Apple acquires dozens of biometric authentication patents from Virginia-based Privaris

Posted:
in iPhone edited June 2015
Evidence that Apple is planning significant overhauls to its Touch ID fingerprint recognition system continues to mount, with the company reportedly acquiring more than two dozen biometric authentication patents from privately-held Virginia firm Privaris.




Apple has been assigned 26 of Privaris's 31 original patents, according to CNN. The last transaction closed in October of 2014.

The patents cover ways of integrating fingerprint sensors with touchscreens --?a Privaris specialty -- as well as other more fundamental biometric authentication mechanisms. Multiple rumors have suggested that Apple is preparing a redesigned iPhone with fingerprint sensors embedded into the touchscreen, and the company is known to have explored such technology both before and after its acquisition of AuthenTec in 2012.

The nature of the Privaris deal is not yet known, but it appears to be a straightforward intellectual property dump that could be designed to raise money for Privaris. The company has received $29 million in funding, but has been largely silent and unseen since 2009.

As noted by CNN, there is no indication that any of Privaris's employees have moved to Apple. Given the length of time that has elapsed since the patent assignments and the lack of employee movement, an outright acquisition seems unlikely.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    Sounds like a long-haul concept, making touch ID work directly on the screen. But that's how big changes happen--start early!
  • Reply 2 of 19
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    No doubt one day soon we will be able to use an iPhone's front camera for a retina scan.
  • Reply 3 of 19
    nagromme wrote: »
    Sounds like a long-haul concept, making touch ID work directly on the screen. But that's how big changes happen--start early!

    Definitely not a feature for the 6S. Perhaps not even the 7. I suspect it will be some time before they're willing to drop the Home button.

    Actually, the feature would make more sense on an iPad, because of the different manner in which they're held.
  • Reply 4 of 19
    acatomicacatomic Posts: 60member
    Touch ID for appleWatch maybe?
  • Reply 5 of 19

    I am still just hoping for Touch ID for my MBP or MBA

  • Reply 6 of 19
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post



    No doubt one day soon we will be able to use an iPhone's front camera for a retina scan.



    That day probably isn't very far off. At the current pace, we'll have cameras that rival flatbed scanners soon enough.

  • Reply 7 of 19
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post





    Definitely not a feature for the 6S. Perhaps not even the 7. I suspect it will be some time before they're willing to drop the Home button.



    Actually, the feature would make more sense on an iPad, because of the different manner in which they're held.

    And this will keep Apple a few steps ahead competitors who are only entering the touch sensitive fingerprint reader the first time this year.

  • Reply 8 of 19
    rp2011rp2011 Posts: 159member
    Could it be that the reason for the original sapphire front facing glass was for such a transition? And the inability to source it led to abandoning this on the iPhone 6 and the reason it looks so half baked and shoddy? A last minute emergency redesign?

    There has to be a reason for the regression in design quality from the gorgeous 4 and 5 to the awkward mongrel that the 6 turned out to be.
    I expect the 7 to go back up to the previous design excellence Apple is known for.
  • Reply 9 of 19
    slprescottslprescott Posts: 765member
    As acatomoic said, I believe this is for the Watch... and possibly the iPhone. Touch ID for the Watch would be very useful since entering the PIN in a slight nuisance. Since there's no real bezel for Touch ID, the only real space is within the screen itself, if there's a way to do that without hurting display quality. It would seem to require magic, but Apple specializes in magic.
  • Reply 10 of 19
    nagromme wrote: »
    Sounds like a long-haul concept, making touch ID work directly on the screen. But that's how big changes happen--start early!

    Apple already has patents on using finger prints on the touch screen to allow individual apps to be locked unless touched by the right finger (like a child lock) and also for different finger prints to open the app for the user, such as presenting different mail accounts (multi user)

    these guys obviously have supporting patents to achieve Apple's existing patents.

    this idea has been brewing for a long time and forms part of Apple's multi user approach.

    I've been noticing something for a while with Apple. Such as with split screen multi-tasking.. they take a multi year approach such as first setting up the development environment so that when they release the feature lots of apps already support it.

    or using the iPhone to prepare for the iPad. or using Retina and the AirPlay to slowly prepare for Apple TV to have apps designed for HD aspect ratios.

