Recent Apple patent filing speaks of stealth biometric security on iPhone, other insane insanity
By Laura June 
posted Mar 27th 2009 10:09PM
posted Mar 27th 2009 10:09PM
Recent patent fillings by Apple that AppleInsider has dug up point to the company adding several new methods of insuring the security of its devices for users. The new filings cite biometric authentication methods that would excite Ethan Hunt -- including installation of a hidden sensor behind the screen that would recognize the user's fingerprint when touched, and / or a front-facing camera for retinal recognition. The filing also suggests further possibilities, such as the device being capable of recognizing the user's voice, or collecting DNA samples for recognition via genetic code. We've heard plenty of semi-speculative tech tales in the past, so we always take this stuff with a grain of salt, but Apple seems to be moving forward at least into the research phase of such endeavors. To the future we go! There's one more fantastic scribble after the break, hit the read link for more details.
"DNA samples for recognition via genetic code"
really? isnt that pushing it?
hell no...if i need to give a semen sample every time i want to talk on the phone then i'll be talking on the phone all damn day long
all i can say is that there better be some great new wallpaper in the new iphone os
i feel bad for ur girlfriend
Yes, I would say that DNA sampling is officially pushing it.
i can see it happening though...
"luke, i am your father!!!"
"no way!!! wheres my iphone?"
@EI8HT
You know you can use any image, right? Using Apple's default images like using your computer's default desktop backgrounds, which is just plain sad after the first couple weeks.
@ EI8HT - what you would be doing would be under the iPhone app called "iJizz"
Finally a good excuse to take a shit on iPhone?! o_O
DNA? Genetic code sensors for a phone?
Kinda leaves me speechless...
It's not true. DNA sampling requires spinning the sample for about an hour in a centrifuge to extract the genetic code (deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA) from the cell and nucleus in order to even read the DNA. Clearly, this is not going to happen in a small phone.
It also includes a centrifuge, teleportation device, and a mind-controlled Wolfenstein.
Pity you, if all your DNA is found only in your speech.
I just noticed that AIM is a login option now. Convenient. Because I can't change my avatar with my existing screenname for blogsmith... no matter how much I try.
(Irrelevant, yes I know)
Hey! Engadget! I know you can read this! When are you gonna fix the commenting system?! Everyone! Start yelling!!
wah!
I'm pretty sure the AIM thing's been around for ages...
Since sean opened up this can of worms...
Dear Engadget,
Blogsmith sucks. Please consider something that contains less lame.
Kthxbai,
This guy.
Consider yourself lucky; I seem to have two different avatars depending on whether I log on at home or at work, and one of them is weirdly corrupted...
Thank goodness for this comment - I thought I was doing something wrong!
this is just too much...
Err.... Insane insanity.... isn't that reverting back to normal?
biometric?.... Is this the evidence that we are all waiting for? That Apple is finally buying the fanbois' souls?
If they do implement the front camera, how much you wanna bet that it will be only for retinal recognition... Until iPhone 5.0 after hackers unlock it?
That's what I was afraid of... it seems they would lock down the camera to prevent "hacking" the security system.
Although we do know they're not very good at locking things down...
eventhough im happy to see this step forward,
i am saddened by two things.
a, the possibility of apple using these against any other compaines once they use biometrics
b, once people start praying to apple and claiming how they invented biometrics.
Many, Many Many companies have talked of research and development of exactly this kinds of stuff, as in laptop touchpad or a touchscreen phone etc with fingerprint recognition. infact, not to sound like im exaggerating or anything, but almost any 8 year old who has use touchscreens, and knows about biometrics, will infact have this idea in their mind.
dont get me wrong, id love to see this show up on the iPhone. i would just not love for it to cause a problem to other companies, even if not legal, people saying that biometric touchscreens would all be "iToo" products... would kind of kill it. I had this idea 3 years ago... just didnt file a patent... am i copying apple too?
I totally, agree, but the exiting part about Apple products is that they certainly aren't the inventors of all this great technology, but (and only SOMETIMES) they still manage to take ideas that have been around for a while and implement them in a way that one one else has. Or if they have, they haven't done with much success. Again, I stress, only SOMETIMES, but they still do it enough times to take notice.
That said, I hate when people go around spouting how great Apple is and how everyone else "SUCKS!". It's ridiculous. Even with their very solitary methodology, without all the other companies, there would be no iPhone; no iPod, no Macintosh. THAT'S why Apple is a GOOD company (not THE GREATEST COMPANY EVER THAT NO OTHER EVEN COMES CLOSE TO! OHH MAN! I LOVE STEVE JOBS! I JUST POOPED MY PANTS!). They contribute a lot to the world, and they play off of others' contributions very well.
exciting*
Hah.
Under-glass fingerprint reader -- pretty awesome.
Front-facing retinal-scanning camera -- still a bit surreal, but very cool.
Voice-recognition -- *yawn*
Genetic code recognition -- CREEPY. I'm sure the next George Bush won't tap the cell networks for collecting THAT.
im almost positive that engadget was joking about the DNA thing...
Anyone think it's interesting that there's an app called "Terminal" on the mockups? Are apple engineers using Jailbroken iPhones for mockups now? lol
yea i noticed that kinda weird...
That is interesting. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Terminal.app ran on the iPhone at Apple internal. For the engineers, it would be pretty useful for all kinds of stuff.
Taking DNA samples sounds outlandish but I guess it always depends on the technology available. If a DNA scanner comes in a small enough package and can work without, erm, penetrating the skin somewhere, then why not. I kinda prefer authentication technology that only works on living tissue though - I don't want some mugger to cut off my pinky. Vein scanner would be nice.
Vein scanner ... **shudder** ... I can only imagine what veins some people will be using.
I'm afraid I'm calling horse-sh*t on this one.
