Patent ID: 8311675

Claim:
A method of controlling an autonomous device that records ambient data and transmits the recorded ambient data, said method comprising: positioning an indicator (S 1 , S 2 , S 3 , S 4 ) at a boundary (B) between a private area (P) and a non-private area (N) to optically distinguish the private area (P) from the non-private area (N) for a user of the autonomous device, wherein the indicator comprises a visual sign, that can be visually understood by a user, to demarcate an area on one side of the indicator as private and an area on the other side of the indicator as non-private, and wherein the boundary comprises an imaginary vertical line through the indicator between the one side and the other side; detection of the indicator (S 1 , S 2 , S 3 , S 4 ) by the autonomous device; interpretation of the indicator (S 1 , S 2 , S 3 , S 4 ) by the autonomous device to determine whether the autonomous device is in a private area (P) or a non-private area (N); and restricting a recording or transmission of ambient data, in response to determining via the interpretation by the autonomous device that the autonomous device is in the private area, while the autonomous device is within the private area (P).