Controlling access to restricted and unrestricted software functions

Abstract

Some disclosed methods involve controlling a display system to present one or more restricted access virtual buttons in a secure zone. The limited access virtual button may correspond to a function of a device or a function of a software application to which access is limited. Some disclosed methods involve controlling a display system to present one or more access-free virtual buttons in an unsecure area. The access-unrestricted virtual button may correspond to a function of a device or a function of a software application to which access is unrestricted. In response to a selection of a virtual button displayed in a secure zone, some methods involve performing an authentication process and performing a function of a device or a function of a software application to which access is limited after successful authentication. If the authentication process is unsuccessful, access to a function corresponding to the limited access virtual button may be blocked.

Description

[0001] Priority declaration

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 813,550, filed on July 19, 2022, entitled “Controlling ACCESS to RESTRICTED AND UNRESTRICTED SOFTWARE FUNCTIONALITY,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to methods, apparatus, and systems for controlling access to software functionality. Background Art

[0004] Software applications or "apps" are typically accessed by interacting with virtual buttons (also referred to as icons) displayed on a device. An app may allow access to one or more types of software functionality, such as by using icons or virtual buttons depicted by images within the app itself. While methods, devices, and systems exist for controlling access to software functionality, improved methods, devices, and systems would be desirable. Summary of the invention

[0005] The systems, methods and devices of the disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes of the disclosure.

[0006] One or more innovative aspects of the subject matter described in the present invention may be implemented in a method. In some examples, the method may involve controlling a display system by a control system to present one or more virtual buttons with limited access in a secure zone. The virtual buttons with limited access may correspond to functions of a device or software application to which access is limited. In some examples, the method may involve controlling the display system by the control system to present one or more virtual buttons with unlimited access in a non-secure zone. In some examples, the non-secure zone may be separate from the secure zone. The virtual buttons with unlimited access may correspond to functions of a device or software application to which access is unlimited.

[0007] In some examples, the method may involve: in response to selecting a virtual button displayed in the security zone, performing an authentication process and executing a function of the device or software application to which access is restricted after successful authentication. According to some examples, if the authentication process is unsuccessful, access to the function corresponding to the virtual button with limited access may be blocked. In some examples, the security zone may correspond to a fingerprint sensor area, and the authentication process may be a fingerprint authentication process. Alternatively or additionally, the authentication process may involve a retinal scan or a gesture detection process.

[0008] According to some examples, the limited-access virtual button can correspond to a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is limited when the device is in a secure state or when the software application has been initialized. In some such examples, the secure state can correspond to a locked or sleeping state.

[0009] In some examples, the method may involve controlling, by a control system, a display system to present the safety zone differently from the non-safe zone. In some examples, the safety zone may be presented on a first display of the display system, and the non-safe zone may be presented on a second display of the display system.

[0010] According to some examples, the method may involve, in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the non-secure area, executing, without authentication, a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is unrestricted.

[0011] Other innovative aspects of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented in a device. According to some examples, the device can be integrated into a mobile device. In some examples, the device may include a display system, a biometric authentication system, and a control system, the display system including one or more displays, and the control system is configured to communicate with the display system and the biometric authentication system (such as electrically coupled or wirelessly coupled). In some examples, the control system may include a memory, while in other examples, the control system may be configured to communicate with a memory that is not part of the control system. The control system may include one or more general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or a combination thereof.

[0012] According to some examples, the control system may be configured to control the display system to present one or more virtual buttons with limited access in the security zone. The virtual buttons with limited access may correspond to the functions of the device or software application to which access is limited. In some examples, the control system may be configured to control the display system to present one or more virtual buttons with unlimited access in the non-security zone. The non-security zone may be separated from the security zone. The virtual buttons with unlimited access may correspond to the functions of the device or software application to which access is unlimited. In some examples, in response to the selection of the virtual button displayed in the security zone, the control system may be configured to control the biometric authentication system to perform an authentication process. If the authentication process is successful, the control system may be configured to execute the functions of the device or software application to which access is limited. If the authentication process is unsuccessful, the control system may be configured to prevent the execution of the functions of the device or software application to which access is limited.

[0013] In some embodiments, the limited-access virtual button may correspond to a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is limited when the device is in a secure state. The secure state may correspond to a locked condition or a sleep condition, for example. In some embodiments, the limited-access virtual button may correspond to a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is limited when the software application has been initialized.

[0014] According to some embodiments, the security zone may correspond to a biometric authentication system area of ​​a biometric authentication system. In some embodiments, the biometric authentication system may include a fingerprint sensor system. In some such embodiments, the security zone may correspond to a fingerprint sensor area of ​​the fingerprint sensor system. In some such embodiments, the authentication process may involve a fingerprint authentication process. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the authentication process may involve a retinal scan or a gesture detection process.

[0015] In some examples, in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the non-secure zone, the control system may be configured to execute, without authentication, a function of the device or software application to which access is unrestricted.

[0016] In some examples, the control system may be configured to control the display system to present the safety zone differently from the non-safe zone.According to some examples, the control system may be configured to present the safety zone on a first display of the display system and present the non-safe zone on a second display of the display system.

[0017] Some or all of the operations, functions, or methods described herein may be performed by one or more devices according to instructions (such as software) stored on one or more non-transitory media. Such non-transitory media may include memory devices such as those described herein, including but not limited to random access memory (RAM) devices, read-only memory (ROM) devices, etc. Therefore, some innovative aspects of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented in one or more non-transitory media on which software is stored. For example, the software may include instructions for controlling one or more devices to perform a method. In some examples, the method may involve controlling a display system of the device by a control system of the device to present one or more restricted access virtual buttons in a secure zone. The restricted access virtual button may correspond to a function of a device or a software application to which access is restricted. In some examples, the method may involve controlling the display system by the control system to present one or more unrestricted access virtual buttons in a non-secure zone. The non-secure zone may be separated from the secure zone. Unrestricted access virtual buttons may correspond to functions of a device or a software application to which access is unrestricted. In some examples, the method may involve, in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the security zone, performing an authentication process and, after successful authentication, executing a function of the device or software application to which access is restricted. In some examples, the security zone may correspond to a fingerprint sensor area.

[0018] According to some examples, if the authentication process is unsuccessful, access to the function corresponding to the restricted-access virtual button may be blocked. In some examples, the method may involve, in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the non-secure zone, executing, without authentication, a function of the device or software application to which access is not restricted.

[0019] Still other innovative aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in alternative methods.According to some examples, the method can involve developing a graphical user interface for a software application.

[0020] In some examples, the method may involve controlling, by a control system, a display system to present a security zone prompt to define a security zone of a graphical user interface. In some examples, the method may involve receiving, by the control system and via an interface system, security zone information defining the security zone. According to some examples, the security zone information may correspond to a fingerprint sensor area.

[0021] In some examples, the method may involve controlling a display system by a control system to present a limited-access virtual button prompt to define one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in a security zone. In some examples, the method may involve receiving limited-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the security zone by the control system and via the interface system. In some examples, the method may involve configuring the graphical user interface according to the security zone information and the limited-access virtual button information. In some examples, the graphical user interface may be used for a software application designed to run on a mobile device.

