MULTI-FINGER SLIDING DETECTION USING FINGERPRINTS TO GENERATE DIFFERENT EVENTS

• US 20120044156A1
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Michaelis, Paul Roller, Grover, Douglas M., Mohler, David, Robinson, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,626,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Fingerprint portions of two or more different fingers are detected on a detection surface, such as an optical surface, a touch pad, a touchscreen, or the like, and then a further detection made that the person has moved their finger(s), for example, apart, together or relative to one another. The movement can be detected based on identifying the fingerprint portion sliding across the screen. The combination of fingerprint information associated with a corresponding motion is correlatable to one or more actions or triggering events that are used to control one or more electronic devices. Further aspects are directed toward utilizing one or more of the techniques herein for a security application. For example, two users, each placing one or more fingers on a touch screen or touch pad, with the fingerprints thereafter being recognized, perform a certain movement with this triggering the unlocking, or locking, of an object.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an electronic device comprising:

detecting a first portion of a first fingerprint;

detecting a second portion of a second, different, fingerprint;

tracking a motion of one or more of the first portion and the second portion; and

correlating the detection and tracking to one or more actions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a plurality of fingerprints associated with a plurality of users.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising correlating a first action to a first user and a second action to a second user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking can include the introduction or removal of a fingerprint from a touchpad or touchscreen.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking can include the introduction or removal of the first portion or the second portion of the fingerprint from a touchpad or touchscreen within a certain time period.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing instructions to a user to assist with recording the motion of one or more of the first portion and the second portion to trigger the one or more actions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions are used to control the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting and tracking are performed with the cooperation of a touch pad, touch screen or track pad.

9. One or more means for performing the functionality of claim 1.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable information storage media having stored thereon instructions, that if executed by a processor, perform the steps of claim 1.

11. A system to control an electronic device comprising:

one or more of a recognition module and a fingerprint portion detection module that detect first portion of a first fingerprint and a second portion of second, different, fingerprint;

a fingerprint tracking module that tracks a motion of one or more of the first portion and the second portion; and

a motion-to-action correlation module that correlates the detection and tracking to one or more actions.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a user module that detects a plurality of fingerprints associated with a plurality of users.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein a first action is correlated to a first user and a second action is correlated to a second user.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the tracking can include the introduction or removal of a fingerprint from a touchpad or touchscreen.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the tracking can include the introduction or removal of the first portion or the second portion of the fingerprint from a touchpad or touchscreen within a certain time period.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising a virtual control instruction module that provides instructions to a user to assist with recording the motion of one or more of the first portion and the second portion to trigger the one or more actions.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more actions are used to control the electronic device.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising a touch pad, touch screen or track pad.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising providing access to an object based on the one or more actions.

20. A method for providing input to an electronic device comprising:

detecting a first portion of a first fingerprint placed on an input device;

detecting a second portion of a second, different, fingerprint placed on the input device;

tracking motions of one or more of the first portion and the second portion on the input device; and

triggering one or more actions or events based on the detection and tracking of the one or more of the first portion and the second portion on the input device.

21. A method to provide input to an electronic device comprising:

determining, based on a knowledge of human anatomy, whether two or more phalanges detected on an input device are on one hand;

correlating the detected phalanges to at least one action or event; and

triggering the at least one action or event based on the determining step.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising detecting an arced motion of the two or more phalanges.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising tracking motion of the two or more phalanges.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining whether a detected pattern corresponding to the two or more phalanges is physically achievable with phalanges of the same hand.