Apple has ushered in the Touch Id technology through their products which recognizes the fingerprint of the user and opens up for operations only if a match is established. Apple has now filed for patent rights over this application in which they have detailed the process of fingerprint recognition by the button. They have also submitted a document explaining the technology and the way it is designed to keep the fingerprint data separate from the gadget’s data.
The document also gives the process they have used to assemble the button. They have broken up the button by all its sub parts and given details of each of them and their functioning. The button has been given an opaque cover to ensure that the fingerprint data does not get mixed with the color and styling of the iPhone as such.
The A7 chip which is at the core of the iPhone has the feature termed “Secure Enclave Processor” (SEP). It is this system which does the fingerprint verification process. The process also ensures that the fingerprint data does not get mixed up with that of the device. To make the process even more secure, there are also active measures built to ensure the fingerprint data does not reach the cloud which the device has access to.
The SEP part has been extensively detailed in the patent document submitted by Apple. Techno geeks would get more information than already known about this aspect of the new Apple technology. Once passed the patent would ensure Apple has monopoly on the fingerprint feature on their devices and make it difficult for others to clone the same. Currently, the fingerprint sensing technology has only been incorporated in the iPhone 5s but will surely be included in all of its mobile devices such as the iPad Air, iPad Mini or the iPod soon.
Meanwhile, the HTC One Max is the only other device that incorporates a fingerprint sensor though with the HTC device, the sensor has been placed at the rear alongside the camera.