[0022] In some examples, the method may involve controlling, by a control system, a display system to present an unrestricted-access virtual button prompt to define one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside a safety zone. According to some examples, the method may involve receiving, by the control system and via the interface system, unrestricted-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the safety zone. In some examples, the method may involve configuring a graphical user interface according to the unrestricted-access virtual button information.

[0023] Other innovative aspects of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented according to instructions (e.g., software) stored on one or more non-transitory media. In some examples, the method may involve controlling a display system of the device by a control system of the device to present a safety zone prompt to define a safety zone of a graphical user interface. In some examples, the method may involve receiving safety zone information defining a safety zone by a control system and via an interface system of the device. In some examples, the method may involve controlling a display system by a control system to present a limited-access virtual button prompt to define one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the safety zone. In some examples, the method may involve receiving limited-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the safety zone by the control system and via the interface system. In some examples, the method may involve configuring the graphical user interface according to the safety zone information and the limited-access virtual button information.

[0024] In some examples, the graphical user interface may be used for a software application designed to run on a mobile device.According to some examples, the security zone information may correspond to a fingerprint sensor area.

[0025] In some examples, the method may involve controlling, by a control system, a display system to present an unrestricted-access virtual button prompt to define one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the safety zone. According to some examples, the method may involve receiving, by the control system and via the interface system, unrestricted-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the safety zone. In some examples, the method may involve configuring a graphical user interface according to the unrestricted-access virtual button information.

[0026] The following drawings and descriptions set forth details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from these descriptions, drawings, and claims. Note that the relative dimensions in the following figures may not be drawn to scale. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating example components of an apparatus.

[0028] Figure 2 is a flow chart presenting an example of operations according to some disclosed methods.

[0029] Figure 3A , 3B and 3C illustrate examples of devices configured to perform at least some of the disclosed methods.

[0030] Figure 4 is a flow chart presenting an example of operation according to some alternative methods.

[0031] Figure 5A , Figure 5B and Figure 5C Examples of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that may be used to implement some aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0032] Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] To describe the innovative aspects of the present disclosure, the following description is directed to certain embodiments. However, it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the teachings herein may be applied in a variety of different ways. The described embodiments may be implemented in any device, apparatus, or system including a biometric identification system as disclosed herein. In addition, it is contemplated that the described embodiments may be included in or associated with a variety of electronic devices, such as, but not limited to: mobile phones, multimedia Internet-enabled cellular phones, mobile television receivers, wireless devices, smartphones, smart cards, wearable devices (such as bracelets, armbands, wristbands, rings, headbands, patches, etc.), devices, personal data assistants (PDAs), wireless email receivers, handheld or portable computers, netbooks, laptops, smartbooks, tablet computers, printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, global positioning system (GPS) receivers / navigators, cameras, digital media players (such as MP3 players), camcorders, game consoles, watches, clocks, calculators, television monitors, flat panel displays, electronic reading devices (such as e-readers), mobile health devices, computer monitors, automotive components (including but not limited to automotive displays (such as odometer and speedometer displays, etc.)), cockpit controls or displays, camera view displays (such as the display of a rearview camera in a vehicle), electronic photographs, electronic billboards or signs, projectors, architectural structures, microwave ovens, refrigerators, stereo systems, cassette recorders or players, DVD players, CD players, video recorders, radios, portable memory chips, washing machines, dryers, washer / dryers, parking meters, packaging (such as in electromechanical systems (EMS) applications including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications as well as non-EMS applications), decorative components (such as displaying images on jewelry or clothing), and various EMS devices. The teachings herein may also be used in applications such as, but not limited to, electronic switching devices, radio frequency filters, sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, motion sensing devices, magnetometers, inertial components for consumer electronic devices, components for consumer electronic products, steering wheels or other automotive components, varactor diodes, liquid crystal devices, electrophoretic devices, drive schemes, manufacturing processes, and electronic testing equipment. Therefore, what is taught is not intended to be limited to the embodiments depicted only in the accompanying drawings, but has a wide range of applicability that will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0034] When a software application or "app" is opened, various virtual buttons may be displayed on a graphical user interface (GUI). Each virtual button may correspond to a different software function. Some virtual buttons may correspond to important functions to which access is ideally limited. However, once an application is opened, all areas of the application are typically unlocked. This may allow unauthorized or unintentional triggering of important functions.

[0035] In some devices, the active area of ​​the fingerprint sensor system may extend below a majority of the display area of ​​the mobile device. In this context, "active area" refers to the area of ​​the fingerprint sensor system from which fingerprint image data may be obtained. For example, the active area of ​​the fingerprint sensor system of the mobile device may extend below one quarter of the display area of ​​the mobile device, half of the display area of ​​the mobile device, etc. As used herein, "fingerprint sensor area" refers to at least a portion of the active area of ​​the fingerprint sensor system.

[0036] Some disclosed methods involve displaying one or more "restricted access virtual buttons" in a secure zone. A restricted access virtual button may correspond to a function of a software application to which access is restricted. A secure zone may correspond, for example, to a fingerprint sensor area. In some examples, a restricted access virtual button may correspond to a function of a software application to which access is restricted when the software application has been initialized. Some examples may involve presenting one or more unrestricted access virtual buttons in a non-secure zone. Unrestricted access virtual buttons may correspond to functions of software applications to which access is unrestricted. A non-secure zone may correspond, for example, to an area outside a fingerprint sensor area. However, some alternative examples may involve presenting one or more unrestricted access virtual buttons in a secure zone (such as within a fingerprint sensor area). In some such examples, the fingerprint sensor area may be large enough to allow both restricted access virtual buttons and unrestricted access virtual buttons to be presented in the fingerprint sensor area. However, in some such examples, the function corresponding to the restricted access virtual button may require completion of an authentication process involving a fingerprint sensor for access, while the function corresponding to the unrestricted access virtual button may not require completion of an authentication process for access.

[0037] Specific embodiments of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, access to functions corresponding to limited-access virtual buttons may be controlled via a biometric authentication process, such as an authentication process involving a fingerprint sensor. For example, only when the authentication process ends successfully can the function corresponding to the limited-access virtual button selected from one or more limited-access virtual buttons be enabled. Such an approach may prevent unauthorized or unintentional triggering of important functions, such as starting a car, unlocking a door, starting a camera, accessing parental controls on a virtual remote, clicking on a signed document, or authorizing a financial transaction. According to some examples, a secure zone may be presented differently from an unsecure zone, so that the user is aware of which virtual buttons are limited-access virtual buttons. For example, a boundary may be displayed between a secure zone and an unsecure zone. Such an example may provide a higher level of security and may provide peace of mind to the user.

[0038] Figure 1is a block diagram illustrating example components of an apparatus. In this example, apparatus 101 includes a control system 106 and a display system 110. Some embodiments may include a biometric authentication system 102, a touch sensor system 103, an interface system 104, a memory system 108, a microphone system 112, a speaker system 114, a gesture sensor system 116, or a combination thereof. Some embodiments of apparatus 101 may include an inertial sensor system. The inertial sensor system may include one or more gyroscopes, one or more accelerometers, or a combination thereof. Some embodiments of apparatus 101 may include a tactile feedback system.