Here is an example of the finger print 'technology' from 2004 (http://www.pcworld.com/article/118046/casio_combines_lcd_fingerprint_sensor.html)
Where exactly is the 'Retinal Scanner' getting it's light source from, you can't just use daylight, and what about at night? Are they going to mount a flash bulb to blind you?
The voice deal. yeah, so what.
The DNA deal. I am almost ebarassed for the author for not having made fun of this idea more. I mean really, why isn't everyone laughing uproariously on this one?
The AppleInsider guy that wrote this 'leak' needs a swift kick in the ass.
Best
You do know that retinal scanners don't just take a regular of your eye, right? They use infrared, so it doesn't need a light
regular picture, that is
@Riley
I did not know that. Thanks for the info...show off. :)
Best,
KevinC
So theyre gonna add all this stuff and then jack up the price by $500
The real question is when will Nintendo sue Apple over that obvious "Game" rip off of the original Game Boy? :-)
interesting, where it's supposed to say at&t up on the left corner, it says 'carrier'... perhaps apple isn't exclusive anymore?
In other parts of the world the iphone runs on other carriers...
Wait, there are other parts of the world other than the United States?
How deliciously absurd!
As always Apple can take their unused patents and stick it up Steve Jobs rectum. they sit on shit that others could be implementing in a meaningful way. Hell when Apple does implement something it ain't meaningful....its superficial, trendy, and only makes sense to Steve "I'm God" Jobs. The rest of the Mactards simply conform to what HE thinks makes sense.
Off-topic probably, but I like how it says Carrier versus AT&T.
Could mean this patent may last longer, or not be implemented while AT&T has exclusive rights, or something.
I don't know it is late dammit.
Is it just me, or are the four apps on the bottom the exact icons from some old jailbroken apps?
That gameboy is the icon from the NES emulator, and vrecord is the same name and icon as the old recording app...
It looks like these were direct screenshots taken by a jailbroken phone, then traced...
Wait a minute... wasnt Jailbreaking deemed illegal by apple? Someone's got some 'splainin' to do!
coooool
btw...should i buy an ipod touch 2g now or wait and buy the new one coming out in june or watever?
Eh what about the non user replaceable 120kA trilithium battery?
Who is to prevent your DNA/Biometric data from being sent back to Apple?
Can someone explain "blocks"?
testing :)
Fingerprint readers usually work well for me except when I've just washed my hands (ie, they're still slightly damp no doubt)...
Retina/Iris scanning works flawlessly for me, but I have some coworkers for whom it simply won't work at all.
If the DNA thing wasn't a joke, maybe it was a finger pricker for diabetes peoples.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ENGADGET, PLEASE FIX THIS STUPID HALF-BROKEN FORUM!!! COMMENTS ARE NEVER PROPERLY THREADED!! YOUR AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM DOESN'T SEND OUT EMAILS - I'VE CREATED MULTIPLE USERS ON DIFFERENT DOMAINS AND HAVE YET TO RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION!! EVEN YOUR "CONTACT US" EMAIL DOESN'T WORK!! IT KEEPS SAYING "EMAIL INVALID" EVEN THOUGH ITS THE ONE I USE TO LOG INTO THE FORUM!! I CAN"T EVEN POST UNLESS I USE MY AOL LOGON!! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A "PREVIEW COMMENT" OR "MY PROFILE" BUTTON!! THIS SYSTEM IS UNWORTHY OF A MAJOR BLOG SITE!!!
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
I would like to retract my horsesh*t comment and resubmit a b*stards comment. With the way that Apple abuses the patent office, there is no telling what they have submitted to have 'waiting in the wings' in order to block a legitimate patent filing.
KevinC
Is that Gameboy in there?
So it cant multitask, but it has biometric security? wow.
. . . remembering Gattacca . . . (sigh)
How can they patent stuff that others have used for decades?
Screw Apple.
I looked the patent up. It isn't any other than an idea. There is no technology associated with it, no Apple invented X. Let me repeat, THERE IS NO 'INVENTION'. Part of the patent is the CONCEPT that you pick up your phone and it authenticates you on the sly. Finger print (or whatever) scanner on the side that you would normally touch instead of a 'designated' fingerprint scanner area.
I'm sure they tossed retinal scanner and dna just to cover their bases.
Of course, it is still absurd...patenting the LOCATION of a biometric device???
I didn't read the whole thing so who is to say what else is in there but that was the jist that I gleaned.
Here is the abstract:
"This invention is directed to an electronic device with an embedded authentication system for restricting access to device resources. The authentication system may include one or more sensors operative to detect biometric information of a user. The sensors may be positioned in the device such that the sensors may detect appropriate biometric information as the user operates the device, without requiring the user to perform a step for providing the biometric information (e.g., embedding a fingerprint sensor in an input mechanism instead of providing a fingerprint sensor in a separate part of the device housing). In some embodiments, the authentication system may be operative to detect a visual or temporal pattern of inputs to authenticate a user. In response to authenticating, a user may access restricted files, applications (e.g., applications purchased by the user), or settings (e.g., application settings such as contacts or saved game profile). "
and a link to one of the filings: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=Anthony.IN.&s2=Fadell&OS=IN/Anthony+AND+Fadell&RS=IN/Anthony+AND+Fadell
I was thinking a fingerprint scanner would be a good idea having to type in a passcode can be a bit annoying.
p.s there is probably a joke about iohone taking semen samples and fanboys im not going to make!
One of Sharps phones and fujitsus phone have fingerprint recognition. The Sharp phone has an optical D-pad and then a fingerprint scanner below it. So instead of the optical D-pad, touchscreen (not worth a patent). Also there is face recognition unlocking done in Japan too. It would be neat to see this stuff here, but not worthy of a patent