ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR REALLOCATING FINGER BIOMETRIC TEMPLATE NODES IN A SET MEMORY SPACE AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20150347810A1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Boshra, Michael, Marciniak, Craig A., Vieta, William M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,292,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1312 direct reading, e.g. contactless acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/50 Maintenance of biometric data or enrolment thereof

Abstract

An electronic device may include a finger biometric sensor, a memory, and a processor capable of generating a respective finger biometric template node for each finger positioning adjacent the finger biometric sensor. The processor may also be capable of allocating a set space of the memory to store a total number of finger biometric template nodes based upon a first number of fingers and with each finger having a first number of finger biometric template nodes associated therewith. In addition, the processor may reallocate the set space of the memory to store the total number of finger biometric template nodes but with a second number of finger biometric template nodes associated with at least one finger, with the second number of finger biometric template nodes being different than the first number of finger biometric template nodes.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a finger biometric sensor;

a memory; and

a processor capable of

generating a respective finger biometric template node for each finger positioning adjacent the finger biometric sensor,

allocating a set space of the memory to store a total number of finger biometric template nodes based upon a first number of fingers and with each finger having a first number of finger biometric template nodes associated therewith, and

reallocating the set space of the memory to store the total number of finger biometric template nodes but with a second number of finger biometric template nodes associated with at least one finger, the second number of finger biometric template nodes being different than the first number of finger biometric template nodes.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the processor is capable of storing the finger biometric template nodes based upon the reallocating.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2 wherein the processor is capable of performing a finger match operation based upon the stored finger biometric template nodes.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2 wherein the processor is capable of ranking stored finger biometric template nodes, and replacing in the memory a stored biometric template node having a lower ranking with a new finger biometric template node having a higher ranking.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4 wherein the processor is capable of ranking based upon at least one of a specific finger area, node age, frequency of node usage, and frequency of associated finger biometric template usage.

6. The electronic device according to claim 4 wherein the processor is capable of storing at least one newer finger biometric template node for each finger.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the processor is capable of determining the second number of finger biometric template nodes based upon at least one of a finger size, a finger positional variability, and a finger frequency of usage.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the processor is capable of reallocating also with a second number of fingers different than the first number of fingers.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising at least one wireless transceiver coupled to the processor.

10. An electronic device comprising:

at least one wireless transceiver;

a finger biometric sensor;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the at least one wireless transceiver, finger biometric sensor, and memory and being capable of

generating a respective finger biometric template node for each finger positioning adjacent the finger biometric sensor,

allocating a set space of the memory to store a total number of finger biometric template nodes based upon a first number of fingers and with each finger having a first number of finger biometric template nodes associated therewith,

reallocating the set space of the memory to store the total number of finger biometric template nodes but with a second number of finger biometric template nodes associated with at least one finger, the second number of finger biometric template nodes being different than the first number of finger biometric template nodes,

storing the finger biometric template nodes based upon the reallocating, and

performing a finger match operation based upon the stored finger biometric template nodes.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10 wherein the processor is capable of ranking stored finger biometric template nodes, and replacing in the memory a stored biometric template node having a lower ranking with a new finger biometric template node having a higher ranking.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11 wherein the processor is capable of ranking based upon at least one of a specific finger area, node age, frequency of node usage, and frequency of associated finger biometric template usage.

13. The electronic device according to claim 11 wherein the processor is capable of storing at least one newer finger biometric template node for each finger.

14. The electronic device according to claim 10 wherein the processor is capable of determining the second number of finger biometric template nodes based upon at least one of a finger size, a finger positional variability, and a finger frequency of usage.

15. The electronic device according to claim 10 wherein the processor is capable of reallocating also with a second number of fingers different than the first number of fingers.

16. A method for finger biometric processing in an electronic device comprising a finger biometric sensor, the method comprising:

operating a processor and associated memory of the electronic device for

generating a respective finger biometric template node for each finger positioning adjacent the finger biometric sensor,

allocating a set space of the memory to store a total number of finger biometric template nodes based upon a first number of fingers and with each finger having a first number of finger biometric template nodes associated therewith, and

reallocating the set space of the memory to store the total number of finger biometric template nodes but with a second number of finger biometric template nodes associated with at least one finger, the second number of finger biometric template nodes being different than the first number of finger biometric template nodes.

17. The method according to claim 16 further comprising operating the processor and associated memory for storing the finger biometric template nodes based upon the reallocating.

18. The method according to claim 17 further comprising operating the processor and associated memory for performing a finger match operation based upon the stored finger biometric template nodes.

19. The method according to claim 17 further comprising operating the processor and associated memory for ranking stored finger biometric template nodes, and replacing in the memory a stored biometric template node having a lower ranking with a new finger biometric template node having a higher ranking.

20. The method according to claim 19 further comprising operating the processor and associated memory for ranking based upon at least one of a specific finger area, node age, frequency of node usage, and frequency of associated finger biometric template usage.

21. The method according to claim 19 further comprising operating the processor and associated memory for storing at least one newer finger biometric template node for each finger.

22. The method according to claim 16 further comprising operating the processor and associated memory for determining the second number of finger biometric template nodes based upon at least one of a finger size, a finger positional variability, and a finger frequency of usage.

23. The method according to claim 16 further comprising operating the processor and associated memory for reallocating also with a second number of fingers different than the first number of fingers.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium for use with a finger biometric sensor and which when executed on a processor having an associated memory performs steps comprising:

generating a respective finger biometric template node for each finger positioning adjacent the finger biometric sensor;

allocating a set space of the memory to store a total number of finger biometric template nodes based upon a first number of fingers and with each finger having a first number of finger biometric template nodes associated therewith; and

reallocating the set space of the memory to store the total number of finger biometric template nodes but with a second number of finger biometric template nodes associated with at least one finger, the second number of finger biometric template nodes being different than the first number of finger biometric template nodes.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 24 further comprising storing the finger biometric template nodes based upon the reallocating.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 25 further comprising performing a finger match operation based upon the stored finger biometric template nodes.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 25 further comprising ranking stored finger biometric template nodes, and replacing in the memory a stored biometric template node having a lower ranking with a new finger biometric template node having a higher ranking.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 27 further comprising ranking based upon at least one of a specific finger area, node age, frequency of node usage, and frequency of associated finger biometric template usage.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 27 further comprising storing at least one newer finger biometric template node for each finger.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 24 further comprising determining the second number of finger biometric template nodes based upon at least one of a finger size, a finger positional variability, and a finger frequency of usage.

31. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 24 further comprising reallocating also with a second number of fingers different than the first number of fingers.