Entry and exit control apparatus and entry and exit control method

• US 20100045424A1
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kawakita, Hijiri
• Granted Patent: US 8,193,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.200
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/04 Access control involving a hierarchy in access rights
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration

Abstract

When a user enters or leaves an area to which a security level is assigned, it is determined whether the user is allowed to enter or leave the area by performing authentication. When the user moves between areas to which different security levels are preliminarily assigned, appropriate authentication is performed on the user depending on the difference between the security levels of the areas.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein an entry and exit control program for determining, when a user enters or leaves an area to which a security level is assigned, whether the user is allowed to enter or leave the area by performing authentication, the entry and exit control program causing a computer to execute a process comprising:

performing, when the user moves between areas to which different security levels are preliminarily assigned, appropriate authentication on the user depending on a difference between the different security levels of the areas.

2. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the process further comprising changing the security level assigned to the area in accordance with a security level of the user currently present in the area, wherein

the performing includes performing, when the user moves between areas whose security levels are changed at the changing, a plurality of types of authentication on the user in accordance with a difference between the security levels of the areas.

3. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the performing includes performing the plurality of types of the authentication when the user moves from an area with a low security level changed at the changing to an area with a high security level and performing one of the plurality of types of the authentication when the user moves from the area with the high security level to the area with the low security level.

4. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the changing includes changing an original security level assigned to the area to a low security level if the user present in the area to which the security level is assigned has the low security level and changing the low security level of the area to the original security level if the user with the low security level leaves the area.

5. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the performing includes performing one of the plurality of types of the authentication on the user if the user moves between the areas whose security levels are changed to an identical security level at the changing and enters again one of the areas that the user has left before a predetermined time elapses and performing the plurality of types of the authentication on the user if the user enters again the one of the areas that the user has left after the predetermined time elapses.

6. An entry and exit control method for determining, when a user enters or leaves an area to which a security level is assigned, whether the user is allowed to enter or leave the area by performing authentication, the method comprising:

performing, when the user moves between areas to which different security levels are preliminarily assigned, appropriate authentication on the user depending on a difference between the different security levels of the areas.

7. The entry and exit control method according to claim 6, further comprising changing the security level assigned to the area in accordance with a security level of the user currently present in the area, wherein

the performing includes performing, when the user moves between areas whose security levels are changed at the changing, a plurality of types of authentication on the user in accordance with a difference between the security levels of the areas.

8. The entry and exit control method according to claim 7, wherein the performing includes performing the plurality of types of the authentication when the user moves from an area with a low security level changed at the changing to an area with a high security level and performing one of the plurality of types of the authentication when the user moves from the area with the high security level to the area with the low security level.

9. The entry and exit control method according to claim 7, wherein the changing includes changing an original security level assigned to the area to a low security level if the user present in the area to which the security level is assigned has the low security level and changing the low security level of the area to the original security level if the user with the low security level leaves the area.

10. The entry and exit control method according to claim 7, wherein the performing includes performing one of the plurality of types of the authentication on the user if the user moves between the areas whose security levels are changed to an identical security level at the changing and enters again one of the areas that the user has left before a predetermined time elapses and performing the plurality of types of the authentication on the user if the user enters again the one of the areas that the user has left after the predetermined time elapses.

11. An entry and exit control apparatus for determining, when a user enters or leaves an area to which a security level is assigned, whether the user is allowed to enter or leave the area by performing authentication, the apparatus comprising an authentication unit that performs, when the user moves between areas to which different security levels are preliminarily assigned, appropriate authentication on the user depending on a difference between the different security levels of the areas.