Garage Door Operator Having Thumbprint Identification System

A finger print access control which effects operation of a movable barrier operator which movable barrier operator moves a barrier and which barrier controls access to a secure area, the finger print access control comprising:

• a fingerprint communicating unit disposed outside the secure area and remote from a barrier movement operator inside the secure area, the fingerprint communicating unit comprising:
• a fingerprint sensor disposed outside the secure area which generates finger print code representative of a finger print and a signal representative of the fingerprint;
• a transmitter controller which combines the finger print code representing the fingerprint with a separate rolling access code to provide a changing combined authorization code and a changing combined authorization code signal representative of the changing combined authorization code, which separate rolling access code is configured to effect access to the secured area by active communication with a rolling code acceptance apparatus and, which separate rolling access code changes without regard to the time of the active communication but which change is effected as a result of each combined signal transmission in accordance with an algorithm to produce the changing combined authorization code and changing combined authorization code signal which is representative of the separate rolling access code and the finger print code;
• a transmitter which emits the changing combined authorization code signal representative of a sensed fingerprint from the fingerprint sensor and the separate rolling access code;
• and
• the barrier movement operator comprising:
• a receiver inside the secure area which receives the changing combined authorization code signal representative of the separate rolling access code and the sensed fingerprint, the receiver having a learning mode in which a portion of the combined authorization code signal which is representative of the sensed fingerprint emitted by the transmitter is received by the barrier movement operator and stored in a memory thereof;
• a fingerprint circuit disposed inside the secure area and responsive to the received changing combined authorization code signal, the fingerprint circuit configured to decode the portion of the changing combined authorization code signal to identify the portion of the changing combined code signal representing the sensed fingerprint and configured to determine whether the portion of the signal representing the sensed fingerprint is representative of an authorized user, the finger print circuit effective for receiving the changing combined authorization code signal, separating the portion of the received changing combined authorization code signal representative of the sensed fingerprint from the separate rolling access code, and reading the stored signal representative of the sensed finger print to verify authorized users without transmitting a signal to the transmitter;
• the rolling code acceptance apparatus inside the secured area and configured to determine whether the separate rolling access code is acceptable after the fingerprint circuit verifies the authorized user;
• and
• a barrier operator circuit which commands a barrier to assume a particular position when the sensed fingerprint is determined to be from an authorized user and the separate rolling access code is determined to be acceptable.

A transmitter device which effects signals to a moveable barrier operator which responsively moves a barrier as a result of receiving the signals from the transmitter device, the transmitter comprising:

• a transmit only transmitter;
• and
• a fingerprint sensor,
• the transmitter configured to transmit a signal representative of a combination of a finger print code representing a fingerprint and a separate rolling access code which combination and signal representative of the combination changes as a result of each combined signal transmission in accordance with a predetermined algorithm and without regard to the time of the signal transmission.

A method for controlling a moveable barrier operator, the method comprising:

• generating a signal and code representative of a sensed fingerprint from a fingerprint sensor disposed outside the secure area;
• combining the code representing the sensed fingerprint with a separate rolling access code with a transmitter controller outside the secured area to provide a changing combined authorization code;
• changing combined authorization code signal which includes the signal representative of the sensed finger print and the separate rolling access code, which separate rolling access code is configured to effect access to the secured area by active communication with a rolling code acceptance apparatus and which separate rolling access code changes in accordance with a predetermined algorithm to produce the changing combined authorization code signal which changes with each encoded signal transmission and which separate rolling access code changes without regard to the time of the active communication but which change is effected as a result of each combined signal transmission in accordance with an algorithm to produce the changing combined authorization code signal;
• wirelessly emitting with a transmitter outside the secured area the changing combined authorization code signal representative of the sensed fingerprint from the fingerprint sensor and the separate rolling access code;
• receiving the changing combined authorization code signal representative of the sensed fingerprint and separate rolling access code with a receiver inside the secured area, the receiver having a learning mode in which the signal representing a fingerprint emitted by the transmitter is received by the barrier movement operator and stored in a memory;
• determining whether a portion of the changing combined authorization code signal representing the sensed fingerprint is representative of an authorized user with a fingerprint circuit disposed inside the secure area, the finger print circuit responsive to the received changing combined authorization code signal for decoding the changing combined authorization code signal to identify the signal representing the sensed fingerprint, the finger print circuit effective for receiving a finger print identifying signal representative of the sensed finger print, separating the received combined signal representative of the sensed fingerprint from the separate rolling access code, and reading the stored signal representative of a finger print to verify authorized users without transmitting a signal to the transmitter;
• determining whether the separate rolling access code is acceptable after the fingerprint circuit verifies the authorized user to effect access to the secured area with the rolling code acceptance apparatus inside the secured area;
• and
• commanding a barrier operator to assume a particular position with a barrier operator circuit when the sensed fingerprint is determined to be from an authorized user and the separate rolling access code is determined to be acceptable.

