Iris Recognition To Take Off

An anonymous reader writes "Looks like iris recognition is about to explode. Turns out, a major patent held by iris recognition leader Iridian is expiring, and that's leading a stampede of start-ups and VCs into this space."

Comments

Patents and innovation

[Anonymous Coward]

A patent exipry causing a boom in company startups and innovation - say it ain't so. Are there any legislators out there paying attention to stories like this?

Re:Patents and innovation

[ThreeE]

You are not clear on cause and effect here. If Xerox didn't expect to get the patents they did, the tech would never have been developed, implemented, and/or marketed. And yes, marketed. Often, that's the most expensive and difficult part.

"Tear shedders" like you are simply nuts wanting a free ride on other's hard work. You probably are a heavy user of P2P networks to illegally copy copyrighted work and live in some pirate haven in Asia. Someday you'll actually have to learn how to create value -- like Xerox and Microsoft did.

To say Bill Gates doesn't deserve all the money he as gotten bespoils the name of a great entrepreneur. But hey, this is slashdot and reality doesn't count. I'm sure it's Bush's fault too.

Re:Patents and innovation

[sonamchauhan]

You're welcome and your civitility is appreciate. My answers/added comments are:

1) Because it is unfair. And because it deals with "handheld scanners -- the type security patrolmen might use at a stadium or airport."

2) A monopolist (not evil in itself) convicted of unfair trade practises

3) No, you support the USPTO granting unfair patents, and gave Bush a bad name by dragging his name into the conversation.

4)
4.1) Granting a patent on current and future embodiments of automating an existing manual process is ridiculous.

4.2) Their first patent does not restrict itself and has absurdly limitless boundaries - it says their "invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims" - claims like claim 10 below, which are so broad as to cover all current and future embodiments:

This is CLAIM 10:
"10. The method of claim 1 in which comparing the obtained image with stored image information comprises deriving a set of descriptors of at least the iris portion of the obtained image and comparing the derived descriptors with stored reference descriptors derived from a previous image for identifying the person."
This is CLAIM 1:
"1. A method of identification of a person, comprising:
storing image information of at least a portion of the iris and pupil of the person's eye;
illuminating an eye, of an unidentified person having an iris and a pupil;
obtaining at least one image of at least the same portion of the iris and pupil of the eye of the unidentified person; and
comparing at least the iris portion of the obtained image with the stored image information to identify the unidentified person."


4.3) I don't know which ellipsis you speak of

Iris vs Retina

[vossman77]

Are we talking Iris or Retina here?

Because I've never heard of using the Iris and don't know anything about its uniqueness. Where the retina is easily scanned and heavily researched.

Anybody know more? or is this a typo?

Re:Iris no thanks

[PWatson]

Here you go: Malaysia car thieves steal finger
With better scanners that can tell the difference between live and dead fingers, this might have been prevented. Of course, that would depend on the bad guys knowing that it wouldn't work...

Re:Don't forget...

[forkazoo]

What I want is a fingerprint scanner, where you have to scan all your fingers, but the order you put your fingers on the pads would be a sort of 'pin code,' which you could change. Make all fingerprint scanners be sold with a protective hood, so nobody can see what order you use. If some criminal ever chops off your hand, just use the other one to phone in (or use voice dial), to change the pin before then can buy a TV.

You have the security of revocability, but the convenience of never accidentally losing your "card" (except in extreme cases of accident.)