    Apple Pay came after they had a few years of devices with Touch ID.

    People complain about Apple not implementing ideas such as multi user, but it isn't that Apple is clueless about the idea, they just think about it beyond the easy "add a login screen". multi user will come when the minimum device spec is 32gig (2 users of 16gig) and will be seamless operationally with apps "magically opening" to suit the user interacting with a device without having to log in and out all the time.

    it will change the way people even think about multi user
  • Reply 11 of 19
    nagromme wrote: »
    Sounds like a long-haul concept, making touch ID work directly on the screen. But that's how big changes happen--start early!

    Apple already has patents on using finger prints on the touch screen to allow individual apps to be locked unless touched by the right finger (like a child lock) and also for different finger prints to open the app for the user, such as presenting different mail accounts (multi user)

    these guys obviously have supporting patents to achieve Apple's existing patents.

    this idea has been brewing for a long time and forms part of Apple's multi user approach.

    I've been noticing something for a while with Apple. Such as with split screen multi-tasking.. they take a multi year approach such as first setting up the development environment so that when they release the feature lots of apps already support it.

    or using the iPhone to prepare for the iPad. or using Retina and the AirPlay to slowly prepare for Apple TV to have apps designed for HD aspect ratios.

    Apple Pay came after they had a few years of devices with Touch ID.

    People complain about Apple not implementing ideas such as multi user, but it isn't that Apple is clueless about the idea, they just think about it beyond the easy "add a login screen". multi user will come when the minimum device spec is 32gig (2 users of 16gig) and will be seamless operationally with apps "magically opening" to suit the user interacting with a device without having to log in and out all the time.

    it will change the way people even think about multi user

    Good post!

    I suspect that within the next few years:
    the electronics and battery requirements of the iPhone will be significantly miniturized / reduced -- to the point where they can be contained within the top/bottom/edge bezels.

    This would allow the area for the iP display to become an entity unto itself -- possibly encapsulated in glass, plastic, sapphire front and back.

    In other words, the iP display could be clear (see-through, no background) for VR, heads-up, etc. -- or display an opaque background for overlaying web views, app views ... or any combination of the two modes.

    A single camera technology embedded in the bezel would have the ability to ingest images/videos from either the front or back (or both at the same time) with equal quality ... You could take selfies of you and the view, by just holding the camera normally -- no clumsy periscope sticks.

    About 10 years ago, KIDDI had a promotional video called: "Knock, Knock, Ubiquitous!" -- that demonstrated most of these concepts (ApplePay, Maps, Video playing/capturing, clear display, etc.) ... sadly, it is no longer available. But, I believe that Apple is well on the road to implementing them all!

    Then, the iPad ... Or, maybe the iPad first and then the iPhone!
  • Reply 12 of 19
    What good are patents? Sammy doesn't care.
  • Reply 13 of 19
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    ytseman3 wrote: »
    What good are patents? Sammy doesn't care.

    Samsung = Honey badger
  • Reply 14 of 19
    rp2011 wrote: »
    Could it be that the reason for the original sapphire front facing glass was for such a transition? And the inability to source it led to abandoning this on the iPhone 6 and the reason it looks so half baked and shoddy? A last minute emergency redesign?

    There has to be a reason for the regression in design quality from the gorgeous 4 and 5 to the awkward mongrel that the 6 turned out to be.
    I expect the 7 to go back up to the previous design excellence Apple is known for.

    What makes the iPhone 6 an awkward mongrel in your opinion? I did really like the original iPhone design, but by the time of the 3 and 4 I was tired of that look and feel. I really liked the design of the 5 a lot, but the 6 series wrapped glass is a nice touch. I was worried that I would definitely drop and break the glass on my 6+ but oddly this is the only iOS device I haven't broken (iPhone 3, iPhone 5 and an iPad Mini were all victims).

    Other than the 6+ being very slippery to hold because of the rounded corners, maybe too thin for its size, the camera lens being in constant danger of decapitation and the lame volume and power buttons compared to the 5, (ah, maybe I see your point), I think the 6 is still my favorite iPhone to date (although the 5 was a real looker and felt good in the hands).

