METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING COMPUTER APPLICATIONS

• US 20090102604A1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ajmera, Rahul, Madhvanath, Sriganesh
• Granted Patent: US 8,358,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.830
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0338 Fingerprint track pad, i.e. fingerprint sensor used as pointing device tracking the fingertip image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

A method and system for controlling computer applications on a computer system(s). The method comprising: detecting at least one finger of a user'"'"'s hand on an input device; capturing and transmitting the user'"'"'s fingerprint data to a computer system; identifying the user from the captured fingerprint data; and controlling at least one computer function associated with the fingerprint data of the identified user.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a computer application on a computer system, the method comprising:

detecting at least one finger of a user'"'"'s hand on an input device;

capturing and transmitting the user'"'"'s fingerprint data to a computer system;

identifying the user from the captured fingerprint data;

identifying at least one function associated with the fingerprint data of the identified user;

in response to identification of at least one function associated with the fingerprint data of the identified user, executing the at least one function depending upon the context of the computer application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating at least one computer function with the fingerprint data of the identified user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the computer functions which can be associated with the fingerprint data of the user includes a mouse input and a gesture input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the user'"'"'s fingerprint data includes identifying the location of user'"'"' finger on the input device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the user'"'"'s fingerprint data to a computer system includes sending the fingerprint data as a mouse event stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is identified from the captured fingerprint data by reference to a database located on the same computer system or another computer system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the input device is a touchpad.

11. A computer program product comprising computer program code means adapted to perform all of the steps of claim 1 when said computer program is run on a computer.

8. A system for controlling a computer application on a computer system, the system comprising:

an input device actuable by at least one finger of a user'"'"'s hand, the input device comprising means for capturing and transmitting the user'"'"'s fingerprint data to a computer system;

means for identifying the user from the captured fingerprint data against a reference database; and

means for identifying at least one function associated with the fingerprint data of the identified user; and

means for executing the at least one function depending on the context of the computer application in response to identification of at least one function associated with the fingerprint data of the identified user.

9. A system of claim 8, further comprising means for associating at least one computer function with the fingerprint data of the identified user

10. A system of claim 8, wherein means for transmitting the user'"'"'s fingerprint data to a computer system includes means for sending the fingerprint data as a mouse event stream.