PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9633186-B2
Application Number: US-201213453693-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Systems and methods for controlling output of content based on human recognition data detection

Abstract:
Systems and methods for controlling output of content based on human recognition data captured by one or more sensors of an electronic device are provided. The control of the output of particular content may be based on an action of a rule defined for the particular content, and may be performed when at least one human feature detection related condition of the rule is satisfied. In some embodiments, the action may include granting access to requested content when detected human feature data satisfies at least one human feature detection related condition of a rule defined for the requested content. In other embodiments the action may include altering a presentation of content, during the presentation of the content, when detected human feature data satisfies at least one human feature detection related condition of a rule defined for the presented content.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of controlling output of content using an electronic device, wherein the content is associated with at least one rule that comprises at least one condition and at least one action, the method comprising:
 attempting with the electronic device to detect human feature data; 
 in response to detecting the human feature data, determining with the electronic device whether the detected human feature data satisfies the at least one condition of the at least one rule; and 
 in response to a determination that the detected human feature data satisfies the at least one condition, performing with the electronic device the at least one action to control the output of the content, wherein: 
 the at least one condition comprises detecting no individual being positioned within a threshold distance from a touch screen interface component of the electronic device; 
 the performing the at least one action comprises terminating the presentation of a virtual keyboard input component of the content on the touch screen interface component of the electronic device; and 
 the performing the at least one action further comprises maintaining the presentation of another component of the content on the touch screen interface component of the electronic device during the terminating. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the threshold distance is set by an end user of the electronic device. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the other component of the content comprises one of a web browser, a word processing application, and a media player application. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the attempting comprises attempting with the electronic device to detect human feature data while presenting the other component of the content on the touch screen interface component of the electronic device. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the other component of the content comprises an application content component. 
     
     
       6. A method of controlling output of content using an electronic device, the method comprising:
 detecting with a first sensor of the electronic device first data of an environment of the electronic device; 
 determining with the electronic device whether the detected first data comprises stored first data of a human feature of a particular individual human; 
 in response to a determination that the detected first data comprises the stored first data:
 enabling a previously disabled second sensor of the electronic device; 
 detecting with the second sensor of the electronic device second data of the environment of the electronic device; 
 determining with the electronic device whether the detected second data comprises stored second data of the human feature of the particular individual human; and 
 in response to a determination that the detected second data comprises the stored second data, controlling with the electronic device the output of the content in a first manner; and 
 
 in response to a determination that the detected first data does not comprise the stored first data, controlling the output of the content in a second manner, wherein:
 the first sensor comprises one of an image sensor and an infrared sensor; 
 the second sensor comprises the other one of the image sensor and the infrared sensor; 
 the detected first data comprises one of image data and infrared data; and 
 the detected second data comprises the other one of image data and infrared data. 
 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the particular individual human is authorized to access the content; 
 the method further comprises, prior to the determining with the electronic device whether the detected first data comprises the stored first data, receiving a user request to access the content; and 
 when the detected first data is determined to comprise the stored first data and when the detected second data is determined to comprise the stored second data, the controlling the output of the content in the first manner comprises granting access to the content. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the particular individual human is authorized to access the content; 
 the method further comprises, prior to the determining with the electronic device whether the detected first data comprises the stored first data, receiving a user request to access the content; and 
 when at least one of the detected first data is determined not to comprise the stored first data and the detected second data is determined not to comprise the stored second data, the controlling the output of the content in the second manner comprises restricting access to the content. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the particular individual human is authorized to access the content; 
 the method further comprises, prior to the controlling, presenting with the electronic device the content; and 
 when the detected first data is determined to comprise the stored first data and when the detected second data is determined to comprise the stored second data, the controlling the output in the first manner comprises maintaining the presenting of the content. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the particular individual human is authorized to access the content; 
 the method further comprises, prior to the controlling, presenting with the electronic device the content; and 
 when at least one of the detected first data is determined not to comprise the stored first data and the detected second data is determined not to comprise the stored second data, the controlling the output in the second manner comprises altering the presenting of the content. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the first sensor comprises the image sensor; 
 the second sensor comprises the infrared sensor; 
 the detected first data comprises the image data; and 
 the detected second data comprises the infrared data. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the first sensor comprises the infrared sensor; 
 the second sensor comprises the image sensor; 
 the detected first data comprises the infrared data; and 
 the detected second data comprises the image data. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the detecting the first data is performed before the detecting the second data. 
     
     
       14. A method of controlling output of content on a touch screen interface component of an electronic device, wherein the content is associated with a first rule that comprises a first condition and a first action and with a second rule that comprises a second condition and a second action, and wherein the content comprises an application content component and a virtual keyboard input component, the method comprising:
 while presenting the application content component on the touch screen interface component, attempting with the electronic device to detect human feature data; 
 in response to detecting the human feature data, determining with the electronic device whether the detected human feature data satisfies one of the first condition and the second condition; 
 in response to a determination that the detected human feature data satisfies the first condition, performing with the electronic device the first action to control the output of the content; and 
 in response to a determination that the detected human feature data satisfies the second condition, performing with the electronic device the second action to control the output of the content, wherein: 
 the first condition comprises detecting at least one individual being positioned within a threshold distance from the touch screen interface component; 
 the performing the first action comprises initiating a presentation of the virtual keyboard input component on the touch screen interface component; 
 the second condition comprises detecting no individual being positioned within the threshold distance from the touch screen interface component; 
 the performing the second action comprises terminating a presentation of the virtual keyboard input component on the touch screen interface component; and 
 the performing the second action further comprises maintaining the presentation of the application content component on the touch screen interface component. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the threshold distance is set by an end user of the electronic device. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the performing the first action further comprises maintaining the presentation of the application content component on the touch screen interface component. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the application content component comprises one of a web browser, a word processing application, and a media player application. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the detecting the at least one individual being positioned within the threshold distance does not comprise detecting the at least one individual touching the touch screen interface component.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This can relate to systems and methods for controlling output of content using an electronic device and, more particularly, to systems and methods for controlling output of content based on human recognition data captured by one or more sensors of an electronic device. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Many electronic devices provide the ability to sense or detect information from its surroundings when instructed by a user. In particular, many computers, laptops, tablets, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and other electronic devices include one or more cameras that can capture still or moving images and/or one or more infrared detectors that can detect heat data. Many of these devices also provide a user with the ability to access content using the device and to alter settings relating to the presentation of the content according to the user&#39;s desire. For example, a user may “login” to an electronic device, access private emails, play an adult-rated movie, halt playing of the movie when a child walks in the room, and perform many other actions using the device depending on the circumstances. However, one or more manual actions must be performed by the user in order to accomplish each of these tasks and, oftentimes, the user may not even be aware that one or more of these actions should be performed (e.g., that playback of an adult-rated movie should be stopped because a child has stepped into the room). 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Systems and methods for controlling output of content based on human recognition data captured by one or more sensors of an electronic device are provided. 
     In some embodiments, a method of controlling output of content using an electronic device may be provided. The content may be associated with at least one rule that includes at least one condition and at least one action. The method may include attempting with the electronic device to detect human feature data, in response to detecting the human feature data, determining with the electronic device whether the detected human feature data satisfies the at least one condition of the at least one rule, and, in response to a determination that the detected human feature data satisfies the at least one condition, performing with the electronic device the at least one action to control the output of the content. 
     In some embodiments, an electronic device for controlling output of content may be provided. The content may be associated with at least one rule that includes at least one condition and at least one action. The electronic device may include a detector configured to detect human feature data and a processor. The process may be configured to direct the detector to attempt to detect the human feature data, receive the detect human feature data from the detector, and determine whether the detected human feature data satisfies the at least one condition of the at least one rule. The process may also be configured to, in response to a determination that the detected human feature data satisfies the at least one condition, perform the at least one action to control the output of the content. 
     In some embodiments, a method may be provided and may include receiving with an electronic device a first user input to define a rule for particular content to control output of the particular content, receiving with the electronic device a second user input to associate at least one action of the electronic device and at least one condition with the defined rule, and associating with the electronic device the at least one action and the at least one condition with the defined rule. The at least one condition may be related to human feature detection. 
     In some embodiments, a method may be provided and may include determining with an electronic device when a user is interacting with the electronic device, in response to a determination that the user is interacting with the electronic device, attempting to detect human feature data in a first fashion, and in response to a determination that the user is not interacting with the electronic device, attempting to detect human feature data in a second fashion. 
     In some embodiments, a method of controlling output of content using an electronic device may be provided. The method may include detecting with a first sensor of the electronic device first data of an environment of the electronic device, detecting with a second sensor of the electronic device second data of the environment of the electronic device, and determining with the electronic device whether the detected first data comprises stored first data of a human feature of an individual and whether the detected second data comprises stored second data of the human feature of the individual. The method may also include, in response to a determination that the detected first data includes the stored first data and that the detected second data includes the stored second data, controlling with the electronic device the output of the content in a first manner. The method may also include, in response to a determination that at least one of the detected first data does not include the stored first data and the detected second data does not include the stored second data, controlling the output of the content in a second manner. 
     In some embodiments, there may be provided non-transitory computer-readable media for controlling output of content on an electronic device. The content may be associated with at least one rule that may include at least one condition and at least one action. The non-transitory computer-readable media may include computer-readable code recorded thereon for attempting to detect human feature data, in response to detecting the human feature data, determining whether the detected human feature data satisfies the at least one condition of the at least one rule, and, in response to a determination that the detected human feature data satisfies the at least one condition, performing the at least one action to control the output of the content. 
     In some embodiments, there may be provided non-transitory computer-readable media for controlling an electronic device that may include computer-readable code recorded thereon for receiving a first user input to define a rule for particular content to control output of the particular content, receiving a second user input to associate at least one action and at least one condition with the defined rule, and associating the at least one action and the at least one condition with the defined rule. The at least one condition may be related to human feature detection. 
