# US 10,311,251 B2 · System and method for masking and communicating modified multimedia content > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,311,251 B2 - Document ID: US10311251B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/086,022 - Filed: 2016-03-30 - Published: 2016-11-03 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-30 - Assignees: Adheraj Singh; Harleen Deol - Applicants: Adheraj Singh; Harleen Deol - Inventors: Adheraj Singh; Harleen Deol - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10311251B2 ## CPC - G06F 21/6263: {during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies} - G06F 21/32: using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints - H04L 65/762: {at the source (reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract The embodiments herein provide a method and system for masking personally identifiable elements in a captured multimedia content and communicating through an integrated messaging system. The method comprises capturing multimedia content, automatically or manually identifying and selecting content or coordinates of the personally identifiable elements for modification manually, automatically or semi-automatically, modifying the identified elements through a disfiguring or masking process selected from a group consisting of blurring, pixelating, pixel manipulation, modulating, deleting, hiding, applying several layers to an image or frame, superimposing an image or character, audio processing, and altering multimedia information, and displaying the modified multimedia on the second computing device. The modification is done internally at sender end, or externally at a central server or at a receiver end device. The multimedia content is modified and stored for sharing with another user at a later time. One or more elements of the multimedia content are modified. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for modifying a multimedia content and transmitting the modified multimedia content between two computing devices or communication devices through a messenger application, the system comprises: a first computing device comprising a first hardware processor and a first memory; a second computing device comprising a second hardware processor and a second memory; a multimedia capture module run on the first hardware processor and configured to capture the multimedia content, and wherein the multimedia capture module is arranged in the first computing device to capture the multimedia content, and wherein the multimedia content includes an image, a picture, a video, metadata, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates and an audio; an identification module coupled to the multimedia capture module and wherein the identification module is run on the first hardware processor and configured to select one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content for modification, and wherein the one or more personally identifiable elements are selected from a group consisting of a face of a user, body parts of a user, a location data, an audio data, a video data, a background image data, a foreground image data and a surrounding environment and wherein the identification module is configured to select the one or more personally identifiable elements of the captured multimedia content in real-time or near real-time; a modification module coupled to the identification module to modify the captured multimedia content to obtain the modified multimedia content, and wherein the modification module is run on the first hardware processor and configured to modify the selected one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content, and wherein the modification module is configured to modify the selected one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content through an image disfiguring, pixel manipulation, or masking process, and wherein the modification module is configured to modify the selected one or more personally identifiable elements of the captured multimedia content in real-time or near real-time; a first messaging application program interface (API) module coupled to the modification module, and wherein the first messaging API module is provided in the first computing device, and wherein the first messaging API module is run on the first hardware processor and configured to acquire the modified multimedia content from the modification module and transmit the modified multimedia content to the second computing device, and wherein the first messaging API module is configured to provide a cross-platform compatibility; and a second messaging application program interface (API) module run on the second hardware processor and configured to receive the modified multimedia content from the first computing device, and wherein the second messaging API module is provided in the second computing device; and a display module run on the second hardware processor and configured to exhibit the modified multimedia content, and wherein the display module is coupled to the second messaging application program interface (API) module, and wherein the display module is present in the second computing device, and wherein the display module is configured to receive the modified multimedia content from the second messaging application program interface (API) module for displaying the modified multimedia content in the second computing device; wherein the modification module is provided internally with the first computing device or on an external server or in the second computing device at a receiver end to modify the captured multimedia content and wherein the modification module is configured to vary an intensity of masking by varying an intensity of blurring, varying an amount of pixel manipulation, and varying a pixel size during pixelating in the captured multimedia content, and wherein the modification module is configured to alter an audio feed to prevent a recognition of a voice of a speaker, and wherein the modification module is configured to alter the audio feed by modifying a frequency, a speed and a modulation of the audio feed, wherein the modification module is configured to modify both the audio feed and a video feed at an instance successively or simultaneously. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the modification module is configured to modify the selected one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content through the image disfiguring or masking process selected from a group consisting of masking, blurring, pixilating modulating, pixel manipulation, deleting, hiding, applying one or more layers and filters, superimposing an Image or character, audio processing, selective revealing, voice modulation processes, and altering the multimedia content visually. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the identification module is configured to select the one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content for modification manually or automatically or semi-automatically. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the identification module is configured to select the one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content manually by outlining a preset area/areas in the video feed or a still picture image by using one or more fingers to specify area/areas to be masked or blurred, and wherein the identification module is configured to select the one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content manually by outlining a preset area/areas in the video feed or the still picture image by using one or more fingers to specify area/areas to be unmasked or unblurred. