Patent Publication Number: US-11392719-B2

Title: Electronic device and method for securing personal information included in image

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0035716, filed on Mar. 28, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1) Field 
     One or more embodiments generally relate to an electronic device and a method for securing personal information included in an image. 
     2) Description of Related Art 
     Electronic devices, such as smart phones, tablet PCs, portable multimedia players (PMPs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop personal computers (laptop PCs), wrist watches, or head-mounted displays, may include one or more cameras, and may capture images by using the cameras. 
     The user can upload images captured by the camera of an electronic device to an external electronic device, such as an electronic device or server of a social network service (SNS). 
     The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure. 
     SUMMARY 
     With the increasing popularity of high-speed high-capacity wireless communication deployed on the above mentioned electronic devices, high quality original images (e.g. raw images) captured by the aforementioned cameras may be uploaded to an SNS server. 
     The server or the external electronic device may apply an image quality enhancement algorithm to the high quality original image received from the electronic device to enhance the quality of the image, and may provide the image having the enhanced quality back to the electronic device. 
     If the user of the electronic device uploads the image to the external electronic device or shares the image with another user through the social network service, personal information may be exposed or leaked to other people regardless of the user&#39;s intension. For example, one of the high-quality images may include the user&#39;s personal information (e.g. fingerprint information, iris information, or face information). 
     Recently, illegal hacking of servers has frequently occurred, and the information illegally obtained through hacking may cause great damage to the user. 
     According to an embodiment, an electronic device may include: a camera including an image sensor; a communication module; a memory; and a processor operationally connected to the camera, the communication module, and the memory. The memory may store instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: acquire a first image including an external object by using the camera; acquire a second image including less information than the first image by using at least a part of the first image; transmit the second image to an external electronic device by using the communication module; receive security information corresponding to the second image from the external electronic device by using the communication module; and secure the first image at least partially based on the security information. 
     According to an embodiment, a method for securing personal information included in an image may include: acquiring a first image including an external object by using a camera that includes an image sensor; acquiring a second image including less information than the first image by using at least a part of the first image; transmitting the second image to an external electronic device by using a communication module; receiving security information corresponding to the second image from the external electronic device by using the communication module; and securing the first image, at least partially based on the security information. 
     According to an embodiment, an electronic device may include: a communication module; a memory; and a processor operationally connected to the communication module and the memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive an image from an external electronic device by using the communication module; recognize at least one image segment in the image; determine security information included in the image and associated with the at least one image segment, at least partially based on a result of the recognition; and transmit the security information to the external electronic device by using the communication module. 
     Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a camera module according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating operations of an electronic device and an external electronic device according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of electronic devices according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method for securing personal information included in an image in an electronic device according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a method for securing a first image in an electronic device according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a method for securing a first image in an electronic device according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating a method for securing personal information included in an image in a system according to an embodiment; and 
         FIG. 9A  illustrates an example of a method for securing personal information according to an embodiment,  FIG. 9B  illustrates an example of a method for securing personal information according to an embodiment, and  FIG. 9C  illustrates an example of a method for securing personal information according to an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device  101  in a network environment  100  according to various embodiments. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the electronic device  101  in the network environment  100  may communicate with an electronic device  102  via a first network  198  (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or an electronic device  104  or a server  108  via a second network  199  (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may communicate with the electronic device  104  via the server  108 . According to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may include a processor  120 , memory  130 , an input device  150 , a sound output device  155 , a display device  160 , an audio module  170 , a sensor module  176 , an interface  177 , a haptic module  179 , a camera module  180 , a power management module  188 , a battery  189 , a communication module  190 , a subscriber identification module (SIM)  196 , or an antenna module  197 . In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device  160  or the camera module  180 ) of the components may be omitted from the electronic device  101 , or one or more other components may be added in the electronic device  101 . In some embodiments, some of the components may be implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, the sensor module  176  (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an illuminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device  160  (e.g., a display). 
     The processor  120  may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program  140 ) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device  101  coupled with the processor  120 , and may perform various data processing or computation. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or computation, the processor  120  may load a command or data received from another component (e.g., the sensor module  176  or the communication module  190 ) in volatile memory  132 , process the command or the data stored in the volatile memory  132 , and store resulting data in non-volatile memory  134 . According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may include a main processor  121  (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor  123  (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is operable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor  121 . Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor  123  may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor  121 , or to be specific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor  123  may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor  121 . 
     The auxiliary processor  123  may control at least some of functions or states related to at least one component (e.g., the display device  160 , the sensor module  176 , or the communication module  190 ) among the components of the electronic device  101 , instead of the main processor  121  while the main processor  121  is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor  121  while the main processor  121  is in an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor  123  (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., the camera module  180  or the communication module  190 ) functionally related to the auxiliary processor  123 . 
     The memory  130  may store various data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor  120  or the sensor module  176 ) of the electronic device  101 . The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program  140 ) and input data or output data for a command related thereto. The memory  130  may include the volatile memory  132  or the non-volatile memory  134 . 
     The program  140  may be stored in the memory  130  as software, and may include, for example, an operating system (OS)  142 , middleware  144 , or an application  146 . 
     The input device  150  may receive a command or data to be used by other component (e.g., the processor  120 ) of the electronic device  101 , from the outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device  101 . The input device  150  may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen). 
     The sound output device  155  may output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device  101 . The sound output device  155  may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receiver may be used for an incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker. 
     The display device  160  may visually provide information to the outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device  101 . The display device  160  may include, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector and control circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display, hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the display device  160  may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, or sensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred by the touch. 
     The audio module  170  may convert a sound into an electrical signal and vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module  170  may obtain the sound via the input device  150 , or output the sound via the sound output device  155  or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device  102 ) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly coupled with the electronic device  101 . 
     The sensor module  176  may detect an operational state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device  101  or an environmental state (e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device  101 , and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module  176  may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor. 
     The interface  177  may support one or more specified protocols to be used for the electronic device  101  to be coupled with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device  102 ) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface  177  may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface. 
     A connecting terminal  178  may include a connector via which the electronic device  101  may be physically connected with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device  102 ). According to an embodiment, the connecting terminal  178  may include, for example, a HDMI connector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector). 
     The haptic module  179  may convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus which may be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinesthetic sensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module  179  may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulator. 
     The camera module  180  may capture a still image or moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera module  180  may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes. 
     The power management module  188  may manage power supplied to the electronic device  101 . According to one embodiment, the power management module  188  may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC). 
     The battery  189  may supply power to at least one component of the electronic device  101 . According to an embodiment, the battery  189  may include, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, a secondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell. 
     The communication module  190  may support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device  101  and the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device  102 , the electronic device  104 , or the server  108 ) and performing communication via the established communication channel. The communication module  190  may include one or more communication processors that are operable independently from the processor  120  (e.g., the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired) communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module  190  may include a wireless communication module  192  (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module  194  (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules may communicate with the external electronic device via the first network  198  (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™, wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or the second network  199  (e.g., a long-range communication network, such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separate from each other. The wireless communication module  192  may identify and authenticate the electronic device  101  in a communication network, such as the first network  198  or the second network  199 , using subscriber information (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module  196 . 
     The antenna module  197  may transmit or receive a signal or power to or from the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of the electronic device  101 . According to an embodiment, the antenna module  197  may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module  197  may include a plurality of antennas. In such a case, at least one antenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communication network, such as the first network  198  or the second network  199 , may be selected, for example, by the communication module  190  (e.g., the wireless communication module  192 ) from the plurality of antennas. The signal or the power may then be transmitted or received between the communication module  190  and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiating element may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module  197 . 
     At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutually and communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)). 
