Authentication system

• US 20070038860A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Sawada, Kensuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,074,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/170
• 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 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

To provide an authentication technology making it compatible to facilitate inputting of authentication information and to ensure the security. An authentication device connected to a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal via a communication line, receives a message from the transmitting terminal, receives authentication information from the transmitting terminal, registers the message in association with the authentication information, receives a request with a purport of acquiring the message from the receiving terminal, determines, based on the authentication information received from the receiving terminal and the registered authentication information, whether to authenticate or not, and, if authenticated, transmits the message to the receiving terminal.

Claims

1. An authentication system including a transmitting terminal, a receiving terminal and an authentication device that are connected via a communication line,

the transmitting terminal comprising:

message transmitting unit transmitting and registering a message to and in the authentication device;

information storage unit stored with plural items of information;

selecting unit selecting, from the information storage unit, an arbitrary item of information as authentication information for accessing the message; and

authentication information transmitting unit transmitting the authentication information to the authentication device,

the authentication device comprising;

message receiving unit receiving the message from the transmitting terminal;

authentication information receiving unit receiving the authentication information from the transmitting terminal;

registering unit registering the message and the authentication information in a way that associates the message and the authentication information with each other;

request receiving unit receiving a request showing a purport of acquiring the message from the receiving terminal;

authenticating unit determining, based on the authentication information received from the receiving terminal and the authentication information registered on the registering unit, whether to authenticate or not; and

message transmitting unit transmitting, if authenticated by the authenticating unit, the message to the receiving terminal,

the receiving terminal comprising;

message request unit requesting acquisition of the message;

authentication information transmitting unit transmitting the authentication information for acquiring the message to the authentication information; and

message receiving unit receiving the message from the authentication device message.

2. An authentication system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting terminal comprises updating unit transmitting update information for updating the authentication information to the authentication device, and

the authentication device comprises updating unit updating the authentication information registered on the registering unit on the basis of the update information.

3. An authentication system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication device comprises addition request unit requesting, if the authentication information received from the receiving terminal is deficient for the authentication information registered on the registering unit, the receiving terminal to add the authentication information.

4. An authentication system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving terminal comprises approval request unit transmitting an approval request signal to the authentication device,

the transmitting terminal comprises approval request receiving unit receiving the approval request signal from the authentication device, and approval notifying unit transmitting an approval signal for approving the authentication of the receiving terminal to the authentication device,

the authentication device comprises approval request transferring unit transferring the approval request signal from the receiving terminal to the transmitting terminal, and

the authenticating unit authenticates the message acquisition by the receiving terminal when receiving the approval signal from the transmitting terminal.

5. An authentication system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting terminal stores the information storage unit with plural items of information each having an item name and an item content,

the authentication information transmitting unit transmits at least the item name as the authentication information to the authentication device, and

the authentication device comprises authentication information request unit requesting the receiving terminal for the authentication information on the basis of the item name.

6. A transmitting terminal connected to an authentication device via a communication line, comprising:

message transmitting unit transmitting and registering a message to and in the authentication device;

information storage unit stored with plural items of information;

selecting unit selecting, from the information storage unit, an arbitrary item of information as authentication information for accessing the message; and

authentication information transmitting unit transmitting the authentication information to the authentication device.

7. A transmitting terminal according to claim 6, further comprising updating unit transmitting update information for updating the authentication information to the authentication device.

8. A transmitting terminal according to claim 6, further comprising approval request receiving unit receiving, from the authentication device, an approval request signal that requests approval for the authentication about message acquisition with respect to the receiving terminal requesting the message acquisition from the authentication device, and approval notifying unit transmitting an approval signal for approving the authentication of the receiving terminal to the authentication device.

9. A transmitting terminal according to claim 6, wherein the information storage unit is stored with plural items of information each having an item name and an item content as the information, and

the authentication information transmitting unit transmits at least the item name as the authentication information to the authentication device.

10. An authentication device connected to a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal via a communication line, comprising;

message receiving unit receiving the message from the transmitting terminal;

authentication information receiving unit receiving the authentication information from the transmitting terminal;

registering unit registering the message and the authentication information in a way that associates the message and the authentication information with each other;

request receiving unit receiving a request showing a purport of acquiring the message from the receiving terminal;

authenticating unit determining, based on the authentication information received from the receiving terminal and the authentication information registered on the registering unit, whether to authenticate or not; and

message transmitting unit transmitting, if authenticated by the authenticating unit, the message to the receiving terminal.

11. An authentication device according to claim 10, comprising updating unit updating, when receiving update information for updating the authentication information from the transmitting terminal, the authentication information registered on the registering unit on the basis of the update information.

12. An authentication device according to claim 10, comprising addition request unit requesting, if the authentication information received from the receiving terminal is deficient for the authentication information registered on the registering unit, the receiving terminal to add the authentication information.

13. An authentication device according to claim 10, comprising approval request transferring unit transferring, when receiving an approval request signal from the receiving terminal, the approval request signal to the transmitting terminal,

wherein and

the authenticating unit, when receiving the approval signal for approving the authentication of the receiving terminal, authenticates message acquisition by the receiving terminal.

14. An authentication device according to claim 10, comprising authentication information request unit requesting, when receiving at least an item name as the authentication information from the transmitting terminal, the receiving terminal for the authentication information on the basis of the item name.

15. An authentication method executed by an authentication device connected to a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal via a communication line, comprising steps of:

receiving a message from the transmitting terminal;

receiving authentication information from the transmitting terminal;

registering the message and the authentication information in a way that associates the message and the authentication information with each other;

receiving a request showing a purport of acquiring the message from the receiving terminal;

determining, based on the authentication information received from the receiving terminal and the registered authentication information, whether to authenticate or not; and

transmitting, if authenticated, the message to the receiving terminal.

16. An authentication method according to claim 15, wherein when receiving the update information for updating the authentication information from the transmitting terminal, the registered authentication information is updated based on the update information.

17. An authentication method according to claim 15, wherein if the authentication information received from the receiving terminal is deficient for the registered authentication information, the receiving terminal is requested to add the authentication information.

18. An authentication method according to claim 15, wherein when receiving the approval request signal from the receiving terminal, the approval request signal is transferred to the transmitting terminal, and

when receiving from the transmitting terminal an approval signal for approving the authentication of the receiving terminal, message acquisition by the receiving terminal is authenticated.

19. An authentication method according to claim 15, wherein when receiving at least an item name as the authentication information from the transmitting terminal, the authentication information is requested of the receiving terminal on the basis of the item name.