     In some embodiments, there may be provided non-transitory computer-readable media for controlling an electronic device that may include computer-readable code recorded thereon for determining when a user is interacting with the electronic device, in response to a determination that the user is interacting with the electronic device, attempting to detect human feature data in a first fashion, and, in response to a determination that the user is not interacting with the electronic device, attempting to detect human feature data in a second fashion. 
     In some embodiments, there may be provided non-transitory computer-readable media for controlling output of content on an electronic device that may include computer-readable code recorded thereon for detecting with a first sensor of the electronic device first data of an environment of the electronic device, detecting with a second sensor of the electronic device second data of the environment of the electronic device, determining whether the detected first data includes stored first data of a human feature of an individual and whether the detected second data includes stored second data of the human feature of the individual, in response to a determination that the detected first data includes the stored first data and that the detected second data includes the stored second data, controlling the output of the content in a first manner, and, in response to a determination that at least one of the detected first data does not include the stored first data and the detected second data does not include the stored second data, controlling the output of the content in a second manner. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects of the invention, its nature, and various features will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an illustrative electronic device for controlling output of content, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of an illustrative portion of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows an illustrative data structure that may store rules for controlling output of content, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an illustrative process for controlling output of content, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an illustrative process for setting rules in a data structure for controlling output of content, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart of an illustrative process for adjusting a fashion of data capture by one or more sensors of an electronic device, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; and 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart of an illustrative process for performing human feature recognition for controlling output of content, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Systems and methods for controlling output of content based on human recognition data captured by one or more sensors of an electronic device are provided and described with reference to  FIGS. 1-7 . 
     An electronic device may be operative to capture human recognition data of one or more individuals by employing one or more sensors. For example, an electronic device may include a camera with an optical or digital lens operative to capture light reflected by one or more individuals in the line of sight of the camera and by the individuals&#39; surrounding environment in the line of sight of the camera. The electronic device may be operative to store particular images captured by the lens for analysis (e.g., to detect one or more faces of one or more individuals). Alternatively or additionally, the electronic device may include an infrared sensor to capture heat data reflected off of the one or more individuals&#39; faces. As yet another example, a microphone may capture audio data that may be analyzed to detect a voice of one or more particular individuals. The electronic device may capture human recognition data at any suitable time, including, for example, when there is no input being received by a user input component of the device (e.g., when a keyboard or mouse has not been utilized for a certain period of time), after a delay (e.g., when a timer has been activated), or automatically (e.g., at a particular moment in time or when the electronic device detects a particular event). The electronic device may also analyze the captured human recognition data at any suitable time, including, for example, immediately in response to a specific change in captured data. 
     Based upon the analysis of captured human recognition data, the electronic device may determine a profile of one or more detected individuals from the captured human recognition data (e.g., three faces being detected, such as one belonging to a child, one belonging to an adult female, and one belonging to an elderly male). In addition, the electronic device may also determine whether one or more conditions of a rule that may be defined for particular content is satisfied. In particular, the electronic device may be configured to determine whether one or more conditions of a rule that may be defined for particular content is satisfied based on the determined profile of the one or more detected individuals (e.g., whether a child is detected). In some embodiments, access to particular content may be requested, and the electronic device may grant access to the requested content only if one or more conditions of a rule defined for the content is satisfied (e.g., only if the profile of detected individuals includes a required user and no one else other than the required user (e.g., access to a sensitive e-mail may only be granted if a specific individual is detected and no other individual is detected)). In other embodiments, particular content may be presented (e.g., an adult movie may be played) while a rule defined for the content is checked. If a condition of the rule is satisfied, for example, the electronic device may alter a presentation of the content by performing an action of the rule (e.g., the electronic device may instruct a media player application to stop the playback of the adult movie when the profile of detected individuals includes at least one child). The output of various types of content may be controlled by such rules, including, for example, e-mails, documents, files, applications, movies, songs, audio clips, video clips, TV programs, any combination thereof, and any other type of content. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an illustrative electronic device  100  that may control output of content. In some embodiments, electronic device  100  may perform a single function (e.g., a device dedicated to storing image content) and, in other embodiments, electronic device  100  may perform multiple functions (e.g., a device that stores image content, plays music, and receives and transmits telephone calls). Moreover, in some embodiments, electronic device  100  may be any portable, mobile, or hand-held electronic device configured to control output of content. Alternatively, electronic device  100  may not be portable at all, but may instead be generally stationary. Electronic device  100  may include any suitable type of electronic device operative to control output of content. For example, electronic device  100  may include a media player (e.g., an iPod™ available by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a cellular telephone (e.g., an iPhone™ available by Apple Inc.), a personal e-mail or messaging device (e.g., a Blackberry™ available by Research In Motion Limited of Waterloo, Ontario), any other wireless communication device, a pocket-sized personal computer, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), a tablet, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a music recorder, a still camera, a movie or video camera or recorder, a radio, medical equipment, any other suitable type of electronic device, and any combinations thereof. 
     Electronic device  100  may include a processor or control circuitry  102 , memory  104 , communications circuitry  106 , power supply  108 , input component  110 , output component  112 , and a detector  114 . Electronic device  100  may also include a bus  103  that may provide a transfer path for transferring data and/or power, to, from, or between various other components of device  100 . In some embodiments, one or more components of electronic device  100  may be combined or omitted. Moreover, electronic device  100  may include other components not combined or included in  FIG. 1 . For example, electronic device  100  may include motion detection circuitry, light sensing circuitry, positioning circuitry, or several instances of the components shown in  FIG. 1 . For the sake of simplicity, only one of each of the components is shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Memory  104  may include one or more storage mediums, including for example, a hard-drive, flash memory, permanent memory such as read-only memory (“ROM”), semi-permanent memory such as random access memory (“RAM”), any other suitable type of storage component, or any combination thereof. Memory  104  may include cache memory, which may be one or more different types of memory used for temporarily storing data for electronic device applications. Memory  104  may store media data (e.g., music, image, and video files), software (e.g., for implementing functions on device  100 ), firmware, preference information (e.g., media playback preferences), lifestyle information (e.g., food preferences), exercise information (e.g., information obtained by exercise monitoring equipment), transaction information (e.g., information such as credit card information), wireless connection information (e.g., information that may enable device  100  to establish a wireless connection), subscription information (e.g., information that keeps track of podcasts or television shows or other media a user subscribes to), contact information (e.g., telephone numbers and e-mail addresses), calendar information, any other suitable data, or any combination thereof. 
     Communications circuitry  106  may be provided to allow device  100  to communicate with one or more other electronic devices or servers using any suitable communications protocol. For example, communications circuitry  106  may support Wi-Fi (e.g., an 802.11 protocol), Ethernet, Bluetooth™, high frequency systems (e.g., 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.6 GHz communication systems), infrared, transmission control protocol/internet protocol (“TCP/IP”) (e.g., any of the protocols used in each of the TCP/IP layers), hypertext transfer protocol (“HTTP”), BitTorrent™, file transfer protocol (“FTP”), real-time transport protocol (“RTP”), real-time streaming protocol (“RTSP”), secure shell protocol (“SSH”), any other communications protocol, or any combination thereof. Communications circuitry  106  may also include circuitry that can enable device  100  to be electrically coupled to another device (e.g., a computer or an accessory device) and communicate with that other device, either wirelessly or via a wired connection. 
     Power supply  108  may provide power to one or more of the other components of device  100 . In some embodiments, power supply  108  can be coupled to a power grid (e.g., when device  100  is not a portable device, such as a desktop computer). In some embodiments, power supply  108  can include one or more batteries for providing power (e.g., when device  100  is a portable device, such as a cellular telephone). As another example, power supply  108  can be configured to generate power from a natural source (e.g., solar power using solar cells). 
     One or more input components  110  may be provided to permit a user to interact or interface with device  100 . For example, input component  110  can take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, an electronic device pad, dial, click wheel, scroll wheel, touch screen, one or more buttons (e.g., a keyboard), mouse, joy stick, track ball, and combinations thereof. For example, input component  110  may include a multi-touch screen. Each input component  110  can be configured to provide one or more dedicated control functions for making selections or issuing commands associated with operating device  100 . 
     Electronic device  100  may also include one or more output components  112  that may present information (e.g., textual, graphical, audible, and/or tactile information) to a user of device  100 . Output component  112  of electronic device  100  may take various forms, including, but not limited, to audio speakers, headphones, audio line-outs, visual displays, antennas, infrared ports, rumblers, vibrators, or combinations thereof. 
     For example, output component  112  of electronic device  100  may include an image display  112  as an output component. Such an output component display  112  may include any suitable type of display or interface for viewing image data captured by detector  114 . In some embodiments, display  112  may include a display embedded in device  100  or coupled to device  100  (e.g., a removable display). Display  112  may include, for example, a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), a light emitting diode (“LED”) display, an organic light-emitting diode (“OLED”) display, a surface-conduction electron-emitter display (“SED”), a carbon nanotube display, a nanocrystal display, any other suitable type of display, or combination thereof. Alternatively, display  112  can include a movable display or a projecting system for providing a display of content on a surface remote from electronic device  100 , such as, for example, a video projector, a head-up display, or a three-dimensional (e.g., holographic) display. 
     It should be noted that one or more input components  110  and one or more output components  112  may sometimes be referred to collectively herein as an I/O interface (e.g., input component  110  and output component  112  as I/O interface  111 ). It should also be noted that input component  110  and output component  112  may sometimes be a single I/O component, such as a touch screen that may receive input information through a user&#39;s touch of a display screen and that may also provide visual information to a user via that same display screen. 
     Detector  114  may include one or more sensors of any suitable type that may capture human recognition data (e.g., face data) that may be utilized to detect the presence of one or more individuals. For example, detector  114  may include an image sensor  116  and/or an infrared sensor  118 . Image sensor  116  may include one or more cameras with any suitable lens or number of lenses that may be operative to capture images of the surrounding environment of electronic device  100 . For example, image sensor  116  may include any number of optical or digital lenses for capturing light reflected by the device&#39;s environment as an image. The captured light may be stored as an individual distinct image or as consecutive video frame images of a recording (e.g., several video frames including a primary frame and one or more subsequent frames that may indicate the difference between the primary frame and the subsequent frame). As used herein, the term “camera lens” may be understood to mean a lens for capturing light or a lens and appropriate circuitry for capturing and converting captured light into an image that can be analyzed or stored by electronic device  100  as either an individual distinct image or as one of many consecutive video frame images. 
