A security enhancement for laptop computers comprises the use of a moving visible area and an obscured area for the laptop screen. The visible area may be defined by the user to comprise a single word, a single line, or a plurality of lines of data. The obscured area may comprise all remaining space on the laptop screen not defined as the visible area, A user may specify that the obscured area be completely hidden from view (i.e.., such as by blackening or whiting out the area) or difficult to view by others. The present invention is particularly useful with a laptop computer in a crowded environment such as while travelling on an airplane. The present invention will reduce the likelihood of unauthorized viewing of possibly sensitive computer data by others.
Image data are obtained from a recording medium, and dummy image data are generated based on the obtained image data. It is possible to switch between image displayed based on the generated dummy image data, and image data directly displayed based on the obtained image data. As a result, the dummy image may be displayed when a third party is near. Furthermore, the displayed dummy image can be used for editing, and the edited image may be printed.
An image altering apparatus which provides confidential viewing of a video display by means of time multiplexing the fundamental display image with a color-inverted image thereof on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Electronic circuitry and/or software are utilized to modify the fundamental image signal by time multiplexing its color data components with corresponding inverse color data components to generate a compound image signal which is representative of a substantially featureless image. Different multiplexing sequences of color data components and inverse color data components may be utilized at varying duty cycles to generate a compound image which is highly confidential and secure from unauthorized viewing. The fundamental image may be decoded and viewed only by those viewing the encoded image through specially designed eyeglasses incorporating time synchronized LCD shutters, variable polarizers, or color filters, which can selectively block inverted color components and/or demodulate the fundamental image to allow only the true fundamental color components to pass, thereby providing confidential and highly secure viewing of the fundamental image by the viewer.
An image altering apparatus which provides confidential viewing of a video display by means of time multiplexing the fundamental display image with a color-inverted image thereof on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Electronic circuitry and/or software are utilized to modify the fundamental image signal by time multiplexing its color data components with corresponding inverse color data components to generate a compound image signal which is representative of a substantially featureless image. Different multiplexing sequences of color data components and inverse color data components may be utilized at varying duty cycles to generate a compound image which is highly confidential and secure from unauthorized viewing. The fundamental image may be decoded and viewed only by those viewing the encoded image through specially designed eyeglasses incorporating time synchronized LCD shutters, variable polarizers, or color filters, which can selectively block inverted color components and/or demodulate the fundamental image to allow only the true fundamental color components to pass, thereby providing confidential and highly secure viewing of the fundamental image by the viewer.