     According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device  101  and the external electronic device  104  via the server  108  coupled with the second network  199 . Each of the electronic devices  102  and  104  may be a device of a same type as, or a different type, from the electronic device  101 . According to an embodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronic device  101  may be executed at one or more of the external electronic devices  102 ,  104 , or  108 . For example, if the electronic device  101  should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device  101 , instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service, may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or the service. The one or more external electronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least part of the function or the service requested, or an additional function or an additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome of the performing to the electronic device  101 . The electronic device  101  may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of the outcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technology may be used, for example. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram  200  illustrating the camera module  180  according to various embodiments. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the camera module  180  may include a lens assembly  210 , a flash  220 , an image sensor  230 , an image stabilizer  240 , memory  250  (e.g., buffer memory), or an image signal processor  260 . The lens assembly  210  may collect light emitted or reflected from an object whose image is to be taken. The lens assembly  210  may include one or more lenses. According to an embodiment, the camera module  180  may include a plurality of lens assemblies  210 . In such a case, the camera module  180  may form, for example, a dual camera, a 360-degree camera, or a spherical camera. Some of the plurality of lens assemblies  210  may have the same lens attribute (e.g., view angle, focal length, auto-focusing, f number, or optical zoom), or at least one lens assembly may have one or more lens attributes different from those of another lens assembly. The lens assembly  210  may include, for example, a wide-angle lens or a telephoto lens. 
     The flash  220  may emit light that is used to reinforce light reflected from an object. According to an embodiment, the flash  220  may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) (e.g., a red-green-blue (RGB) LED, a white LED, an infrared (IR) LED, or an ultraviolet (UV) LED) or a xenon lamp. The image sensor  230  may obtain an image corresponding to an object by converting light emitted or reflected from the object and transmitted via the lens assembly  210  into an electrical signal. According to an embodiment, the image sensor  230  may include one selected from image sensors having different attributes, such as a RGB sensor, a black-and-white (BW) sensor, an IR sensor, or a UV sensor, a plurality of image sensors having the same attribute, or a plurality of image sensors having different attributes. Each image sensor included in the image sensor  230  may be implemented using, for example, a charged coupled device (CCD) sensor or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. 
     The image stabilizer  240  may move the image sensor  230  or at least one lens included in the lens assembly  210  in a particular direction, or control an operational attribute (e.g., adjust the read-out timing) of the image sensor  230  in response to the movement of the camera module  180  or the electronic device  101  including the camera module  180 . This allows compensating for at least part of a negative effect (e.g., image blurring) by the movement on an image being captured. According to an embodiment, the image stabilizer  240  may sense such a movement by the camera module  180  or the electronic device  101  using a gyro sensor (not shown) or an acceleration sensor (not shown) disposed inside or outside the camera module  180 . According to an embodiment, the image stabilizer  240  may be implemented, for example, as an optical image stabilizer. 
     The memory  250  may store, at least temporarily, at least part of an image obtained via the image sensor  230  for a subsequent image processing task. For example, if image capturing is delayed due to shutter lag or multiple images are quickly captured, a raw image obtained (e.g., a Bayer-patterned image, a high-resolution image) may be stored in the memory  250 , and its corresponding copy image (e.g., a low-resolution image) may be previewed via the display device  160 . Thereafter, if a specified condition is met (e.g., by a user&#39;s input or system command), at least part of the raw image stored in the memory  250  may be obtained and processed, for example, by the image signal processor  260 . According to an embodiment, the memory  250  may be configured as at least part of the memory  130  or as a separate memory that is operated independently from the memory  130 . 
     The image signal processor  260  may perform one or more image processing with respect to an image obtained via the image sensor  230  or an image stored in the memory  250 . The one or more image processing may include, for example, depth map generation, three-dimensional (3D) modeling, panorama generation, feature point extraction, image synthesizing, or image compensation (e.g., noise reduction, resolution adjustment, brightness adjustment, blurring, sharpening, or softening). Additionally or alternatively, the image signal processor  260  may perform control (e.g., exposure time control or read-out timing control) with respect to at least one (e.g., the image sensor  230 ) of the components included in the camera module  180 . An image processed by the image signal processor  260  may be stored back in the memory  250  for further processing, or may be provided to an external component (e.g., the memory  130 , the display device  160 , the electronic device  102 , the electronic device  104 , or the server  108 ) outside the camera module  180 . According to an embodiment, the image signal processor  260  may be configured as at least part of the processor  120 , or as a separate processor that is operated independently from the processor  120 . If the image signal processor  260  is configured as a separate processor from the processor  120 , at least one image processed by the image signal processor  260  may be displayed, by the processor  120 , via the display device  160  as it is or after being further processed. 
     According to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may include a plurality of camera modules  180  having different attributes or functions. In such a case, at least one of the plurality of camera modules  180  may form, for example, a wide-angle camera and at least another of the plurality of camera modules  180  may form a telephoto camera. Similarly, at least one of the plurality of camera modules  180  may form, for example, a front camera and at least another of the plurality of camera modules  180  may form a rear camera. 
     Herein is disclosed an electronic device and a method for securing personal information included in an image. An aspect of an embodiment disclosed herein is to prevent the unintended leakage of the user&#39;s personal information that may be included in the image. 
     According to certain embodiments, an electronic device and a method for securing personal information included in an image can prevent personal information included in the image from being leaked to the public. 
     According to certain embodiments, in an electronic device and a method for securing personal information included in an image, the user&#39;s personal information included in the image may be displayed only on the user&#39;s electronic device. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating operations of an electronic device and an external electronic device according to an embodiment. 
     In an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may include an image sensor  321 , an image signal processor (ISP)  323 , and a memory  325 . An external electronic device  300  (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108 ) may include a recognition module  331 , an ISP  333 , and a storage  335 . The recognition module  331  may be a logical module and may be implemented using a processor of the external electronic device  300  together with software. The ISP  333  may also be implemented using the processor of the external electronic device  300 . In that example, the processor of the external electronic device  300  may perform both recognition and image processing. Although not illustrated, the electronic device  101  may include a communication module (e.g. the communication module  190  in  FIG. 1 ) which can transmit or receive data to or from the external electronic device  300 . The external electronic device  300  may include a communication module which can transmit or receive data to or from the electronic device  101 . According to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may include a recognition module  327 . The recognition module  327  disposed in the electronic device  101  may be configured to perform functions identical to some of functions of the recognition module  331 . For example, the recognition module  327  may be hardware or software configured to recognize a face in an image, and may be able to more simply and quickly recognize the face than the external electronic device  300  (e.g. the server) because the recognition is done locally rather than requiring the image to be transmitted over a network. 
     In an embodiment, the image sensor  321  (e.g. the image sensor  230  in  FIG. 2 ) may acquire an image of an external object, and may generate a raw image  322  corresponding thereto. The raw image  322  may be implemented in various formats, such as Bayer format, color filter array (CFA) pattern, layer structure generated by sensing three colors for each pixel, format generated by different parallax acquired by each pixel, and the like. The image sensor  321  may transfer the raw image  322  to the ISP  323  (e.g. the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 ) and/or the recognition module  327 . 
     In an embodiment, the image sensor  321  may generate a small raw image  326 . The image sensor  321  may generate the small raw image  326  by reducing the raw image  322  by, for example, reducing its resolution. For example, the image sensor  321  may generate the small raw image  326  from the raw image  322  by using various down-scaling methods or down-sampling methods. The data volume of the small raw image  326  may be smaller than that of the raw image  322  due to the image sensor  321  adjusting the resolution of the raw image  322 , filtering the raw image  322  through one or more frequency bands, and/or selecting one or more bit-plane levels of the raw image  322 . For example, the image sensor  321  may generate the small raw image  326  by extracting a low-frequency band from the raw image  322 . In another example, the image sensor  321  may generate the small raw image  326  by selecting some from among a multiple bit-plane levels of the raw image  322 . The image sensor  321  may transmit the small raw image  326  to the external electronic device  300  through the communication module. The small raw image  326  may include at least a part of the raw image  322 , and may be a smaller data file than the raw image  322 . If the small raw image  326 , instead of the raw image  322 , is transmitted to the external electronic device, volume of data transmission is reduced, and thus the image can be more quickly transmitted to the external electronic device  300 . In another embodiment, a processor (e.g. the processor  120 ) of the electronic device  101 , instead of the image sensor  321 , may generate the small raw image  326 , and may transmit the generated small raw image  326  to the external electronic device  300  through the communication module. The processor  120  may include a microprocessor or any suitable type of processing circuitry, such as one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., ARM-based processors), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU), a video card controller, etc. In addition, it would be recognized that when a general purpose computer accesses code for implementing the processing shown herein, the execution of the code transforms the general purpose computer into a special purpose computer for executing the processing shown herein. Certain of the functions and steps provided in the Figures may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination of both and may be performed in whole or in part within the programmed instructions of a computer. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” In addition, an artisan understands and appreciates that a “processor” or “microprocessor” may be hardware in the claimed disclosure. Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, the appended claims are statutory subject matter in compliance with 35 U.S.C. § 101. 