[0039] In some examples, the biometric authentication system 102 may include a fingerprint sensor, a voice recognition system, a retinal scanner, a retinal scan recognition system, a facial recognition system, a gesture sensor system, or a combination thereof. According to some examples, the biometric authentication system 102 may be or may include an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Alternatively or additionally, in some implementations, the biometric authentication system 102 may be or may include an optical fingerprint sensor.

[0040] In some examples, an ultrasonic version of a fingerprint sensor system may include an ultrasonic receiver and a separate ultrasonic transmitter. In some such examples, the ultrasonic transmitter may include an ultrasonic plane wave generator. However, various examples of ultrasonic fingerprint sensors are disclosed herein, some of which may include separate ultrasonic transmitters and some of which may not include separate ultrasonic transmitters. For example, in some embodiments, a fingerprint sensor system may include a piezoelectric receiver layer, such as a polyvinylidene fluoride PVDF polymer layer or a polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE) copolymer layer. In some embodiments, a separate piezoelectric layer may act as an ultrasonic transmitter. In some embodiments, a single piezoelectric layer may act as both a transmitter and a receiver. In some examples, a fingerprint sensor system may include an array of ultrasonic transducer elements, such as an array of piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs), an array of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs), and the like. In some such examples, a PMUT element in a single-layer PMUT array or a CMUT element in a single-layer CMUT array may be used as an ultrasonic transmitter as well as an ultrasonic receiver.

[0041] Data received from the fingerprint sensor system of the biometric authentication system 102 may sometimes be referred to herein as "fingerprint sensor data," "fingerprint image data," or the like, regardless of whether the received data corresponds to an actual finger or another object from which the fingerprint sensor system has received the data. Such data will typically be received from the fingerprint sensor system in the form of an electrical signal. Thus, without additional processing, such image data may not necessarily be perceptible to a human as an image. As described elsewhere herein, the term "finger" as used herein may correspond to any finger, including a thumb. Thus, a thumbprint is one type of fingerprint.

[0042] Touch sensor system 103, if present, may be or may include a resistive touch sensor system, a surface capacitive touch sensor system, a projected capacitive touch sensor system, a surface acoustic wave touch sensor system, an infrared touch sensor system, or any other suitable type of touch sensor system. In some embodiments, the area of ​​touch sensor system 103 may extend over most or all of the display portion of display screen system 110.

[0043] The control system 106 may include one or more general purpose single-chip or multi-chip processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or a combination thereof. According to some examples, the control system 106 may also include one or more memory devices, such as one or more random access memory (RAM) devices, read-only memory (ROM) devices, etc. In this example, the control system 106 is configured to communicate with the display system 110 and to control the display system 110. In an embodiment where the device includes a biometric authentication system 102, the control system 106 may be configured to communicate with the biometric authentication system 102 and to control the biometric authentication system 102. In an embodiment where the device includes a touch sensor system 103, the control system 106 may be configured to communicate with the touch sensor system 103 and to control the touch sensor system 103. In an embodiment where the device includes a memory system 108 separate from the control system 106, the control system 106 may also be configured to communicate with the memory system 108. In embodiments where the device includes a microphone system 112, the control system 106 may be configured to communicate with and control the microphone system 112. In embodiments where the device includes a speaker system 114, the control system 106 may be configured to communicate with and control the speaker system 114. According to some examples, the control system 106 may include one or more dedicated components for controlling the biometric authentication system 102, the touch sensor system 103, the memory system 108, the display system 110, the microphone system 112, or the speaker system 114. In some embodiments, the functionality of the control system 106 may be divided between one or more controllers or processors, such as between a dedicated sensor controller and an application processor of a mobile device.

[0044] In some examples, the memory system 108 may include one or more storage devices, such as one or more RAM devices, ROM devices, etc. In some embodiments, the memory system 108 may include one or more computer-readable media, storage media, or storage media. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any media that can transfer a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. In some examples, the memory system 108 may include one or more non-transitory media. As an example and not limitation, non-transitory media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disk ROM (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the required program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0045] Some embodiments of the apparatus 101 may include an interface system 104. In some examples, the interface system 104 may include a wireless interface system. In some embodiments, the interface system 104 may include a user interface system, one or more network interfaces, one or more interfaces between the control system 106 and the biometric authentication system 102, one or more interfaces between the control system 106 and the touch sensor system 103, one or more interfaces between the control system 106 and the memory system 108, one or more interfaces between the control system 106 and the display system 110, one or more interfaces between the control system 106 and the microphone system 112, one or more interfaces between the control system 106 and the speaker system 114, one or more interfaces between the control system 106 and the gesture sensor system 116, one or more interfaces between the control system 106 and one or more external device interfaces (such as a port or application processor), or a combination thereof.

[0046] The interface system 104 may be configured to provide communication between components of the apparatus 101 (which may include wired or wireless communication, electrical communication, radio communication, etc.). In some such examples, the interface system 104 may be configured to provide communication between the control system 106 and the biometric authentication system 102. According to some examples, the interface system 104 may couple at least a portion of the control system 106 to the biometric authentication system 102, and the interface system 104 may couple at least a portion of the control system 106 to the touch sensor system 103, such as via a conductive material (e.g., via a conductive metal wire or trace). According to some examples, the interface system 104 may be configured to provide communication between the apparatus 101 and one or more other devices. In some examples, the interface system 104 may be configured to provide communication between the apparatus 101 and a human. In some such examples, the interface system 104 may include one or more user interfaces. In some examples, the user interface may be provided via the touch sensor system 103, the display system 110, the microphone system 112, the gesture sensor system 116, the tactile feedback system, or a combination thereof. Therefore, although the interface system 104, the touch sensor system 103, the display system 110, the microphone system 112 and the gesture sensor system 116 are Figure 1 , but in some embodiments, the interface system 104 may include one or more of these elements, other elements (such as a tactile feedback system), or a combination thereof. In some examples, the interface system 104 may include one or more network interfaces or one or more external device interfaces (such as one or more universal serial bus (USB) interfaces or serial peripheral interfaces (SPI)).

[0047] In this example, device 101 includes a display system 110 having one or more displays. In some examples, display system 110 may be or may include a light emitting diode (LED) display, such as an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. In some such examples, display system 110 may include layers, which may be collectively referred to as a "display stack."

[0048] In some implementations, the apparatus 101 may include a microphone system 112. The microphone system 112 may include one or more microphones.

[0049] According to some embodiments, the apparatus 101 may include a speaker system 114. The speaker system 114 may include one or more speakers.

[0050] In some embodiments, the device 101 may include a gesture sensor system 116. The gesture sensor system 116 may be or may include an ultrasonic gesture sensor system, an optical gesture sensor system, or any other suitable type of gesture sensor system. In some examples, the control system may be configured to perform an authentication process based at least in part on gesture sensor signals from the gesture sensor system 116. For example, the control system may be configured to perform an authentication process based on matching a shape, pattern, etc. corresponding to the gesture sensor signal received from the gesture sensor system 116 with a shape, pattern, etc. previously received, for example, during a registration process. Thus, although in Figure 1 102 as a separate block, but in some implementations, the gesture sensor system 116 may be used as part of the biometric authentication system 102 .