A finger print access control which effects operation of a movable barrier operator which movable barrier operator moves a barrier and which barrier controls access to a secure area, the finger print access control comprising:

• a fingerprint communicating unit disposed outside the secure area and remote from a barrier movement operator inside the secure area, the fingerprint communicating unit comprising:
• a fingerprint sensor disposed outside the secure area which generates finger print code representative of a finger print and a signal representative of the fingerprint;
• a transmitter controller which combines the finger print code representing the fingerprint with a separate rolling access code to provide a changing combined authorization code and a changing combined authorization code signal representative of the changing combined authorization code, which separate rolling access code is configured to effect access to the secured area by active communication with a rolling code acceptance apparatus and, which separate rolling access code changes without regard to the time of the active communication but which change is effected as a result of each combined signal transmission in accordance with a predetermined algorithm to produce the changing combined authorization code and changing combined authorization code signal which is representative of the separate rolling access code and the finger print code;
• a wireless transmitter which wirelessly emits the changing combined authorization code signal representative of a sensed fingerprint from the fingerprint sensor and the separate rolling access code;
• and
• the barrier movement operator comprising:
• a receiver inside the secure area which receives the changing combined authorization code wireless signal representative of the separate rolling access code and the sensed fingerprint, the receiver having a learning mode in which a portion of the combined authorization code signal which is representative of the sensed fingerprint emitted by the transmitter is received by the barrier movement operator and stored in a memory thereof;
• a fingerprint circuit disposed inside the secure area and responsive to the received changing combined authorization code signal, the fingerprint circuit configured to decode the portion of the changing combined authorization code signal to identify the portion of the changing combined code signal representing the sensed fingerprint and configured to determine whether the portion of the signal representing the sensed fingerprint is representative of an authorized user, the finger print circuit effective for receiving the changing combined authorization code signal, separating the portion of the received changing combined authorization code signal representative of the sensed fingerprint from the separate rolling access code, and reading the stored signal representative of the sensed finger print to verify authorized users without transmitting a signal to the transmitter;
• the rolling code acceptance apparatus inside the secured area, the rolling code acceptance apparatus configured to determine whether the separate rolling access code is acceptable;
• and
• a barrier operator circuit which commands a barrier to assume a particular position when the sensed fingerprint is determined to be from an authorized user and the separate rolling access code is determined to be acceptable.

A transmitter device which effects operation of a movable barrier operator which movable barrier operator moves a barrier and which barrier controls access to a secure area, the transmitter device comprising:

• a fingerprint communicating unit disposed outside the secure area and remote from a barrier movement operator inside the secure area, the fingerprint communicating unit comprising:
• a fingerprint sensor disposed outside the secure area which generates finger print code representative of a finger print and a signal representative of the fingerprint;
• a transmitter controller which combines the finger print code representing the fingerprint with a separate rolling access code to provide a changing combined authorization code and a changing combined authorization code signal representative of the changing combined authorization code, which separate rolling access code is configured to effect access to the secured area and which separate rolling access code changes without regard to the time of the active communication but which change is effected as a result of each combined signal transmission in accordance with an algorithm to produce the changing combined authorization code and changing combined authorization code signal which is representative of the separate rolling access code and the finger print code;
• and
• a transmit only transmitter which emits the changing combined authorization code signal representative of a sensed fingerprint from the fingerprint sensor and the separate rolling access code.