     In an embodiment, the image sensor  321  may transmit a compressed raw image  322  to the ISP  323 , the external electronic device  300 , or the recognition module  327 . The image sensor  321  may compress the raw image  322  and may store the compressed raw image  322  in an internal memory of the image sensor  321 . 
     In an embodiment, the recognition module  331  of the external electronic device  300  may acquire the small raw image  326  through the communication module, and may segment the small raw image  326  into at least one image segment. The recognition module  331  may recognize the at least one image segment that resulted from the segmentation. For example, the recognition module  331  may segment the small raw image  326 , and may identify at least one image segment from the small raw image  326  that resulted from the segmentation. The recognition module  331  may recognize the image segment by applying an object recognition algorithm or a text recognition algorithm to the image segment. Thus, the recognition module  331  of the external electronic device  300  may recognize at least one image segment by using various recognition algorithms, such as a machine learning or deep learning algorithm. For example, the recognition module  331  of the external electronic device  300  may acquire information associated with an image segment in which pixel coordinates (100, 101), (100, 102), (102, 102), and (102, 103) represent “person&#39;s teeth.” The pixel coordinates may correspond to pixel coordinates of the raw image  322 . The recognition module  331  may acquire, for example, classification information indicating that the small raw image  326  is classified as a category in which “a person is on a street.” The recognition module  331  may acquire classification information by using the recognition result, or may acquire classification information by color distribution, etc. in the small raw image  326  without employing recognition. The recognition module  331  may generate correction segment information  332  including at least one of the classification information or the information associated with the at least one image segment acquired through the above-described process. The recognition module  331  may transmit the correction segment information  332  to the electronic device  101 . The ISP  323  may correct the raw image  322  by using the correction segment information  332 , and thus may generate a corrected image  324 . The corrected image  324  may have, for example, a YUV format. The corrected image  324  may be stored in the memory  325 . Alternatively, the corrected image  324  may be compressed by, for example, JPEG method, and the compressed image may be stored in the memory  325 . According to an embodiment, the correction segment information may be generated by the recognition module  327  of the electronic device  101  and may then be transferred to the ISP  323 . 
     In an embodiment, the raw image  322  provided from the image sensor  321  may be transmitted to the external electronic device  300 , regardless of whether the small raw image  326  is transmitted. The external electronic device  300  may generate another correction segment information by using the raw image  322 . By using the raw image  322 , which is larger than the small raw image  326 , the external electronic device  300  (e.g. the ISP  333  of the external electronic device  300 ) may generate correction segment information based on the raw image  322  in addition to the correction segment information generated from the small raw image  326 , and may designate the same as extended correction segment information. Since the raw image  322  may include more information than the small raw image  326 , the external electronic device  300  may generate more detailed correction segment information from the raw image  322 . In one embodiment, the external electronic device  300  (the ISP  333  of the external electronic device  300 ) may only generate extended correction segment information from the raw image  322 . Alternatively, the external electronic device  300  (e.g. the ISP  333  of the external electronic device  300 ) may generate extended correction segment information by using the raw image  322  as well as correction segment information generated from the small raw image  326 . 
     In an embodiment, since the raw image  322  is larger than the small raw image  326 , the small raw image  326  may be first transmitted to the external electronic device  300 , followed by transmission of the raw image  322  to the external electronic device  300 . For example, the raw image  322  may be transmitted to the external electronic device  300  while the ISP  323  corrects the raw image  322  using correction segment information generated from the small raw image  326 . The raw image  322  may be uploaded to the external electronic device  300  as generated by the image sensor  321 . Alternatively, a pre-processed version of the raw image  322 , which has undergone lens distortion correction and noise removal, may be uploaded. The pre-processing may be performed by the external electronic device  300 . The external electronic device  300  may perform demosaic processing or image format modification, or other pre-processing to improve the image recognition done by the recognition module  331 . The ISP  333  of the external electronic device  300  may correct the received raw image  322 . The external electronic device  300  may correct the raw image  322  by using the correction segment information  332  and/or the extended correction segment information. As the raw image  322  may be of higher quality than the small raw image  326 , the ISP  333  of the external device  300  may acquire more detailed segment information from the higher quality image. The ISP  333  may generate the extended correction segment information by using the generated correction segment information and the raw image  322  together. The ISP  333  may generate a high quality image  334  by correcting the raw image  322  by using the extended correction segment information. The high quality image  334  may be stored in the storage  335  of the external electronic device  300  and may be downloaded to the electronic device  101 . 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram of electronic devices according to an embodiment. 
     A first electronic device  470  (e.g. the electronic device  102  or the server  108 ) according to an embodiment may be implemented as a cloud server. The first electronic device  470  may perform network management, cloud service management relating to services and rights to be provided, and storage management, with respect to servers constituting a cloud system and with respect to electronic devices (e.g. a second electronic device  400 ) connectable to the cloud system. 
     The first electronic device  470  according to an embodiment may include a processor  471 , a database  478 , a raw image storage  479 , and an image storage  480 . The processor  471  according to an embodiment may include a pre-processing module  474 , an image recognition module  473 , an ISP  476 , an encoder  475 , a monitoring module  472 , a test target acquisition module  481 , an image comparison module  482 , and a correction target determination module  483 . According to an embodiment, the ISP  476  may be implemented as separate hardware. 
     According to an embodiment, the pre-processing module  474 , the image recognition module  473 , the encoder  475 , the monitoring module  472 , the test target acquisition module  481 , the image comparison module  482 , and the correction target determination module  483  may be logical modules. Thus, operations performed thereby may be performed by the processor  471  or a processor (e.g. a first processor  430  or a second processor  412 ) of the second electronic device  400 . 
     According to an embodiment, at least one of the pre-processing module  474 , the image recognition module  473 , the ISP  476 , the encoder  475 , the monitoring module  472 , the test target acquisition module  481 , the image comparison module  482 , or the correction target determination module  483  may be implemented as a separate hardware module in the processor  471  of the first electronic device  470  or a separate hardware module in the processor (e.g. the first processor  430  or the second processor  412 ) of the second electronic device  400 . 
     The pre-processing module  474  according to an embodiment may pre-process an image (e.g. raw image or small raw image) received from the second electronic device  400  and may transmit the pre-processed image to the image recognition module  473 , the raw image storage  479 , or the ISP  476 . According to an embodiment, the pre-processing may include decoding the image file received from the second electronic device  400  to generate a raw image. 
     The image recognition module  473  (e.g. the recognition module  331  in  FIG. 3 ) according to an embodiment may receive an image (e.g. raw image or small raw image) from the second electronic device  400  through a communication module of the first electronic device  470  or via pre-processing module  474  thereof. 
     The image recognition module  473  according to an embodiment may recognize the received image by using various algorithms, such as (1) an object recognition algorithm, 2) a text recognition algorithm, or 3) a recognition algorithm acquired by applying machine learning or deep learning to an image storage (e.g. the raw image storage  479  and/or the image storage  480 )). The image recognition module  473  may store the recognized result in a database (e.g. the raw image storage  479 ) in association with to the received image and/or may transmit the recognized result to the second electronic device  400 . For example, the image recognition module  473  may recognize at least one object (e.g. a person, the sky, a cloud, a cat, a puppy, etc.) in the received image. The object may be recognized in an image segment within the image. According to an embodiment, the image recognition module  473  may recognize an object in an image corresponding to user information. For example, the user information may be acquired from an image (e.g. a picture of family or acquaintance, or a house picture) stored in the database  478 . The recognized result may include position information (e.g. pixel coordinates) of an image segment and identification information of an object in the image segment. Further the recognized result may be used when the ISP  476  processes an image and when the test target acquisition module  481  selects a test target. 