[0051] The apparatus 101 can be used in a variety of different environments, some examples of which are disclosed herein. For example, in some embodiments, a mobile device may include at least a portion of the apparatus 101. In some embodiments, a wearable device may include at least a portion of the apparatus 101. The wearable device may be, for example, a bracelet, an armband, a wristband, a ring, a headband, or other head-mounted device or patch. In some embodiments, the control system 106 may reside in more than one device. For example, a portion of the control system 106 may reside in a wearable device, and another portion of the control system 106 may reside in another device, such as a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone). In other examples, a portion of the control system 106 may reside in a local device (such as a mobile device), and another portion of the control system 106 may reside in a remote device (such as a server). In some such examples, the interface system 104 may also reside in more than one device.

[0052] Figure 2 is a flow chart presenting an example of operations according to some disclosed methods. Figure 2 The frames may be performed by a device including a display and a control system. Figure 2 The frame can be composed, for example, of Figure 1 The device 101 or a similar device performs the above. For example, in some embodiments, Figure 1 The control system 106 may be configured to at least partially perform the Figure 2 In some examples, the apparatus may be a mobile device, such as a cellular phone. However, in other examples, the apparatus may be another type of device, such as a tablet, a laptop, an automobile or a component thereof, a wearable device, etc. As with other methods disclosed herein, Figure 2The method outlined in the may include more or fewer blocks than indicated. In addition, the blocks of the method disclosed herein are not necessarily executed in the order indicated. In some embodiments, one or more blocks may be executed simultaneously.

[0053] In this example, block 205 involves controlling the display system by the control system to present one or more limited-access virtual buttons in the security zone. In this example, the limited-access virtual button corresponds to a function of a device or a function of a software application to which access is limited. According to some examples, the limited-access virtual button may correspond to a function of a software application to which access is limited when the software application has been initialized. In other examples, the limited-access virtual button may correspond to a function of a device that is not directly associated with a specific software application, such as a function of a device related to an operating system function. According to some examples, the limited-access virtual button corresponds to a function of a device or a function of a software application to which access is limited when the device is in a security state (such as a "locked" state or a "sleep mode" state (also referred to herein as a "sleep condition")). In some examples, access to the function corresponding to the limited-access virtual button can be controlled via a biometric authentication process. In some such examples, the security zone corresponds to a fingerprint sensor area. Therefore, in some such examples, block 205 may involve controlling the display system to present one or more limited-access virtual buttons in the fingerprint sensor area.

[0054] According to this example, box 210 involves controlling the display system by the control system to present one or more virtual buttons with unlimited access in the non-safe zone. In this example, the non-safe zone is separated from the safe zone. Therefore, in this example, the control system is configured to control the display system to display the non-safe zone separately from the safe zone. In some such examples, box 210 may involve controlling the display system to display the non-safe zone separately from the safe zone, but displaying the non-safe zone on the same display that displays the safe zone. In some alternative examples, box 210 may involve controlling the display system to display the non-safe zone on the first display of the display system and the non-safe zone on the second display of the display system. In this example, the virtual button with unlimited access corresponds to a function of a device or a function of a software application to which access is unlimited. In some examples, box 210 may involve controlling the display system to present one or more virtual buttons with unlimited access outside the fingerprint sensor area.

[0055] In this example, block 215 involves performing an authentication process in response to a selection of a virtual button displayed in the secure zone. In some examples, the authentication process may be performed by the control system. In some examples, block 215 may involve initiating the authentication process by the control system and in response to receiving an indication of a touch in the restricted-access virtual button zone. The indication of a touch may correspond, for example, to a selection of a virtual button displayed in the secure zone by the control system from a touch sensor system (such as described above with reference to FIG. 1 ). Figure 1 According to some examples, the limited-access virtual button area may correspond to a selected limited-access virtual button from among the one or more limited-access virtual buttons.

[0056] According to some examples, the security zone may correspond to a fingerprint sensor area. In some such examples, the authentication process may be or may include a fingerprint authentication process. However, in other embodiments, the authentication process may be or may include a different type of process, such as a retinal scan or a gesture detection process. In some embodiments in which the authentication process is or includes a retinal scan, the control system may be configured to determine, for example, based on image data from a camera system that the user is viewing the security zone. However, the control system does not have to be configured to determine whether the user is viewing the security zone in the context of a retinal scan (e.g., before performing a retinal scan). For example, a retinal scan may be initiated in response to detecting a touch in a security zone. The authentication process may involve prompting the user to position their eyes in a position and orientation suitable for a retinal scan, such as by prompting the user to look at a target displayed on a display. The target may, for example, be located near a camera or other sensor configured to perform a retinal scan.

[0057] According to the example, block 215 involves executing a function of a device or software application to which access is limited after successful authentication. In some examples, the control system may execute a function of a device or software application to which access is limited after successful authentication. According to some such examples, the function corresponding to the selected limited-access virtual button may be enabled only at the end of a successful authentication process. According to some such examples, the control system may be configured to block access to the function corresponding to the limited-access virtual button if the authentication process is unsuccessful.

[0058] In some cases, the user may select a virtual button displayed in the non-secure zone. The virtual button displayed in the non-secure zone may correspond to a function to which access is unrestricted. In some embodiments, in response to the selection of the virtual button displayed in the non-secure zone, the control system may be configured to execute (or cause to be executed) a function of the device or software application to which access is unrestricted, without requiring successful completion of the authentication process.

[0059] In some embodiments, method 200 may involve controlling, by a control system, a display system to present the safety zone differently from the non-safe zone. Some such examples may involve controlling the display system to present a boundary between the safety zone and the non-safe zone. Alternatively or additionally, some examples may involve controlling the display system to present the safety zone in one color and the non-safe zone in another color, present the safety zone in one background pattern and the non-safe zone in another background pattern, present the safety zone in one pixel brightness level and the non-safe zone in another pixel brightness level, or a combination thereof.

[0060] Figure 3A , 3B 3C show examples of devices configured to perform at least some of the disclosed methods. As with other disclosed examples, Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The types, quantities, and arrangements of the elements shown in the drawings are presented as examples only. Other examples may include different types of elements, different quantities of elements, different arrangements of elements, or combinations thereof.

[0061] In these examples, device 101 is Figure 1 In these embodiments, the device 101 is an example of a device 101 including a biometric authentication system 102, a control system 106 ( Figure 2 1 and a mobile device (not shown) and display system 110. In these examples, biometric authentication system 102 includes a fingerprint sensor system. The fingerprint sensor system can be or can include an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, an optical fingerprint sensor, or another type of fingerprint sensor.

[0062] According to these examples, an active area 302 of the fingerprint sensor system is outlined in solid lines. The active area 302 may, for example, be an area that includes the fingerprint sensor pixel array. According to this example, the active area 302 corresponds to slightly more than 1 / 3 of the display area 310 of the display system 110. In alternative embodiments, the active area 302 may correspond to a larger portion or a smaller portion of the display area 310.

