Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a continuation patent from Apple that relates to reducing the display stack that will enable Apple to deliver thinner and brighter micro-LED displays with integrated solar cells for thinner displays supporting touch-screen based fingerprint ID on an iDevice (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch), Macs, multiple and/or foldable display systems and more.

Apple states in their 2020 granted patent that "the light sensing system can assemble an image of an object touching the display …" which is describing Touch ID built-into a display for Apple Watch for example.

To clarify this point, Apple further stated that "the light sensing system is used as an ambient light sensor and in some cases used in an optical imaging system (e.g. camera, light field sensor, depth sensor, fingerprint imaging sensor, iris or retina imaging system, and so on); a touch input sensor; a force input sensor; a biometric measurement system (e.g., photoplethysmogram sensor, blood oxygenation sensor, respiration sensor, and so on); and so on.

Apple's Patent FIG. 5 below depicts a simplified schematic view of a display stack that can incorporate a light sensing system for detection of incident light including multiple discrete light sensors; FIG. 3 depicts another example arrangement of pixels of a display stack incorporating a light sensing system.

Apple noted in patent point #55 that "although the electronic device includes a single rectangular display, it may be appreciated that this example is not exhaustive. Other embodiments are implemented with displays taking other shapes, including three-dimensional shapes (e.g., curved displays, foldable displays, and so on).

Although another Apple site is treating this as a new patent, it's not. We covered this as a granted patent in October 2020 in a report titled "Apple is working on Thinner next-gen micro-LED Displays with Integrated Solar Cells, Multiple Display Devices and much more." You could review the report for more patent figures and details.

So, what is today's patent really about? The US Patent Office published a continuation patent from Apple which is only about adding or changing "patent claims" to strengthen the protection of their invention. Apple is out to ensure that the invention is protected properly. Apple can only defend their patents in case of an infringement case based on the strength of their patent claims.

Today we see that Apple actually cancelled 20 of the 22 claims found in their October 2020 granted patent. Below are Apple's new patent claims where we see that the emphasis on this invention is Touch ID and not Face ID. We've highlighted the emphasis on Touch ID in yellow.

Apple communicates that patent claims 1-20 were cancelled followed by the new claims as follows:

21. An electronic device comprising: a housing defining an interior volume; a biometric imaging sensor comprising an array of light sensors; and a display disposed within the internal volume and comprising: a substrate; and an array of pixels defined on the substrate and separated by interpixel regions; wherein: each light sensor of the array of light sensors is formed onto the substrate within the interpixel regions, coplanar with the array of pixels, and configured to receive light emitted from the array of pixels that reflects from a surface of a user's finger touching the display.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the biometric imaging sensor comprises a controller conductively coupled to each light sensor of the array of light sensors.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein each light sensor is conductively coupled to the controller via a dedicated signal path.

24. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to generate an image of a fingerprint of the user's finger in response to receiving output from the array of light sensors.
25. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein teach light sensor comprises an organic solar cell.

26. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the controller is communicably coupled to a processor of the electronic device.

27. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein each light sensor shares a border with a pixel of the array of pixels.

28. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the array of light sensors is configured to receive light during an off period of a duty cycle of the array of pixels.

29. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the display is a micro light emitting diode display

30. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein each light sensor of the array of light sensors comprises a photodiode.

31. The electronic device of claim 30, wherein each photodiode of each light sensor of the array of light sensors is configured to detect infrared light.

32. An electronic device comprising: a housing defining an interior volume; a display disposed within the internal volume and comprising: a substrate; and an array of pixels formed in a pattern on the substrate and separated by interpixel regions, thereby defining interpixel regions; and an optical fingerprint sensor comprising an array of photodiodes, each photodiode of the array formed onto interpixel regions the substrate of the display, sharing a border with at least one pixel of the array of pixels, and configured to receive light incident to the display.

33. The electronic device of claim 32, wherein the optical fingerprint sensor comprises a controller conductively coupled to each photodiode of the array of photodiodes.

34. The electronic device of claim 33, wherein the controller is conductively coupled to each photodiode of the array of photodiodes by a dedicated circuit.

35. The electronic device of claim 34, wherein at least one dedicated circuit trace is formed onto the substrate.

36. The electronic device of claim 34, wherein at least one dedicated circuit trace is formed onto interpixel regions of the substrate.

37. The electronic device of claim 33, wherein the controller is configured to generate an image of a fingerprint of a user touching the display.

    38.The electronic device of claim 32, wherein the optical fingerprint sensor is configured to operate only during an off period of a duty cycle of the display.

39. A method of imaging a surface of a display of an electronic device, the method comprising: detecting a touch input to a display with a touch input sensor aligned with the display; selecting a set of light-emitting elements based on a location of the touch input; selecting a set of light sensors defined within interpixel regions separating pixels of the selected set of light-emitting elements; illuminating the selected set of light-emitting elements at a selected duty cycle; operate the selected set of light sensors during an off period of a duty cycle of the display; determine magnitude of light received by the selected set of light sensors; and assemble a two-dimensional image based on the received light.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the two-dimensional image is a fingerprint image of the touch input.

So, while our competitor raced their report this morning and presented it as new patent filing emphasizing Face ID, the reality is that it's a continuation patent that advances an already granted patent. The revised patent also emphasizes Touch ID and never once mentioned Face ID in their new patent claims that demonstrates that it's not the focus of the invention at this point in time.

Today USPTO published Apple's continuation patent 20210064159.

Considering that this is a continuation patent, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.