     The image recognition module  473  according to an embodiment may store identification information of an object (or objects) recognized in the received image as category information of the received image, which may be stored in a database (e.g. the raw image storage  479 ) in associated with the category information. For example, the image recognition module  473  may store the identification information as tag information of a received image and store the same in a database. Alternatively, the image recognition module  473  may transmit the identification information to the second electronic device  400 . The category information may include multiple categories which are hierarchically classified. For example, if a “cat” is recognized as an object in an image segment, the image recognition module  473  may configure identification information indicating an “animal” as a superordinate category of the corresponding image and may configure identification information indicating the “cat” as a subordinate category of the corresponding image. According to an embodiment, the first electronic device  470  may receive category information corresponding to an image (e.g. raw image or small raw image) from the second electronic device  400 , and may store the category information in the database in relation to the corresponding image. 
     The ISP  476  according to an embodiment may perform image processing (e.g. correction) on the received image by adjusting various values (e.g. brightness, shade, color, saturation, color temperature, sharpness, color harmony, vividness, contrast, or hue saturation value (HSV)) of the received image. The image processing may be performed based on recipe information (e.g. image segment, layer, vector, scene category, etc.) acquired through image recognition. For example, the ISP  476  may recognize an image segment, in which an object is positioned, of an image as a correction target, and may correct the image segment. The ISP  476  may receive additional information (e.g. feature vector indicating a feature of an object or a part thereof (e.g. a hair)) corresponding to the recipe information from the database  478 , and may use the additional information for image processing. The processed image may be transmitted to the second electronic device  400  or the encoder  475 , or may be stored in a database (e.g. the image storage  480 ). The image processing may include functions, such as white balance, color adjustment, noise reduction, sharpness effect, and detail enhancement. The functions may be performed for each image segment on the basis of the recipe information. 
     The encoder  475  according to an embodiment may generate an image file (e.g. JPEG, MPEG, 360-degree panorama, etc.) by encoding the corrected image processed by the ISP  476  or a raw image stored in the raw image storage  479 . The image file generated by the encoder  475  may be transmitted to the second electronic device  400  through the communication module of the first electronic device  470 , or may be stored in the database (e.g. the image storage  480 ). 
     The monitoring module  472  according to an embodiment may determine that the ISP  476 , which is configured to process images in the first electronic device  470 , has been changed from a first ISP  476   a  to a second ISP  476   b . For example, the second ISP  476   b  may perform an upgraded correction method from that of the first ISP  476   a.    
     In response to the determination made by the monitoring module  472 , the test target acquisition module  481  according to an embodiment may acquire some of the images stored in the database (e.g. the raw image storage  479  or the image storage  480 ) as test targets for image processing. According to one embodiment, if the test targets are acquired from the raw image storage  479 , image processing may be performed by the correction method of the first ISP  476   a , to which a modification (e.g. replacement or upgrade) is not applied, and also the correction method of the second ISP  476   b , to which modification has been applied. According to one embodiment, if the test targets are acquired from the image storage  480 , image processing may be performed by on the second ISP  476   b.    
     The test target acquisition module  481  according to an embodiment may acquire an equal number of test targets for one or more categories. For example, the test target acquisition module  481  may acquire the same number of images classified to the “puppy” category as the number of images classified as the “cat” category. 
     In an embodiment, each of the first ISP  476   a  and the second ISP  476   b  may correct the test targets acquired by the test target acquisition module  481 , i.e. by adjusting various values (e.g. brightness, shade, color, saturation, color temperature, sharpness, color harmony, vividness, contrast, or HSV) of each the test targets. According to an embodiment, if a test target is a compressed image acquired from the image storage  480 , the image may be decompressed first and then corrected. 
     The image comparison module  482  according to an embodiment may calculate, for each of the test targets acquired from the databases (e.g. the raw image storage  479 ), the difference between the values obtained through image correction by the first ISP  476   a  and obtained through image correction by the second ISP  476   b . For example, the image comparison module  482  may select, as a comparison target, at least one from among brightness, shade, color, saturation, color temperature, sharpness, color harmony, vividness, contrast, or HSV on the basis of a tuning policy (e.g., effect) that is expected as the correction method is changed. For example, if the effect expected by the change of the correction method is an increase in contrast, the image comparison module  482  may calculate, for each of the test targets, the difference between the contrast values obtained by the image correction of the first ISP  476   a  and the image correction of the second ISP  476   b . If the expected effect is an increase in the vividness of an image segment where the HSV has about 30 to 60 degrees, the image comparison module  482  may calculate, for each of the test targets, the difference between the color values obtained by image correction of the first ISP  476   a  and the image correction of the second ISP  476   b.    
     The image comparison module  482  according to an embodiment may calculate, for each of the test targets acquired from the database (e.g. the image storage  480 ), the difference between a value of the images before and after the correction by the second ISP  476   b.    
     The image comparison module  482  according to an embodiment may classify the test targets into two groups on the basis of the comparison result. For example, the image comparison module  482  may classify the test targets into a superordinate group having a difference in value exceeding a predetermined threshold and a subordinate group having a difference in value below the threshold. Here, the difference in value may refer to 1) the difference between values in images obtained by image correction of the first ISP  476   a  and image correction of the second ISP  476   b , or 2) the difference between values in images before and after correction by the second ISP  476   b.    
     The correction target determination module  483  according to an embodiment may determine a correction target on the basis of the comparison result acquired by the image comparison module  482 . Here, the correction target may be selected from among images stored in the databases (e.g. the raw image storage  479  or the image storage  480 ). The correction target may undergo image processing by a correction method (e.g., the second ISP  476   b ) to which a modification (e.g. replacement or upgrade) has been applied, and then may be stored in the database (e.g. the image storage  480 ) and/or may be transmitted to the second electronic device  400 . According to one embodiment, the correction target determination module  483  may recognize the subordinate group as a group having the correction effect which is not as expected, and accordingly, may identify a category of images belonging to the subordinate group, and may determine that images corresponding to the category of the subordinate group are not subject to be corrected. The correction target determination module  483  may select at least one test target from the superordinate group and may determine images corresponding to the category of the selected test target as correction targets among the images stored in the databases (e.g. the raw image storage  479  or the image storage  480 ). 
     According to an embodiment, category information used to determine the correction target may include information acquired by the image recognition module  473  and then stored in the database (e.g. the raw image storage  479  or the image storage  480 ) in association with the corresponding image. Further, the category information may include information which is received from an external device (e.g. the second electronic device  400 ) and stored in the database as metadata of the corresponding image together with the corresponding image. 
     In an embodiment, according to the comparison result acquired by the image comparison module  482 , a category may be commonly associated with the test targets of the superordinate group or test targets of the subordinate group. For example, a first test target having a “cat” may belong to the superordinate group, while a second test target also having a “cat” may belong to the subordinate group. Thus, images that fall into both superordinate and subordinate groups may have less correction effects than expected. Therefore, the correction target determination module  483  may exclude images having a “cat” from correction targets. 
     As described above, according to one embodiment, the correction target determination module  483  may determine, as a correction target, a test target corresponding to category information which corresponds to a first level and does not correspond to a second level. The category corresponding to the first level may be a category of a test target belonging to a superordinate group according to the classification, and the category corresponding to the second level may be a category of a test target belonging to a subordinate group according to the classification. 
     In an embodiment, according to the comparison result acquired by the image comparison module  482 , some metadata may be commonly associated with test targets belonging to the superordinate group and test targets belonging to the subordinate group. For example, although having the same ISO sensitivity, a first test target may belong to the superordinate group, while a second test target may belong to the subordinate group. In addition, specific recipe information (e.g. a scene category) may be commonly associated with a test target belonging to the superordinate group and a test target belonging to the subordinate group. As described above, images corresponding to the metadata or recipe information commonly associated with the superordinate group and the subordinate group may have less correction effect than expected. Accordingly, the correction target determination module  483  may exclude, from the correction targets, images having metadata or recipe information associated with the superordinate group and the subordinate group among the images stored in the databases (e.g. the raw image storage  479  or the image storage  480 ). 
