Electronic device with multimode fingerprint reader

• US 8,810,367 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mullins, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haile, Benyam
• Application Number:
  US13/240,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.1, 340/5.2, 340/5.52, 340/5.53, 340/5.8, 340/5.82, 340/5.83, 382/115, 382/124, 382/126
• US Class Current: 340/5.83
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification

Abstract

An electronic device may operate a fingerprint reader in a stationary finger mode in which the fingerprint reader captures a fingerprint from a user'"'"'s finger while the user'"'"'s finger is in a stationary position and may operate the fingerprint reader in a moving finger mode in which the fingerprint reader captures a fingerprint from the user'"'"'s finger while the user is swiping the finger across the fingerprint reader. The electronic device may use the moving finger mode when performing sensitive operations such as operations related to financial transactions. The electronic device may include near field communications circuitry. When activity is detected using the near field communications circuitry, the fingerprint reader may be operated in the moving finger mode. The fingerprint sensor may be activated when a proximity sensor detects the presence of a finger. Different actions may be taken by the device in response to detection of different fingerprints.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a fingerprint reader comprising a two-dimensional array of sensors;

wireless communications circuitry; and

control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the fingerprint reader in a stationary finger mode in which the control circuitry captures a fingerprint from a stationary finger with the two-dimensional array of sensors and a moving finger mode in which the control circuitry captures a fingerprint from a moving finger with only a subset of the two-dimensional array of sensors, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the fingerprint reader in the moving finger mode in response to wireless activity detected by the wireless communications circuitry, and wherein the wireless communications circuitry comprises near field communications circuitry.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is configured to take action in response to capturing a valid fingerprint from a stationary finger while operating the fingerprint reader in the stationary finger mode.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the control circuitry is configured to take action in response to capturing a valid fingerprint as a user swipes a finger across the fingerprint reader while operating the fingerprint reader in the moving finger mode.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a display, wherein the fingerprint reader gathers fingerprints on a portion of the display.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the two-dimensional array of sensors comprise sensors selected from the group consisting of:

capacitive sensors, radio-frequency sensors, light sensors, and pressure sensors.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the display comprises at least one display layer and wherein the sensors comprise a two-dimensional array of capacitive sensor electrodes on the display layer.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the fingerprint reader to detect multiple distinct fingerprints from a user and is configured to take a different respective action in response to detecting each of the multiple distinct fingerprints from the user.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the actions comprise launching applications and wherein the control circuitry is configured to launch a different one of the applications in response to detection of each of the multiple distinct fingerprints.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the fingerprint reader comprises a proximity sensor and wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the fingerprint reader to monitor for fingerprints in response to detection of a finger using the proximity sensor.

10. A method for using a fingerprint reader in an electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises wireless communications circuitry, the method comprising:

with a proximity sensor, detecting whether a finger is within a given distance of the fingerprint reader;

in response to detecting a finger within the given distance of the fingerprint reader with the proximity sensor, activating the fingerprint reader, wherein activating the fingerprint reader comprises with control circuitry in the electronic device, operating the fingerprint reader in a stationary finger mode in which the control circuitry authenticates users by monitoring the fingerprint reader for a fingerprint associated with a user'"'"'s finger in a stationary position on the fingerprint reader and operating the fingerprint reader in a moving finger mode in which the control circuitry authenticates users by monitoring the fingerprint reader for a fingerprint captured by swiping the user'"'"'s finger across the fingerprint reader; and

with the control circuitry, operating the fingerprint reader in the moving finger mode in response to detection of wireless activity with the wireless communications circuitry, wherein the wireless communications circuitry comprises near field communications circuitry.

11. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising:

with the control circuitry, using the fingerprint reader to recognize different fingerprints of a user and, in response to capturing each different fingerprint with the fingerprint reader, taking a different respective action.

12. The method defined in claim 11 wherein the different respective actions comprise at least one action selected from the group consisting of:

launching an application, performing an operation in an application, performing an operating system function, completing a wireless payment transaction, and unlocking a display screen.

15. The method defined in claim 10, further comprising in response to not detecting a finger within the given distance of the fingerprint reader with the proximity sensor, deactivating the fingerprint reader.

13. A method for operating a fingerprint reader in an electronic device having control circuitry and wireless communications circuitry, wherein the fingerprint reader includes a two-dimensional array of sensors arranged in rows and columns, the method comprising:

detecting wireless activity with the wireless communications circuitry;

with the control circuitry, operating the fingerprint reader in a stationary finger mode in which each of the sensors is used in capturing a fingerprint from a finger that is in a stationary position on the fingerprint reader and operating the fingerprint reader in a moving finger mode in which only a subset of the rows of the two-dimensional array of sensors is used in capturing a fingerprint from a finger that is being swiped across the fingerprint reader; and

with the control circuitry, in response to detecting wireless activity with the wireless communications circuitry, operating the fingerprint reader in the moving finger mode, wherein the wireless communications circuitry comprises near field communications circuitry.

14. The method defined in claim 13 wherein the electronic device comprises a display, the method further comprising:

displaying instructions on the display that instruct the user to place a stationary finger on the fingerprint reader in the stationary finger mode and that instruct the user to swipe a finger across the fingerprint reader in the moving finger mode.