Systems and methods for bulk redaction of recorded data
Inventors
Khoo, Aaron • Alvarez Zayas, Abraham • Womack, Marcus W. L. • Reitz, James N.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11397502-B2
Publication Date
2022-07-26
Expiration Date
Abstract
Systems and methods for redacting information from data records are provided. Data records are recorded by recording devices, including, but not limited to, camera recording devices such as those associated with law-enforcement officers. The data records are stored in an evidence management system. In response to requests for records, including but not limited to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the evidence management system creates redacted versions of the data records. Public access may then be provided to the redacted data records. In some embodiments, automated bulk redaction may be applied to video data records by applying a video filter to the entire visual field of the video information. In some embodiments, access to the redacted data records may be provided via a cloud storage system or via a removable computer-readable storage medium.
Core Innovation
The invention is an evidence management system for processing digital video data. The system receives digital video files from at least one digital video camera and stores the digital video files in a storage location protected from public access, wherein the storage location comprises a data store.
The system receives a request for disclosure comprising a specified parameter to query from the data store, and it determines matching digital video files from the stored digital video files that match the request for disclosure. The matching digital video files include a matching digital video file and a next matching digital video file.
The system creates redacted digital video files by redacting information from the digital video files and stores the redacted digital video files in a storage location available to public access. Redacting information from the digital video files includes bulk redaction of the matching digital video files, and the bulk redaction comprises applying a blur filter to visual content of the matching digital video file and the next matching digital video file.
The system further supports disclosure workflow driven by specified parameters for selecting matching digital video files, including an incident identifier and/or searching for a keyword within titles, descriptions, or textual transcripts associated with the digital video files, while the matching digital video files include the next matching digital video file used for subsequent bulk redaction.
Claims Coverage
Independent claims clm-00001, clm-00007, and clm-00015 define an evidence management system and computer-implemented methods that identify matching video records for disclosure requests and automatically redact them using bulk blur filtering for both a matching record and a next matching record. Across these independent claims, at least five core inventive features are directly stated: protected storage, matching determination including next matching record, blur-filter-based bulk redaction, staging storage before access, and access to redacted matching and next records.
Evidence management system with protected and public storage
An evidence management system configured to receive digital video files from at least one digital video camera; store the digital video files in a storage location protected from public access, wherein the storage location comprises a data store; and store the redacted digital video files in a storage location available to public access.
Disclosure request-based matching of a current and next matching video file
Determine matching digital video files from the stored digital video files that match the request for disclosure, wherein the matching digital video files include a matching digital video file and a next matching digital video file, and wherein each of the matching digital video file and the next matching digital video file match the specified parameter.
Bulk redaction using a blur filter on visual content
Redacting information from the digital video files includes bulk redaction of the matching digital video files, and wherein the bulk redaction comprises applying a blur filter to visual content of the matching digital video file and the next matching digital video file.
Computer-implemented method automatically redacting records with blur filtering of matching and next records
Automatically redacting records captured by recording devices by determining matching data records that match a disclosure request, wherein the matching data records include a matching data record and a next matching data record; receiving, by a computing device, a command to redact a data record, wherein the data record includes a digital video file; applying, by the computing device, a blur filter to a visual field of the digital video file to create a redacted data record; storing, by the computing device, the redacted data record in a staging location; automatically applying, by the computing device, the blur filter to a visual field of the next digital video file of the next matching data record to create a next redacted data record; storing, by the computing device, the next redacted data record in the staging location; and providing access to redacted data records comprising the redacted data record and the next redacted data record.
Computing device for automatically bulk redacting and providing access to matching and next redacted records
A computing device configured to automatically bulk redact records captured by recording devices, by determining matching data records recorded by the recording devices that match a disclosure request, the matching data records including a matching data record captured by a recording device and a next matching data record; receiving a command to redact the matching data record captured by the recording device; applying a blur filter to a digital video file of the matching data record to create a redacted data record; storing the redacted data record in a staging location; automatically applying the blur filter to a next digital video file of the next matching data record to create a next redacted data record; storing the next redacted data record in the staging location; and providing access to redacted data records comprising the redacted data record and the next redacted data record.
The independent claims collectively cover determining matching video records for a disclosure request while including a next matching record, performing bulk redaction by applying a blur filter to visual content or visual field, storing redacted records in protected, public, and staging locations, and providing access to redacted records that comprise the matching record and the next matching record.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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