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the identification module is configured to select the one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content for modification automatically by using an application program interface, and wherein the application program interface is selected from a group consisting of a CI detector class, open CV and Face Detector class. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, further comprises the first hardware processor for controlling the modification module based on user inputs to modify the selected one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, further comprises the first memory for storing the modified multimedia content for sharing with another user at a later time. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the first messaging application program interface (API) module is configured to transmit the modified multimedia content received from the modification module or the modified multimedia which is stored in the first memory. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the modified multimedia content is transmitted from the first computing device to the second computing device through a communication network. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are selected from a group consisting of a mobile phone, a smartphone, a laptop, a general purpose computer, a personal assistant device (PDA), a wearable device, a communication device and a gaming device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the modified multimedia content is stored either in the first computing device or in the second computing device or both in the first computing device and in the second computing device. ### Claim 12 A method implemented using computer comprising instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and executed on a computing device provided with a hardware processor and a memory for modifying and transmitting a multimedia content between two computing devices or communication devices through a messenger application, the method comprising the steps of: capturing the multimedia content from a first computing device through a multimedia capture module, and wherein the multimedia content includes an image, metadata, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, a picture, a video, and an audio; identifying and selecting one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content with an identification module for modification, and wherein the one or more personally identifiable elements are selected from a group consisting of a face of a user, body parts of a user, a location data, an audio data, a video data, a background image data, a foreground image data and a surrounding environment, and wherein the one or more personally identifiable elements of the captured multimedia content are selected in real-time or near real time, and wherein the one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content are selected for modification manually or automatically or semi-automatically, and wherein the one or more personally identifiable elements are identified automatically through an identification technique, and wherein the identification technique is selected from a group consisting of a face recognition technique, an image recognition technique, a pattern recognition technique, an audio and video recognition technique, and a natural language processing technique; modifying the captured multimedia content through a modification module, and wherein the captured multimedia content is modified by modifying the selected one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content, and wherein the selected one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content is modified through an image disfiguring or masking process, and wherein the image disfiguring or masking process is selected from a group consisting of a masking, blurring, pixilating, pixel manipulation, modulating, deleting, hiding, applying one or more layers and filters, superimposing an image or character, audio processing, selective revealing, voice modulation processes, and altering the captured multimedia content visually, and wherein the selected one or more personally identifiable elements of the captured multimedia content are modified in real-time or near real-time; communicating the modified multimedia content to a second computing device through an application program interface (API) module of the messenger application, wherein the API module is configured to provide a cross-platform compatibility; and displaying the modified multimedia content on the second computing device through a display module; wherein the captured multimedia content is modified internally in the first computing device or on an external server or in the second computing device at a receiver end, and wherein the modified multimedia content is transmitted from the first computing device to the second computing device through a communication network, and wherein the modified multimedia content is stored in the first computing device and the second computing device, wherein the modified multimedia content is stored in a memory for sharing with another user at later time, and wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are selected from a group consisting of a mobile phone, a smartphone, a laptop, a general purpose computer, a personal assistant device (PDA), wearable device, a communication device and a gaming device, and wherein the captured multimedia content is modified to vary an intensity of masking by varying an intensity of blurring, varying a pixel size during pixelating in the captured multimedia content, and wherein the captured multimedia content is modified by altering an audio feed to prevent a recognition of a voice of a speaker, and wherein the audio feed is altered by modifying a frequency, a speed and a modulation of the audio feed, wherein the captured multimedia content is modified by altering both the audio feed and a video feed at an instance successively or simultaneously. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content are selected manually by outlining a preset area/areas in the video feed or a still picture image by using one or more fingers to specify area/areas to be masked or blurred, and wherein the one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content are selected manually by outlining a preset area/areas in the video feed or the still picture image by using one or more fingers to specify area/areas to be unmasked or unblurred. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content are selected for modification automatically by using an application program interface, and wherein the application program interface is selected from a group consisting of a CI detector class, open CV and Face Detector class. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, further comprises controlling the modification module with the hardware processor based on user inputs for modifying the selected one or more personally identifiable elements in the captured multimedia content. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the captured multimedia content is modified using a software application on the first computing device in advance for transmitting at a later time.