System for preventing unauthorized use of recording media

• US 20040039930A1
• Filed: 07/17/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohmori, Motoji, Ueda, Eiji, Ueda, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,448,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

The present invention provides a recording medium that is protected against unauthorized use, that therefore has heightened security. The recording medium stores thereon storage authentication information that authenticates a user, and has an area that corresponds to the storage authentication information. The recording medium further has an authentication unit that is tamper-resistant and that judges whether reception authentication information that authenticates a user matches the storage authentication information. Because of being tamper-resistant, the authentication unit is prevented from being decoded or tampered by third parties. In addition, because the area is corresponded to the storage authentication information, it becomes possible to restrict the access to the area according to the content of authentication.

Claims

1. A portable recording medium comprising:

a storage unit which stores therein storage authentication information that authenticates a user, and has an area that corresponds to the storage authentication information;

a judgment unit operable to judge whether to perform authentication;

a reception unit operable to receive reception authentication information that authenticates a user, if the judgment unit judges affirmative;

an authentication unit that is tamper-resistant and is operable to judge whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information; and

a process unit operable to permit use of the area if the reception authentication information is judged to match the storage authentication information.

2. The recording medium of claim 1, wherein:

the storage unit further stores therein other storage authentication information different from the storage authentication information, and has another area that corresponds to the other storage authentication information,

the authentication unit, instead of judging whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information, judges whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information, and judges whether the received reception authentication information matches the other storage authentication information,

and the process unit further permits use of the other area, if the reception authentication information is judged to match the other storage authentication information.

3. The recording medium of claim 1, further comprising

a detection unit operable to detect that the recording medium is mounted to a terminal device, wherein

the judgment unit judges that authentication is to be performed, after the detection unit has detected the mounting.

4. The recording medium of claim 3, further comprising

a recording unit operable to record, when the detection unit has detected the mounting, first history information that indicates the mounting, the recording unit recording in advance second history information that indicates another mounting that occurred prior to the mounting, wherein

the judgment unit judges whether to perform authentication, using the first history information and the second history information.

5. The recording medium of claim 4, wherein:

the first history information comprises first date/time information that shows date and time in which the mounting is detected,

the second history information comprises second date/time information that shows date and time in which the other mounting is detected,

and the judgment unit judges that authentication is to be performed, if a difference in date and time between the first date/time information and the second date/time information is no smaller than a predetermined value.

6. The recording medium of claim 4, wherein:

the first history information comprises first position information that shows a position at which the mounting is detected,

the second history information comprises second position information that shows a position at which the other mounting is detected,

and the judgment unit judges that authentication is to be performed, if a difference in position between the first position information and the second position information is no smaller than a predetermined value.

7. The recording medium of claim 4, wherein:

the storage authentication information is one of first character information, first biological information, and first combination information, the first character information comprising at least one number, letter, and symbol, the first biological information showing biological characteristics of the user, and the first combination information comprising first character information and first biological information,

the reception authentication information comprises second character information, second biological information, and second combination information, the second character information comprising at least one number, letter, and symbol, the second biological information showing biological characteristics of the user, and the second combination information comprising second character information and second biological information,

and the authentication unit, when the received reception authentication information is the second character information, judges whether the second character information matches the first character information, and when the received reception authentication information is the second biological information, judges whether the second biological information matches the first biological information, and when the received reception authentication information is the second combination information, judges whether all information included in the second combination information matches all information included in the first combination information.

8. The recording medium of claim 7, wherein

the first biological information and the second biological information are one of fingerprint information, voice print information, iris information, face-outline information, and DNA information,

the fingerprint information showing characteristics of the user'"'"'s fingerprint pattern, the voice print information showing characteristics of the user'"'"'s voice print, the iris information showing characteristics of the user'"'"'s iris, the face-outline information showing characteristics of outline of the user'"'"'s face, and the DNA information showing characteristics of the user'"'"'s DNA.

9. The recording medium of claim 4, wherein:

the recording medium is assigned a telephone number that the terminal device uses in communication,

the storage unit further stores therein communication information that represents the telephone number,

the area further corresponds to the communication information,

and the process unit further permits use of the area that corresponds to the communication information.

10. The recording medium of claim 9, further comprising

a selection unit operable to receive selection of the communication information, wherein

the process unit further permits use of the area that corresponds to the communication information selected through the selection unit.

