Electronic device performing finger biometric pre-matching and related methods

• US 9,436,864 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2012
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Gozzini, Giovanni
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Chan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kholdebarin, Iman K
• Application Number:
  US13/592,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20140056493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1394 using acquisition arrangements

Abstract

An electronic device may include a finger biometric sensor to sense a user'"'"'s finger adjacent thereto, and a memory for storing finger matching biometric data and a subset of finger matching biometric data. The electronic device may include a processor coupled to the finger biometric sensor to acquire finger matching biometric data from the finger biometric sensor, and perform a finger pre-matching between a subset of the acquired finger matching biometric data and the subset of stored finger matching biometric data and based upon context data to generate pre-match data. The processor may also perform a finger matching between the acquired finger biometric data and the stored finger matching biometric data based upon the pre-match data.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a finger biometric sensor to sense a user'"'"'s finger adjacent thereto;

a memory for storing finger matching biometric data and a subset of finger matching biometric data; and

a processor coupled to said finger biometric sensor to

acquire finger matching biometric data from said finger biometric sensor,

perform a finger pre-matching between a subset of the acquired finger matching biometric data and the subset of stored finger matching biometric data and based upon context data to generate pre-match data, the context data comprising at least one of a last match index and a last device orientation sensed from an orientation sensor to sense an orientation of the electronic device relative to a surface of Earth, and

perform a finger matching between the acquired finger biometric data and the stored finger matching biometric data based upon the pre-match data.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the context data comprises a current device orientation.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the context data comprises at least one application being executed by said processor.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the subset of stored finger biometric data comprises a plurality of pre-matching template metrics.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a housing and a user input device carried by said housing;

and wherein said input device carries said finger biometric sensor.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein said input device comprises a finger-operated input device;

and wherein said processor performs the finger matching also based upon operation of said finger-operated user input device.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is to acquire spoof detection data from said biometric sensor and perform a spoof detecting operation of the acquired spoof detection data.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless transceiver coupled to said processor.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a finger biometric sensor carried by said housing and to sense a user'"'"'s finger adjacent thereto;

a memory for storing finger matching biometric data and a subset of finger matching biometric data;

a wireless transceiver carried by said housing;

a finger-operated user input device carried by said housing;

an orientation sensor to sense a device orientation relative to a surface of Earth; and

a processor coupled to said wireless transceiver to perform at least wireless communications function and to said finger biometric sensor to, based upon operation of said finger-operated user input device

acquire finger matching biometric data from said finger biometric sensor,

perform a finger pre-matching between a subset of the acquired finger matching biometric data and the subset of stored finger matching biometric data and based upon context data to generate pre-match data, the context data comprising a last match index and a last device orientation sensed from the orientation sensor, and

perform a finger matching between the acquired finger biometric data and the stored finger matching biometric data based upon the pre-match data.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the context data comprises a current device orientation.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the context data comprises at least one application being executed by said processor.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the subset of stored finger biometric data comprises a plurality of pre-matching template metrics.

13. A method of matching finger biometric data in electronic device comprising a finger biometric sensor to sense a user'"'"'s finger adjacent thereto, a memory for storing the finger matching biometric data and a subset of finger matching biometric data, and a processor coupled to the finger biometric sensor, the method comprising:

acquiring finger matching biometric data from the finger biometric sensor;

performing a finger pre-matching between a subset of the acquired finger matching biometric data and the subset of stored finger matching biometric data and based upon context data to generate pre-match data, the context data comprising at least one of a last match index and a last device orientation sensed from an orientation sensor to sense an orientation of the electronic device relative to a surface of Earth; and

performing a finger matching between the acquired finger biometric data and the stored finger matching biometric data based upon the pre-match data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the context data comprises a current device orientation.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the context data comprises at least one application being executed by said processor.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the subset of stored finger biometric data comprises a plurality of pre-matching template metrics.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the finger matching is performed also based upon operation of a finger-operated user input device carrying the finger biometric sensor.