[0063] The active area 302 of the fingerprint sensor system is one example of a "safe zone" as disclosed herein. Figure 3A , 3B3C show examples of devices presenting graphical user interfaces (GUIs) with virtual buttons having limited access and virtual buttons having unlimited access. According to these examples, the virtual buttons having limited access are presented within a safety zone corresponding to the effective area 302, and the virtual buttons having unlimited access are presented outside the safety zone. In these examples, the control system controls the display system to present the safety zone differently from the non-safe zone: According to these examples, the control system controls the display system to present a boundary line 303 corresponding to the outline of the effective area 302 between the safety zone and the non-safe zone. In some alternative examples, the safety zone may be indicated, for example, by a displayed text such as "Safe Zone".

[0064] exist Figure 3A In the example shown, limited-access virtual buttons 304 and 306 are being displayed in a secure zone. In this example, limited-access virtual buttons 304 and 306 correspond to functions to which access is limited: here, access to functions corresponding to limited-access virtual buttons is controlled via a biometric authentication process, which in this example is a fingerprint authentication process. In this example, a control system 106 (not shown) of device 101 is configured to initiate an authentication process involving a fingerprint sensor of biometric authentication system 102 in response to receiving an indication of a touch in a limited-access virtual button area. A "limited-access virtual button area" corresponds to some or all of the area occupied by a limited-access virtual button. For example, the area within dashed line 307 is an example of a limited-access virtual button area. According to this example, a touch indication can be provided to control system 106 by touch sensor system 103.

[0065] In some instances, the control system 106 may be configured to determine fingerprint features, such as fingerprint minutiae, based on fingerprint image data received from a fingerprint sensor in a restricted-access virtual button area. According to some examples, the authentication process performed by the control system 106 may involve determining whether a currently acquired fingerprint minutiae set matches a previously acquired fingerprint minutiae set, which may have been acquired during an enrollment process.

[0066] According to this example, a user may access house-related software functions by interacting with limited-access virtual button 304 and one or more GUIs that may be subsequently presented. In this example, a user may access car-related functions by interacting with limited-access virtual button 306 and one or more GUIs that may be subsequently presented. According to this example, a user may access weather-related software functions by interacting with unlimited-access virtual button 308 and one or more GUIs that may be subsequently presented.

[0067] In some examples, limited-access virtual buttons 304 and 306 (and in some cases, unlimited-access virtual button 308) may correspond to functionality provided by a single software application. In some such examples, limited-access virtual buttons 304 and 306 (and in some cases, unlimited-access virtual button 308) may correspond to functionality provided by a single software application after the software application has been initialized or "opened." However, in other examples, limited-access virtual buttons 304 and 306 (and in some instances, unlimited-access virtual button 308) may correspond to functionality provided by more than one software application.

[0068] In some examples, a user may access the functionality of a house alarm system via the limited access virtual button 304 or via a similar virtual button. In some such examples, a user may access functionality related to one or more home security cameras, one or more remotely operable doors, one or more smart doorbell systems (such as a smart doorbell system that allows a user to view and / or communicate with people standing near a door) via the limited access virtual button 304. According to some examples, a user may access functionality of a "smart home" system via the limited access virtual button 304 or via a similar virtual button. In some such examples, a user may access functionality related to heating and / or cooling a home, functionality related to controlling one or more home appliances, etc. via the limited access virtual button 304. In some examples, a user may access functionality of a solar energy system via the limited access virtual button 304 or via a similar virtual button. In some such examples, a user may access information related to the power currently being generated by the solar energy system, the power currently being used by the home, and / or the power currently being provided or provided to the battery system by the battery system via the limited access virtual button 304. According to some such examples, a user may access, via limited-access virtual button 304, functionality related to the current configuration of the solar energy system, such as the minimum amount of energy that will remain in the battery system unless there is a power outage.

[0069] In some examples, the car-related functions that the user can access by interacting with the limited-access virtual button 306 or via a similar virtual button may include a car heating or cooling function, a car locking or unlocking function, etc. In some examples, the car-related functions may involve car movement, such as a parking function or a summon function. In some examples, the car-related functions may include electric vehicle functions, such as starting a battery charging session, selecting a battery charging limit, selecting one or more future battery charging times, etc.

[0070] exist Figure 3BIn the example shown, a limited-access virtual button 310 is being displayed in a secure zone. Figure 3A In the example of , the limited-access virtual button 310 corresponds to a function to which access is limited: Here, access to the function corresponding to the limited-access virtual button 310 is controlled via a biometric authentication process, which is a fingerprint authentication process in this example. According to this example, a user can access financial-related software functions by interacting with the limited-access virtual button 310. In some such examples, a user can make payments, view one or more financial account balances, transfer money into or out of a financial account, etc. by interacting with the limited-access virtual button 310 and one or more GUIs that may be subsequently presented. In this example, a user can access a financial news software application by interacting with the unlimited-access virtual button 308.

[0071] In some examples, the limited-access virtual button 310 and the unlimited-access virtual button 312 may correspond to functionality provided by a single software application. In some such examples, the limited-access virtual button 310 and the unlimited-access virtual button 312 may correspond to functionality provided by the single software application after the software application has been initialized or "opened." However, in other examples, the limited-access virtual button 310 and the unlimited-access virtual button 312 may correspond to functionality provided by more than one software application.

[0072] Figure 3C An example of an image that may be presented when the device 101 is locked is shown. Figure 3C In the example shown, limited-access virtual buttons 314, 316, 318, and 320 are being displayed in a secure zone. In this example, limited-access virtual buttons 314, 316, 318, and 320 correspond to functions to which access is limited: Here, access to the functions corresponding to limited-access virtual buttons 314, 316, 318, and 320 is controlled via a biometric authentication process, which in this example is a fingerprint authentication process.

[0073] In this example, if the subsequent fingerprint authentication process ends successfully, the user can unlock the device 101 by touching the virtual button 314. In some embodiments, the user can access the functions corresponding to the limited-access virtual buttons 316, 318, or 320 without unlocking the device 101 via the virtual button 314. According to this example, the user can access financial-related software functions by interacting with the limited-access virtual button 316 and one or more GUIs that can be subsequently presented. In some such examples, the user can make payments, view one or more financial account balances, transfer money into or out of financial accounts, etc. by interacting with the limited-access virtual button 316 and one or more GUIs that can be subsequently presented. In this example, the user can access scanner-related software functions, such as functions related to barcode scanning, by interacting with the limited-access virtual button 318 and one or more GUIs that can be subsequently presented. According to this example, the user can access camera-related software functions by interacting with the limited-access virtual button 320 and one or more GUIs that can be subsequently presented.

[0074] Figure 4 is a flow chart presenting an example of operations according to some alternative methods. Figure 4 Each frame of can be performed by a device including a display system and a control system. Figure 4 The frames of can be composed, for example, of Figure 1 101 or a similar device. For example, in some embodiments, Figure 1 The control system 106 may be configured to at least partially perform the Figure 4 The operations described herein. In some examples, the apparatus may be a mobile device, such as a cellular phone. However, in other examples, the apparatus may be another type of device, such as a tablet computer, a laptop computer, etc.

[0075] In some examples, method 400 may be performed at least in part by a server. According to some such examples, in blocks 405 and 415, the server may cause a display system of another device (such as an end-user device or EUD) to present the display indicated in blocks 405 and 415, for example, according to instructions sent by the server to the EUD. As with other methods disclosed herein, Figure 4 The method outlined in the may include more or fewer blocks than indicated. In addition, the blocks of the method disclosed herein do not have to be executed in the order shown. In some embodiments, one or more blocks may be executed simultaneously.

