Patent Microsoft on floating fingerprint

redmond - Microsoft has patented technology that allows a fingerprint to be scanned without the finger being placed on a screen or special button. The technology is called Image-Sensing With A Waveguide Display.

To make the technology work, a glass screen is required. The light rays of the finger are captured through the screen and processed by sensors that pass the image back on recognition to the device for which the fingerprint is required.

It is still unclear if and when Microsoft will integrate the technology into the devices it makes. It is clear, however, that the group is committed to biometric recognition. Rather, it already acquired patents on the technique with the fingerprint scanner integrated into a display.