It may seem like something pulled straight out of a sci-fi film, but according to a recent patent filing, Apple is working on advanced security techniques for unlocking your iPhone.

The type of unlocking I speak of is related to the iPhone’s slide to unlock feature, not unlocking from a carrier like AT&T.  Apple is testing different methods of unlocking your iPhone to better secure information contained on the device.  Instead of the usual slide to unlock, or even passcodes, Apple is testing other means such as fingerprint scanning.

The difference between Apple’s implementation, as opposed to other device’s offerings, is that Apple intends to make it as unobtrusive to the user as possible.  One of the methods described for unlocking the iPhone is placing a fingerprint scanner behind the screen.  As illustrated in the photo, a scanner could be placed underneath the slider to serve dual purposes.

Apple lists other examples such as a forward-facing camera used for retinal scanning, facial recognition, or even ear shape recognition.

Other more simple methods are listed as well, including tilt recognition, placing fingers on the screen in a certain pattern, gesture recognition, and tap sequences.  Voice recognition is also listed in the patent.

This is simply just another patent filing by Apple.  It’s rare for Apple’s patents to actually make it all the way to production, so don’t expect to see these features anytime soon.

As an interesting side note, this patent was originally filed in September of last year while only being published this week which may explain why a few icons in the illustrations aren’t available on your iPhone.

It has also been mentioned that the applications shown in some of the illustrations are available to jailbroken iPhone users, causing a bit of confusion among Apple loyalists.  As to why Apple would include illustrations of a jailbroken iPhone in a patent filing, one can only guess.  Maybe Apple has a pretty good sense of humor?

[via AppleInsider]