    Still the 6 has held up much better to daily abuse than any other model I've owned, and I don't even have a case for this one. I gave in and got cases for all the others. My 6+ is very scratch resistant and it actually seems tougher than the previous models overall. But perhaps those are material improvements, not design improvements. Maybe the 5 was a better design, but the 6 is somehow holding up better.

    Maybe if Apple somehow combined the front of the 6 with the sides of the 5 that might make for a functionally superior design.
  • Reply 15 of 19
    rayzrayz Posts: 814member


    People complain about Apple not implementing ideas such as multi user, but it isn't that Apple is clueless about the idea, they just think about it beyond the easy "add a login screen". multi user will come when the minimum device spec is 32gig (2 users of 16gig) and will be seamless operationally with apps "magically opening" to suit the user interacting with a device without having to log in and out all the time.

    it will change the way people even think about multi user

    That's an interesting thought

    IOS9 can temporarily clear apps to make room for updates. Can't be too much of a stretch to clear apps and data for different users if there is a shortage of room.
  • Reply 16 of 19
    rp2011rp2011 Posts: 159member
    nightwatch wrote: »
    What makes the iPhone 6 an awkward mongrel in your opinion? I did really like the original iPhone design, but by the time of the 3 and 4 I was tired of that look and feel. I really liked the design of the 5 a lot, but the 6 series wrapped glass is a nice touch. I was worried that I would definitely drop and break the glass on my 6+ but oddly this is the only iOS device I haven't broken (iPhone 3, iPhone 5 and an iPad Mini were all victims).

    Other than the 6+ being very slippery to hold because of the rounded corners, maybe too thin for its size, the camera lens being in constant danger of decapitation and the lame volume and power buttons compared to the 5, (ah, maybe I see your point), I think the 6 is still my favorite iPhone to date (although the 5 was a real looker and felt good in the hands).

    Still the 6 has held up much better to daily abuse than any other model I've owned, and I don't even have a case for this one. I gave in and got cases for all the others. My 6+ is very scratch resistant and it actually seems tougher than the previous models overall. But perhaps those are material improvements, not design improvements. Maybe the 5 was a better design, but the 6 is somehow holding up better.

    Maybe if Apple somehow combined the front of the 6 with the sides of the 5 that might make for a functionally superior design.

    The iPhone 6 is a technical marvel and is finally available with a larger screen option. It's a great gadget, and that's what's important.

    But aesthetically, it is certainly not a beautiful gadget by any metric. I was actually thinking of skipping the 6 cycle as my 5s is still going strong and it is gorgeous. But hopefully they can smooth out the rough edges on the 6s and at least get rid of the camera bulge.
  • Reply 17 of 19

    Apple could certainly use this one...

     

    US Patent No. 7,420,546 -- "Man-Machine Interface for Controlling Access to Electronic Devices," which describes biometric authentication approaches including, for example, a fingerprint sensor that works through, or is a part of, a liquid crystal display (LCD). When the user touches an icon on the touch sensitive display, the fingerprint is imaged and authentication occurs for that specific icon and its associated application. This enables touch screen devices to control which individual users can access which specific applications, as well as the limits of their access rights.

  • Reply 18 of 19
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Apple could certainly use this one...

    US Patent No. 7,420,546 -- "Man-Machine Interface for Controlling Access to Electronic Devices," which describes biometric authentication approaches including, for example, a fingerprint sensor that works through, or is a part of, a liquid crystal display (LCD). When the user touches an icon on the touch sensitive display, the fingerprint is imaged and authentication occurs for that specific icon and its associated application. This enables touch screen devices to control which individual users can access which specific applications, as well as the limits of their access rights.

    There are probably thousands, if not tens of thousands of good patents that Apple could consider.
  • Reply 19 of 19
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    There are probably thousands, if not tens of thousands of good patents that Apple could consider.
    If they're software patents they might not be all that valuable. Since SCOTUS "Alice" ruling business method patents, what we refer to as 'software patents", have taken a beating by Federal Courts which brings the expected devaluation of them because of it.
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