Jenetric granted patent for multiple fingerprint scanning on touchscreen display

Jenetric has been awarded a patent for a method of scanning biometrics from multiple fingers on touchscreen displays like smartphones.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded the patent for Jenetric’s newly developed solution, according to a company announcement.

Jenetric is exploring the use of TFT (thin-film transistor) optical technology for in-display fingerprint sensors on mobile phones, along with its focus on traditional scanners for the homeland security market.

The new approach involves the simultaneous recognition of multiple fingers by a touchscreen fingerprint sensor. This opens the technology up to a range of use cases beyond unlocking the phone or opening an application.

“Having multiple fingers recognized on one screen opens up a new spectrum of how apps are used with mobile devices. Opening an email client might require just one finger, whereas opening a financial app would require two fingers, and performing an actual financial transaction would require all four fingers to be verified,” explains Roberto Wolfer, CEO of Jenetric.

Convenience can also be improved using the multi-finger approach, the company points out, with different fingers assigned to different actions. Different finger angles could also be used to simulate writing on the touchscreen with a stylus.

“Although fingerprint sensors integrated in an entire mobile phone’s display are not yet available on a product level, this new method demonstrates the potential of using multiple fingerprints on a mobile phone or other touchscreen display,” Wolfer adds. “Controlling your smart home, your car, or ATM will be much more secure by using the patented solution.”

The company expanded its line of TFT scanners with the launch of a compact FAP45 dual fingerprint scanner at least year’s ID4Africa AGM.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  fingerprint sensors  |  JENETRIC  |  patents  |  research and development  |  Thin Film Transistor (TFT)  |  touchscreen