     According to one embodiment, the correction target determination module  483  may determine a correction target on the basis of at least one of metadata or recipe information, as well as on the basis of the comparison result acquired by the operation of the image comparison module  482 . For example, the correction target determination module  483  may identify metadata of test targets belonging to the superordinate group (hereinafter, referred to as an “upper metadata set”), and metadata of test targets belonging to the subordinate group (hereinafter referred to as a “lower metadata set”). The correction target determination module  483  may compare the upper metadata set and the lower metadata set to identify metadata (hereinafter, referred to as a “duplicate metadata set”) included in both the upper metadata set and the lower metadata set. The correction target determination module  483  may determine, as the correction targets, images that corresponds to one or more metadata of the upper metadata set and does not correspond to two or more metadata of the duplicate metadata set. For example, if the upper metadata set includes a first ISO sensitivity value, a second ISO sensitivity value, a first brightness value, a second brightness value, a first sharpness value, and a second sharpness value, and the first ISO sensitivity value, the first brightness value, and the first sharpness value are determined as duplicate metadata, images having the first ISO sensitivity value, the second brightness value, and the second sharpness value may be determined as correction targets. Images having the first ISO sensitivity value, the first brightness value, and the second sharpness value may be excluded from the correction targets. 
     According to an embodiment, the metadata may be received from an external device (e.g. the electronic device  400 ) together with an image, and may be stored in the database (e.g. the raw image storage  479  or the image storage  480 ) in association with the image. For example, the metadata may be information acquired by an image sensor (e.g. an image sensor  411 ), and may include a focal length, an auto focus area, information (orientation) related to left and right rotation during photographing, auto white balance (AWB), color space, exposure time, aperture-related information (e.g. F-number, F-stop), exposure program (e.g. auto, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, etc.), ISO speed ratings (ISO), date of image capturing (data time original), etc. The metadata may also include information, such as illuminance at an image-capturing place or time stamp, sensed by a sensor or clock other than the image sensor. 
     According to an embodiment, the recipe information may include information (e.g. image segment, layer, vector, scene category, etc.) acquired by the image recognition module  473  by recognizing an image (e.g. small raw image) received from an external device (e.g. the electronic device  400 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the correction target determination module  483  may determine correction targets on the basis of a tuning policy (e.g. an effect). For example, when images are corrected by a correction method (e.g., the second ISP  476   b ) to which modification (e.g. replacement or upgrade) has been applied, if the expected effect is an increase in brightness, the correction target determination module  483  may apply a weight to the difference value in brightness (e.g. may add a predetermined value to the difference value) so as to preferentially classify the test targets having brightness increased by the correction into the superordinate group. 
     The second electronic device  400  (e.g. the electronic device  101 ) according to an embodiment may include a camera module  410 , a display  420 , a first processor  430 , a first memory  440 , an input device  450 , and a sound output device  460 . The camera module  410  according to an embodiment may include an image sensor  411 , a second processor  412 , and a second memory  418 . The second processor  412  according to an embodiment may include a raw image processing module  413 , an ISP  416 , and an encoder  417 . At least some of operations performed by the second processor  412  may be performed by the first processor  430 . The raw image processing module  413 , the ISP  416 , and the encoder  417  may be logical modules, and thus, operations performed thereby may be performed by the second processor  412  (e.g. the processor  120 ). In another embodiment, at least one of the raw image processing module  413 , the ISP  416 , and the encoder  417  may be implemented as separate hardware modules within the second processor  412 . 
     Although not illustrated, the second electronic device  400  may include a communication module (e.g. the communication module  190  in  FIG. 1 ) for data communication with the first electronic device  470 , and the first electronic device  470  may also include a communication module for data communication with the second electronic device  400 . 
     In an embodiment, the image sensor  411  (e.g. the image sensor  230  in  FIG. 2  or the image sensor  321  in  FIG. 3 ) may acquire various raw images of a subject. The image sensor  411  may acquire various types of raw images according to color filter array (CFA) pattern. The image sensor  411  may acquire a raw image having a dual pixel (DP) structure (or dual photodiode (2PD) structure) in which a pixel includes different parallax (or phase difference) information. The image sensor  411  may include multiple image sensors having identical or different characteristics (e.g. dual sensors (e.g. RGB+RGB, RGB+Mono, or Wide+Tele, etc.), or an array sensor (e.g. two or more sensors), etc.). The multiple image sensors may be used to acquire one or more raw images. The acquired raw images may be stored in the second memory  418  (e.g. DRAM) as is or after additional processing. 
     The raw image acquired according to an embodiment may be configured in various formats (e.g. Bayer format, etc.). The raw image may be represented by one of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) per pixel, and may be represented by a bit-depth of 8 to 16 bits. Various color filter array (CFA) patterns may be applied to the raw image. The raw image may have a layer structure including information on various colors (e.g. multiple colors of R, and B) for each pixel. According to various configurations of the image sensor, the raw image may include not only color information but also parallax (phase difference) information. Information (e.g. time, location, illuminance, etc.) related to capturing an image may be generated as metadata and stored in association with the raw image. For example, the second processor  412  may acquire metadata about the raw image using the image sensor  411 . The metadata that can be acquired through the image sensor  411  includes, for example, focal length, auto focus area, information related to left and right rotation during image capturing (orientation), color space, and exposure time. In addition, the metadata may include location information of an image, which may be acquired through a sensor (e.g. a GPS sensor) different from the image sensor. 
     In an embodiment, the raw image processing module  413  may perform various processing on the raw image acquired from the image sensor  411 . For example, the raw image processing module  413  may perform lens distortion correction or noise removal on the raw image. 
     The raw image processing module  413  according to an embodiment may include a small raw image generation module  414  and a compression module  415 . The small raw image generation module  414  may generate a small raw image from a raw image by using various down-scaling methods (e.g. reducing the size or reducing the resolution) or down-sampling methods (e.g. taking only one or some of a series of sampled samples). The compression module  415  may compress the raw image or the small raw image by using various compression algorithms, and may store the compressed raw image or the compressed small raw image in the second memory  418 . The small raw image may be temporarily or persistently stored in the second memory  418 . The communication module (not shown) (e.g. the communication module  190 ) of the second electronic device  400  may transmit the small raw image stored in the second memory  418  to the first electronic device  470 . 
     In an embodiment, the ISP  416  (e.g. the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2  or the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 ) may perform image processing on a raw image stored in second memory  418 . For example, the ISP  416  may process (e.g. correct) the raw image by using recipe information (e.g. image segment, layer, vector, scene category, etc.) acquired from the first electronic device  470  through the communication module in various ways. According to one embodiment, the ISP  416  may transmit the raw image or the small raw image to the first electronic device  470  through the communication module so that the first electronic device  470  generates recipe information for image processing. The ISP  416  may process the raw image by using the recipe information acquired from the first electronic device  470  through the communication module. The ISP  416  may compress the processed raw image into, for example, JPEG and may store the same in the first memory  440 . 
     In an embodiment, the ISP  416  that performs image processing in the second electronic device  400  may be changed from a first ISP  416   a  to a second ISP  416   b . For example, the second ISP  416   b  may have a correction method in which at least a part of the correction method of the first ISP  416   a  has been upgraded. 
     In an embodiment, the encoder  417  may encode the raw image processed by the ISP  416  to generate an image file (e.g. JPEG, MPEG, 360 degree panorama, etc.), and may store the image file in the first memory  440 . 
     In an embodiment, the first processor  430  (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 ) may be electrically connected to the camera module  410 , the display  420 , the first memory  440 , the input device  450 , the sound output device  460 , and the communication module (not shown) so as to control at least one thereof. Further, the first processor  430  may perform various data processing and operations. 
