Mouse adapted to scan biometric data
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for providing fingerprint imaging information and positional information for use with a computer, comprising:
- a housing;
a pointing device housed within the housing and for providing a first signal in dependence upon location;
a contact imager housed within the housing and having a surface for accepting fingerprint information and for providing a second signal corresponding to detected fingerprint information, the contact imager comprising;
a source of light for illuminating an object to be imaged so that a light beam derived from said object and carrying its image is formed;
a prism having a plurality of illuminating surfaces for illuminating said object with said light source and having a plurality of viewing faces corresponding to said illuminating surfaces for transmitting therethrough said light beam derived from said object;
image focusing means for dividing said derived light beam into a plurality of sub-beams carrying subimages of said object, and for focusing each of said sub-beams on a focal plane; and
,a plurality of image sensors corresponding to said plurality of sub-beams, each image sensor disposed in a focal plane corresponding to one of said sub-beams, for receiving and converting a corresponding subimage into an electric signal; and
,means for accepting the first signal and the second signal and for combining and/or multiplexing information from the first signal and the second signal to provide a third signal to the computer.
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Abstract
In the past, contact imaging devices were large and costly. It has been proposed that for contact imaging device adoption for the personal computing market, cost and size must be reduced. In an attempt to address these concerns, a biometric pointing device such as a mouse is presented incorporating therein a contact imager. The contact imager fits within a small enclosure. Further, data transmission means within the mouse provides a signal to a single port on a computer indicative of the output data from both the contact imaging means and the pointing device.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. An apparatus for providing fingerprint imaging information and positional information for use with a computer, comprising:
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a housing; a pointing device housed within the housing and for providing a first signal in dependence upon location; a contact imager housed within the housing and having a surface for accepting fingerprint information and for providing a second signal corresponding to detected fingerprint information, the contact imager comprising; a source of light for illuminating an object to be imaged so that a light beam derived from said object and carrying its image is formed; a prism having a plurality of illuminating surfaces for illuminating said object with said light source and having a plurality of viewing faces corresponding to said illuminating surfaces for transmitting therethrough said light beam derived from said object; image focusing means for dividing said derived light beam into a plurality of sub-beams carrying subimages of said object, and for focusing each of said sub-beams on a focal plane; and
,a plurality of image sensors corresponding to said plurality of sub-beams, each image sensor disposed in a focal plane corresponding to one of said sub-beams, for receiving and converting a corresponding subimage into an electric signal; and
,means for accepting the first signal and the second signal and for combining and/or multiplexing information from the first signal and the second signal to provide a third signal to the computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for providing fingerprint imaging information and positional information for use with a computer, comprising:
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a housing; a pointing device housed within the housing and for providing a first signal in dependence upon location; a contact imager housed within the housing and having a surface for accepting fingerprint information and for providing a second signal corresponding to detected fingerprint information, the contact imager comprising; a source of light for illuminating an object to be imaged so that a light beam derived from said object and carrying its image is formed; a prism having a plurality of illuminating surfaces for illuminating said object with said light source and having a plurality of viewing faces corresponding to said illuminating surfaces for transmitting therethrough said light beam derived from said object; image focusing means for dividing said derived light beam into a plurality of sub-beams carrying subimages of said object, and for focusing each of said sub-beams on a focal plane; and
,a plurality of image sensors corresponding to said plurality of sub-beams, each image sensor disposed in a focal plane corresponding to one of said sub-beams, for receiving and converting a corresponding subimage into an electric signal; an analogue to digital converter for converting the second signal into a digital signal; and
, a micro-controller for accepting the first signal and the second digital signal and for combining and/or multiplexing information from the first signal and the second signal to provide a third signal to the computer.
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9. An apparatus for providing fingerprint imaging information and positional information for use with a computer, comprising:
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a housing; a pointing device housed within the housing and for providing a first signal in dependence upon location; a contact imager housed within the housing and having a surface for accepting fingerprint information and for providing a second signal corresponding to detected fingerprint information, the contact imager comprising; a source of light for illuminating an object to be imaged so that a light beam derived from said object and carrying its image is formed; a prism having a plurality of illuminating surfaces for illuminating said object with said light source and having a plurality of viewing faces corresponding to said illuminating surfaces for transmitting therethrough said light beam derived from said object; image focusing means for dividing said derived light beam into a plurality of sub-beams carrying subimages of said object, and for focusing each of said sub-beams on a focal plane; and
,a plurality of image sensors corresponding to said plurality of sub-beams, each image sensor disposed in a focal plane corresponding to one of said sub-beams, for receiving and converting a corresponding subimage into an electric signal; an analogue to digital converter for converting the second signal into a digital signal; and
, a micro-controller for accepting the first signal and the second digital signal and for detecting a presence of a fingerprint image within the second digital signal received and, when a fingerprint image is detected within the second digital signal, providing the image information to the computer and, when a fingerprint image is not detected, providing the first signal to the computer.
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Specification