Electronic device providing downloading of enrollment finger biometric data via short-range wireless communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9465974-B2
Application number	US-201313938374-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2013
Priority date	Jul 10, 2013
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

An electronic system may include a first electronic device comprising a first finger biometric sensor, a first processor capable of collecting enrollment finger biometric data from the first finger biometric sensor, and a first short-range wireless transceiver coupled to the first processor. The system may further include a second electronic device comprising a second finger biometric sensor, a second short-range wireless transceiver, and a second processor capable of collecting to-be matched finger biometric data from the second finger biometric sensor, and downloading the enrollment finger biometric data from the first processor via a short-range wireless link between the first and second short-range wireless transceivers based upon the collected to-be matched biometric data.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. An electronic system comprising:
a first mobile wireless communications device associated with a user account and comprising
a first finger biometric sensor, and
a first processor configured to collect enrollment finger biometric data for the user account from the first finger biometric sensor, said first processor being switchable to an enrollment data transfer mode for transferring the enrollment finger biometric data, and the enrollment finger biometric data corresponding to a plurality of different users, and
a first short-range wireless transceiver coupled to the first processor; and

a second mobile wireless communications device also associated with the user account and comprising
a second finger biometric sensor,
a second short-range wireless transceiver, and
a second processor configured to collect to-be matched finger biometric data from the second finger biometric sensor, and download the enrollment finger biometric data for the user account from the first processor via a short-range wireless link between the first and second short-range wireless transceivers based upon verification of the collected to-be matched finger biometric data and also based upon said first processor being switched to the enrollment data transfer mode.

2. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the second processor is configured to download the enrollment finger biometric data based upon matching between the enrollment and to-be matched finger biometric data.

3. The electronic system of claim 2 wherein the first processor is configured to match the enrollment and to-be matched finger biometric data.

4. The electronic system of claim 2 wherein the second processor is configured to match the enrollment and to-be matched finger biometric data.

5. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the second mobile wireless communications device further comprises an input circuit collecting account enrollment verification data; and wherein the second processor is configured to download the enrollment finger biometric data from the first processor based upon the collected to-be matched finger biometric data and the account enrollment verification data.

6. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the second processor is also configured to perform a new finger biometric match based upon the downloaded enrollment finger biometric data and new to-be matched finger biometric data from the second finger biometric sensor.

7. The electronic system of claim 6 wherein the second processor is also configured to perform at least one device function based upon a successful new finger biometric match.

8. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the second processor is configured to download the enrollment finger biometric data for a plurality of fingers of the different users based upon a match with at least one finger of the plurality thereof.

9. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the first processor is configured to encrypt the enrollment finger biometric data; and wherein the second processor is configured to decrypt the enrollment finger biometric data.

10. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the second processor is configured to download profile settings associated with the user account from the first processor along with the enrollment finger biometric data.

11. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the first and second short-range wireless transceivers each comprises a near field communication (NFC) transceiver.

12. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the first and second short-range wireless transceivers each comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

13. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the enrollment finger biometric data and the to-be matched finger biometric data comprise at least one of finger minutiae data and finger ridge flow data.

14. An electronic system comprising:
a first mobile wireless communications device associated with a user account and comprising
a first biometric sensor, and
a first processor configured to collect enrollment biometric data for the user account from the first biometric sensor, said first processor being switchable to an enrollment data transfer mode for transferring the enrollment biometric data, and the enrollment biometric data corresponding to a plurality of different users, and
a first short-range wireless transceiver coupled to the first processor; and

a second mobile wireless communications device also associated with the user account and comprising
a second biometric sensor,
a second short-range wireless transceiver, and
a second processor configured to collect to-be matched biometric data from the second biometric sensor, and download the enrollment biometric data for the user account from the first processor via a short-range wireless link between the first and second short-range wireless transceivers based upon verification of the collected to-be matched biometric data and also based upon said first processor being switched to the enrollment data transfer mode.

15. The electronic system of claim 14 wherein the second processor is configured to download the enrollment biometric data based upon matching between the enrollment and to-be matched biometric data.

16. The electronic system of claim 15 wherein the first processor is configured to match the enrollment and to-be matched biometric data.

17. The electronic system of claim 15 wherein the second processor is configured to match the enrollment and to-be matched biometric data.

18. The electronic system of claim 14 wherein the second processor is also configured to perform a new biometric match based upon the downloaded enrollment biometric data and new to-be matched finger biometric data from the second biometric sensor.

19. A mobile wireless communications device associated with a user account and comprising:
a finger biometric sensor;
a short-range wireless transceiver; and
a processor configured to
collect to-be matched finger biometric data from the finger biometric sensor, and
download enrollment finger biometric data for the user account from another mobile wireless communications device also associated with the user account via the short-range wireless transceiver based upon verification of the collected to-be matched finger biometric data and also based upon the other mobile wireless communications device being switched to an enrollment data transfer mode, the enrollment finger biometric data corresponding to a plurality of different users.

20. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 19 wherein the processor is configured to download the enrollment finger biometric data based upon matching between the enrollment and to-be matched finger biometric data.

21. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 19 wherein the processor is also configured to perform a new finger biometric match based upon the downloaded enrollment finger biometric data and new to-be matched finger biometric data from the finger biometric sensor.

22. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 21 wherein the processor is also configured to perform at least one device function based upon a successful new finger biometric match.

23. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 19 wherein the processor is configured to download the enrollment finger biometric data for a plurality of fingers of the different users based upon a match with at least one finger of the plurality thereof.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Kerr Gregory L

Classifications

• G06F21/32 Primary

  using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints · CPC title

• G06K9/00087 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/00926

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/00006

  Physics · mapped topic

• G07C2209/02

  Access control comprising means for the enrolment of users · CPC title