RIM Introduces Patent Phone Feature to Prevent “Inconspicuous” Camera Usage

By: Jeff Stewart  |   January 3rd, 2013   |   News, O Canada, Smartphones

Usually, leaked product images that are not released by companies themselves tend to appear vague or blurry as these are usually taken on the sly with camera phones or in inconspicuous places. Aside from being blurry, such leak photos badly damage the promotion or campaign of an upcoming device, as they spoil the party by revealing products before they release.

 

So far these blurry leaked images have caused lot of distress to several multinational companies and the recent victim of these seeped photos was Blackberry maker Research In Motion. Til now, a plethora of leaked images of its upcoming smartphone have emerged online which have unveiled the device well before the launch that is slated for January 30, 2013.

 

However, to counter these leaked images, RIM has seemingly founds its own way. The Canadian company had filed a patent case back in 2010, which has recently been published and now RIM is looking to help other companies with its new feature. This will prevent leaks and raise the bar of privacy for those, who really value confidentiality.

 

This patent is titled as, “Camera-steady focus requirements for preventing inconspicuous use of cameras on handheld mobile communication devices.”

 

And it says:

 

“Methods and devices for implementing a camera restriction on a wireless handheld communication device. As more handheld devices incorporate camera functionalities, organizations and individuals with privacy concerns are more vulnerable to unauthorized disclosure. The camera restriction prevents a user from taking a picture of a subject if the device has not been steadily focused on the subject in question for a predetermined period of time.

 

In short, this process extends the normal camera-taking procedure and thus requires the camera user to take pictures in a conspicuous manner–the rationale being that a camera user would be less likely to take unauthorized pictures if such actions could be easily recognized. The camera restriction can be communicated to the device via a wireless communication network. Additionally, the restrictions and boundaries can be communicated to the device as part of an IT security policy.”

 

Source: PitaPixel