Method of acquiring biometric data and electronic device therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10691782-B2
Application number	US-201715854183-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2017
Priority date	Dec 26, 2016
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

An electronic device for acquiring biometric information may include a display, and a fingerprint sensor configured to acquire fingerprint data through at least a partial display region of the display. A processor may execute a first application in which a graphical object is displayed, for controlling a designated function other than a fingerprint registration function. A user input on the graphical object may be used to collect fingerprint information, which is used as part of a fingerprint registration function.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a display;
a fingerprint sensor configured to acquire fingerprint data through a display region, the display region being at least a partial region of the display;
a memory configured to store an out-of-box experience (OOBE) application and a fingerprint registration application; and
a processor configured to:
upon an initial use of the electronic device, execute the OOBE application to display a screen unrelated to fingerprint registration, the screen including a first graphical object displayed at a region of the display corresponding to the display region of the fingerprint sensor;
acquire at least one first fingerprint data from a first user input on the first graphical object using the fingerprint sensor;
execute the fingerprint registration application, wherein the execution thereof includes acquiring second fingerprint data from a second user input on the display region; and
generate fingerprint information about a user using the at least one first fingerprint data and the second fingerprint data.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to activate a designated function of the OOBE application in response to the first user input.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to display a first object as the first graphical object when the designated function is a first designated function, and to display a second object as the first graphical object when the designated function is a second designated function.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to display a second graphical object at a region of the display corresponding to the display region in response to the first user input.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the second user input is made on the second graphical object and the processor is configured to acquire the second fingerprint data from the second user input made on the second graphical object using the fingerprint sensor.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first fingerprint data corresponds to a first finger of the user and the second fingerprint data corresponds to a second finger of the user, and
the processor is configured to select particular fingerprint data having a designated range of relevance to one another among the first fingerprint data and the second fingerprint data, as at least a part of the generating the fingerprint information.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to generate the particular fingerprint data and the second fingerprint data as the fingerprint information for the user.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to select the first graphical object for use in fingerprint data acquisition based on a priority among a plurality of objects.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the memory includes a first memory and a second memory having different security levels, and
the processor is configured to store the first fingerprint data in a first memory, as at least a part of the fingerprint information generation and to store the first fingerprint data and the second fingerprint data in a second memory, as the at least a part of the fingerprint information generation.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to discard the first fingerprint data stored in the first memory.

11. An electronic device comprising:
a display controlled to display at least one object;
a fingerprint sensor configured to acquire fingerprint data through at least a partial region of a display region of the display; and
a processor is configured to:
upon an initial use of the electronic device, cause the display to display the at least one object when an out-of-box experience (OOBE) application is executed to display a first screen unrelated to fingerprint registration, wherein the at least one object is displayed at a region of the display corresponding to the partial region of the fingerprint sensor;
acquire first fingerprint data representing at least one fingerprint image in response to a touch input on the at least one object; and
register the first fingerprint data and reference fingerprint data acquired through at least one other application as fingerprint information.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the processor activates the fingerprint sensor in response to occurrence of the touch input.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
activate a fingerprint data collection function using a general application other than the OOBE application when the first fingerprint data acquired through the OOBE application represents a smaller number of fingerprint images than a threshold value.

14. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the processor groups the first fingerprint data acquired through the OOBE application into a plurality of groups based on a degree of similarity to classify the fingerprint information for each finger.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the processor allows the at least one fingerprint image included in a group having a degree of similarity equal to or higher than a predetermined level with the reference fingerprint data among the plurality of groups, to be included in the fingerprint information.

16. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
control the display to display a second screen requiring a fingerprint input, in response to execution of the at least one other application, and
determine fingerprint image data acquired through the second screen as the reference fingerprint data.

17. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the fingerprint information is stored in a separate storage space distinguished from the first fingerprint data acquired through the OOBE application.

18. A method of operating an electronic device comprising:
upon an initial use of the electronic device, displaying at least one object when an out-of-box experience (OOBE) application is executed to display a first screen unrelated to fingerprint registration, wherein the at least one object is displayed at a region of the display corresponding to a partial region of a fingerprint sensor;
acquiring first fingerprint data representing at least one fingerprint image in response to a touch input on the at least one object; and
registering the first fingerprint data and reference fingerprint data acquired through at least one other application as fingerprint information.

19. The method of operating an electronic device of claim 18 , further comprising:
grouping the first fingerprint data acquired through the OOBE application into a plurality of groups based on a degree of similarity to classify the fingerprint information for each finger.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, implement the method of claim 18 .

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yang Hyeongwook
• Lim Kyungsoo
• Shin Hyung-Woo
• Lee Hyemi
• Lee Heekuk
• Jung Yumin
• Sandhan Tushar Balasaheb
• Yoon Pil-Joo

Classifications

• G06V40/12

  Fingerprints or palmprints · CPC title

• H04M2201/36

  Memories · CPC title

• H04M2201/38

  Displays · CPC title

• H04M2201/34

  Microprocessors · CPC title

• H04M1/724 Primary

  User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones · CPC title