Apple patents way to call 911 emergency with fingerprint without assailant knowing

On Tuesday, the United States Patent and Trademark Office published a patent by Apple for a method to execute a command in an electronic device through a fingerprint.

PATENT

The patent abstract is as follows:

“A device has a touch processing module that processes touch screen input to determine if the manner in which the input was entered indicates that the user intends for execution of a particular command. In one embodiment, the module may acquire fingerprint data from the user’s input and analyze the data to determine if the input was entered with a particular finger or finger sequence.

In another embodiment, the module may also acquire timing data from the user’s entry of a plurality of inputs and analyze the timing data to determine if the touch screen input was entered with a particular timing or cadence. The module may also acquire force data from the user’s entry of a plurality of touch screen inputs and analyze the force data to determine to determine if the touch screen input was entered with a particular force.”

In other words Apple has invented a process for an individual to call 911 emergency secretly using your fingerprint.

Thus, in a situation where the device owner is forced to unlock or otherwise use his phone by an assailant, contacting emergency services in the conventional manner may not be practical. Accordingly, in conventional systems, a user is unable to comply with an assailant’s commands, while at the same time discreetly contacting emergency services.”

For example, the user may program the electronic device to recognize input entered with her pinky finger as a command to place a “911” call or otherwise contact emergency services.

In another example, the user may program the electronic device to recognize input entered with a particular sequence of fingers, such as pinky-ring-pinky, as a command to make an emergency call. Thus, regardless of what routine command the user is ostensibly entering, if the user enters the routine command with the predetermined finger or finger sequence, the user is also entering the predetermined command.

For example, a user may be ostensibly be unlocking her device, but by doing so with her predetermined “911 finger” she is also calling the police.”

It is doubtful that this feature will be available in the upcoming iPhone 8 model.

AAPL last traded at $151.15.

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