the imaging sensor;   based on stored instructions comprising pre-defined image content criteria defining inappropriate content comprising sexually inappropriate content, said image content criteria being applicable for filtering any image data received from the imaging sensor, analyzing and filtering said image data for image content before storing and before passing said image data for further processing, by intercepting image data before rendering of the image data as viewable, displayable, transmittable and otherwise accessible;   said step of analyzing comprising detecting, based on said pre-defined image content criteria, whether or not the image data contains sexually inappropriate content; and   said step of filtering comprising blocking storage, transmission and further processing of the image data when it contains sexually inappropriate content; and otherwise passing the image data for storage or further processing.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said steps of analyzing and filtering are performed before storing an image in device memory and before providing access to the image data by other programs and applications. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step of analyzing said image data comprises performing an object and scene analysis. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step of analyzing comprises performing an object and scene analysis and detecting image data comprising objects and scenes indicative of sexually inappropriate content. 
     
     
         18 . A content filtering module for an electronic device comprising an imaging sensor, a processor, at least one of a storage medium and a communications interface, comprising:
 an image content control layer interposed between the imaging sensor and said at least one storage medium and communications interface of the electronic device, to receive image data from the imaging sensor,   said image content control layer comprising hardware and/or software encoded in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, and said image content control layer storing instructions, for execution in the processor, for analyzing and filtering all image data generated by the imaging sensor, said instructions comprising pre-defined image content criteria defining inappropriate content comprising sexually inappropriate content, said image content criteria being applicable for filtering any image data received from the imaging sensor, by implementing the method steps of:   receiving, directly from the imaging sensor, image data captured by the imaging sensor comprising locally created content, intercepting said image data before rendering of the image data as viewable, displayable, transmittable or otherwise accessible; and   analyzing and filtering said image data before storing and before passing said image data for further processing;   wherein analyzing comprises detecting, based on said pre-defined image content criteria, whether or not the image data contains sexually inappropriate content; and   wherein filtering comprises blocking storage, transmission and further processing of the image data when the image data contains sexually inappropriate content; and otherwise storing the image data or passing the image data for further processing.   
     
     
         19 . The content filtering module of  claim 18 , wherein said filtering comprises:
 when the image data comprises sexually inappropriate content, the image data is blocked in such a way as to ensure that the image data cannot be archived or transmitted by the device or accessed by other software running on the device, and   when the image data does not contain inappropriate content, the image data is made available to the device as if the content filtering module were not present.   
     
     
         20 . The content filtering module of  claim 18  wherein the steps of analyzing and filtering comprise implementing a decision making process for the control of sexually inappropriate content that ensures other software and hardware present on the device cannot access image data comprising sexually inappropriate content that has been captured by the digital imaging sensor and wherein other software and hardware applications are not explicitly aware of said decision making process.