Patent ID: 7158180

Claim:
A device for masking one or more selected areas of a field of view while capturing an image, comprising: an image aperture formed in the device; a spatial light modulator (SLM) comprising an array of movable reflective elements, the SLM being positioned at a first angle with respect to a central axis of image light rays entering the device through the image aperture, and the SLM positioned such that the image light rays will hit at least some of the reflective elements on the SLM; an image capturing device for use in recording an image; and circuitry for controlling the SLM such that: during a first period of time, a first part of an image reflects off of reflective elements of the SLM in a first position so that at least some of the first part of the image will eventually strike the image capturing device; also during the first period of time, a second part of the image reflects off of reflective elements of the SLM in a second position that directs the second part of the image to a first location where the second part of the image will not go to the image capturing device; and during a second period of time, at least a portion of the second part of the image reflects off of reflective elements of the SLM in the first position so that at least some of the second part of the image will eventually strike the image capturing device.