System, apparatus, terminal, method, and computer program for managing information

• US 20040111648A1
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujisawa, Hirotoshi
• Application Number:
  US10/670,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20040111648A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence

Abstract

An information management apparatus generates an authentication image based on information registered by a user, and issues the authentication image to an information processing terminal owned by the user. When the user purchases a commodity in a store and shows the authentication image, the information processing terminal transfers the authentication image to a retailer terminal. The retailer terminal requests the information management apparatus to authenticate the authentication image. If the information management apparatus verifies that the authentication image is authentic, the information management apparatus generates a new authentication image instead of the authentication image displayed on the information processing terminal. The new authentication image is then sent through the retailer terminal to the information processing terminal. The present invention is applicable to an apparatus that is used when the user requires to identify himself.

Claims

1. An information management system comprising:

an information management apparatus for producing an authentication image to be used to authenticate a user, and an information processing terminal for displaying the authentication image provided by the information management apparatus,

wherein the information management apparatus comprises;

generating means for generating a first authentication image based on a predetermined original image,

first providing means for providing the information processing terminal with the first authentication image generated by the generating means,

authenticating means for authenticating the first authentication image which is provided by the information processing terminal through a control device that controls the reading of an image displayed on the information processing terminal, and

display control means for displaying a second authentication image instead of the first authentication image displayed on the information processing terminal when the authenticating means verifies that the first authentication image is authentic, and

wherein the information processing terminal comprises;

acquisition means for acquiring the first authentication image,

display means for displaying the first authentication image acquired by the acquisition means, and

second providing means for providing the information management apparatus with the first authentication image, displayed by the display means, through the control device,

wherein the display means displays the second authentication image instead of the first authentication image when the information management apparatus verifies that the first authentication image provided by the second providing means is authentic.

2. An information management method for an information management system including an information management apparatus for producing an authentication image to be used to authenticate a user, and an information processing terminal for displaying the authentication image provided by the information management apparatus, the information management method comprising an information management method for the information management apparatus, and an information processing method for the information processing terminal,

wherein the information management method for the information management apparatus comprises:

a generating step for generating a first authentication image based on a predetermined original image,

a first providing step for providing the information processing terminal with the first authentication image generated in the generating step,

an authenticating step for authenticating the first authentication image which is provided by the information processing terminal through a control device that controls the reading of an image displayed on the information processing terminal, and

a display control step for displaying a second authentication image instead of the first authentication image displayed on the information processing terminal when the authenticating step verifies that the first authentication image is authentic, and

wherein the information processing method for the information processing terminal comprises;

an acquisition step for acquiring the first authentication image,

a display step for displaying the first authentication image acquired in the acquisition step, and

a second providing step for providing the information management apparatus with the first authentication image, displayed in the display step, through the control device,

wherein the display step comprises displaying the second authentication image instead of the first authentication image when the information management apparatus verifies that the first authentication image provided in the second providing step is authentic.

6. An information management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the generating means subtracts an amount spent by the user from the amount represented by the first amount information when the authenticating means verifies that the first authentication image is authentic, and generates the second authentication image containing second amount information based on a resulting remaining amount of money.

3. An information management apparatus for generating an image to be displayed on a predetermined information processing terminal, the information management apparatus comprising:

generating means for generating a first authentication image to be used to authenticate a user based on a predetermined original image,

providing means for providing the information processing terminal with the first authentication image generated by the generating means,

authenticating means for authenticating the first authentication image which is provided by the information processing terminal through a control device that controls the reading of an image displayed on the information processing terminal, and

display control means for displaying a second authentication image instead of the first authentication image displayed on the information processing terminal when the authenticating means verifies that the first authentication image is authentic.

4. An information management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the generating means generates further the second authentication image when the authentication means verifies that the first authentication image is authentic, and

wherein the display control means displays the second authentication image on the information processing terminal by providing the information processing terminal with the second authentication image generated by the generating means.

5. An information management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the generating means generates the first authentication image containing first amount information based on a first amount of money already paid by the user.

7. An information management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first authentication image and the second authentication image constitute a continuous scene.

8. An information management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the first authentication image and the second authentication image is one of a still image and a moving image.

9. An information management method for an information management apparatus for generating an image to be displayed on a predetermined information processing terminal, the information management method comprising:

a generating step for generating a first authentication image to be used to authenticate a user based on a predetermined original image,

a providing step for providing the information processing terminal with the first authentication image generated in the generating step,

an authenticating step for authenticating the first authentication image which is provided by the information processing terminal through a control device that controls the reading of an image displayed on the information processing terminal, and

a display control step for displaying a second authentication image instead of the first authentication image displayed on the information processing terminal when the authenticating step verifies that the first authentication image is authentic.

10. A computer program for generating an image to be presented on a predetermined information processing terminal, the computer program comprising program codes for performing:

a generating step for generating a first authentication image to be used to authenticate a user based on a predetermined original image,

a providing step for providing the information processing terminal with the first authentication image generated in the generating step,

an authenticating step for authenticating the first authentication image which is provided by the information processing terminal through a control device that controls the reading of an image displayed on the information processing terminal, and

a display control step for displaying a second authentication image instead of the first authentication image displayed on the information processing terminal when the authenticating step verifies that the first authentication image is authentic.

11. An information processing terminal for displaying an authentication image provided by an information management apparatus that generates the authentication image to be used to authenticate a user, the information processing terminal comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring a first authentication image generated based on a predetermined original image,

display means for displaying the first authentication image acquired by the acquisition means, and

providing means for providing the information management apparatus with the first authentication image, displayed by the display means, through a control device that controls the reading of an image,

wherein the display means displays the second authentication image instead of the first authentication image when the information management apparatus verifies that the first authentication image provided by the providing means is authentic.

12. An information processing terminal according to claim 11, wherein the acquisition means further acquires the second authentication image from the information management apparatus when the first authentication image provided by the providing means is verified as being authentic, and

wherein the display means displays the second authentication image acquired by the acquisition means instead of the first authentication image.

13. An information processing terminal according to claim 11, wherein the first authentication image contains first amount information based on a first amount of money already paid by the user.

14. An information processing terminal according to claim 13, wherein the second authentication image contains second amount information based on a remaining amount which is obtained by subtracting an amount spent by the user from the amount represented by the first amount information.

15. An information processing terminal according to claim 11, wherein the first authentication image and the second authentication image constitute a continuous scene.

16. An information processing terminal according to claim 11, wherein each of the first authentication image and the second authentication image is one of a still image and a moving image.

17. An information processing method for an information processing terminal for displaying an authentication image provided by an information management apparatus that generates the authentication image to be used to authenticate a user, the information processing method comprising:

an acquisition step for acquiring a first authentication image generated based on a predetermined original image,

a display step for displaying the first authentication image acquired in the acquisition step, and

a providing step for providing the information management apparatus with the first authentication image, displayed in the display step, through a control device that controls the reading of an image,

wherein the display step comprises displaying the second authentication image instead of the first authentication image when the information management apparatus verifies that the first authentication image provided in the providing step is authentic.

18. A computer program for displaying an authentication image provided by an information management apparatus that generates the authentication image to be used to authenticate a user, the computer program comprising program codes for performing:

an acquisition step for acquiring a first authentication image generated based on a predetermined original image,

a display step for displaying the first authentication image acquired in the acquisition step, and

a providing step for providing the information management apparatus with the first authentication image, displayed in the display step, through a control device that controls the reading of an image,

wherein the display step comprises displaying the second authentication image instead of the first authentication image when the information management apparatus verifies that the first authentication image provided in the providing step is authentic.