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

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.

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.