     According to an embodiment, the first processor  430  may update an image stored in the first memory  440  in response to the fact that the ISP  416  has changed from the first ISP  416   a  to the second ISP  416   b . For example, the first processor  430  may perform functions identical to at least some functions of the processor  471  of the first electronic device  470  (e.g. at least one among the test target acquisition module  481 , the image comparison module  482 , and the correction target determination module  483 ). 
     According to an embodiment, an electronic device (e.g. the electronic device  101  in  FIG. 1  or the second electronic device  400  in  FIG. 4 ) may include: a camera (e.g. the camera module  180  in  FIG. 1 ) including an image sensor (e.g. the camera module  180  in  FIG. 1 , the image sensor  230  in  FIG. 2 , the image sensor  321  in  FIG. 3 , or the image sensor  411  in  FIG. 4 ); a communication module (e.g. the communication module  190  in  FIG. 1 ); a memory (e.g. the memory  130  in  FIG. 1 , the memory  250  in  FIG. 2 , or the memory  325  in  FIG. 3 ); and a processor (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 , the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 , the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 , or the first processor  430  or the second processor  412  in  FIG. 4 ) operationally connected to the camera, the communication module, and the memory. The memory may store instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: acquire a first image including an external object by using the camera; acquire a second image including less information than the first image by using at least a part of the first image; transmit the second image to an external electronic device (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108  in  FIG. 1 , the external electronic device  300  in  FIG. 3 , or the first electronic device  470  in  FIG. 4 ) by using the communication module; receive security information corresponding to the second image from the external electronic device by using the communication module; and secure the first image, at least partially based on the security information. 
     According to an embodiment, the security information corresponding to the second image may relate to at least one biometric information segment of the external object. 
     According to an embodiment, the instructions may further cause the processor (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 , the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 , the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 , or the first processor  430  or the second processor  412  in  FIG. 4 ) to divide, at least partially based on the security information, the first image into a first security level segment and a second security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the instructions may further cause the processor (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 , the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 , the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 , or the first processor  430  or the second processor  412  in  FIG. 4 ) to: generate a security key and store the security key in the memory (e.g. the memory  130  in  FIG. 1 , the memory  250  in  FIG. 2 , or the memory  325  in  FIG. 3 ); acquire a third image in which the second security level segment of the first image has been encoded based on the security key; and transmit the third image to the external electronic device (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108  in  FIG. 1 , the external electronic device  300  in  FIG. 3 , or the first electronic device  470  in  FIG. 4 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the instructions may further cause the processor (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 , the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 , the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 , or the first processor  430  or the second processor  412  in  FIG. 4 ) to: receive a fourth image, in which the first security level segment of the third image has been at least partially corrected, from the external electronic device (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108  in  FIG. 1 , the external electronic device  300  in  FIG. 3 , or the first electronic device  470  in  FIG. 4 ); and acquire a fifth image in which the fourth image has been decoded using the security key stored in the memory (e.g. the memory  130  in  FIG. 1 , the memory  250  in  FIG. 2 , or the memory  325  in  FIG. 3 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the instructions may further cause the processor (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 , the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 , the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 , or the first processor  430  or the second processor  412  in  FIG. 4 ) to acquire the third image by mosaicking, masking, or scrambling the second security level segment of the first image. 
     According to an embodiment, the instructions may further cause the processor (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 , the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 , the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 , or the first processor  430  or the second processor  412  in  FIG. 4 ) to: extract the first security level segment from the first image and generate the third image including the first security level segment; and extract the second security level segment from the first image and generate a security segment image based on the second security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the instructions may further cause the processor (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 , the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 , the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 , or the first processor  430  or the second processor  412  in  FIG. 4 ) to: transmit the third image to the external electronic device; and store the security segment image in the memory (e.g. the memory  130  in  FIG. 1 , the memory  250  in  FIG. 2 , or the memory  325  in  FIG. 3 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the instructions may further cause the processor (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 , the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 , the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 , or the first processor  430  or the second processor  412  in  FIG. 4 ) to: receive the fourth image, in which the third image has been at least partially corrected, from the external electronic device (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108  in  FIG. 1 , the external electronic device  300  in  FIG. 3 , or the first electronic device  470  in  FIG. 4 ); and acquire the fifth image by synthesizing the fourth image and the security segment image. 
     According to an embodiment, the instructions may further cause the processor (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 , the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 , the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 , or the first processor  430  or the second processor  412  in  FIG. 4 ) to: provide, based on the received security information, a user with an image indicating the first security level segment and the second security level segment; and separate the first security level segment and the second security level segment from each other on the basis of a user input selecting a part or an entirety of the first security level segment or the second security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the instructions may further cause the processor (e.g. the processor  120  in  FIG. 1 , the image signal processor  260  in  FIG. 2 , the ISP  323  in  FIG. 3 , or the first processor  430  or the second processor  412  in  FIG. 4 ) to: receive another user input designating another segment other than the first security level segment and the second security level segment in the provided image; and determine the designated another segment as the second security level segment. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method for securing personal information included in an image in an electronic device according to an embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , in operation  510 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  (e.g. the second electronic device  400  in  FIG. 4 ) may acquire a first image including an external object by using a camera including an image sensor (e.g. the camera module  180  in  FIG. 1 , the image sensor  230  in  FIG. 2 , the image sensor  321  in  FIG. 3 , or the image sensor  411  in  FIG. 4 ). The first image may be a raw image (e.g. the raw image  322  in  FIG. 3 ) and/or an image (e.g. a JPEG image) obtained by processing or correcting the raw image. 
     According to an embodiment, the first image may be in various formats (e.g. Bayer format, etc.). The first image may be represented by one of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) per pixel, and may be represented by a bit-depth of 8 to 16 bits. Various color filter array (CFA) patterns may be applied to the first image. The first image may have a layer structure including information on various colors (e.g. multiple colors of R, G, and B) for each pixel. According to various configurations of the image sensor, the first image may include not only color information (e.g. RGB) but also phase difference information. Information (e.g. time, location, illuminance, etc.) related to capturing of the image may be generated as metadata and stored in association with the first image. 
     In operation  520 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may acquire a second image including less information than the first image by using at least a part of the first image. The second image may be a small image (the small raw image  326  in  FIG. 3 ) related to the raw image and/or a small image of a processed image (e.g. a JPEG image). 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may generate the second image by reducing the data in the first image. For example, the processor  120  may generate the second image from the first image by using various down-scaling methods or down-sampling methods. The data volume of the second image may be smaller than that of the first image due to the processor  120  adjusting the resolution of the first image, filtering the first image through one or more frequency bands, and/or selecting one or more bit-plane levels of the fir image. The processor  120  may generate the second image by extracting a low-frequency band from the first image. The processor  120  may generate the second image by selecting some from among the multiple bit-plane levels of the first image. 
     In operation  530 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may transmit the second image to the external electronic device  300  (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108  in  FIG. 1  or the first electronic device  470  in  FIG. 4 ) through the communication module (e.g. the communication module  190  in  FIG. 1 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may transmit the second image having a smaller capacity than the first image to the external electronic device  300  such that the external electronic device  300  generates security recipe information for securing the first or second image. According to one embodiment, the processor  120  may request security recipe information from the external electronic device  300  so as to divide the second image into a first security level segment and a second security level segment requiring higher security than the first security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the security recipe information may be used to divide the second image into multiple security level segments (e.g. three security level segments). In this instance, multiple servers may process the second image for multiple security levels. For example, a first server may be configured to process a first security level segment included in the second image, and a second server may be configured to process a second security level segment. In another example, a third security level segment may be processed by the electronic device  101 . 
     In operation  540 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may receive security information included in the second image from the external electronic device  300  by using the communication module (e.g. the communication module  190  in  FIG. 1 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the external electronic device  300  may use the second image to recognize at least one image segment. For example, the external electronic device  300  may determine at least one image segment (e.g. a security segment) that includes personal information. 
