Fingerprint scans with power buttons

• US 9,836,592 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Yi-Hsuan, Chiang, Chin-Lung, Chu, Tao-Sheng, Chu, An Chih
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mahfuzur
• Application Number:
  US14/946,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20170147800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/13 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification

Abstract

Example implementations relate to fingerprint scans with power buttons. For example, a computing device may include a power button and a processor. The power button receives a user input associated with an activation of the power button to turn on the computing device and scans a fingerprint associated with the user input while the computing device is initialized in response to the activation. The processor determines whether the fingerprint matches an authorized fingerprint from a database of stored fingerprints, identifies an account associated with the fingerprint when the fingerprint matches the authorized fingerprint, and provides a desktop environment associated with the account.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a power button to;

receive a user input associated with an activation of the power button, the activation of the power button to turn on the computing device;

scan, using the power button, a fingerprint associated with the user input while the computing device is initializing in response to the activation; and

receive another user input to wake up the computing device from a sleep mode and scan another fingerprint associated with the another user input; and

a hardware processor to;

determine whether the fingerprint matches an authorized fingerprint from a database of stored fingerprints;

identify an account associated with the fingerprint in response to the fingerprint matching the authorized fingerprint;

present a desktop environment associated with the account, the presented desktop environment including an arrangement of applications; and

identify a different account associated with the another fingerprint and provide a different desktop environment associated with the different account.

2. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

an embedded controller to compare the fingerprint with the stored fingerprints prior to loading of an operating system of the computing device.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is further to:

determine whether the fingerprint matches an unauthorized fingerprint from the database of stored fingerprints; and

automatically turn off the computing device in response to the fingerprint matching the unauthorized fingerprint.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is further to:

determine whether the fingerprint matches a further fingerprint from the database of stored fingerprints; and

request login information in response to the fingerprint not matching the further fingerprint in the database of stored fingerprints.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is further to:

determine whether the fingerprint matches a further fingerprint from the database of stored fingerprints;

request registration information from a user in response to the fingerprint not matching the further fingerprint in the database of stored fingerprints; and

create a new account for the user based on the registration information.

6. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) code to compare the fingerprint scanned by the power button to the stored fingerprints prior to loading of an operating system by the BIOS code, the BIOS code to pass an identifier of the authorized fingerprint identified by the comparing to the operating system after the loading of the operating system.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a user input at a power button of the computing device, the user input associated with an activation of the power button to turn on the computing device;

initializing, by the computing device, an operating system of the computing device in response to the activation;

scanning, by the computing device via the power button, a fingerprint associated with the user input while the operating system is being initialized;

determining, by the computing device, whether the fingerprint matches an authorized fingerprint from a database of stored fingerprints;

identifying, by the computing device, an account associated with the fingerprint in response to the fingerprint matching the authorized fingerprint;

presenting, by the computing device, a desktop environment associated with the account;

receiving, by the computing device via the power button, another user input to wake up the computing device from a sleep mode;

scanning, by the computing device via the power button, another fingerprint associated with another the user input;

identifying, by the computing device, a different account associated with the another fingerprint; and

providing, by the computing device, a different desktop environment associated with the different account.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

comparing, by an embedded controller of the computing device, the fingerprint with the stored fingerprints.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, whether the fingerprint matches an unauthorized fingerprint from the database of stored fingerprints; and

automatically turning off the computing device in response to the fingerprint matching the unauthorized fingerprint.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, whether the fingerprint matches a further fingerprint from the database of stored fingerprints; and

requesting, by the computing device, login information in response to the fingerprint not matching the further fingerprint in the database of stored fingerprints.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, whether the fingerprint matches a further fingerprint from the database of stored fingerprints;

requesting, by the computing device, registration information from the user in response to the fingerprint not matching the further fingerprint in the database of stored fingerprints; and

creating, by the computing device, a new account for the user based on the registration information.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising comparing, by a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) code, the fingerprint scanned by the power button to the stored fingerprints prior to loading of the operating system of the computing device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

passing, by the BIOS code, an identifier of the authorized fingerprint identified by the comparing to the operating system after the loading of the operating system.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive, via a power button, a user input associated with an activation of the power button of the computing device, the activation of the power button to turn on the computing device;

capture, by a fingerprint scanner the power button, a fingerprint associated with the user input while the computing device is initializing in response to the activation and prior to loading of an operating system of the computing device;

identify whether the fingerprint matches an authorized fingerprint from a database of stored fingerprints;

determine an account associated with the fingerprint in response to the fingerprint matching the authorized fingerprint;

present a desktop environment associated with the account;

receive, via the power button, another user input to wake up the computing device from a sleep mode;

scan, via the power button, another fingerprint associated with the another user input;

identify a different account associated with the another fingerprint; and

provide a different desktop environment associated with the different account.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

determine whether the fingerprint matches an unauthorized fingerprint from the database of stored fingerprints; and

automatically turn off the computing device in response to the fingerprint matching the unauthorized fingerprint.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

determine whether the fingerprint matches a further fingerprint from the database of stored fingerprints; and

request login information in response to the fingerprint not matching the further fingerprint in the database of stored fingerprints.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

compare, by a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) code, the fingerprint scanned by the power button to the stored fingerprints prior to loading of the operating system by the BIOS code, the BIOS code to pass and identifier of the authorized fingerprint identified by the comparing to the operating system after the loading of the operating system.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the activation of the power button causes the computing device to wake up from a sleep mode.