Authentication Method, Authentication Device and Computer-Readable Medium Storing Instructions for Authentication Processing Capable of Ensuring Security and Usability

• US 20110023112A1
• Filed: 07/14/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Murai, Chiho, Asano, Motohiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation

Abstract

An authentication method in a system having a display and a storage device is provided. The authentication method includes the steps of registering an object selected for each user from among a plurality of visually distinguishable objects prepared in advance as a key object in the storage device; and presenting the plurality of objects to the display, accepting selection of an object by a user to be authenticated, and performing authentication based on matching/mismatching of the selected object with the key object registered in association with the user. The step of registering includes a step of determining a degree of freedom of selection of the object at the time of registration of the key object according to a degree of overlapping of the key object already registered in the storage device.

Claims

1. An authentication method, provided in a system having a display and a storage device, comprising the steps of:

registering an object selected for each user from among a plurality of visually distinguishable objects prepared in advance as a key object in said storage device; and

presenting the plurality of objects to said display, accepting selection of an object by a user to be authenticated, and performing authentication based on matching/mismatching of the selected object with the key object registered in association with the user, wherein

the step of registering includes a step of determining a degree of freedom of selection of the object at the time of registration of the key object according to a degree of overlapping of the key object already registered in said storage device.

2. The authentication method according to claim 1, wherein

the degree of overlapping is determined based on at least one of the number of users registered in association with the object, a period of registration of the object as the key object, and a category to which the object belongs.

3. The authentication method according to claim 2, wherein

the degree of overlapping is determined based on the number of users registered in association with each object.

4. The authentication method according to claim 3, wherein

the step of determining the degree of freedom of the selection includes a step of disabling the registration of an object as the key object when the number of users registered in association with that object or a total of the numbers of users including a user registered in association with that object exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

5. The authentication method according to claim 2, wherein

the degree of overlapping is determined based on the total of the number(s) of the users registered in association with each of the objects belonging to an identical category.

6. The authentication method according to claim 5, wherein

the step of determining the degree of freedom of the selection includes a step of disabling the registration of an object as the key object when the number of users registered in association with that object or a total of the numbers of users including a user registered in association with that object exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

7. The authentication method according to claim 1, wherein

the step of determining the degree of freedom of the selection includes a step of displaying registerable object(s) among the plurality of objects prepared in advance, but not displaying unregisterable object(s) among the plurality of objects prepared in advance.

8. The authentication method according to claim 1, wherein

the step of determining the degree of freedom of the selection includes a step of displaying registerable object(s) among the plurality of objects prepared in advance in a selectable fashion, and displaying unregisterable object(s) among the plurality of objects prepared in advance in an unselectable fashion.

9. The authentication method according to claim 1, wherein

the step of determining the degree of freedom of the selection includes a step of displaying the object having a relatively low degree of overlapping with a higher priority.

10. The authentication method according to claim 1, wherein

the step of registering includes a step of registering, for each user, a set of objects including the selected key object and a plurality of objects to be displayed together with the selected key object, and

the step of determining the degree of freedom of the selection includes a step of displaying objects being registerable as the key object that are selected from among the plurality of objects prepared in advance except the objects included in the registered object set.

11. The authentication method according to claim 1, wherein

the step of registering includes a step of performing the display allowing turning of pages each including a predetermined number of objects.

12. An authentication device comprising:

a display;

a storage device; and

a processor operative to;

register an object selected for each user from among a plurality of distinguishable objects prepared in advance as a key object in said storage device, and

present the plurality of objects to said display, accept selection of an object by a user to be authenticated, and perform authentication based on matching/mismatching of the selected object with the key object registered in association with the user, wherein

the processor is configured to determine a degree of freedom of selection of the object at the time of registration of the key object according to a degree of overlapping of the key object already registered in said storage device.

13. The authentication device according to claim 12, wherein

the degree of overlapping is determined based on at least one of the number of users registered in association with the object, a period of registration of the object as the key object, and a category to which the object belongs.

14. The authentication device according to claim 12, wherein

the processor is configured to display registerable object(s) among the plurality of objects prepared in advance, but not to display unregisterable object(s) among the plurality of objects prepared advance.

15. The authentication device according to claim 12, wherein

said processor is configured to display registerable object(s) among the plurality of objects prepared in advance in a selectable fashion, and to display unregisterable object(s) among the plurality of objects prepared in advance in an unselectable fashion.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, with instructions stored thereon for authentication processing, which when executed by a processor of a computer, cause the computer to:

register an object selected for each user from among a plurality of visually distinguishable objects prepared in advance as a key object in a storage device; and

present the plurality of objects to a display, accept selection of an object by a user to be authenticated, and perform authentication based on matching/mismatching of the selected object with the key object registered in association with the user, wherein

the step of registering includes a step of determining a degree of freedom of selection of the object at the time of registration of the key object according to a degree of overlapping of the key object already registered in said storage device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein

the degree of overlapping is determined based on at least one of the number of the users registered in association with the object, a period of registration of the object as the key object, and a category to which the object belongs.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein

the step of determining the degree of freedom of the selection includes disabling the registration of an object as the key object when the number of users registered in association with that object or a total of the numbers of users including a user registered in association with that object exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein

the step of determining the degree of freedom of the selection includes displaying registerable object(s) among the plurality of objects prepared in advance, but not displaying unregisterable object(s) among the plurality of objects prepared in advance.