     According to an embodiment, instead or in addition to determining personal information (e.g. fingerprint information, iris information, or face information), the external electronic device  300  may apply an object recognition algorithm or a text recognition algorithm to the second image so as to identify an object (e.g. a person) or recognize a specific segment of the object (e.g. “the person&#39;s face,” “the person&#39;s eye,” or “the person&#39;s hand”). For example, the external electronic device  300  may identify an object (e.g. a driver&#39;s license) in the second image, but may not determine personal information (e.g. license number) included in the object. 
     According to an embodiment, the external electronic device  300  may include at least one image segment (e.g. “the person&#39;s face,” “the person&#39;s eye,” or “the person&#39;s hand”) of the second image, which is considered to include personal information, in security information, and may transmit the same to the electronic device  101 . According to one embodiment, the security information may include location information (e.g. pixel coordinates) of at least one image segment considered to include personal information and/or identification information (e.g. “the person&#39;s face,” “the person&#39;s eye,” or “the person&#39;s hand”) of each of image segments. 
     According to an embodiment, the external electronic device  300  may transmit correction segment information (e.g. the correction segment information  332 ) to the electronic device  101  together with the security information of the second image. 
     In operation  550 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may secure the first image, at least partially based on the security information. 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may divide, at least partially based on the security information, the first image into a first security level segment and a second security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may generate a security key as a part of the method for securing the first image and store the security key in the memory, may acquire a third image in which the second security level segment of the first image has been encoded based on the security key, and may transmit the third image to the external electronic device  300 . For example, the processor  120  may acquire the third image by mosaicking, masking, or scrambling the second security level segment of the first image. According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may receive, from the external electronic device  300 , a fourth image in which the first security level segment of the third image has been at least partially corrected, and may acquire a fifth image in which the fourth image has been decoded using the security key stored in the memory  130 . 
     According to an embodiment, as a part of the method for securing the first image, the processor  120  may extract the first security level segment from the first image and generate the third image including the first security level segment, and may extract the second security level segment from the first image and generate a security segment image including the second security level segment. According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may transmit the third image to the external electronic device  300  and may store the security segment image in the memory  130 . 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may receive, from the external electronic device  300 , the fourth image in which the third image has been at least partially corrected, and acquire the fifth image by using the fourth image and the security segment image. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a method for securing a first image in an electronic device according to an embodiment. The operations in  FIG. 6  may be included as a part of operation  550  or the entirety thereof in  FIG. 5 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , in operation  610 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may acquire a third image in which a second security level segment of the first image has been encoded based on the security key. 
     According to an embodiment, security information included in a second image received from the external electronic device  300  (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108  in  FIG. 1  or the first electronic device  470  in  FIG. 4 ) may include security recipe information used to divide the second image into a first security level segment and/or a second security level segment requiring higher security than the first security level segment. The processor  120  may divide, at least partially based on the security information or the security recipe information, the first image into a first security level segment and a second security level segment. According to an embodiment, the first image may be divided into multiple security segments (e.g. three security level segments) according to the security information or the security recipe information. 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may provide, based on the security information received from the external electronic device  300 , a user with an image indicating at least one security segment, and may determine the first security level segment and the second security level segment on the basis of a user input selecting a part of the at least one security segment or the entirety thereof. For example, the processor may display at least one security segment (e.g. “a person&#39;s face,” “a person&#39;s eye,” or “a person&#39;s hand) in the provided image, and, if the user selects a specific segment (e.g. “the person&#39;s eye”), may designate the selected specific segment (e.g. “the person&#39;s eye”) as the second security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may receive a user input designating another segment (e.g. a segment of the image showing a document) other than the at least one security segment within the provided image, and may determine the designated another segment as the second security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may generate a security key and then may store the security key in the memory. The processor  120  may generate the encoded third image from the first image by using the security key and a hash function. 
     In operation  620 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may transmit the third image to the external electronic device  300  (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108  in  FIG. 1 , or the first electronic device  470  in  FIG. 4 ) through the communication module (e.g. the communication module  190  in  FIG. 1 ). For example, the third image may have the second security level segment which has been mosaicked, masked, and scrambled. 
     In operation  630 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may receive a fourth image, in which the first security level segment of the third image is corrected, from the external electronic device  300  through the communication module (e.g. the communication module  190  in  FIG. 1 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the external electronic device  300  may correct at least a part of the first security level segment. For example, the external electronic device  300  may correct the first security level segment by using the existing generated correction segment information (e.g. the correction segment information  332 ), or may correct the first security level segment by using extended correction segment information. The external electronic device  300  has no security key used for the third image, and thus may not determine the second security level segment. For example, the external electronic device  300  may not correct the second security level segment. 
     In operation  640 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may decode the fourth image on the basis of the security key stored in the memory  130  and then acquire the fifth image. 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may acquire the fifth image only by decoding the fourth image. For example, the processor  120  may demosaic, unmask, or unscramble the second security level segment in the fourth image. According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may decode the fourth image and then correct the second security level segment using the correction segment information (e.g. the correction segment information  332 ), thereby acquiring the fifth image. The fifth image may be stored in the memory  130 . 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a method for securing a first image in an electronic device according to an embodiment. The operations in  FIG. 7  may be included as a part of operation  550  or the entirety thereof in  FIG. 5 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , in operation  710 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may extract a first security level segment from a first image and generate a third including the first security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, security information included in a second image received from the external electronic device  300  (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108  in  FIG. 1  or the first electronic device  470  in  FIG. 4 ) may include security recipe information used to divide the second image into a first security level segment and/or a second security level segment requiring higher security than the first security level segment. The processor  120  may divide, at least partially based on the security information or the security recipe information, the first image into the first security level segment and the second security level segment. According to an embodiment, the security information may be used to divide the first image into multiple security segments (e.g. three security level segments) 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may provide, based on the security information received from the external electronic device  300 , a user with an image indicating at least one security segment, and may separate the first security level segment and the second security level segment from each other on the basis of a user input selecting a part of the at least one security segment or the entirety thereof. For example, the processor may display at least one security segment (e.g. “a person&#39;s face,” “a person&#39;s eye,” or “a person&#39;s hand) in the provided image, and, if the user selects a specific segment (e.g. “the person&#39;s eye”), may designate the selected specific segment (e.g. “the person&#39;s eye”) as the second security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may receive a user input designating another segment (e.g. a portion of the image showing a document) other than the at least one security segment within the provided image, and may determine the designated another segment as the second security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may extract the first security segment, at least partially based on the security information. For example, the third image may include only the first security segment within the first image. 
     In operation  720 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may extract the second security level segment from the first image and generate a security segment image including the second security level segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may extract the second security level segment, at least partially based on the security information. For example, the security segment image may include only the second security level segment within the first image. In this example, the security segment image may be removed from the third image. 
     In operation  730 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may transmit the third image to the external electronic device  300  through the communication module (e.g. the communication module  190  in  FIG. 1 ). 
     In operation  740 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may receive a fourth image, in which at least a part of the third image is corrected, from the external electronic device  300  through the communication module (e.g. the communication module  190  in  FIG. 1 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the external electronic device  300  may correct at least a part of the third image including the first security segment. For example, the external electronic device  300  may correct the third image by using the existing generated correction segment information (e.g. the correction segment information  332 ), or may correct the third image by using extended correction segment information. 
     In operation  750 , according to an embodiment, the processor  120  of the electronic device  101  may acquire a fifth image by using the fourth image and the security segment image. 
     According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may acquire the fifth image by synthesizing the fourth image and the security segment image. According to one embodiment, the processor  120  may correct the security segment image including the second security level segment by using the correction segment information (e.g. the correction segment information  332 ), and may acquire the fifth image by synthesizing the fourth image and the corrected security segment image. The fifth image may be stored in the memory  130 . 
     According to an embodiment, a method for securing personal information included in an image may include: acquiring a first image including an external object by using a camera that includes an image sensor (operation  510 ); acquiring a second image including less information than the first image by using at least a part of the first image (operation  520 ); transmitting the second image to an external electronic device by using a communication module (operation  530 ); receiving security information corresponding to the second image from the external electronic device by using the communication module (operation  540 ); and securing the first image, at least partially based on the security information (operation  550 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the security information corresponding to the second image may relate to at least one biometric information segment of the external object. 
