|
|
Rubrik: World-wide News/Products & News Fingerprint
Cards: "Swipe Sensor Method" to be Granted a European Patent Store
Individual's Biometric Identity Without Having to Build Up an Actual Picture
of Fingerprint (03.01.04)
- The European Patent Office has announced its intention to grant Fingerprint
Cards a patent based on the application for its swipe sensor system. This
patent makes clear Fingerprint Cards' independent market position as a
supplier of innovative fingerprint systems technology featuring a fast and
user-friendly swipe approach.
Anzeige
This original, capacitive swipe sensor technology is directed at high volume products where the require-ments are for a small footprint, system reliability, verification speed, and customer delivery at low cost. Anticipation of these market requirements led Fingerprint Cards to the strategic development of a system where the user sweeps the finger over a very small sensor surface; one which integrates the key components at low cost, and which need not rely on the reconstructed picture of the fingerprint. Following
the Company's application, the European Patent Office has now assessed
Fingerprint Cards' innovation as being patentable, and thus intends to grant
Fingerprint Cards a European patent, No EP1330185. Based on a positive result
in the international examination report from the PCT- authority, the Company
has also filed corresponding patent applications in Japan and the USA. The
patent describes a system based on a sensor that reads partial images from a
moving fingerprint, and where the sensor surface is considerably smaller than
the fingerprint area itself. When the fingertip is moved over the sensor
surface unique information is read from each partial image of the fingerprint
for later verification of the user's identity. When the information extraction
from each partial image is completed then the memory unit is cleared before
the next one is read and dealt with similarly. This
method makes it possible to extract information, and from that to store the
individual's biometric identity without having to build up an actual picture
of the fingerprint. The procedure to extract information from partial images
minimizes the need for processor memory making the system less costly for
product implementation. As information is captured on the move the
verification process is completed when the finger leaves the sensor surface,
making the total verification process extremely fast and user friendly. Peter
Svensson, VP Technology Development at Fingerprint Cards, says, "There
are probably very few ways to solve the delicate task of developing a well
functioning system for a fingerprint verification technology based on a swipe
sensor. This patent now enables us to go forward with the commercialisation
of our system, based on both a competitive technology and a strong intellectual
property rights foundation." Fingerprint Cards AB, quoted on the Stockholm Stock Exchange's O-list (FING B), has developed electronic systems, which through analysis of the unique fingerprint patterns of individuals, determines their personal identity. The system is completely chip-based and reads, stores and compares fingerprint patterns without the help of any PC processor. Two types of capacitive sensors have been developed, an extremely small swipe sensor and a flatbed sensor. Processor ASICs and algorithms have been developed for each type of sensor. By virtue of its smallness, low power consumption and the possibility of very low manufacturing costs, the technology can be integrated in volume products such as smart cards, PDA and mobile phones, where the demands for such characteristics are extremely high. Other applications for the technology include access control systems for buildings and products for logon to computers and IT networks. (ma) Fingerprint
Cards AB Kontakt:
Lennart Carlson Tel.
(0046-31) 607820, E-Mail:
lennart.carlson@fingerprint.se
Web: www.fingerprints.com |