     Infrared (“IR”) sensor  118  may include any suitable type of sensor capable of detecting signals in infrared wavelengths (e.g., near-infrared). Infrared sensor  118  may be capable of distinguishing an object from its environment by detecting differences in their respective heat signatures. Infrared sensor  118  may also be capable of detecting finer details of an object (e.g., facial features) using any suitable technique. 
     In some embodiments, detector  114  may also include one or more sensors that may detect any human feature or characteristic (e.g., physiological, psychological, physical, movement, etc.). For example, detector  114  may include a microphone for detecting voice signals from one or more individuals. As another example, detector  114  may include a heartbeat sensor for detecting heartbeats of one or more individuals. As yet other examples, detector  114  may include a fingerprint reader, an iris scanner, a retina scanner, a breath sampler, and a humidity sensor that may detect moisture and/or sweat emanating from any suitable portion of an individual&#39;s body. For example, detector  114  may include a humidity sensor that may be situated near or coupled to one or more portions of input component  110 , and that may detect moisture and/or sweat from an individual&#39;s hands. It should be appreciated that any detector  114  may include any sensor that may detect any human feature or characteristic. 
     In some embodiments, detector  114  may also include positioning circuitry for determining a current position of device  100 . The positioning circuitry may be operative to update the current position at any suitable rate, including at relatively high rates to provide an estimation of speed and distance traveled. In some embodiments, the positioning circuitry may include a global positioning system (“GPS”) receiver for accessing a GPS application function call that may return geographic coordinates (i.e., a geographic location) of the device. The geographic coordinates may be fundamentally, alternatively, or additionally, derived from any suitable trilateration or triangulation technique. For example, the positioning circuitry may determine the current location of device  100  by using various measurements (e.g., signal-to-noise ratio (“SNR”) or signal strength) of a network signal (e.g., a cellular telephone network signal) that may be associated with device  100 . For example, a radio frequency (“RF”) triangulation detector or sensor integrated with or connected to device  100  may determine the (e.g., approximate) current location of device  100 . Device  100 &#39;s current location may be determined based on various measurements of device  100 &#39;s own network signal, such as, for example: (1) an angle of the signal&#39;s approach to or from one or more cellular towers, (2) an amount of time for the signal to reach one or more cellular towers or device  100 , (3) the strength of the signal when it reaches one or more towers or device  100 , or any combination of the aforementioned measurements. Other forms of wireless-assisted GPS (e.g., enhanced GPS or A-GPS) may also be used to determine the current position of device  100 . Instead or in addition, the positioning circuitry may determine the current location of device  100  based on a wireless network or access point that may be in range or a wireless network or access point to which device  100  may be currently connected. For example, because wireless networks may have a finite range, a wireless network that may be in range of device  100  may indicate that device  100  is located in within a detectable vicinity of the wireless network. In some embodiments, device  100  may automatically connect to a wireless network that may be in range in order to receive valid modes of operation that may be associated or that may be available at the current position of device  100 . 
     In some embodiments, detector  114  may also include motion sensing circuitry for detecting motion of an environment of device  100  and/or objects in the environment. For example, the motion sensing circuitry may detect a movement of an object (e.g., an individual) about device  100  and may generate one or more signals based on the detection. 
     Processor  102  of device  100  may control the operation of many functions and other circuitry provided by device  100 . For example, processor  102  may receive input signals from input component  110  and/or drive output signals through display  112 . Processor  102  may load a manager program (e.g., a program stored in memory  104  or another device or server accessible by device  100 ) to process or analyze data received via detector  114  or inputs received via input component  110  to control output of content that may be provided to the user via output component  112  (e.g., display  112 ). Processor  102  may associate different metadata with the human recognition data captured by detector  114 , including, for example, positioning information, device movement information, a time code, a device identifier, or any other suitable metadata. Electronic device  100  (e.g., processor  102 , any circuitry of detector  114 , or any other component available to device  100 ) may be configured to capture data with detector  114  at various resolutions, frequencies, intensities, and various other characteristics as may be appropriate for the capabilities and resources of device  100 . 
     Electronic device  100  may also be provided with a housing  101  that may at least partially enclose one or more of the components of device  100  for protecting them from debris and other degrading forces external to device  100 . In some embodiments, one or more of the components may be provided within its own housing (e.g., input component  110  may be an independent keyboard or mouse within its own housing that may wirelessly or through a wire communicate with processor  102 , which may be provided within its own housing). 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a content control system  204  of electronic device  100  that may be provided to control output of content based on human recognition data. In some embodiments, content control system  204  may be implemented using processor  102  of device  100 . Content control system  204  may include manager module  206  that may manage the control of output of content, detection module  208  that may analyze human recognition data captured by detector  114  for determining a profile of one or more detected individuals, and content status module  216  that may present content on output component  112 , monitor a status of content being presented, and interface with I/O interface  111  to receive user inputs from input component  110 . 
     Content control system  204  may interface with data source  212  that may include any data source that may be accessible to device  100  (e.g., local memory  104  or a remote data source that may be accessible via communications circuitry  106 ). Data source  212  may include detection data structure  210  that may store data associated with human detection and/or recognition, and rules data structure  214  that may store one or more rules that may be associated with or defined for particular content. In some embodiments, detection module  208  may also perform human detection training for training detection module  208  to detect and recognize particular individuals. As a result of the training, an individual may have human recognition data captured by detector  114  (e.g., image sensor  116  and/or infrared sensor  118 ) during training that may be associated with a corresponding user account accessible by device  100  (e.g., a user account stored in detection data structure  210 ). 
     Detector control instructions  201  may include instructions that may be sent from manager module  206  to detector  114  to control the operation of detector  114  (e.g., to dictate how often detector  114  captures data, to control whether detector  114  uses image sensor  116 , infrared sensor  118 , and/or any other available sensor to capture data, etc.). Detector control instructions  201  may be provided by manager module  206  based on status information that may be received by manager module  206  content status module  216  (e.g., based on current content status information  215 ). Current content status information  215  may be indicative of the current status of content being provided by device  100  or the current status of any other portion of device  100  (e.g., battery life of device  100 , power conservation rules of device  100 , etc.). Captured human recognition data  203  may include data that may be captured by detector  114  and that may be sent to detection module  208  for analysis. 
     Human detection request  205  may include one or more requests that may be sent from manager module  206  to detection module  208  that may request that detection module  208  analyze current captured data  203  and generate current detected human profile data  209  based on the analysis. Detected human profile data  209  may be provided to manager module  206  by detection module  208  and may include data that may define one or more individuals (e.g., as one or more specific individuals and/or as one or more general classes of individuals) that may be detected in captured data  203 . 
     Human detection request  205  may be provided by manager module  206  based on various factors, and may be defined by one or more rules that may be defined for particular content of interest. For example, if access to document X content is currently being requested, manager module  206  may first review one or more rules that may be defined for document X and may determine, based on the rule(s), that access may only be granted to document X if user Y is detected by device  100 , in which case human detection request  205  may specifically request that detection module  208  only analyze current captured data  203  for detecting user Y (e.g., as opposed to analyzing current captured data  203  for all possible individuals). This may reduce the amount of processing that may be required for the detection of individuals relevant for the particular content, and thus, may conserve power of device  100 . 
     Human detection data  207  may include information and/or techniques that may be accessible to detection module  208  from detection data structure  210  for use in analyzing current captured human recognition data  203  and generating current detected human profile data  209  based on the analysis. Human detection data  207  may include any suitable technique useful for detecting and/or recognizing one or more individuals from current captured face  203  (e.g., knowledge-based detection techniques, feature-based detection techniques, template matching techniques, appearance-based detection techniques, and any other statistical and/or predictive analysis techniques). Knowledge-based techniques may be based on rule-based and/or top-down methods that may encode prior knowledge of what is included in a typical face or any other human feature (e.g., voice). For example, these rules may include relationships between facial features and may be advantageous for face localization. Feature-based and/or feature invariant techniques may specify structural features of a face or other human feature that may exist under varying conditions, such as changes in pose, viewpoint, image quality, and/or lighting. For example, these techniques may be advantageous for face localization. Feature invariant techniques may involve, without limitation, facial feature data, facial texture data, facial skin color data, and/or a combination of color, size, and shape of a face. Template matching techniques may include methods of storing standard features of a face and using a correlation between a captured input image and the stored patterns to detect a face or faces. Template matching may include, without limitation, pre-defined templates and/or deformable templates. Appearance-based techniques may include models that may be learned from a set of training images that may capture the variability of facial features. Appearance-based techniques may involve, without limitation, eigenface data, distribution-based data, neural networks, support vector machines, naive bayes classifiers, hidden markov models, and information theoretical approaches. 
     Detection module  208  may utilize data that may be stored in detection data structure  210  and any other available data (e.g., data that may be stored as part of detection/recognition training described above) when analyzing current captured human recognition data  203  for determining current detected human profile data  209 . For example, detection data structure  210  may have already stored human feature data for one or more individuals, and other data that may assist in determining the identity, age, race, and/or gender of any detected human feature data using any of the human feature detection and/or recognition techniques described above or any other suitable techniques. In some embodiments, detection data structure  210  may include human feature data associated with human features of a particular individual or general class of individuals to enable detection and/or recognition of that particular individual or that general class of individuals. Such data may include eye data, nose data, mouth data, chin data, face areas data, face feature distance data, face shape data, face feature angles data, any other suitable face related data, voice data, and any other suitable human feature data for a particular individual or class of individuals. Detection module  208  may, for example, compare current captured data  203  with any of the human feature data that may be stored in detection data structure  210  using any suitable human detection technique, and may determine the number of individuals detected, the identity, age, race, and/or gender of each of the detected individuals, whether any of the detected individuals are authorized individuals of particular content, and any other suitable information. 