     According to an embodiment, the securing (operation  550 ) may include dividing, at least partially based on the security information, the first image into a first security level segment and a second level security segment. 
     According to an embodiment, the method for securing personal information included in an image may include: generating a security key and storing the security key in a memory; acquiring a third image in which the second security level segment of the first image has been encoded based on the security key (operation  610 ); and transmitting the third image to the external electronic device (operation  620 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the method for securing personal information included in an image may include: receiving, from the external electronic device, a fourth image in which the first security level segment of the third image has been at least partially corrected (operation  630 ); and acquiring a fifth image in which the fourth image has been decoded using the security key stored in the memory (operation  640 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the method for securing personal information included in an image may include: extracting the first security level segment from the first image and generating the third image including the first security level segment (operation  710 ); and extracting the second security level segment from the first image and generating a security segment image based on the second security level segment (operation  720 ). 
     According to an embodiment, the method for securing personal information included in an image may include: transmitting the third image to the external electronic device; and storing the security segment image in the memory. 
     According to an embodiment, the method for securing personal information included in an image may include: receiving, from the external electronic device, the fourth image in which the third image has been at least partially corrected (operation  740 ); and acquiring the fifth image by synthesizing the fourth image and the security segment image (operation  750 ). 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating a method for securing personal information included in an image in a system according to an embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , in operation  811 , according to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may acquire a first image including an external object by using an image sensor (e.g. the camera module  180  in  FIG. 1 , the image sensor  230  in  FIG. 2 , the image sensor  321  in  FIG. 3 , or the image sensor  411  in  FIG. 4 ). 
     In operation  813 , according to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may acquire a second image including less information than the first image by using at least a part of the first image. 
     In operation  815 , according to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may transmit the second image to the external electronic device  300  (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108  in  FIG. 1  or the first electronic device  470  in  FIG. 4 ) through a communication module. 
     In operation  817 , according to an embodiment, the external electronic device  300  may extract, based on the second image, at least one image segment (e.g. a security segment) considered to include personal information. For example, the external electronic device  300  may apply an object recognition algorithm or a text recognition algorithm to the second image so as to identify an object (e.g. a person) or recognize a specific segment of the object (e.g. “a person&#39;s face,” “a person&#39;s eye,” or “a person&#39;s hand”). 
     In operation  819 , according to an embodiment, the external electronic device  300  may transmit security information included in the second image to the electronic device  101 . According to one embodiment, the security information may include location information (e.g. pixel coordinates) of the at least one image segment considered to include personal information or identification information of each of the image segments (e.g. “the person&#39;s face,” “the person&#39;s eye,” or “the person&#39;s hand”). 
     In operation  821 , according to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may acquire third image at least partially based on the first image and the security information. According to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may acquire the third image in which a second security level segment of the first image has been encoded based on a security key. According to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may extract a first security level segment from the first image and may generate the third image including the first security level segment. 
     In operation  823 , according to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may transmit the third image to the external electronic device  300  through the communication module (e.g. the communication module  190  in  FIG. 1 ). 
     In operation  825 , according to an embodiment, the external electronic device  300  may correct at least a part of the third image including the first security level segment to acquire a fourth image. 
     In operation  827 , according to an embodiment, the external electronic device  300  may transmit the fourth image to the electronic device  101 . 
     In operation  829 , according to an embodiment, the electronic device  101  may acquire a fifth image by using the fourth image. According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may acquire the fifth image only by decoding the fourth image. According to another embodiment, the processor  120  may acquire the fifth image by synthesizing the fourth image and the security segment image. The fifth image may be stored in the memory  130  of the electronic device  101 . 
     According to an embodiment, an electronic device (e.g. the electronic device  104  or the server  108  in  FIG. 1 , the external electronic device  300  in  FIG. 3 , or the first electronic device  470  in  FIG. 4 ) may include: a communication module; a memory (e.g. the storage  335  in  FIG. 3 ); and a processor (e.g. the ISP  333  in  FIG. 3  or the processor  471  in  FIG. 4 ) operationally connected to the communication module and the memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive an image from an external electronic device (e.g. the electronic device  101  in  FIG. 1  or the second electronic device  400  in  FIG. 4 ) through the communication module; recognize at least one image segment in the image; determine security information included in the image and associated with the at least one image segment, at least partially based on a result of the recognition; and transmit the security information to the external electronic device through the communication module. 
       FIG. 9A  illustrates an example of a method for securing personal information according to an embodiment,  FIG. 9B  illustrates an example of a method for securing personal information according to an embodiment, and  FIG. 9C  illustrates an example of a method for securing personal information according to an embodiment. 
       FIG. 9A  illustrates a second image  901  (e.g. the small raw image  326  in  FIG. 3 ) including an external object  911 . By using at least a part of a first image including the external object  911 , the processor  120  may acquire the second image  901  that includes less information than the first image. 
       FIG. 9B  illustrates an image  921  provided to indicate at least one security segment. On the basis of security information received from the external electronic device  300 , the processor  120  may provide a user with the image  921  indicating the at least one security segment (e.g. “a person&#39;s eye  931 ,” “a person&#39;s ear  933 ,” or “a person&#39;s hand  935 ”). According to an embodiment, the processor  120  may divide the first image into a first security level segment and a second security level segment without providing the image  921  to the user. For example, the processor may designate, as the second security level segment, segments corresponding to the “person&#39;s eye  931 ,” the “person&#39;s ear  933 ,” or the “person&#39;s hand  935 .” 
       FIG. 9C  illustrates a third image  941  in which the second security level segment of the first image has been encoded based on a security key. According to one embodiment, the processor  120  may determine a user input selecting a part or the entirety of the at least one security segment provided through the provided image, and may separate the first security level segment and the second security level segment from each other. For example, if the user select a specific segment (e.g. the person&#39;s eye  931 ) from among the at least one security segment (e.g. the “person&#39;s eye  931 ,” the “person&#39;s ear  933 ,” or the “person&#39;s hand  935 ”) provided in the image, the processor  120  may determine the segment corresponding to the “person&#39;s eye  931 ” as the second security level segment. Further, according to an embodiment, the processor  120  may acquire the third image  941  after dividing the first image into the first security level segment and the second security level segment. According to one embodiment, the third image  941  may have a second security level segment which has been mosaicked, masked ( 951 ), or scrambled. 
     The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limited to those described above. 
     It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technological features set forth herein to particular embodiments and include various changes, equivalents, or replacements for a corresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C,” may include any one of, or all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. As used herein, such terms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may be used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another, and does not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance or order). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or without the term “operatively” or “communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or “connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it means that the element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element. 
     As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used with other terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or “circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimum unit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. For example, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in a form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). 
     Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software (e.g., the program  140 ) including one or more instructions that are stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory  136  or external memory  138 ) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device  101 ). For example, a processor (e.g., the processor  120 ) of the machine (e.g., the electronic device  101 ) may invoke at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with or without using one or more other components under the control of the processor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The one or more instructions may include a code generated by a compiler or a code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein, the term “non-transitory” simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but this term does not differentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storage medium. 
     According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments of the disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online via an application store (e.g., PlayStore™), or between two user devices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at least part of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or at least temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such as memory of the manufacturer&#39;s server, a server of the application store, or a relay server. 
     According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include a single entity or multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above-described components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they are performed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components before the integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by the module, the program, or another component may be carried out sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added. 
     Certain of the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in hardware, firmware or via the execution of software or computer code that can be stored in a recording medium such as a CD ROM, a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), a magnetic tape, a RAM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magneto-optical disk or computer code downloaded over a network originally stored on a remote recording medium or a non-transitory machine readable medium and to be stored on a local recording medium, so that the methods described herein can be rendered via such software that is stored on the recording medium using a general purpose computer, or a special processor or in programmable or dedicated hardware, such as an ASIC or FPGA. As would be understood in the art, the computer, the processor, microprocessor controller or the programmable hardware include memory components, e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash, etc. that may store or receive software or computer code that when accessed and executed by the computer, processor or hardware implement the processing methods described herein. 
     While the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.