# US 2021/0344879 A1 · Dynamic video exclusion zones for privacy > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0344879 A1 - Document ID: US20210344879A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/341,706 - Filed: 2021-06-08 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-24 - Assignees: Alarm.com Incorporated - Applicants: Alarm.com Incorporated - Inventors: Stephen Scott Trundle; Daniel Todd Kerzner; Donald Gerard Madden; Benjamin Asher Berg - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210344879A1 ## CPC - H04N 7/18: Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast - H04N 7/185: {from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control} - G06F 21/6245: {Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes} - G06F 21/84: output devices, e.g. displays or monitors - G06T 7/0002: {Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection} - G06V 20/52: Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) - G08B 13/19686: {Interfaces masking personal details for privacy, e.g. blurring faces, vehicle license plates} - H04N 5/272: Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay - H04N 5/77: between a recording apparatus and a television camera - H04N 5/91: Television signal processing therefor - H04N 5/913: for scrambling {; for copy protection} - H04N 21/45455: {applied to a region of the image} - H04N 23/611: where the recognised objects include parts of the human body - H04N 23/635: {Region indicators; Field of view indicators} - H04N 23/64: {Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image} - H04N 23/65: Control of camera operation in relation to power supply - H04N 23/661: Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet - H04N 23/667: Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes - H04N 23/80: Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof - G06T 2207/10016: Video; Image sequence - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for preserving privacy in surveillance. The methods, systems, and apparatus include actions of determining a state of a monitoring system, determining an exclusion zone that is shown in a video, determining whether to obfuscate at least a portion of the video based on the exclusion zone and the state of the monitoring system, and obfuscating at least the portion of the video. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method comprising: determining an arming state of a monitoring system; determining an exclusion zone that is shown in a video; determining whether to obfuscate at least a portion of the video based on the exclusion zone and the arming state of the monitoring system, wherein determining whether to obfuscate at least the portion of the video based on the exclusion zone and the arming state of the monitoring system includes: determining that humans in the exclusion zone are to be obfuscated when the monitoring system is in a particular arming state and that the arming state of the monitoring system is in the particular arming state; and in response to determining that humans in the exclusion zone are to be obfuscated when the monitoring system is in the particular arming state and that the arming state of the monitoring system is in the particular arming state, determining to obfuscate humans in the exclusion zone in the video; and obfuscating at least the portion of the video that shows a human in the exclusion zone without obfuscating another portion of the video that shows a portion of the exclusion zone without any humans. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining an exclusion zone that is shown in a video comprises: receiving, from an exclusion zone definition database, an exclusion zone definition that specifies the exclusion zone; and determining, based on the exclusion zone definition, that the video shows the exclusion zone. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the exclusion zone definition specifies that a particular room is to be obfuscated when the monitoring system is in a particular state and not obfuscated when the monitoring system is not in the particular state. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the particular room comprises a bathroom and the particular state comprises unarmed. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the exclusion zone definition specifies that in a living room, humans are always to be obfuscated, and when the state of the monitoring system is unarmed, an entirety of the living room is to be obfuscated. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein determining that humans in the exclusion zone are to be obfuscated when the monitoring system is in a particular arming state and that the arming state of the monitoring system is in the particular arming state comprises: determining that the exclusion zone definition specifies that only humans are to be obfuscated in the exclusion zone during the particular arming state. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining a state of a monitoring system comprises: receiving, from a control unit of the monitoring system and by an obfuscation engine, an indication that the monitoring system is unarmed. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein obfuscating at least the portion of the video comprises: replacing pixels in the video that correspond to the exclusion zone with black pixels. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein obfuscating at least the portion of the video comprises: replacing pixels in the video that correspond to the human in the exclusion zone with black pixels. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein obfuscating at least the portion of the video comprises: storing the video labeled with metadata that specifies which portions of the video should be obscured for which types of users when the video is played. ### Claim 11 A system comprising: one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising: determining an arming state of a monitoring system; determining an exclusion zone that is shown in a video; determining whether to obfuscate at least a portion of the video based on the exclusion zone and the arming state of the monitoring system, wherein determining whether to obfuscate at least the portion of the video based on the exclusion zone and the arming state of the monitoring system includes: determining that humans in the exclusion zone are to be obfuscated when the monitoring system is in a particular arming state and that the arming state of the monitoring system is in the particular arming state; and in response to determining that humans in the exclusion zone are to be obfuscated when the monitoring system is in the particular arming state and that the arming state of the monitoring system is in the particular arming state, determining to obfuscate humans in the exclusion zone in the video; and obfuscating at least the portion of the video that shows a human in the exclusion zone without obfuscating another portion of the video that shows a portion of the exclusion zone without any humans. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein determining an exclusion zone that is shown in a video comprises: receiving, from an exclusion zone definition database, an exclusion zone definition that specifies the exclusion zone; and determining, based on the exclusion zone definition, that the video shows the exclusion zone. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the exclusion zone definition specifies that a particular room is to be obfuscated when the monitoring system is in a particular state and not obfuscated when the monitoring system is not in the particular state. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the particular room comprises a bathroom and the particular state comprises unarmed. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the exclusion zone definition specifies that in a living room, humans are always to be obfuscated, and when the state of the monitoring system is unarmed, an entirety of the living room is to be obfuscated. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein determining that humans in the exclusion zone are to be obfuscated when the monitoring system is in a particular arming state and that the arming state of the monitoring system is in the particular arming state comprises: determining that the exclusion zone definition specifies that only humans are to be obfuscated in the exclusion zone during the particular arming state. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein determining a state of a monitoring system comprises: receiving, from a control unit of the monitoring system and by an obfuscation engine, an indication that the monitoring system is unarmed. ### Claim 18 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising: determining a state of a monitoring system; determining an exclusion zone that is shown in a video; determining whether to obfuscate at least a portion of the video based on the exclusion zone and the state of the monitoring system; and obfuscating at least the portion of the video. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The medium of claim 18, wherein determining an exclusion zone that is shown in a video comprises: receiving, from an exclusion zone definition database, an exclusion zone definition that specifies the exclusion zone; and determining, based on the exclusion zone definition, that the video shows the exclusion zone. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The medium of claim 19, wherein determining that humans in the exclusion zone are to be obfuscated when the monitoring system is in a particular arming state and that the arming state of the monitoring system is in the particular arming state comprises: determining that the exclusion zone definition specifies that only humans are to be obfuscated in the exclusion zone during the particular arming state.