Method and system for operating a keyboard with multi functional keys, using fingerprints recognition

• US 10,621,410 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2014
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Benjamin Zimchoni, Teddy Nehmad, Yoram Zer
• Original Assignee: Benjamin Zimchoni
• Inventors: Zimchoni, Benjamin, Nehmad, Teddy
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Chun-Nan
• Application Number:
  US14/503,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20150054749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1376 Matching features related to ridge properties or fingerprint texture

Abstract

The present invention provides an interface application enabling multi-functionality of a specific area part of an interface in a computerized device. The interface comprised of: at least one touch enabled surface, where in at least partial area surface is integrated with at least one fingerprint sensor for capturing at least part of distinguishing ridges and valleys of the touching fingertip touching a specific area, a processing module arranged to analyze said distinguishing ridges and valleys of the touching fingertip, for identifying characteristic of the specific touching finger differentiating said finger from other fingers of the same user (either from the same of both hands), and an activation module for determining the functionality of said specified area based on the identified touching finger(s).

Claims

1. An interface application enabling multi-functionality of a specific area part of an interface in a computerized device, said interface comprising:

at least one touch enabled surface, wherein at least partial area of the touch enabled surface is integrated with at least one fingerprint sensor for capturing at least part of distinguishing ridges and valleys of a touching fingertip touching a specific area;

a processing module arranged to analyze said at least part of distinguishing ridges and valleys of the touching fingertip for identifying a characteristic of at least one touch action of at least one specific touching finger differentiating said touching finger from other fingers of the same user, and applying a one-time enrollment process for the at least one fingerprint sensor to capture and store at least two different fingerprint templates of the same user which refer to different fingers without associating any functionality to each fingerprint stored; and

an activation module for updating at least two running applications'"'"' algorithms with identified touching finger for determining the functionality of said specified touch-enabled area based on the received identified finger, providing different functionality for each finger, based on the fingerprint identification, said functionality in a specific application is identical for all users using the same finger, said two applications running on the same computerized device, wherein each finger can touch at any location on the touch enabled surface maintaining the same functionality for each application, wherein the computerized device functionality for the same finger, based on the fingerprint identification, is different based on the current running application algorithm;

wherein the applications'"'"' algorithms are determined by the programmer of the application.

2. The interface of claim 1, wherein the functionality is determined according to a combination of identification of different fingerprints touching the touch surface, said different fingerprints relating to different fingers of the user hand.

3. The interface of claim 1, wherein the fingerprint touching operation is a continuous operation.

4. The interface of claim 1, wherein the touch enabled surface is at least part of a continuous area of the wearable electronic device surface.

5. The interface of claim 1, wherein the touch enabled surface includes a virtual button, wherein the virtual button location can be identified at any point of the touch enabled surface, wherein the functionality of the virtual button for each finger is defined by different running applications algorithms.

6. The interface of claim 1, wherein the touch enabled surface is any computerized wearable surface.

7. The interface of claim 1, wherein a single touch on the surface initiates activation of a new application and applying a specific action of said application based on application rules.

8. A method for enabling multi-functionality of a specific area of an interface in a computerized device, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication of at least two touch actions of at least one finger on a touch screen surface of the interface by a user and capturing at least part of distinguishing ridges and valleys of a fingertip of the at least one finger with said touch screen specific area, by at least one fingerprint sensor, said at least one fingerprint sensor is integrated within the touch screen specific area, and applying a one-time enrollment process for at last one fingerprint sensor to capture and store at least two different fingerprint templates of the same user;

analyzing said distinguishing ridges and valleys of the touching fingertip for identifying characteristic of the specific touching finger differentiating said finger from other fingers of the same user, said analysis carried out in said computerized device;

determining the functionality of said touch screen specific area based on the identified finger; and

activating the determined functionality of said touch screen specific area based on the identified finger and at least two types of running applications'"'"' algorithms which define different functionality for each finger, based on said different fingerprint templates, said functionality in a specific application being identical for all users using the same finger, said two applications running on the same computerized device, wherein each finger can touch any location on the touch enabled surface maintaining the same functionality for each application, wherein the computerized device functionality for the same finger, based on the fingerprint identification, is different based on the current running application algorithm, wherein the applications'"'"' algorithms are determined by the programmer of the application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the touch screen specific area is a virtual button within a touch screen, wherein the virtual button location can be identified at any point of the touch enabled surface, wherein the functionality of the virtual button for each finger is defined by different running applications algorithms.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor is an optical sensor, which captures fingerprints, wherein the characteristic is at least part of the distinguishing ridges and valleys of the touching finger.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the touch screen specific area includes at least two symbols, wherein each symbol corresponds to a different functionality of the touch screen specific area.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the functionality is determined according to combination of identification of different fingerprints touching the touch screen specific area, said different fingerprints relating to different fingers of the user'"'"'s same of both hands.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the different fingerprints touching in a time sequence of identified touching operation.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the fingerprint touching operation is a continuous operation.

15. A method for enabling multi-functionality of a specific area part of an interface in a computerized device, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication of touching a touch-enabled surface specified area surface by a user and capturing at least part of distinguishing ridges and valleys of a fingertip touching the touch-enable surface with said touch screen specific area by a sensor, said sensor being integrated within the touch screen surface;

analyzing said distinguishing ridges and valleys of the touching fingertip for identifying characteristic of the specific touching finger differentiating said finger from other fingers of the same user, said analysis carried out in said computerized device;

determining the functionality of said specified area based on the identified finger;

activating determined functionality of said specified area by the computerized device;

applying a one-time enrollment process for the sensor to capture and store the different fingerprint templates of at least two different fingers of the same user;

determining the functionality of the touching finger based on algorithms of at least two running applications and on said enrollment process, wherein the functionality of each different touching finger corresponds to the algorithm of each different running application, said functionality in a specific application being identical for all users using the same finger, wherein each finger can touch at any location on the touch enabled surface maintaining the same functionality for each application, wherein the computerized device functionality for the same finger, based on the fingerprint identification, is different based on the current running application algorithm, wherein the applications'"'"' algorithms are determined by the programmer of the application.

16. An interface application enabling multi-functionality of a specific area part of an interface in a computerized device, said interface comprising:

at least one touch enabled surface, wherein at least partial area of the touch enabled surface is integrated with at least one fingerprint sensor for capturing at least part of distinguishing ridges and valleys of a touching fingertip touching a specific area;

a processing module arranged to analyze said at least part of distinguishing ridges and valleys of the touching fingertip for identifying a characteristic of at least two touch actions of at least two specific touching fingers differentiating said at least two specific touching fingers from other fingers of the same user, and applying a one-time enrollment process for the fingerprint sensor to recognize and store different fingerprint templates only of the same user without associating any functionality to each fingerprint stored; and

an activation module for determining the functionality of said specified area based on the identified fingers and at least two running applications'"'"' algorithms which determine functionality for each finger, based on said different fingerprint identification, said two applications running on the same computerized device, wherein each finger can touch at any location on the touch enabled surface maintaining the same functionality for each application, wherein the computerized device functionality for the same finger, based on the fingerprint identification, is different based on the current running application algorithm.