Control of electronic device by using a person's fingerprints

• US 20090169070A1
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Fadell, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US12/070,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20090169070A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints

Abstract

The present invention can include systems and methods for controlling an electronic device by detecting and using a person'"'"'s fingerprints. A device can store user input signatures, including fingerprint signatures. The user input signatures can, in turn, be associated with user-selectable commands. When a user provides user input (including fingerprints) to the electronic device that matches one of the stored user input signatures, the device can initiate the associated user-selectable command.

Claims

1. An electronic system comprising:

one or more user input mechanisms for detecting user input, the one or more user input mechanisms comprising one or more fingerprint sensors for detecting fingerprints;

storage for storing a database in which each of a plurality of user-selectable commands is associated with a user input signature, wherein a first user input signature comprises a fingerprint signature; and

a controller configured to;

determine whether a composition of detected fingerprints matches the fingerprint signature; and

initiate a user-selectable command associated with the first user input signature responsive to a positive match between detected user input and the first user input signature.

2. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more user input mechanisms comprises one or more non-fingerprint user input mechanisms;

the first user input signature comprises a fingerprint signature and a non-fingerprint signature, the non-fingerprint signature related to user input detectable by the one or more non-fingerprint user input mechanisms; and

the controller further is configured to determine whether user input detected by the one or more non-fingerprint user input mechanisms matches the non-fingerprint signature.

3. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to use one or more of the detected fingerprints for authentication purposes.

4. The electronic system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to permit access to one or more functions of the electronic device responsive to a positive authentication determination.

5. The electronic system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to permit access to stored content responsive to a positive authentication determination.

6. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a media player.

7. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the fingerprint signature incorporates a time element.

8. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the first user input signature is identical to a second user input signature, wherein the first and second user input signatures are associated with two different user-selectable commands.

9. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the one or more fingerprint sensors are remotely disposed in a remote control device and the controller is disposed in a host device.

10. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the one or more fingerprint sensors and the controller are disposed within a single housing.

11. An electronic device comprising:

one or more fingerprint sensors for detecting fingerprints;

storage; and

a controller configured to;

cause the storage to store a plurality of compositions of detected fingerprints as a plurality of fingerprint signatures; and

associate each of the plurality of fingerprint signatures with one of a plurality of user-selectable commands.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller further is configured to prompt a user to provide one or more fingerprints to the one or more fingerprint sensors.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the electronic device is configured to permit a user to customize at least one of the plurality of compositions stored as the plurality of fingerprint signatures.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the electronic device is configured to store a default composition as at least one of the plurality of fingerprint signatures.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine whether a composition of detected fingerprints matches a first fingerprint signature from the plurality of fingerprint signatures; and

initiate a user-selectable command associated with the first fingerprint signature responsive at least in part to a positive match between the composition of detected fingerprints and the first fingerprint signature.

16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of fingerprint signatures incorporates a time element.

17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of fingerprint signatures incorporates an orientation element.

18. A method for controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting user input, wherein the user input comprises one or more fingerprints detectable by one or more fingerprint sensors;

determining whether the detected user input matches one of a plurality of user input signatures, wherein a first user input signature comprises a fingerprint signature; and

initiating a user-selectable command associated with the first user input signature responsive to a positive match between the detected user input and the first user input signature.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first user input signature comprises a fingerprint signature and a non-fingerprint signature, the non-fingerprint signature related to user input detectable by one or more non-fingerprint user input mechanisms.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising using one or more of the detected fingerprints for authentication purposes.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising permitting access to one or more functions of the electronic device responsive to a positive authentication determination.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising permitting access to stored content responsive to a positive authentication determination.

23. A method for controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting fingerprints;

storing a plurality of compositions of the detected fingerprints as a plurality of fingerprint signatures; and

associating each of the plurality of fingerprint signatures with one of a plurality of user-selectable commands.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising permitting a user to customize at least one of the plurality of compositions stored as the plurality of fingerprint signatures.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein storing a plurality of compositions of the detected fingerprints as a plurality of fingerprint signatures comprises storing a default composition as at least one of the plurality of fingerprint signatures.