[0076] In this example, block 405 involves controlling, by the control system, the display system to present a safety zone prompt to define a safety zone for the graphical user interface. As described above, in some alternative examples, block 405 may involve a control system of one device (such as a server) causing a display of another device (such as an EUD display) to present a safety zone prompt to define a safety zone for the graphical user interface. In this example, block 410 involves receiving, by the control system and via the interface system, safety zone information defining the safety zone.

[0077] Figure 5A , Figure 5B and Figure 5C Examples of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that may be used to implement some aspects of the present disclosure are shown. Figure 5A It shows that according to Figure 4 505 . In this example, the device (which may be an instance of the device 101 disclosed herein) is presenting GUI 500. According to this example, text prompt 500 prompts the user to select a method for defining a security zone. The user can select the option of drawing a security zone by interacting with area 512, as indicated by text prompt 510: for example, the user can touch area 512, click on area 512, etc. Alternatively, in this example, the user can select the option of defining a security zone based on a fingerprint sensor area by interacting with area 517, as indicated by text prompt 515.

[0078] In this example, if the user interacts with region 512 or region 517, a pop-up window will be displayed allowing the user to provide Figure 4 One or more additional GUIs of safety zone information for box 410. For example, if the user selects area 512, one or more additional GUIs will be presented that allow the user to draw a safety zone.

[0079] Figure 5B shows that the user may respond to the indication that the user has selected Figure 5A 512. In this example, the GUI 520 includes a text prompt 525 to define the safety zone by moving and / or shaping the safety zone rectangle 530. For example, the user can shape the safety zone rectangle 530 via multiple finger touches, such as by pinching the full area rectangle 530 so that it appears as a smaller shape, by expanding the safety zone rectangle 530 so that it appears as a larger shape, etc. Alternatively or additionally, in some examples, the user can move the safety zone rectangle 530 via a single finger touch. According to this example, the user can indicate that the safety zone has been defined by touching or clicking on the text box 532. In some examples, in response to detecting an interaction with the text box 532, the control system can receive safety zone information defining the safety zone via the interface system. This is Figure 44. In other examples, the safety zone may be a shape other than a rectangular shape.

[0080] In some examples, if the user selects Figure 5A 517, one or more additional GUIs will be presented that allow the user to define a security zone based on the fingerprint sensor area. In some such examples, one or more additional GUIs will be presented that allow the user to specify a product that includes a fingerprint sensor (such as a specific type of mobile device, for example, a type of cellular phone). The control system can be configured to access a data structure that includes products and corresponding fingerprint sensor areas. In some such embodiments, the control system can be configured to present (or cause to be presented) an image of a product or portion thereof that indicates a security zone corresponding to a fingerprint sensor area.

[0081] Return to Figure 4 In this example, box 415 involves controlling the display system by the control system to present a limited-access virtual button prompt to define one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the security zone. As described above, in some alternative examples, box 415 may involve a control system of a device (such as a server) causing a display of another device (such as an EUD display) to present a limited-access virtual button prompt to define one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the security zone. In this example, box 420 involves receiving limited-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the security zone by the control system and via the interface system.

[0082] Figure 5C It shows that according to Figure 4 535 of GUI 550. In this example, a user can interact with text box 535 of GUI 550 (e.g., by touching text box 535 or clicking on text box 535) to select one or more files corresponding to the virtual button image for display in the secure zone. In response to receiving user input via text box 535, in some examples, the control system can launch a browser application that allows the user to select one or more files corresponding to the virtual button image.

[0083] In this example, GUI 550 also includes a “drag and drop” area 540. Instead of selecting one or more files corresponding to the virtual button image via text box 535 (or in addition to selecting one or more files corresponding to the virtual button image via text box 535), in this example, the user can select one or more such files (e.g., after opening another window that provides access to the one or more files corresponding to the virtual button image) and drag them to “drag and drop” area 540. Thus, in this example, according to Figure 4 box 420, via text box 535 or via Figure 5C In the “drag and drop” area 540 of the security zone, the control system can receive limited-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the security zone.

[0084] According to some examples, Figure 4 The method 400 may involve receiving function information corresponding to each limited-access virtual button information, additional GUI information about one or more GUIs to be presented in response to interaction with each limited-access virtual button information, and the like.

[0085] In some examples, method 400 may involve controlling, by a control system, a display system to present an unrestricted-access virtual button prompt to define one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside a secure zone. In some alternative examples, method 400 may involve a control system of one device (such as a server) causing a display of another device (such as an EUD display) to present an unrestricted-access virtual button prompt to define one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside a secure zone. Method 400 may also involve receiving, by a control system and via an interface system, unrestricted-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside a secure zone.

[0086] In this example, block 425 involves configuring a graphical user interface based on the security zone information and the limited-access virtual button information. In some examples, method 400 may involve configuring a graphical user interface based on the unlimited-access virtual button information. In some such examples, method 400 may involve displaying a graphical user interface that includes limited-access virtual buttons displayed in the security zone and unlimited-access virtual buttons displayed outside the security zone. In some such examples, method 400 may involve saving one or more files corresponding to the graphical user interface.

[0087] Examples of implementation are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0088] 1. A method for controlling a device, the method involving: controlling a display system by a control system to present one or more virtual buttons with restricted access in a secure area, the virtual buttons with restricted access corresponding to functions of the device or functions of a software application to which access is restricted; controlling the display system by the control system to present one or more virtual buttons with unrestricted access in a non-secure area, the non-secure area being separated from the secure area, the virtual buttons with unrestricted access corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is unrestricted; and in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the secure area, performing an authentication process and executing the functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is restricted after successful authentication.

[0089] 2. A method according to clause 1, wherein the limited-access virtual button corresponds to a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is restricted when the device is in a secure state or when the software application has been initialized, the security state corresponding to a locked or sleep condition.

[0090] 3. A method according to clause 1 or clause 2, wherein if the authentication process is unsuccessful, access to the function corresponding to the limited-access virtual button is blocked.

[0091] 4. A method according to any of clauses 1-3, wherein the security zone corresponds to a fingerprint sensor area, and wherein the authentication process is a fingerprint authentication process.

[0092] 5. The method of any one of clauses 1-4, further involving executing, in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the non-secure area, a function of the device or a function of a software application to which access is unrestricted without authentication.

[0093] 6. A method according to any of clauses 1-5, wherein the safety area is presented on a first display of the display system, and wherein the non-safety area is presented on a second display of the display system.

[0094] 7. The method according to any one of clauses 1-6, further comprising controlling the display system by the control system to present the safety area differently from the non-safety area.

[0095] 8. A method according to any one of clauses 1-7, wherein the authentication process includes a retinal scan or a gesture detection process.

[0096] 9. A device comprising: a display system including one or more displays; a biometric authentication system; and a control system configured to communicate with the display system, the control system configured to: control the display system to present one or more virtual buttons with restricted access in a secure area, the virtual buttons with restricted access corresponding to functions of the device or functions of a software application with restricted access; control the display system to present one or more virtual buttons with unrestricted access in a non-secure area, the non-secure area being separated from the secure area, the virtual buttons with unrestricted access corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application with unrestricted access; and in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the secure area, control the biometric authentication system to perform an authentication process; execute a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is restricted after successful authentication; and if the authentication process is unsuccessful, prevent execution of the function of the device or the function of the software application with restricted access.