     Content rule data  211  may include data that may be accessible to manager module  206  from content rule data structure  214 . Content rules data  211  may include one or more rules that may be defined for particular content. A particular content or a particular content type may be associated with a particular rule in content rules data structure  214 , and may include one or more conditions related to human detection. For example, a confidential file may be particular content that may be associated with a particular rule that may require, as a condition, that the face of individual X be detected prior to granting access to the confidential file. As another example, media of a particular type (e.g., videos) may be particular content that may be associated with a particular rule that may control presentation (e.g., a volume setting) of the media when an elderly individual is detected. 
     User interaction data  213  may include data that may be received by content status module  216  from input component  110 . For example, user interaction data  213  may indicate a user&#39;s desire to access particular content, a user&#39;s interaction with already accessed content, and/or a user&#39;s interaction with device  100  in general (e.g., movement of a mouse, pause/play/volume commands for manipulating accessed content, etc.), all of which may be used to define a current status of device  100  and/or a current status of content to be manipulated based on human recognition data. Current content status information  215  may include information that may be received by manager module  206  from content status module  216  and that may alert manager module  206  of particular content that a user may be requesting access to or that a user may be currently interacting with. Manager module  206  may access one or more rules in content rule data  211  that may be defined for that particular content indicated by current content status information  215 , and manager module  206  may then analyze the one or more rules in light of current detected human profile data  209 . In some embodiments, current content status information  215  may include content presentation status information of device  100  (e.g., status information indicating that a media player application of device  100  may currently be playing a movie file, information indicating that a particular application that is currently running on device  100  may interface with a particular input interface application of device  100  (e.g., an on-screen keyboard), etc.). Such content presentation status information may assist manager module  206  in generating content control instruction  217 . 
     Content control instruction  217  may include one or more instructions or commands that may be generated by manager module  206  and that may be sent to content status module  216  in response to analysis of a rule of particular content in light of current detected human profile data  209 . Content control instruction  217  may be indicative of an action corresponding to a satisfied condition of the rule for that particular content and/or may be indicative of any changes and/or control that may need to be applied to that content. 
     Adjusted control information  219  may include information that may be sent by content status module  216  to I/O interface  111  and that may control presentation of particular content on output component  112  based on content control instruction  217 . For example, adjusted control information  219  may include one or more control commands for muting an audio speaker of output component  112 , increasing a display size of content being displayed on a display of output component  112 , pausing media playback on output component  112 , and the like. 
     It should be appreciated that, although  FIG. 2  may show manager module  206 , detection module  208 , and content status module  216  as discrete modules, any of these modules may be combined in any suitable manner, and/or any of these modules may be provided by multiple modules. 
       FIG. 3  shows an illustrative data structure  300  that may store one or more rules for controlling output of content. Although data structure  300  may take the form of a table in a relational database in the example of  FIG. 3 , any other data structure may be used in other embodiments. Data structure  300  may take the form of a table storing various types of information associated with particular content. Data structure  300  may be included as a portion of or all of rules data structure  214  of  FIG. 2  and may be stored on or otherwise accessible by electronic device  100  (e.g., stored in memory  104  or accessible from another device or server via communications circuitry  106 ). 
     Entries may be added to or removed from data structure  300  using I/O interface  111  of device  100  or an administrative interface (not shown). For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , data structure  300  may include rule column  302 , content column  304 , condition column  306 , action column  308 , and priority column  310 . 
     Each row of column  302  may include a unique value that may distinguish one rule from another within data structure  300 . Each row of content column  304  may include an identifier that may identify particular content that may be controlled by the rule of that row. For example, each particular content identified by each row of content column  304  may include a particular application, work file, video file, audio file, or any other type of content, and may be identified in any suitable manner (e.g., by filename, location, size, etc.). Alternatively, the particular content may include a particular type of content (e.g., a particular file format, a particular type of movie (e.g., rated R, rated PG, etc.), all movies, etc.), and all content of that particular type may be controlled by the particular rule. 
     Condition column  306  may include one or more conditions that may be related to human detection. For example, a condition may include a description of what may be found in a determined human profile (e.g., in current detected human profile data  209 ) to satisfy a particular (e.g., one or more detected individuals (e.g., one or more of a child, an elderly person, a specific individual, any unauthorized individual, etc.)). In some embodiments, an unauthorized individual may include a known user who may have been set as unauthorized. In other embodiments, an unauthorized user may include any individual that content control system  204  may not recognize. Condition column  306  may also include any other suitable condition (e.g., a particular current content status that may be indicated by current content status information  215 , a particular position of device  100 , a particular time of day, or any other information accessible by device  100 ). 
     Because output of content may be controlled differently depending on which conditions of certain rules defined for that content are satisfied, a rule that may be defined for particular content (or content of a particular type) may include one or more sets of conditions, where each set of conditions may correspond to one or more corresponding actions. Action column  308  may include one or more actions that may be performed when one or more corresponding conditions or sets of conditions is satisfied. An action may include, for example, any suitable action to control output of corresponding content (e.g., pausing, stopping, closing, hiding, locking, playing, muting, adjusting, deleting, granting access, restricting access, etc.). An action may, for example, correspond to specific machine-readable commands for effecting a desired result. 
     Priority column  310  may include a numerical identifier or other value that may indicate a level of importance of a corresponding rule (or of a condition or a set of conditions that may be associated with the corresponding rule) with respect to another rule (or to a condition or a set of conditions that may be associated with such another rule) that may be defined for the same content. 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter a presentation of content in response to at least one child being detected during the presentation. For example, rule  320  may be defined for particular adult-rated material content  321  (e.g., one or more of an adult-rated movie, an adult-rated video, adult-rated music, adult-rated photos, etc.). Conditions  322   a  may be associated with rule  320  and may include at least one child being detected during a presentation of particular content  321 . Action  322   b  may be associated with rule  320 , may correspond to conditions  322   a , and may include altering the presentation of the particular adult-rated material content  321  (e.g., content  321  may be paused, stopped, and/or hidden, a display (e.g., display  112 ) of device  100  may be turned off, a volume setting of the presentation may be lowered or muted, and/or sub-titles associated with content  321  may be enacted) when conditions  322   a  are satisfied. 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may control access to content in response to receiving a request to access the content, at least one adult being detected, and no children being detected. For example, conditions  324   a  may also be associated with rule  320 , and may include receiving a request to access the particular adult-rated material content  321 , at least one adult being detected, and no children being detected. Action  324   b  may be associated with rule  320 , may correspond to conditions  324   a , and may include granting access to the particular adult-rated material content  321  when conditions  324   a  are satisfied. For example, content control system  204  may grant access to the particular adult-rated content  321  by instructing content status module  216  with content control instruction  217  to play back content  321 . That way, an adult may rest assured that no children are around while inappropriate material is being presented or otherwise accessed. 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter a presentation of content in response to a required individual not being detected during the presentation. For example, rule  330  may be defined for a particular application content  331  (e.g., one or more of a media player application, a word processing application, a file viewing application, etc.). Conditions  332   a  may be associated with rule  330  and may include a required individual not being detected during a presentation of the particular application content  331 . Action  332   b  may be associated with rule  330 , may correspond to conditions  332   a , and may include altering the presentation of the particular application content  331  (e.g., the application may be closed, locked, and/or hidden, and/or a display (e.g., display  112 ) of device  100  may be turned off) when conditions  332   a  are satisfied. 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may control access to content in response to receiving a request to access the content and no unauthorized individuals being detected. For example, conditions  334   a  may also be associated with rule  330 , and may include receiving a request to access particular application content  331  (e.g., one or more of a media player application, a word processing application, a file viewing application, etc.) and no unauthorized individuals being detected. Action  334   b  may be associated with rule  330 , may correspond to conditions  334   a , and may include granting access to the particular application content  331  when conditions  334   a  are satisfied. For example, content control system  204  may grant access to particular application content  331  by instructing content status module  216  with content control instruction  217  to allow particular application content  331  to be accessible and/or to present the particular application content  331 . 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter a presentation of content in response to an unauthorized individual being detected during the presentation. For example, rule  340  may be defined for particular sensitive data content  331  (e.g., one or more of an e-mail, a document, a folder, and a file). Conditions  342   a  may be associated with rule  340  and may include an unauthorized individual being detected during a presentation of the particular sensitive data content  331 . Action  342   b  may be associated with rule  340 , may correspond to conditions  342   a , and may include altering the presentation of the particular sensitive data content  331  (e.g., the sensitive data may be closed, locked, and/or hidden, and/or a display (e.g., display  112 ) of device  100  may be turned off) when conditions  342   a  are satisfied. An unauthorized individual may include, for example, any individual that content control system  204  may not recognize (e.g., no face data associated with that individual is accessible by device  100 ) or a specific individual that has been previously set as an individual who may not view or access the content associated with the rule. In some embodiments, content control system  204  may be configured to determine whether particular content (e.g., an e-mail) is sensitive or not by analyzing the content for any words, phrases, images, and the like. For example, if an e-mail contains data indicating confidentiality, content control system  204  may determine that the e-mail is sensitive. Therefore, content control system  204  may automatically associate certain content as content defined by content  341 . In other embodiments, a user may simply set a level of sensitivity for particular content (e.g., in data structure  300  or in any other data structure). Therefore, content control system  204  may be configured to allow a user to associated certain content as content covered by content  341 . 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may control access to content in response to receiving a request to access the content and only a specific individual being detected. For example, conditions  344   a  may also be associated with rule  340 , and may include receiving a request to access the particular sensitive data content  341  and only a specific individual being detected. Action  344   b  may be associated with rule  340 , may correspond to conditions  344   a , and may include granting access to the particular sensitive data content  341  when conditions  344   a  are satisfied. For example, content control system  204  may grant access to the particular sensitive data content  341  by instructing content status module  216  with content control instruction  217  to allow the particular sensitive data content  341  to be accessible and/or to present the particular sensitive data content  341 . The particular individual in this instance may have been previously set as a required individual for the sensitive data who must be present without anyone else also being present prior to access being granted. 
