Automatic repeat of failed biometric authentication attempt patented by Apple

Apple has patented technology for retrying a facial authentication process after a failed attempt to make biometric smartphone locking more convenient, Patents & Tech reports.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the patent for “Automatic retries for facial recognition,” which could prevent some failed unlock attempts when the user’s face is too close to or far from the camera, is partly occluded, or the user’s pose causes a non-match. The re-initiation of the process without user input could improve the user experience, according to the patent.

In some embodiments, one or more criteria may be adjusted for the re-try, which could improve the chances of successful authentication.

“If the user repeatedly fails to be authorized using the facial recognition authentication process, the user may become frustrated with the experience and look for other avenues of authentication and/or search for another device to use instead of the current device,” the inventors note.

The patent was originally filed last September.

Apple has also published patents for multiple Face ID registrations, a vehicle access system, and Face ID on MacBooks.

Article Topics

access control  |  Apple  |  authentication  |  biometrics  |  patents