Ergonomic finger guide for biometric finger scanner

• US 8,180,122 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2007
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Allen, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): DRENNAN, BARRY T
• Application Number:
  US11/703,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20080192993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 382/126
• US Class Current: 382/126
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/13 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/63 by static guides

Abstract

A finger guide device for a biometric fingerprint scanner, the device including a raised portion, a channel formed into the raised portion and extending from about a front side of the raised portion to about a rear side thereof, an aperture formed through the device at the channel, finger selection contours configured to visually indicate to a user to place an index finger in the channel, and finger direction contours configured to direct a finger placed in the channel toward the aperture.

Claims

1. A finger guide device for a biometric fingerprint scanner, the device comprising:

a raised portion;

a channel formed into the raised portion and extending from about a front side of the raised portion to about a rear side thereof, wherein the channel has a width which decreases by about 50 percent between said front side and said rear side thereof;

an aperture formed through the device at the channel;

finger selection contours comprising at least one of the aperture having an oval shape, a sloped surface at a front side of the aperture, and a stop surface at a rear side of the aperture; and

finger direction contours configured to direct the index finger placed in the channel toward the aperture.

2. The finger guide device of claim 1, wherein the raised portion includes a substantially circular disk shape.

3. The finger guide device of claim 1, wherein the channel extends entirely from the front side to the rear side of the raised portion and wherein the width gradually decreases in a direction toward the rear side.

4. The finger guide device of claim 1, wherein the channel is delimited by opposing wall portions which extend between the front and rear sides of the raised portion and wherein the wall portion generally converge toward each other in a direction toward the rear side of the raised portion.

5. The finger guide device of claim 1, wherein the aperture is formed substantially centrally in the channel, wherein the channel includes a sloping surface proximate to the front side of the raised portion, wherein the sloping surface descends gradually toward the aperture, and wherein the channel includes a stop surface adjacent to the aperture and opposite from the sloping surface.

6. The finger guide device of claim 5, wherein the stop surface is configured to abut the index finger placed in the aperture and is further configured to allow a fingernail of the index finger to extend beyond the stop surface.

7. The finger guide device of claim 6, wherein the aperture has a length of about 1.2″

and a width of about 0.80″

.

8. The finger guide device of claim 1, wherein the finger selection contours comprise the raised portion including a substantially circular disk-like shape having a diameter of about 3.0″

.

9. The finger guide device of claim 1, wherein the finger selection contours comprise opposing walls of the channel which delimit the channel and which converge toward one another over a length of the device.

10. The finger guide device of claim 1, wherein the finger direction contours comprise at least one of the aperture having an oval shape, a sloped surface disposed at a front side of the aperture, and a stop surface disposed at a rear side of the aperture.

11. The finger guide device of claim 1, wherein the finger direction contours comprise a width of a channel decreasing in a direction from the front side of the raised portion to the rear side.

12. The finger guide device of claim 1, wherein the finger direction contours comprise at least one of rounded edges of the channel and a curved cross-section of the channel.

13. The finger guide device of claim 1, wherein the finger selection contours comprise a first and a second corner feature, each delimited by the raised portion and by a terminus of the channel, the first and second corner features disposed at the front side of the raised surface, the first corner feature disposed on a first side of the channel, and the second corner feature disposed on an opposite second side of the channel.

14. The finger guide device of claim 13, wherein the first corner feature is configured to engage or to be disposed proximate to a portion of the user'"'"'s right hand defined by the intersection of the index finger and thumb of the right hand when said index finger of the user is said positioned in the aperture.

15. The finger guide device of claim 14, wherein the second corner feature is configured to engage or to be disposed proximate to a portion of the user'"'"'s left hand defined by the intersection of the index finger and thumb of the left hand when said index finger of the user is said positioned in the aperture.

16. A biometric finger print scanning system, comprising:

a scanner device;

a platen disposed on the scanner device; and

a finger guide disposed on the platen having a front side and a rear side thereof, said finger guide further including a longitudinal channel having a width that decreases by about 50 percent between said front side and said rear side thereof and an aperture formed through the guide at the channel;

wherein the finger guide comprises finger selection contours comprising at least one of the aperture having an oval shape, a sloped surface at a front side of the aperture, and a stop surface at a rear side of the aperture; and

finger direction contours configured to direct the index finger placed in the channel toward the aperture.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the finger selection contours comprise the guide including a substantially circular disk-like shape having a diameter of about 3.0″

.

18. The system claim 16, wherein the finger selection contours comprise opposing walls of the channel which delimit the channel and which converge toward one another over a length of the device.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the finger direction contours comprise at least one of the aperture having an oval shape, a sloped surface disposed at a front side of the aperture, and a stop surface disposed at a rear side of the aperture.

20. A finger guide device for a biometric fingerprint scanner, the device comprising:

a raised portion having a generally circular disk shape;

a channel formed into the raised portion and extending from a front side of the raised portion to a rear side thereof;

an aperture formed through the device at the channel;

a sloped surface descending to the aperture at a front side of the aperture;

a stop surface disposed at a rear side of the aperture;

wherein the channel has a width which gradually decreases by about 50 percent between said front side and said rear side thereof in a direction toward the rear side of the raised portion;

wherein the stop surface is configured to position a finger of a user in the aperture and further configured to allow a fingernail of the finger to extend in the channel toward the rear side of the raised portion.

21. A finger guide device for a biometric fingerprint scanner, the device comprising:

a raised portion having a substantially circular disk shape;

a channel formed into the raised portion and extending from a front side of the raised portion to a rear side thereof and having a width greater at the front side than at the rear side wherein the width gradually decreases by about 50 percent between said front side and said rear side thereof in a direction toward the rear side, said channel being delimited by opposing wall portions which extend between the front and rear sides of the raised portion and wherein the wall portion generally converge toward each other in a direction toward the rear side of the raised portion;

an aperture formed through the device at the channel having a sloping surface proximate to the front side of the raised portion and descending gradually towards the aperture,

wherein the channel includes a stop surface adjacent to the aperture and opposite from the sloping surface, the stop surface being configured to abut a finger placed in the aperture and further configured to allow a fingernail of the finger to extend beyond the stop surface;

finger selection contours comprising the raised portion having a substantially circular disk-like shape and at least one of the aperture having an oval shape, a sloped surface at a front side of the aperture, and a stop surface at a rear side of the aperture; and

finger direction contours configured to direct the finger placed in the channel toward the aperture, the finger direction contours include a width of a channel decreasing in a direction from the front side of the raised portion to the rear side and at least one of rounded edges of the channel and a curved cross-section of the channel, wherein the finger direction contours further include at least one of the aperture having an oval shape, a sloped surface disposed at a front side of the aperture, and a stop surface disposed at a rear side of the aperture.