Samsung granted South Korean patent for fingerprint scanner gestures

Samsung has been granted a patent in South Korea relating to a fingerprint scanner with swipe functionality, according to a report by XDA Developers.

The newly patented feature — which Samsung initially filed two years ago — will allow users to perform certain functions on their smartphone by simply swiping in a particular way.

Based on the patent illustrations, Samsung’s fingerprint scanner gestures offer a different implementation than other smartphones with similar features.

Rather than using the swipe gestures to activate the notification shade, as seen in Pixel phones, it appears as though Samsung intends to use the technology for faster access to key applications.

The diagram shows a user swiping up on the fingerprint scanner to launch the web browser, swiping to the left to retrieve a contact, and swiping to the right to open the messaging application.

Although Samsung owns a patent for fingerprint scanner gestures in South Korea, it remains to be seen if the electronics giant will integrate the feature in one of their future products.

Samsung could potentially implement the fingerprint scanner gestures within their TouchWiz OEM skin.

Previously reported, Samsung filed a patent related to fingerprint authentication technology it is considering adding to a future version of its Gear Fit watch and possibly an iris scanner to be integrated into a future version of its Galaxy VR headset.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  fingerprint authentication  |  gesture recognition  |  patents  |  Samsung  |  South Korea