[0097] 10. A device according to clause 9, wherein the limited-access virtual button corresponds to a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is limited when the device is in a secure state, the secure state corresponding to a locked or sleep condition.

[0098] 11. A device according to clause 9 or clause 10, wherein the limited-access virtual button corresponds to a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is limited when the software application is initialized.

[0099] 12. An apparatus according to any of clauses 9-11, wherein the secure zone corresponds to a biometric authentication system zone of a biometric authentication system.

[0100] 13. An apparatus according to any of clauses 9-12, wherein the biometric authentication system comprises a fingerprint sensor system, and wherein the secure zone corresponds to a fingerprint sensor area of ​​the fingerprint sensor system.

[0101] 14. An apparatus according to any of clauses 9-13, wherein, in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the non-secure area, the control system is further configured to execute a function of the device or access a function of an unrestricted software application without authentication.

[0102] 15. An apparatus according to any of clauses 9 to 14, wherein the control system is configured to present the safety zone on a first display of the display system and to present the non-safety zone on a second display of the display system.

[0103] 16. The apparatus according to any of clauses 9-15, wherein the control system is further configured to control the display system to present the safety zone differently from the non-safety zone.

[0104] 17. An apparatus according to any of clauses 9-16, wherein the authentication process comprises a retinal scan or a gesture detection process.

[0105] 18. A device comprising: a display system including one or more displays; a biometric authentication system; and a control device, which is used to: control the display system to present one or more virtual buttons with restricted access in a secure area, the virtual buttons with restricted access corresponding to functions of the device or functions of a software application with restricted access; control the display system to present one or more virtual buttons with unlimited access in a non-secure area, the non-secure area being separated from the secure area, the virtual buttons with unlimited access corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application with unlimited access; and in response to selection of the virtual buttons displayed in the secure area, control the biometric authentication system to perform an authentication process; execute the functions of the device or the functions of the software application to which access is restricted after successful authentication; and if the authentication process is unsuccessful, prevent the execution of the functions of the device or the functions of the software application with restricted access.

[0106] 19. A device according to clause 18, wherein the limited-access virtual button corresponds to a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is limited when the device is in a secure state or when the software application has been initialized.

[0107] 20. An apparatus according to clause 18 or clause 19, wherein, in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the non-secure area, the control means comprises means for executing a function of the device or accessing a function of an unrestricted software application without authentication.

[0108] 21. One or more non-transitory media having stored thereon instructions for controlling a device to execute a method, the method involving: controlling a display system of the device by a control system of the device to present one or more virtual buttons with restricted access in a secure area, the virtual buttons with restricted access corresponding to functions of the device or functions of a software application with restricted access; and controlling the display system by the control system to present one or more virtual buttons with unlimited access in a non-secure area, the non-secure area being separated from the secure area, the virtual buttons with unlimited access corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application with unlimited access; and in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the secure area, performing an authentication process and executing the function of the device or the function of the software application to which access is restricted after successful authentication.

[0109] 22. One or more non-transitory media as described in clause 21, wherein if the authentication process is unsuccessful, access to the functionality corresponding to the limited-access virtual button is blocked.

[0110] 23. One or more non-transitory media as described in clause 21 or clause 22, wherein the method further comprises: in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the non-secure area, executing a function of the device or accessing a function of an unrestricted software application without authentication.

[0111] 24. One or more non-transitory media according to any of clauses 21-23, wherein the security zone corresponds to a fingerprint sensor area.

[0112] 25. A method for developing a graphical user interface for a software application, the method comprising: controlling a display system by a control system to present a security zone prompt to define a security zone of the graphical user interface; receiving security zone information defining the security zone by the control system and via an interface system; controlling the display system by the control system to present a restricted-access virtual button prompt to define one or more restricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the security zone; receiving restricted-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more restricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the security zone by the control system and via the interface system; and configuring the graphical user interface based on the security zone information and the restricted-access virtual button information.

[0113] 26. The method of clause 25, wherein the graphical user interface is for a software application designed to run on a mobile device.

[0114] 27. A method according to clause 25 or clause 26, wherein the security zone information corresponds to a fingerprint sensor area.

[0115] 28. The method according to any one of clauses 25-27 further includes: controlling the display system by a control system to present an unrestricted-access virtual button prompt to define one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the security zone; receiving unrestricted-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the security zone by the control system and via the interface system; and configuring the graphical user interface according to the unrestricted-access virtual button information.

[0116] 29. One or more non-transitory media having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to control a device to perform a method comprising: controlling a display system of the device by a control system of the device to present a security zone prompt to define a security zone of the graphical user interface; receiving security zone information defining the security zone by the control system and via the interface system of the device; controlling the display system by the control system to present a restricted-access virtual button prompt to define one or more restricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the security zone; receiving restricted-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more restricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the security zone by the control system and via the interface system; and configuring the graphical user interface based on the security zone information and the restricted-access virtual button information.

[0117] 30. The one or more non-transitory media of clause 29, wherein the graphical user interface is for a software application designed to run on a mobile device.

[0118] 31. One or more non-transitory media according to clause 29 or clause 30, wherein the security zone information corresponds to a fingerprint sensor area.

[0119] 32. One or more non-transitory media according to any one of clauses 29-31, further comprising: controlling a display system by a control system to present an unrestricted-access virtual button prompt to define one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the security zone; receiving unrestricted-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the security zone by the control system and via the interface system; and configuring the graphical user interface based on the unrestricted-access virtual button information.

[0120] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one" of a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of: a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc.

[0121] The various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been generally described in terms of functionality and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the design constraints imposed on the overall system and the specific application.

[0122] The hardware and data processing devices of various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed using a general purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or any combination designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some embodiments, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuits specific to a given function.

[0123] In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or any combination thereof. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may also be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium to be executed by a data processing apparatus or to control the operation of a data processing device.

[0124] If implemented in software, the function may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory medium) or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes. The process of the method or algorithm disclosed herein may be implemented in a processor executable software module that may reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that can transfer a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access. As an example and not limitation, non-transitory media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection may be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. The disks and optical disks used herein include optical disks (CDs), laser optical disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks, and blue-ray disks, wherein the disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while the optical disks reproduce data optically by lasers. The above combination should also be included in the scope of computer-readable media. Furthermore, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside on a machine-readable medium and a computer-readable medium as one or any combination or set of codes and instructions, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0125] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented herein, but rather to be given the broadest scope consistent with the claims, principles, and novel features disclosed herein. Here, if any, the word "exemplary" is used specifically herein to mean "used as an example, instance, or illustration." None of the embodiments described herein is necessarily to be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0126] Certain features described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable subcombination. In addition, although features may be described above as functioning in certain combinations, even as initially claimed features, in some cases one or more features from a claimed combination may be separated from that combination, and a claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or a variation of a subcombination.