     In some embodiments, a rule and an associated action may be defined for particular content not only based on current content status (e.g., that access to the particular content is currently being requested or that the particular content is currently being presented) and one or more human detection related conditions (e.g., a child being detected), but also based on any other suitable condition or sets of conditions (e.g., a particular location of device  100 , a particular time, environmental conditions, etc.). For example, an authorized user of device  100  may be comfortable with unauthorized users being detected by device  100  while the authorized user is using device  100  to access content while at the authorized user&#39;s home or office, but may be uncomfortable if this occurs while the authorized user is using device  100  outside of the authorized user&#39;s home or office (e.g., during a subway or bus ride, on the street, etc.). Thus, in some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter the presentation of content in response to, during the presentation, an unauthorized individual being detected while device  100  is positioned at a particular location X (or not at a particular location X). For example, rule  350  may be defined for particular sensitive data content  351 . Conditions  352   a  may be associated with rule  350  and may include, during a presentation of the particular sensitive data content  351 , an unauthorized individual being detected while device  100  is positioned at a particular location X (e.g., at an individual&#39;s home). Action  352   b  may be associated with rule  350 , may correspond to conditions  352   a , and may include continuing the presentation of the particular sensitive data content  351  or simply displaying a pop-up notification to the user that someone may be present (e.g., because any unauthorized individual detected by device  100  while located at a trusted location X may be known to the individual using device  100 , and thus, there may not be a need to close or hide the particular sensitive data). 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter a presentation of content in response to, during the presentation, an unauthorized individual being detected while device  100  is not positioned at a particular location X (e.g., away from an individual&#39;s home). For example, conditions  354   a  may also be associated with rule  350 , and may include, during a presentation of the particular sensitive data content  351 , an unauthorized individual being detected while device  100  is not positioned at a particular location X. Action  354   b  may correspond to conditions  354   a , and may include altering the presentation of the particular sensitive data content  351  (e.g., the sensitive data may be closed, locked, and/or hidden, and/or a display (e.g., display  112 ) of device  100  may be turned off) when conditions  354   b  are satisfied. For example, because an individual using device  100  may not be in a known location X, any unauthorized individual detected by device  100  may need to be prevented from accessing or viewing particular sensitive data content  351  (e.g., a stranger on a subway who may be stealing glances at the user&#39;s device  100 ). 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter a presentation of content in response to at least one elderly individual being detected during the presentation. For example, rule  360  may be defined for particular multi-media content  361  (e.g., a TV show or program, a movie, a video, music, photos, etc.). Conditions  362   a  may be associated with rule  360  and may include at least one elderly individual being detected during a presentation of the particular multi-media content  361 . Action  362   b  may be associated with rule  360 , may correspond to conditions  362   a , and may include altering the presentation of particular multi-media content  361  (e.g., one or more presentation settings of the particular multi-media content may be adjusted) when conditions  362  are satisfied. For example, display size of particular multi-media content  361  may be increased and/or a volume setting may be increased. In some embodiments, if an elderly individual is no longer detected during the presentation of particular multi-media content  361 , content control system  204  may revert the playback setting(s) to those that have been previously set prior to applying action  362   b . For example, the display size of particular multi-media content  361  may be reverted and/or a volume setting may be reverted. 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter a presentation of content in response to, during the presentation, at least one elderly individual being detected, where one of the at least one detected elderly individuals is a particular individual. For example, conditions  364   a  may also be associated with rule  360 , and may include, during a presentation of the particular multi-media content  361 , at least one elderly individual being detected, where one of the at least one detected elderly individuals is a particular individual. Action  364   b  may correspond to conditions  364   a , and may include altering the presentation of the particular multi-media content  361  (e.g., only certain settings of the particular multi-media presentation may be adjusted) when conditions  364   a  are satisfied. For example, the particular elderly individual may be associated with hearing loss, but not vision loss, and thus, only audio settings may need to be adjusted when that particular elderly individual is present. In some embodiments, if an elderly individual is no longer detected during the presentation of multi-media content  361 , content control system  204  may revert the playback setting(s) to those that have been previously set prior to applying action  364   b.    
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter a presentation of content in response to an individual that is associated with a particular language being detected during the presentation. For example, conditions  366   a  may also be associated with rule  360 , and may include an individual that is associated with a particular language being detected during a presentation of the particular multi-media content  361 . Action  366   b  may correspond to conditions  366   a , and may include altering the presentation of the particular multi-media content  361  (e.g., captions for that particular language may be turned on for content  361 , or the presentation of the particular multi-media content  361  may be stopped, and a version of the particular multi-media content in that particular language may be played back) when conditions  366   a  are satisfied. This may be achieved, for example, by comparing known languages for each known individual (e.g., stored in detection data structure  210 ) with known language versions of the particular multi-media content  361 . For example, content control system  204  may determine that the particular multi-media is related to a particular language by referring to metadata or any other data associated with the particular multi-media content  361  (e.g., data stored on device  100  or any other external device accessible to device  100 ). In some embodiments, a current position (e.g., time) of the particular multi-media content being presented may be recorded and the particular language version of the particular multi-media content may be played back starting at a corresponding position. In other embodiments, the particular language version of the particular multi-media content  361  may be played back from the beginning or at any other suitable position. It should be appreciated that the particular multi-media content  361  may, alternatively or additionally, include a document, a web-site, or any other human readable content. For example, if an individual associated with the Spanish language is detected, then the particular multi-media content  361  may be automatically translated into Spanish. 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may control access to content in response to receiving a request to access the content, a specific individual being detected, and playback of the content was most recently altered by the specific individual. For example, conditions  368   a  may also be associated with rule  360 , and may include receiving a request to access the particular multi-media content  361 , a specific individual being detected, and playback of the particular multi-media content  361  was most recently altered by the specific individual. Action  368   b  may be associated with rule  360 , may correspond to conditions  368   a , and may include granting access to the particular multi-media content  361  when conditions  368   a  are satisfied. For example, content control system  204  may grant access to the particular multi-media content  361  by instructing content status module  216  with content control instruction  217  to allow the particular multi-media content  361  to be resumeable and/or to resume playback of the particular multi-media content  361 . Thus, particular individual A may rest assured that, after individual A pauses or stops content  361 , no other individual will interfere with the particular multi-media content  361  when that particular individual A is not present. 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may control access to content in response to receiving a request to access the content, a first specific individual being detected, and a second specific individual being detected. For example, conditions  369   a  may also be associated with rule  360 , and may include receiving a request to access the particular multi-media content  361 , specific individual “A” being detected, and specific individual “B” being detected. Action  369   b  may be associated with rule  360 , may correspond to conditions  369   a , and may include granting access to the particular multi-media content  361  when conditions  369   a  are satisfied. For example, content control system  204  may grant access to the particular multi-media content by instructing content status module  216  with content control instruction  217  to allow the particular multi-media content to be accessible and/or to present the particular multi-media content. Thus, for example, a first particular individual A may rest assured that a second particular individual B will not be able to enjoy particular multi-media content when the first particular individual A is not present. 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter a presentation of content in response to at least one individual being detected within a threshold distance from device  100  or from a component of device  100  during the presentation. For example, rule  370  may be defined for particular content  371  (e.g., a web browser, a word processing application, a media player application, etc.) that may utilize a display of an on-screen keyboard (e.g., of a virtual keyboard on a touch screen of I/O interface  111 ). Conditions  372   a  may be associated with rule  370  and may include at least one individual being detected within a threshold distance from device  100  or a component of device  100  during a presentation of particular content  371 . Action  372   b  may be associated with rule  370 , may correspond to conditions  372   a , and may include altering the presentation of the particular content (e.g., the on-screen keyboard may be turned on, activated, or displayed) when conditions  372   a  are satisfied. The threshold distance may be a default value set by a manufacturer of device  100  or it may be an adjustable value that a user of device  100  may set (e.g., via an administrative panel or screen of device  100  (not shown)). In some embodiments, if there are no longer any individuals being detected within the threshold distance during the presentation of the particular content  371 , e.g., if each detected individual is detected to be beyond the threshold distance (if any individuals are detected)), then content control system  204  may instruct display  112  to stop displaying the on-screen keyboard (e.g., turn the on-screen keyboard off). This may be useful, when a user is too far away from device  100  to use an on-screen keyboard, to remove the on-screen keyboard to save display real estate. 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter a presentation of content in response to at least one disabled individual (e.g., based on information for that individual that may be stored in memory  104 ) being detected during the presentation. For example, a particular rule (not shown) may be defined for particular multi-media content  361  (e.g., a TV show or program, a movie, a video, music, photos, etc.). Particular conditions may be associated with the particular rule and may include at least one disabled individual being detected during a presentation of the particular multi-media content  361 . One or more actions may be associated with the particular rule, may correspond to the particular conditions, and may include altering the presentation of particular multi-media content  361  (e.g., captions may be turned on for content  361 ) when the particular conditions are satisfied. In some embodiments, if the disabled individual is no longer detected during the presentation of particular multi-media content  361 , content control system  204  may revert the alteration. For example, the captions for particular multi-media content  361  may be turned off. 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may alter a presentation of content in response to a particular wireless device ID being detected during the presentation (e.g., communications circuitry  106  and/or detector  114  may include Bluetooth™ capability for detecting one or more Bluetooth™ capable devices within an environment of device  100 , and content control system  204  may be coupled to such communications circuitry  106  and/or such detector  114  and may determine that a particular Bluetooth™ capable device or a known Bluetooth™ device that may be associated with a particular individual or class of individuals (e.g., based on data stored in memory  104 ) may be present in the environment at device  100 ). For example, a particular rule (not shown) may be defined for particular adult-rated material content  321  (e.g., one or more of an adult-rated movie, an adult-rated video, adult-rated music, adult-rated photos, etc.). Particular conditions may be associated with the particular rule and may include a particular device ID being detected during a presentation of the particular adult-rated material content  321 . One or more actions may be associated with the particular rule, may correspond to the particular conditions, and may include altering the presentation of particular multi-media content  321  (e.g., content  321  may be paused, stopped, and/or hidden, a display (e.g., display  112 ) of device  100  may be turned off, a volume setting of the presentation may be lowered or muted, and/or sub-titles associated with content  321  may be enacted) when the particular conditions are satisfied (e.g., when a particular wireless device associated with a particular individual is identified). 
