Apple patent application could bring Touch ID to Macs

Apple recently filed a patent for a device related to its Touch ID technology titled “Electronic Device Including Finger Sensor having Orientation based Authentication and Related Methods”, according to a report by Patently Apple.

The patent application explains that the device includes a housing, along with a finger sensor carried by the housing that can read a user’s fingerprint at various rotational angles.

The device features an orientation sensor carried by the housing to sense an orientation thereof, as well as a processor that powers both the finger sensor and the orientation sensor.

The application states that the processor will collect finger-matching biometric data of the user’s finger at an unknown rotational angle relative to a known rotational angle of finger-enrollment data, generate an estimated rotational angle of the collected finger-matching biometric data based upon a sensed orientation of the housing, and try to authorize the user based upon the estimated collected rotational angle.

Although Apple has only deployed its Touch ID technology on the iPhone and iPad, the application patent suggests that the tech giant may apply it to the iMac and MacBooks in the future.

Previously reported, Apple recently filed a patent with the USPTO that outlines a fingerprint sensor integrated in the actual display of an electronic device, which could ultimately provide a more seamless and dynamic form of biometric authentication.

Article Topics

Apple  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint sensors  |  patents  |  Touch ID