METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENABLING THE TOUCHSCREEN DISPLAY OF A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20160379039A1
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: David, Lior, Du, Eliza, Dagan, Noam, Dennis, Ravit, Barenboim, Lior, Bandyopadhyay, Saurav
• Granted Patent: US 10,387,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• 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 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for automatically enabling a touchscreen of a mobile device based on detection of the presence of a human finger. A mobile device can capture an image of an object with a fingerprint sensor. The mobile device may then enable a touchscreen display of the mobile device in response to a determination that the object captured within the image is a specific type of object.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a touchscreen display of a mobile device comprising:

capturing an image of an object with a fingerprint sensor of the mobile device; and

in response to a determination that the object captured within the image is a specific type of object, enabling the touchscreen display of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing of the image of the object is performed by the fingerprint sensor while the touchscreen display of the mobile device is disabled.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein touch sensing via the touch screen display is prevented until after a presence of the specific type of object is detected within a captured image, and wherein the specific type of object is an object belonging to one or more select classes of objects.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detection of a press of a power button or a home button of the mobile device, activating the fingerprint sensor of the mobile device without activing the touchscreen display;

capturing the image using the fingerprint sensor;

performing an image recognition process on the object captured within the image; and

when the object captured within the image is determined to be one of a human finger or lack of any object, enabling the touchscreen display of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detection of a press of a region of the touchscreen display of the mobile device under which the fingerprint sensor is located, activating the fingerprint sensor of the mobile device without activing the touchscreen display;

capturing the image using the fingerprint sensor;

performing an image recognition process on the object captured within the image; and

when the object captured within the image is determined to be a human finger, enabling the touchscreen display of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen display of the mobile device is enabled in response to the determination that the object captured within the image is the specific type of object without providing access to the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the fingerprint sensor is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is one of a mobile telephone, a tablet computer, or a portable entertainment device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a protected device having a plurality of enrolled users, and the touch screen display is enabled for a user in response to the determination that the object captured within the image is a human finger associated with the user, regardless of whether the human finger corresponds to one of the plurality of enrolled users of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is in a locked state prior to the capture of the image, further comprising:

activating the fingerprint sensor without activating the touchscreen display of the mobile device;

performing an image recognition process on the object captured within the image to determine whether the object corresponds to the specific type of object; and

enabling the touchscreen display of the mobile device to provide access to one or more emergency services functions of the mobile device without changing the locked state of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein providing access to the one or more emergency services functions of the mobile device comprises unlocking only the one or more emergency services functions from the locked state of the mobile device in response to detection of the specific type of object.

12. A mobile device comprising:

a touchscreen display;

a fingerprint sensor to capture an image of an object; and

a processor coupled with the fingerprint sensor and the touchscreen display to enable the touchscreen display in response to a determination that the object captured within the image is a specific type of object.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the capture of the image of the object is performed by the fingerprint sensor while the touchscreen display of the mobile device is disabled.

14. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein touch sensing via the touch screen display is prevented until after a presence of the specific type of object is detected within a captured image, and wherein the specific type of object is an object belonging to one or more select classes of objects.

15. The mobile device of claim 12, further comprising the processor to:

in response to detection of a press of a power button or a home button, activate the fingerprint sensor without activing the touchscreen display,

capture the image using the fingerprint sensor,

perform an image recognition process on the object captured within the image, and

when the object captured within the image is determined to be one of a human finger or lack of any object, enable the touchscreen display.

16. The mobile device of claim 12, further comprising the processor to:

in response to detection of a press of a region of the touchscreen display under which the fingerprint sensor is located, activate the fingerprint sensor without activing the touchscreen display,

capture the image using the fingerprint sensor,

perform an image recognition process on the object captured within the image, and

when the object captured within the image is determined to be a human finger, enable the touchscreen display.

17. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the touchscreen display is enabled in response to the determination that the object captured within the image is the specific type of object without providing access to the mobile device.

18. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the fingerprint sensor is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

19. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the mobile device is one of a mobile telephone, a tablet computer, or a portable entertainment device.

20. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the mobile device is a protected device having a plurality of enrolled users, and the touch screen display is enabled for a user in response to the determination that the object captured within the image is a human finger associated with the user, regardless of whether the human finger corresponds to one of the plurality of enrolled users of the mobile device.

21. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the mobile device is in a locked state prior to the capture of the image, further comprising the processor to:

activate the fingerprint sensor without activating the touchscreen display of the mobile device,

perform an image recognition process on the object captured within the image to determine whether the object corresponds to the specific type of object, and

enable the touchscreen display of the mobile device to provide access to one or more emergency services functions of the mobile device without changing the locked state of the mobile device.

22. The mobile device of claim 22, wherein the processor to provide access to the one or more emergency services functions of the mobile device further comprises the processor to unlock only the one or more emergency services functions from the locked state of the mobile device in response to detection of the specific type of object.

23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for configuring a touchscreen display of a mobile device comprising:

capturing an image of an object with a fingerprint sensor of the mobile device; and

in response to a determination that the object captured within the image is a specific type of object, enabling the touchscreen display of the mobile device.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the capturing of the image of the object is performed by the fingerprint sensor while the touchscreen display of the mobile device is disabled.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein touch sensing via the touch screen display is prevented until after a presence of the specific type of object is detected within a captured image, and wherein the specific type of object is an object belonging to one or more select classes of objects.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the mobile device is a protected device having a plurality of enrolled users, and the touch screen display is enabled for a user in response to the determination that the object captured within the image is a human finger associated with the user, regardless of whether the human finger corresponds to one of the plurality of enrolled users of the mobile device.

27. A system for configuring a touchscreen display of a mobile device comprising:

means for capturing an image of an object with a fingerprint sensor of the mobile device, and

in response to a determination that the object captured within the image is a specific type of object, means for enabling the touchscreen display of the mobile device.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the capturing of the image of the object is performed by the fingerprint sensor while the touchscreen display of the mobile device is disabled.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein touch sensing via the touch screen display is prevented until after a presence of the specific type of object is detected within a captured image, and wherein the specific type of object is an object belonging to one or more select classes of objects.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the mobile device is a protected device having a plurality of enrolled users, and the touch screen display is enabled for a user in response to the determination that the object captured within the image is a human finger associated with the user, regardless of whether the human finger corresponds to one of the plurality of enrolled users of the mobile device.