     It should be appreciated that the rules described above with respect to data structure  300  are only some of the many possibilities of rules that may be set for particular content, and that any suitable rule may be created, modified, and/or deleted for the purpose of controlling output of content based on human detection related conditions. For example, although only rule  350  may be described above as being associated with a particular location of device  100 , a particular time, or any other particular environmental condition(s), any of rules  320 ,  330 ,  340 ,  360 ,  370 , and any other suitable rule that may be created and stored in rules data structure  214  may also be associated with one of more of a particular location of device  100 , a particular time, or any other particular environmental condition(s). 
     It should further be appreciated that, although data structure  300  may include rules that may include granting access as the action when a corresponding condition or set of conditions is satisfied, any of the rules (and any other suitable rule) may instead include restricting access as the action. That is, data structure  300  may also include rules for restricting (rather than granting) access to particular content. 
     In some embodiments, a condition or set of conditions for each of two or more rules may be simultaneously satisfied. In these instances, each corresponding action that may be associated with the satisfied condition or set of conditions may be performed according to a predefined priority. For example, if conditions  322   a  of rule  320  and conditions  362   a  of rule  360  are simultaneously satisfied, content control system  204  may refer to priority values that may be associated with conditions  322   a  and conditions  362   a , respectively, to determine which action(s) should be performed. For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a priority of ‘1’ that may be associated with conditions  322   a  of rule  320  may denote a higher priority than a priority of ‘2’ that may be associated with conditions  362   a  of rule  360 , and, thus, action  322   b  may be performed, and action  362   b  may not be performed or may be performed subsequent to performing action  322   b  (e.g., if action  362   b  conflicts with action  322   b ). 
     Data structure  300  may store one or more rules and corresponding conditions and actions for controlling the output of particular content based on one or more human detection related conditions (e.g., a specific individual or an individual belonging to a general “class” of individuals being detected or not being detected). Although specific “classes” of individuals may have been described above with respect to certain rules of data structure  300  (e.g., elderly, child, associated with a particular language, etc.), it should be appreciated that any suitable “classes” of individuals may be defined and included in one or more rules of data structure  300 . For example, a class of individuals can include males, females, elderly individuals, adults, children, individuals associated with a particular language, individuals of a particular height, individuals of a particular weight, individuals having a particular disability (e.g., blind individuals, individuals that are hard of hearing, etc.), any other suitable class, and any combination thereof. Additionally, or alternatively, a class of individuals can be based on one or more relationships (e.g., family, friend, co-worker, etc.) between individuals of that class and one or more authorized users of device  100 . In some embodiments, manager module  206  may be capable of monitoring activities of a particular authorized user and/or analyzing information associated with the particular authorized user (e.g., the particular authorized user&#39;s address book contacts that may be stored in memory  104 , the particular authorized user&#39;s social networking friends and/or activities that may be detected from current content status information  215  while a social networking application and/or web site is currently being presented by content status module  216 , instant messaging conversations, web surfing history, etc.) to determine one or more individuals that may belong to a particular class of individuals with respect to that particular authorized user. For example, manager module  206  may identify that individual X from the particular authorized user&#39;s address book is a family member (e.g., mother) of the particular authorized user, and may associate individual X with a “family” class. As another example, manager module  206  may determine (e.g., based on one or more online chat sessions, between the particular authorized user and individual Y, that may be detected from current content status information  215  while a chat application and/or web site is currently being presented by content status module  216 ) that individual Y may be a friend of the particular authorized user, and may associate individual Y with a “friend” class. As yet another example, manager module  206  may determine that an individual Z is currently present (e.g., based on captured human recognition data  203  provided by detector  114  and corresponding detected human profile data  209  provided by detection module  208 ) when a particular authorized user is currently opening or unhiding sensitive data content (e.g., as detected from current content status information  215 ), and thus manager module  206  may learn that individual Z may be a trusted associate of the particular authorized user, and may associate individual Z with a “trusted” class (e.g., for that sensitive data content). 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an illustrative process  400  that may control output of content based on human recognition data detection. Process  400  may begin at step  402 . At step  404 , process  400  may attempt to detect human recognition data of one or more individuals. For example, content control system  204  may instruct detector  114  with detector control instructions  201  to capture human recognition data  203  in a particular way, and detector  114  may send current captured face  203  to detection module  208  for analysis. 
     At step  406 , process  400  may determine whether the detected data satisfies at least one condition of at least one rule that is defined for particular content. 
     In some embodiments, prior to step  406 , manager module  206  of content control system  204  may receive current content status information  215  from content status module  216  that may indicate a user request to access particular content. In response, manager module  206  may access rules data structure  214  to retrieve content rules data  211  that may include one or more rules that may be defined for the particular content. Manager module  206  may send human detection request  205  to detection module  208  to instruct detection module  208  to analyze current captured data  203  in any suitable manner. For example, face detection request  205  may include one or more instructions that may command detection module  208  to analyze current captured data  203  and to generate detected human profile data  209  based on the analysis. Detection module  208  may access detection data structure  210  to retrieve any suitable human detection data  207  as part of the analysis, and may send detected human profile data  209  to manager module  206 . Manager module  206  may then determine whether detected human profile data  209  satisfies the respective condition(s) of one or more of the rules included in content rules data  211 . As another example, a condition for a particular rule included in content rules data  211  may require that only a specific individual be detected (e.g., condition  344   a  of rule  340  of data structure  300 ). In this instance, face detection request  205  may include one or more instructions that may command detection module  208  to specifically detect whether current captured human recognition data  203  includes only the specific individual (e.g., Tom). Thus, detection module  208  may access detection data structure  210 , may retrieve human detection data  207  that only pertains to detecting whether only the specific individual is included in current captured human data  203 , and may analyze current captured data  203  based on the received human detection data  207 . In some embodiments, detection module  208  may, based on the analysis, generate detected human profile data  209  that indicates a complete profile of detected human data (e.g., that two adults and one child are detected, where the first adult is John, where the second adult is Mary and is an elderly person, and where the one child is Ian situated beyond a threshold distance from device  100 ). In other embodiments, detection module  208  may send detected human profile data  209  that may only indicate whether current captured human data  203  includes only the specific individual (e.g., yes or no). This way, the detection/recognition process may be more efficient, and processing by each of detection module  208  and manager module  206  may be reduced. 
     In other embodiments, prior to step  406 , manager module  206  of content control system  204  may receive current content status information  215  from content status module  216  that may indicate that particular content is currently being presented by content status module  216 . In response, manager module  206  may access rules data structure  214  to retrieve content rules data  211  that may include one or more rules that may be defined for the particular content currently being presented, and the human detection/recognition process similar to that described above may be performed. 
     If at step  406 , process  400  determines that no condition of any rule that is defined for the particular content is satisfied, then process  400  may proceed to step  410  and the process may end. In some embodiments, the ending of process  400  may include restricting access to the particular content (e.g., if access to the particular content is requested). In other embodiments, the ending of process  400  may include not performing any further action (e.g., if the particular content is currently being presented, and no conditions of any rules defined for the particular content are satisfied). 
     If at step  406 , process  400  instead determines that at least one condition of at least one rule that is defined for the particular content is satisfied, then process  400  may proceed to step  408 . At step  408 , process  400  may perform at least one action of at least one satisfied condition of at least one rule to control the output of the particular content. For example, if manager module  206  determines, at step  406 , that at least one condition of at least one rule of the particular content is satisfied, manager module  206  may perform at least one action of the at least one rule to control the output of the particular content. For example, if access to particular sensitive data is requested, and if only a specific individual is detected (e.g., conditions  344   a  of rule  340  are satisfied for particular sensitive content  341 ), manager module  206  may instruct content status module  216  with content control instruction  217  to grant access to the particular sensitive data. In some embodiments, manager module  206  may simply instruct content status module  216  to allow the particular sensitive data to be accessible. In other embodiments, manager module  206  may instruct content status module  216  to present the particular sensitive data (e.g., content status module  216  may control output component  112  with adjusted control information  219  to display the particular sensitive data). As another example, if particular adult-rated content is currently being played back by content status module  216 , and if at least one child is detected (e.g., conditions  322   a  of rule  320  are satisfied for particular sensitive content  321 ), manager module  206  may instruct content status module  216  with content control instruction  217  to pause the playback of that content (e.g., content status module  216  may control output component  112  with adjusted control information  219  to pause the playback of that content). 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may continuously attempt to detect human recognition data and steps  404  to  408  described above may be continuously performed. In this manner, when one or more condition(s) of the at least one rule is no longer satisfied, any action(s) of the at least one rule that has been performed may be reverted. For example, in the example described above, if manager module  206  determines that conditions  322   a  are no longer satisfied (e.g., no children are detected), manager module  206  may instruct content status module  216  with content control instructions  217  to resume the playback of the particular adult-rated content  231  (e.g., content status module  216  may control output component  112  with adjusted control information  219  to resume the playback). In some embodiments, manager module  206  may not automatically instruct content status module  216  to resume the playback, and an authorized individual (e.g., an adult) may need to be detected or may need to manually resume the playback. It should be appreciated that a reversion of any alteration of the presentation of content may apply to any rule in rules data structure  214  (e.g., data structure  300 ) when the condition of that rule is no longer satisfied. 
