# US 2014/0157424 A1 · Mobile device privacy application > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0157424 A1 - Document ID: US20140157424A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/705,782 - Filed: 2012-12-05 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-05 - Assignees: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.; Verizon New Jersey Inc. - Applicants: Verizon New Jersey Inc.; Verizon Patent and Licensing, Inc. - Inventors: Woo Beum LEE; Michelle Felt; Jeffrey M. Walsh - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140157424A1 ## CPC - G06F 21/74: operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode - G06F 21/60: Protecting data - G06F 21/6245: {Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes} - G06F 21/604: {Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems} - G06F 2221/032: Protect output to user by software means - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A device is configured to determine that the device is to activate a privacy mode, obscure information displayed by a display of the device, detect a user interaction with a first portion of the display, the first portion being less than an entirety of the display, and reveal first information obscured by the first portion of the display, without revealing information obscured by a remaining portion of the display, the first portion and the remaining portion comprising the entirety of the display. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device, comprising: one or more processors to: determine that the device is to activate a privacy mode; obscure, based on determining that the device is to activate the privacy mode, information displayed by a display of the device; detect a user interaction with a first portion of the display, the first portion being less than an entirety of the display; and reveal, based on detecting the user interaction with the first portion of the display, first information obscured by the first portion of the display, without revealing information obscured by a remaining portion of the display, the first portion and the remaining portion comprising the entirety of the display. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when determining that the device is to activate the privacy mode, are further to: detect a quantity of faces within a vicinity of the device; and determine that the device is to activate the privacy mode based on the quantity of faces satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The device of claim 2, where the quantity of faces includes a quantity of faces that are angled within a particular range of angles with respect to the device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when determining that the device is to activate the privacy mode, are further to: detect a volume level of noise within a vicinity of the device; and determine that the device is to activate the privacy mode based on the volume level satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when determining that the device is to activate the privacy mode, are further to: detect a quantity of other devices within a vicinity of the device; and determine that the device is to activate the privacy mode based on the quantity of other devices satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when detecting the user interaction with the first portion of the display, are further to: detect that a user has touched or is touching the first portion of the display. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to: detect a user interaction with a second portion of the display; reveal, based on detecting the user interaction with the second portion of the display, second information obscured by the second portion of the display; and obscure, based on detecting the user interaction with the second portion of the display, the first information. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when obscuring information displayed by the display of the device, are further to: decrease a brightness level of the display; and where the one or more processors, when revealing first information obscured by the first portion of the display, are further to: increase a brightness level of the first portion of the display. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when obscuring information displayed by the display of the device, are further to at least one of: replace the information with other information; blur the information; jumble the information; fade the information; or scroll or move the information. ### Claim 10 A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to: determine that the device is to activate a privacy mode; obscure, based on determining that the device is to activate the privacy mode, information displayed by a display of the device; detect a user interaction with a first portion of the display; and reveal, based on detecting the user interaction with the first portion of the display, first information obscured by a corresponding portion of the display, the corresponding portion corresponding to the first portion of the display, without revealing information obscured by a remaining portion of the display, the corresponding portion and the remaining portion comprising an entirety of the display. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the one or more instructions, that cause the processor to determine that the device is to activate the privacy mode, further cause the processor to: detect a quantity of faces within a vicinity of the device; and determine that the device is to activate the privacy mode based on the quantity of faces satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the one or more instructions, that cause the processor to determine that the device is to activate the privacy mode, further cause the processor to: detect a volume level of noise within a vicinity of the device; and determine that the device is to activate the privacy mode based on the volume level satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the one or more instructions, that cause the processor to determine that the device is to activate the privacy mode, further cause the processor to: detect a quantity of other devices within a vicinity of the device; and determine that the device is to activate the privacy mode based on the quantity of other devices satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the one or more instructions, that cause the processor to detect the user interaction with the first portion of the display, further cause the processor to: detect that a user has touched or is touching the first portion of the display. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the one or more instructions further cause the processor to: detect a user interaction with a second portion of the display; reveal, based on detecting the user interaction with the second portion of the display, second information obscured by the second portion of the display; and obscure, based on detecting the user interaction with the second portion of the display, the first information. ### Claim 16 A method, comprising: determining, by a device, that the device is to activate a privacy mode; obscuring, by the device and based on determining that the device is to activate the privacy mode, information displayed by a display of the device; detecting, by the device, a first user interaction with a first portion of the display, the first portion being less than an entirety of the display; revealing, by the device and based on detecting the first user interaction, first information obscured by the first portion of the display; detecting, by the device, a second user interaction with a second portion of the display, the second portion being less than the entirety of the display and being different from the first portion; revealing, by the device and based on detecting the second user interaction, second information obscured by the second portion of the display; and obscuring, by the device and based on detecting the second user interaction, the first information. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising: detecting a quantity of faces within a vicinity of the device; and determining that the device is to activate the privacy mode based on the quantity of faces satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, where the quantity of faces includes a quantity of faces that are angled within a particular range of angles with respect to the device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, where detecting the first user interaction with the first portion of the display includes detecting that a user has touched or is touching the first portion of the display, and where detecting the second user interaction with the second portion of the display includes detecting that a user has touched or is touching the second portion of the display. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, where obscuring information displayed by the display of the device further comprises at least one of: decreasing a brightness level of the display; replacing the information with other information; blurring the information; jumbling the information; fading the information; or scrolling or moving the information.