[0127] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order presented or in a continuous order, or that all of the operations shown be performed to obtain the desired results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of various system components in the above-described embodiments should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. In addition, other embodiments are also within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions described in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired results.

[0128] It should be understood that unless the features in any specifically described embodiment are explicitly identified as being incompatible with each other or the surrounding circumstances suggest that they are mutually exclusive and not easily combined in a complementary or supporting sense, the overall concept of the present disclosure contemplates that the specific features of those complementary embodiments may be selectively combined to provide one or more comprehensive, but slightly different technical solutions. Therefore, it will be further appreciated that the above description is given by way of example only and that modifications in detail may be made within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a device, the method comprising: controlling, by the control system, the display system to present one or more limited-access virtual buttons in the secure zone, the limited-access virtual buttons corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is limited; controlling the display system by the control system to present one or more virtual buttons with unrestricted access in a non-secure area, the non-secure area being separate from the secure area, the virtual buttons with unrestricted access corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is unrestricted; as well as In response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the secure zone, an authentication process is performed and after successful authentication, the function of the device or the function of the software application to which access is restricted is executed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The limited-access virtual button corresponds to a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is limited when the device is in a secure state or when the software application has been initialized, the secure state corresponding to a locked or sleep condition.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: If the authentication process is unsuccessful, access to the functionality corresponding to the limited-access virtual button is blocked.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The security zone corresponds to a fingerprint sensor area, and wherein the authentication process is a fingerprint authentication process.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the non-secure area, a function of the device or a function of a software application to which access is not restricted is executed without authentication.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The safety zone is presented on a first display of the display system, and wherein the non-safety zone is presented on a second display of the display system. 7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling, by the control system, the display system to present the safety zone differently from the non-safety zone.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The authentication process includes a retina scanning or a gesture detection process.

9. An apparatus comprising: A display system, the display system comprising one or more displays; Biometric authentication systems; as well as A control system, the control system being configured to communicate with the display system, the control system being configured to: controlling the display system to present one or more limited-access virtual buttons in the secure zone, the limited-access virtual buttons corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is limited; controlling the display system to present one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons in an unsecured area, the unsecured area being separate from the secure area, the unrestricted-access virtual buttons corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is unrestricted; and, in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the safety zone, controlling the biometric authentication system to perform an authentication process; executing, after successful authentication, a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is restricted; as well as If the authentication process is unsuccessful, execution of functions of the device or software application to which access is restricted is blocked.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The limited-access virtual button corresponds to a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is limited when the device is in a secure state, the secure state corresponding to a locked or sleep condition.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The limited-access virtual button corresponds to a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is limited when the software application is initialized.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The security zone corresponds to a biometric authentication system area of ​​the biometric authentication system.

13. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The biometric authentication system includes a fingerprint sensor system, and wherein the secure zone corresponds to a fingerprint sensor area of ​​the fingerprint sensor system.

14. The device according to claim 9, wherein: In response to the selection of the virtual button displayed in the non-secure area, the control system is further configured to execute, without authentication, the function of the device or the function of the software application to which access is unrestricted.

15. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The control system is configured to present the safety zone on a first display of the display system and present the non-safety zone on a second display of the display system.

16. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The control system is further configured to control the display system to present the safety zone differently from the non-safety zone.

17. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The authentication process includes a retina scanning or a gesture detection process.

18. An apparatus comprising: A display system, the display system comprising one or more displays; Biometric authentication systems; as well as Control device for: controlling the display system to present one or more limited-access virtual buttons in the secure zone, the limited-access virtual buttons corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is limited; controlling the display system to present one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons in an unsecured area, the unsecured area being separate from the secure area, the unrestricted-access virtual buttons corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is unrestricted; and, in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the safety zone, controlling the biometric authentication system to perform an authentication process; executing, after successful authentication, a function of the device or a function of the software application to which access is restricted; as well as If the authentication process is unsuccessful, execution of functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is restricted is blocked.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein: The limited-access virtual buttons correspond to functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is limited when the device is in a secure state or when the software application has been initialized.

20. The device according to claim 18, wherein In response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the non-secure area, the control means comprises means for executing, without authentication, a function of the function of the device or software application to which access is unrestricted.

21. One or more non-transitory media having stored thereon instructions for controlling an apparatus to perform a method comprising: controlling, by a control system of the device, a display system of the device to present one or more limited-access virtual buttons in a secure area, the limited-access virtual buttons corresponding to functions of the device or functions of a software application to which access is limited; The control system controls the display system to present one or more virtual buttons with unlimited access in a non-secure area, the non-secure area being separated from the secure area, the virtual buttons with unlimited access corresponding to functions of the device or functions of the software application to which access is unlimited; as well as In response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the secure zone, an authentication process is performed and after successful authentication, the function of the device or the function of the software application to which access is restricted is executed.

22. The one or more non-transitory media of claim 21, wherein: If the authentication process is unsuccessful, access to the function corresponding to the limited-access virtual button is blocked.

23. The one or more non-transitory media of claim 21, wherein: The method further includes, in response to selection of a virtual button displayed in the non-secure area, executing, without authentication, a function of the function of the device or the software application to which access is not restricted.

24. The one or more non-transitory media of claim 21, wherein: The security zone corresponds to the fingerprint sensor area.

25. A method of developing a graphical user interface for a software application, the method comprising: The control system controls the display system to present a safety zone prompt to define a safety zone of the graphical user interface; receiving, by the control system and via the interface system, safety zone information defining the safety zone; controlling the display system by a control system to present a limited-access virtual button prompt to define one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the secure zone; receiving, by the control system and via the interface system, limited-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the secure zone; as well as The graphical user interface is configured according to the security zone information and the limited-access virtual button information.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The graphical user interface is for a software application designed to run on a mobile device.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The security zone information corresponds to a fingerprint sensor area.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising: controlling the display system by a control system to present an unrestricted-access virtual button prompt to define one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the secure zone; receiving, by the control system and via the interface system, unrestricted-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the secure zone; as well as The graphical user interface is configured according to the unrestricted-access virtual button information.

29. One or more non-transitory media having stored thereon instructions for controlling a device to perform a method, the method comprising: Controlling, by a control system of the device, a display system of the device to present a safety zone prompt to define a safety zone of the graphical user interface; receiving, by the control system and via an interface system of the device, safety zone information defining the safety zone; controlling, by a control system, the display system to present a restricted access virtual button prompt to define one or more restricted access virtual buttons to be displayed in the secure zone; receiving, by the control system and via the interface system, limited-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more limited-access virtual buttons to be displayed in the secure zone; as well as The graphical user interface is configured according to the security zone information and the limited-access virtual button information.

30. The one or more non-transitory media of claim 29, wherein: The graphical user interface is for a software application designed to run on a mobile device.

31. The one or more non-transitory media of claim 29, wherein: The security zone information corresponds to a fingerprint sensor area.

32. The one or more non-transitory media of claim 29, wherein: The method further comprises: controlling the display system by a control system to present an unrestricted-access virtual button prompt to define one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the secure zone; receiving, by the control system and via the interface system, unrestricted-access virtual button information corresponding to one or more unrestricted-access virtual buttons to be displayed outside the secure zone; and The graphical user interface is configured according to the unrestricted-access virtual button information.

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