     In some instances, content control system  204  may determine that a condition or a set of conditions of more than one rule of data structure  300  may be satisfied. For example, content control system  204  may determine from current content status information  215  that particular adult-rated multi-media is currently being played back, that detected human profile data  209  includes the presence of a child, and that the child is situated beyond a predetermined distance threshold from a component of device  100 . As a result, content control system  204  may determine that both of rules  320  and  370  of data structure  300  may be applicable (i.e., conditions  322   a  and  372   a  may be satisfied). To resolve any potential conflicts, content control system  204  may refer to priorities of priority column  310  that may be associated with each rule (or conditions  322   a  and condition  372   a ) to decide whether none, some, or all corresponding actions of action column  308  should be implemented. For example, content control system  204  may determine that the priority that may be associated with rule  320  (or conditions  322   a ) is ‘1’ (e.g., a higher priority) and that the priority that may be associated with rule  370  (or condition  372   a ) is ‘3’ (e.g., a lower priority), and may instruct content status module  216  (e.g., that may be functioning as a media player application) with content control instruction  217  to alter the playback of the particular adult-rated multi-media content  321 / 371  (e.g., pause, stop, and/or hide the adult-rated multi-media playback), and content status module  216  may adjust output component  112  (e.g., audio speaker and/or display of output component  112 ) with adjusted control information  219 . Because the priority that may be associated with conditions  372   a  of rule  370  may be lower, content control system  204  may not perform action  372   b  that may be associated with conditions  372   a  of rule  370  (e.g., content control system  204  may not instruct content status module  216  with content control instruction  217  to display the on-screen keyboard). The priority of each rule may be set by an administrative user beforehand and may reflect the administrative user&#39;s desire to perform none, some, or all of the corresponding actions  308  of each rule. For example, in the example described above, an administrative user may desire that the device automatically alter playback of an adult-rated movie when a child is detected because it may be more important that the child not be exposed to inappropriate material, but ignore any other condition that the detected child may also satisfy (e.g., being beyond a threshold distance from device  100  or a component of device  100 ) because these other conditions may not be as important. 
     In some embodiments, an action pertaining to a lower priority condition, set of conditions, or rule may also be performed in addition to an action pertaining to one with a higher priority rule. For example, content control system  204  may determine that detected human profile data  209  includes the presence of an elderly person that is associated with a particular language, and thus both of conditions  362   a  and  366   a  of rule  360  of data structure  300  may be satisfied. Content control system  204  may determine that even though the priority associated with conditions  362   a  is ‘2’ (e.g., a higher priority) and the priority associated with conditions  366   a  is ‘3’ (e.g., a lower priority), that neither of corresponding actions  362   b  and  366   b  conflict with one another. Thus, content control system  204  may control output of the particular multi-media content  361  by performing both of corresponding actions  362   b  and  366   b . For example, content control system  204  may instruct content status module  216  (e.g., that may be functioning as a media player application) with content control instruction  217  to alter a presentation of particular multi-media content  361  that may currently be presented (e.g., to increase a volume setting of playback of the particular multi-media content  361 ), and content status module  216  may adjust output component  112  (e.g., one or more speakers) with adjusted control information  219 . In addition, content control system  204  may also instruct content status module  216  with content control instruction  217  to alter the presentation in another manner (e.g., to transition to playback the same multi-media content  361 , but in a different language format (e.g., in a Spanish dubbed version of the multi-media content  361 )). 
     In some embodiments, both of these corresponding actions  362   b  and  366   b  may be implemented simultaneously. In other embodiments, one action may be implemented after another action, according to any suitable criteria (e.g., based on priority column  310 ). For example, content control system  204  may determine that detected human profile data  209  includes the presence of an elderly person (e.g., conditions  362   a  of rule  360  of data structure  300 ) being situated farther than a predetermined threshold distance from a component of device  100  (e.g., conditions  370   a  of rule  370  of data structure  300 ), and may instruct content status module  216  with content control instruction  217  to increase the volume first (e.g., action  362   b  of rule  360 ), prior to instructing content status module  216  to display the on-screen keyboard (e.g., of a virtual keyboard on a touch screen of I/O interface  111 ) (e.g., action  372   b  of rule  370 ). 
     It should be appreciated that any suitable approach may be used for determining whether none, some, or all of the corresponding actions of multiple applicable rules should be performed based on their respective priority, and that the examples described above are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. 
     It should also be appreciated that, although only some rules of data structure  300  have been described above with regard to process  400 , any of the rules of data structure  300  (and any other suitable rule) may also applied by process  400  depending on whether detected human data satisfies respective condition(s) of the rule. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an illustrative process  500  that may set rules in a data structure for controlling output of content based on human recognition data detection. Process  500  may begin at step  502 . At step  504 , process  500  may receive a first user input to define a rule for particular content. For example, an administrative screen or panel (not shown) may be presented to a user on display  112 , and may prompt the user to select particular content. Input component  110  may send the user selection in the form of user interaction data  213  to content status module  216 , which may in turn relay the user selection in the form of current content status information  215  to manager module  206 . Manager module  206  may then define a rule for the particular content. At step  506 , process  500  may receive a second user input to associate at least one action of device  100  and at least one condition with the defined rule. For example, input component  110  may send the at least one action and the at least one condition in the form of user interaction data  213  to content status module  216 , which may in turn relay this information in the form of current content status information  215  to manager module  206 . At step  508 , process  500  may associate the at least one action and the at least one condition with the defined rule. For example, manager module  206  may associate the at least one action and the at least one condition with the defined rule and direct content rule data structure  214  to store the defined rule. As an example, manager module  206  may associate the condition ‘at least one child is detected’ and the action ‘pause the adult-rated content’ with rule  320  of data structure  300  for particular adult-rated content  321 ). 
     It should be appreciated that the user may input selections of the particular content, the at least one action, and the at least one condition by, for example, typing, selecting, or otherwise designating using the administrative screen or panel, or any other suitable interface. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart of an illustrative process  600  that may adjust a rate of human feature detection/recognition. Because human feature detection/recognition processes may involve various components, such as control circuitry  102  and detector  114 , human feature detection may be resource intensive. Thus, when a user is interacting with a device (e.g., when a user is typing on a keyboard input component  110  of device  100 ), there may not be a need to perform the various human feature detection/recognition processes too frequently because the user is likely present at the device. For example, content control system  204  may be configured to adjust the frequency or rate of data capture for attempting to detect human feature data by controlling the rate of capture of image data, infrared data, and/or any other data by detector  114 , as described above. Process  600  may begin at step  602 . At step  604 , process  600  may determine whether a user is interacting with the device. For example, the user may input to device  100  using input component  110 , which may include a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or any other suitable input device, and user interaction data  213  may be received by content status module  216  from input component  110 . If process  600  determines that the user is interacting with the device, process  600  may proceed to step  606 , where process  600  may attempt to detect human feature data at a first rate. For example, manager module  206  may determine, from current content status  215  received from content status module  216 , that the user is interacting with device  100 , and may, as a result, send detector control instructions  201  to detector  114  to instruct detector  114  to attempt to detect human feature data in a first fashion (e.g., at a first rate). As an example, the first fashion may be a first rate set at 60 seconds, where data capture by detector  114  may be controlled to occur once every 60 seconds. 
     At step  604 , if process  600  instead determines that the user is not interacting with the device (e.g., the user is not providing an input), process  600  may proceed to step  608 , where process  600  may attempt to detect human feature data in a second fashion. For example, manager module  206  may determine, from current content status  215  received from content status module  216 , that the user is not interacting with device  100 , and may, as a result, send detector control instructions  201  to detector  114  instruct detector  114  to attempt to detect human feature data in a second fashion. The second fashion may be at a second rate that may be set at a lower rate than the first rate because it may be likely that the user is not currently present at the device, but may return at any moment. For example, the second rate may be set at 30 seconds, where data capture by detector  114  may be controlled to occur once every 30 seconds. 
     In some embodiments, the first fashion and the second fashion may include manners of using one or more sensors of detector  114 . For example, the first fashion may include operating sensors of detector  114  in a particular order or sequence, and the second fashion may include operating these sensors in a different order of sequence. 
     For example, detector  114  may be initially set at a default fashion to periodically capture data, where content control system  204  may send detector control instructions  201  to detector  114  (e.g., from control circuitry  102 , through bus  103 , and to detector  114 ) to control the fashion of data capture. In some embodiments, detector  114  may include an internal processing unit (not shown) and content control system  204  may send a single command including a fashion instruction to detector  114 . The processing unit of detector  114  may then set its fashion of data capture to the set fashion of the fashion instruction. In other embodiments, content control system  204  may send a series of continual commands at a determined rate, where each command of the series of commands may control detector  114  to perform a capture of data at a single instant. In this case, there may not be a need for detector  114  to store the received rate. 
     In some embodiments, a user interaction with device  100  may not always require the user to provide input using input component  110 . For example, a user may interact with device  100  by passively viewing a movie file being played back. Thus, content control system  204  may be capable of setting the first fashion differently based on a type of content being presented. A first fashion (e.g., a first rate of 60 seconds) that may be set for one type of content that may be presented may not be suitable for another type of content being presented. In particular, content control system  204  may determine that content is currently being presented or may receive notification of such an event (e.g., via current content status data  215 ), and may use this information as part of its control of the fashion of data capture by detector  114 . For example, if content control system  204  determines that content status module  216  is currently running a particular application (e.g., a word processing application) that may require usage of a particular input component  110  (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, microphone, etc.), content control system  204  may set the first fashion differently (e.g., at a slower rate) than if content control system  204  determines that content status module  216  is currently running a different type of application (e.g., a media player that is playing a movie file) that may not require any usage of an input component  110 . 
     In some embodiments, content control system  204  may also determine whether any content to which access is being requested and/or being presented may contain potentially confidential information. If so, content control system  204  may determine a sensitivity level of the content and may set the first fashion based on the determined sensitivity. For example, an administrative user may have set a higher priority for an action of a rule defined for highly sensitive content in data structure  300 , and content control system  204  may refer to this priority to set the first fashion. In some embodiments, an administrative user may set a specific privacy level for particular content (e.g., an application, file, etc.), which may be stored in a data structure (not shown), and which may be accessible by content control system  204 . In other embodiments, content control system  204  may utilize any suitable technique to analyze the content to determine its sensitivity level (e.g., running optical character recognition on a word processing document to identify words indicating its sensitivity). 