11. The recording medium of claim 1, further comprising

a setting unit operable to receive the storage authentication information and to write to the storage unit the received storage authentication information in correspondence with the area of the storage unit.

12. The recording medium of claim 11, wherein

the setting unit further receives communication information that represents a telephone number assigned to the recording medium, and writes to the storage unit the received communication information in correspondence with the area.

13. A system for preventing unauthorized use of a recording medium mounted to a terminal device, wherein

the recording medium comprises:

a storage unit which stores therein storage authentication information that authenticates a user, and has an area that corresponds to the storage authentication information;

a judgment unit operable to judge whether to perform authentication;

a reception unit operable to receive reception authentication information that authenticates a user, if the judgment unit judges affirmative;

an authentication unit that is tamper-resistant and is operable to judge whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information; and

a process unit operable to permit use of the area if the reception authentication information is judged to match the storage authentication information,

and the terminal device comprises;

an input/output unit operable to receive input of the reception authentication information and to output the received reception authentication information to the recording medium.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the storage unit further stores therein other storage authentication information different from the storage authentication information, and has another area that corresponds to the other storage authentication information,

the authentication unit, instead of judging whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information, judges whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information, and judges whether the received reception authentication information matches the other storage authentication information,

and the process unit further permits use of the other area, if the reception authentication information is judged to match the other storage authentication information.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein

the recording medium further detects that the recording medium is mounted to the terminal device, and performs authentication after detecting the mounting.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein

the recording medium records, when detecting the mounting, first history information that indicates the mounting, the recording medium recording in advance second history information that indicates another mounting that occurred prior to the mounting, and judges whether to perform authentication, using the first history information and the second history information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the first history information comprises first date/time information that shows date and time in which the mounting is detected,

the second history information comprises second date/time information that shows date and time in which the other mounting is detected,

and the recording medium judges to perform authentication, if a difference between date and time between the first date/time information and the second date/time information is no smaller than a predetermined value.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the first history information comprises first position information that shows a position at which the mounting is detected,

the second history information comprises second position information that shows a position at which the mounting is detected,

and the recording medium judges to perform authentication if a difference in position between the first position information and the second position information is no smaller than a predetermined value.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the recording medium is assigned a telephone number that the terminal device uses in communication,

the storage unit further stores therein communication information that represents the telephone number,

the area further corresponds to the communication information,

and the process unit further permits use of the area that corresponds to the communication information.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the terminal device receives selection of the communication information, and outputs the received communication information to the recording medium,

and within the recording medium, the reception unit receives the communication information outputted from the terminal device, and the process unit further permits use of the area that corresponds to the received communication information.

21. A terminal device comprising:

a storage unit which stores therein storage authentication information that authenticates a user, and has an area that corresponds to the storage authentication information;

a judgment unit operable to judge whether to perform authentication;

a reception unit operable to receive reception authentication information that authenticates a user, if the judgment unit judges affirmative;

an authentication unit that is tamper-resistant and is operable to judge whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information; and

a process unit operable to permit use of the area if the reception authentication information is judged to match the storage authentication information.

22. The terminal device of claim 21, wherein:

the storage unit further stores therein other storage authentication information different from the storage authentication information, and has another area that corresponds to the other storage authentication information,

the authentication unit, instead of judging whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information, judges whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information, and judges whether the received reception authentication information matches the other storage authentication information,

and the process unit further permits use of the other area if the reception authentication information is judged to match the other storage authentication information.

23. A method used with a portable recording medium including:

a storage unit which stores therein storage authentication information that authenticates a user and has an area that corresponds to the storage authentication information; and

a tamper-resistant authentication unit, the method comprising;

judging whether to perform authentication;

receiving reception authentication information that authenticates a user, if the judgment to perform authentication is affirmative;

judging whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information; and

permitting use of the area that corresponds to the storage authentication information if the reception authentication information is judged to match the storage authentication information.

24. A program used with a portable recording medium including:

a storage unit which stores therein storage authentication information that authenticates a user and has an area that corresponds to the storage authentication information; and

a tamper-resistant authentication unit, the program comprising;

judging whether to perform authentication;

receiving reception authentication information that authenticates a user, if the judgment to perform authentication is affirmative;

judging whether the received reception authentication information matches the storage authentication information; and

permitting use of the area that corresponds to the storage authentication information if the reception authentication information is judged to match the storage authentication information.

25. The program of claim 24, wherein

the program is recorded on a program recording medium from which data can be read with use of a computer.