Expansion card and integrated fingerprint acquisition system

Abstract

An expansion card with an integrated fingerprint acquisition system is provided that is able to be connected to a portable computer. In one aspect of the invention, PCMCIA standards are used for the expansion card. The expansion card is built such the fingerprint acquisition system is on a slidable carriage which may extend out from the expansion card housing, or may be retracted into the housing when the fingerprint acquisition system is not in use. A locking mechanism keeps the carriage in the retracted position, and a spring provides the force necessary to slide the carriage into the extended position when pressure is placed on the slidable carriage. An advantage of the invention is that the fingerprint recognition device is small enough to fit within a PCMCIA standard expansion card. Another advantage of the invention is that the fingerprint recognition system, when not in use, is enclosed within a portable computer's housing such that the invention does not use additional desk space in addition to the portable computer itself, other than that necessary for the retractable access portion to extend into an extended position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.