     In some embodiments, manager  206  may also be operative to control which sensor or sensors of detector  114  to use for detection and a fashion of the detection (e.g., via detector control instructions  201 ), based on any suitable condition (e.g., current content status  215 , a current location of device  100 , a current time, etc.). As described above with respect to rule  350  (e.g., conditions  352   a  and  354   a ), for example, if detector  114  determines that device  100  is located (e.g., the positioning circuitry may output location information directly to manager module  206 , or to detection module  208 , which may subsequently notify manager module  206  of the location information via a location instruction) at a particular predefined location (e.g., at a home of an authorized user of device  100 ), content control system  204  may not attempt to hide or close particular sensitive data that may be presented, but may instead allow the presentation to continue. In some embodiments, when device  100  is determined to be located at the particular predefined location, manager  206  may control detector  114  to use only a limited number of sensors (e.g., only a motion sensor until motion indicates a new individual may be present) because the chances of an unauthorized user appearing and viewing potentially sensitive data may be smaller, and thus, device  100  may not need to be too alert. When device  100  is determined not to be located at the particular predefined location, for example, manager  206  may instead control detector  114  to use more sensors (e.g., a camera sensor) because the chances of an unauthorized user appearing and viewing potentially sensitive data may be higher, and thus, device  100  may need to be more alert. 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart of an illustrative process  700  that may perform human feature detection/recognition. Human feature detection/recognition, as described above, may involve using at least one type of captured human feature data (e.g., image data captured by image sensor  116  or infrared data captured by infrared sensor  118 ). However, a combination of different sensor data from different sensors of detector  114  may also be captured and utilized to control output of content. That is, human feature detection may include capturing data using both image sensor  116  and infrared detector  118  simultaneously or in any desired order. 
     Process  700  may begin at step  702 . At step  704 , each one of at least two sensors of a detector (e.g., image sensor  116  and infrared sensor  118  of detector  114 ) may detect human feature data by capturing respective data. For example, content control system  204  may control each one of image sensor  116  and infrared sensor  118  of detector  114  to capture data in any particular order and based on any suitable criteria. At step  706 , process  700  may determine whether the first data detected by the first sensor of the at least two sensors includes or matches stored first data of a human feature of an individual (or class of individuals) and whether the second data detected by the second sensor of the at least two sensors includes or matches stored second data of the human feature of the same individual (or class of individuals). For example, detection module  208  and detection data structure  210  may be employed to analyze the detected first data and the detected second data. 
     If process  700  determines, at step  706 , that the detected first data includes or matches the stored first data and that the detected second data includes or matches the stored second data, the process may proceed to step  708 , where process  700  may control output of content in a first manner. For example, content control system  204  may determine that a user request (e.g., based on user interaction data  213  received from input component  110 ) to access particular content is received prior to step  706 . If content control system  204  determines that each one of detected image data from image sensor  116  and detected infrared data from infrared sensor  118  includes or matches respective stored data of a human feature of an authorized individual of the particular content, content control system  204  may control output of the particular content by granting access to the particular content (e.g., manager module  206  may output content control instruction  217  to content status module  216  to present the particular content). As another example, device  100  may be presenting the particular content (e.g., the particular content may be presented by content status module  216  on input/output interface  111 ) prior to step  706 . If content control system  204  determines that each one of the detected image data and the detected infrared data includes or matches respective stored data of a face of an authorized individual of the particular content, content control system  204  may control output of the particular content by maintaining or continuing the presentation of the particular content (e.g., manager module  206  may output content control instruction  217  to content status module  216  to maintain or continue the presentation of the particular content). 
     If process  700  instead determines, at step  706 , that at least one of the detected first data does not include or match the stored first data and the detected second data does not include or match the stored second data, process  700  may proceed to step  710 , where process  700  may control output of content in a second manner. For example, content control system  204  may determine that a user request (e.g., based on user interaction data  213  received from input component  110 ) to access particular content is received prior to step  706 . If, content control system  204  determines that at least one of the detected image data from image sensor  116  and the detected infrared data from infrared sensor  118  does not include or match respective stored data of a human feature of an authorized individual of the particular content, content control system  204  may control output of the particular content by restricting access to the particular content (e.g., manager module  206  may output content control instruction  217  to content status module  216  to prevent content status module  216  from presenting the particular content). As another example, content control system  204  may be presenting the particular content (e.g., the particular content may be presented by content status module  216  on input/output interface  111 ) prior to step  706 . If content control system  204  determines that at least one of the detected image data and the detected infrared data does not include or match respective stored data of a human feature of an authorized individual of the particular content, content control system  204  may control output of the particular content by altering the presentation of the particular content (e.g., manager module  206  may output content control instruction  217  to content status module  216  to alter the presentation of the particular content, and content status module  216  may output adjusted control information  219  to adjust a setting of output component  112  accordingly). 
     In some embodiments, rather than performing human feature detection by capturing data detected using both a first sensor and a second sensor simultaneously, only one of the sensors may first be employed, while the other one of the sensors may be set to stand-by or turned off. For example, infrared sensor  118  may be initially set to stand-by or off, and image sensor  116  may be employed to detect human feature data. If the data detected by image sensor  116  includes or matches image data of a face of an individual, infrared sensor  118  may then be turned on to detect human feature data. 
     Alternatively, image sensor  116  may be initially set to stand-by or off, and infrared sensor  118  may be employed to generally detect an individual, where only if infrared sensor  118  detects appropriate human feature data (e.g., face data or an individual&#39;s heat signature data in general), may image sensor  116  be turned on to detect human feature data. This may result in power savings since image sensor  116 , which may utilize more power than infrared sensor  118 , may initially be inactive and may only be turned on after infrared sensor  118  detects appropriate human feature data. 
     It is to be understood that the steps shown in each one of processes  400 - 700  of  FIGS. 4-7  are merely illustrative and that existing steps may be modified or omitted, additional steps may be added, and the order of certain steps may be altered. 
     Moreover, the processes described with respect to  FIGS. 4-7 , as well as any other aspects of the invention, may each be implemented by software, but may also be implemented in hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. They each may also be embodied as machine- or computer-readable code recorded on a machine- or computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may be any data storage device that can store data or instructions which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer-readable medium may include, but are not limited to, read-only memory, random-access memory, flash memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and optical data storage devices (e.g., memory  104  of  FIG. 1 ). The computer-readable medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. For example, the computer-readable medium may be communicated from one electronic device to another electronic device using any suitable communications protocol (e.g., the computer-readable medium may be communicated to electronic device  100  via communications circuitry  106 ). The computer-readable medium may embody computer-readable code, instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and may include any information delivery media. A modulated data signal may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. 
     It is to be understood that each module of content control system  204  may be provided as a software construct, firmware construct, one or more hardware components, or a combination thereof. For example, content control system  204  may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, that may be executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, a program module may include one or more routines, programs, objects, components, and/or data structures that may perform one or more particular tasks or that may implement one or more particular abstract data types. It is also to be understood that the number, configuration, functionality, and interconnection of the modules of content control system  204  are merely illustrative, and that the number, configuration, functionality, and interconnection of existing modules may be modified or omitted, additional modules may be added, and the interconnection of certain modules may be altered. 
     At least a portion of one or more of the modules of content control system  204  may be stored in or otherwise accessible to device  100  in any suitable manner (e.g., in memory  104  of device  100  or via communications circuitry  106  of device  100 ). Each module of content control system  204  may be implemented using any suitable technologies (e.g., as one or more integrated circuit devices), and different modules may or may not be identical in structure, capabilities, and operation. Any or all of the modules or other components of content control system  204  may be mounted on an expansion card, mounted directly on a system motherboard, or integrated into a system chipset component (e.g., into a “north bridge” chip). Content control system  204  may include any amount of dedicated graphics memory, may include no dedicated graphics memory and may rely on device memory  104  of device  100 , or may use any combination thereof. 
     Content control system  204  may be a dedicated system implemented using one or more expansion cards adapted for various bus standards. For example, all of the modules may be mounted on different interconnected expansion cards or all of the modules may be mounted on one expansion card. The modules of content control system  204  may interface with a motherboard or processor  102  of device  100  through an expansion slot (e.g., a peripheral component interconnect (“PCI”) slot or a PCI express slot). Alternatively, content control system  204  need not be removable but may include one or more dedicated modules that may include memory (e.g., RAM) dedicated to the utilization of the module. In other embodiments, content control system  204  may be a graphics system integrated into device  100 . For example, a module of content control system  204  may utilize a portion of device memory  104  of device  100 . One or more of the modules of content control system  204  may include its own processing circuitry and/or memory, and/or one or more of the modules of content control system  204  may share processing circuitry and/or memory with another one or more modules of content control system  204 . Alternatively each module of content control system  204  may share processing circuitry and/or memory with any other module of content control system  204  and/or processor  102  and/or memory  104  of device  100 . 
     Although some of the embodiments above may have been described with respect to captured face data, any type of suitable data (e.g., the height of one or more detected individuals, the movement of one or more detected individuals, the audible voice of one or more detected individuals, etc.) may, in addition, or alternatively, be captured to determine the human feature profile of one or more detected individuals. 
     While there have been described systems and methods for controlling output of content based on human recognition data captured by one or more sensors, it is to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustration rather than of limitation, and the invention is limited only by the claims which follow.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20120423
Publication Date: 20170425
Grant Date: 20170425
Priority Date: 20120423
Inventors: INGRASSIA, JR. MICHAEL I.
HRAMITS NATHANIEL PAINE
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F2221/2149", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F21/6209", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F21/32", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F21/6209", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2221/2149", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F21/32", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 48289657