Mobile electronic apparatus having function of verifying a user by biometrics information

• US 6,765,470 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2001
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Shinzaki, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US09/775,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20010017584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.52, 340/5.53, 340/5.6, 340/5.74, 340/5.8, 340/5.54, 340/5.81, 340/5.82, 340/5.83, 340/5.85, 382/115, 382/124, 382/125, 713/184, 713/186, 713/185, 713/201, 235/380
• US Class Current: 340/5.52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

A mobile electronic apparatus in which biometrics information, free from being stolen or faked by a unauthorized person, is used for user verification, virtually perfectly protecting an authorized user'"'"'s personal data stored in a storing section of the apparatus. A verifying section compares a user'"'"'s biometrics feature information with the authorized user'"'"'s reference biometrics feature information to discriminate whether the fingerprint feature information for verification matches the reference fingerprint feature information. If it matches, a display control section reads out the personal data stored in the storing section and controls a display section to display the read-out personal data. The apparatus is useful when applied to a portable telephone, an electronic information terminal, or the like, so long as it has a function of user verification by biometrics information (fingerprint, palmprint, finger shape, hand shape, voiceprint, retina, iris, facial recognition, signature dynamics, blood vessel pattern, key strokes, etc.).

Claims

1. A mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information, said apparatus comprising:

an input section to measure biometrics information unique to a user to be verified and receive the biometrics information;

an extracting section to extract, from the biometrics information measured and received by said input section, biometrics feature information for verification;

a verifying section to compare the biometrics feature information, which is extracted by said extracting section, with reference biometrics feature information unique to an authorized user to verify whether the user'"'"'s biometrics feature information matches the authorized user'"'"'s reference biometrics feature information;

a storing section to store personal data of the authorized user, wherein said storing section stores the authorized user'"'"'s personal data in correlation with designation information designating the personal data;

a display section to display various types of information;

a display control section to control a state of displaying on said display section, said display control section being operative, in response to the result of the verification by said verifying section being positive, to read out the personal data of the authorized user from said storing section and control said display section to display the personal data thereon; and

a designation information selecting section, which selects the designation information so as to specify the personal data to be displayed on said display section;

wherein said display control section reads out from said storing section the personal data specified by the designation information selected by said designation information selecting section, and controls said display section to display the specified personal data thereon, in response to the result of the verification being positive.

2. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 1, further comprising an interface section, adapted to be connected to an external apparatus to output the personal data specified by the designation information selected by said designation information selecting section to the external apparatus in response to the result of the verification being positive.

3. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 1, wherein:

said personal data is a personal identification code including a password, a personal identification number, or a secret key; and

said designation information is account information corresponding to the personal data and including an account name, an ID, a computer name, or an IP address.

4. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 2, wherein:

said personal data is a personal identification code including a password, a personal identification number, or a secret key; and

said designation information is account information corresponding to the personal data and including an account name, an ID, a computer name, or an IP address.

5. A mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information, said apparatus comprising:

an input section to measure biometrics information unique to a user to be verified and receive the biometrics information;

an extracting section to extract, from the biometrics information measured and received by said input section, biometrics feature information for verification;

a verifying section to compare the biometrics feature information, which is extracted by said extracting section, with reference biometrics feature information unique to an authorized user to verify whether the user'"'"'s biometrics feature information matches the authorized user'"'"'s reference biometrics feature information;

a storing section to store personal data of the authorized user, wherein said storing section stores the authorized user'"'"'s personal data in correlation with both designation information designating the personal data and generic information that specifies both the personal data and the designation information;

a display section to display various types of information;

a display control section to control a state of displaying on said display section, said display control section being operative, in response to the result of the verification by said verifying section being positive, to read out the personal data of the authorized user from said storing section and control said display section to display the personal data thereon; and

a generic information selecting section to select the generic information specifying both the personal data and the designation information to be displayed on said display section;

wherein said display control section reads out from said storing section the personal data and the designation information, which are specified by the generic information selected by said generic information selecting section, and controls said display section to display the specified personal data and designation information thereon, in response to the result of the verification being positive.

6. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 5, further comprising an interface section, adapted to be connected to an external apparatus to output the personal data and the designation information, which are specified by the generic information selected by said generic information selecting section, to the external apparatus in response to the result of the verification being positive.

7. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 5, wherein:

said personal data is a personal identification code including a password, a personal identification number, or a secret key;

said designation information is account information corresponding to the personal data and including an account name, an ID, a computer name, or an IP address; and

said generic information is a system name corresponding to the account information.

8. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 6, wherein:

said personal data is a personal identification code including a password, a personal identification number, or a secret key;

said designation information is account information corresponding to the personal data and including an account name, an ID, a computer name, or an IP address; and

said generic information is a system name corresponding to the account information.

9. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 5, wherein said authorized user is an owner of the mobile electronic apparatus.

10. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 9, further comprising an interface section, adapted to be connected to an external apparatus, to output the personal data to the external apparatus in response to the result of the verification by said verifying section being positive.

11. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 5, wherein said personal data is a personal identification code including a password, a personal identification number, or a secret key.

12. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 10, wherein said personal data is a personal identification code including a password, a personal identification number, or a secret key.

13. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 5, further comprising another storing section to previously store the reference biometrics feature information.

14. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 9, further comprising:

a medium interface section adapted to be connected to a portable memory medium previously storing the reference biometrics feature information; and

a read-out section to read out the reference biometrics feature information from said portable memory medium through said medium interface section.

15. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 14, wherein said portable memory medium is an IC card.

16. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 5, further comprising a communications section, adapted to be communicably connected to an external apparatus, to receive the reference biometrics feature information from the external apparatus.

17. A mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information;

said apparatus comprising;

an input section to measure biometrics information unique to a user to be verified and receive the biometrics information;

an extracting section to extract, from the biometrics information measured and received by said input section, biometrics feature information for verification;

a verifying section to compare the biometrics feature information, which is extracted by said extracting section, with reference biometrics feature information unique to an authorized user to verify whether the user'"'"'s biometrics feature information matches the authorized user'"'"'s reference biometrics feature information;

a storing section to store personal data of the authorized user;

a display section to display various types of information; and

a display control section to control a state of displaying on said display section, said display control section being operative, in response to the result of the verification by said verifying section being positive, to read out the personal data of the authorized user from said storing section and control said display section to display the personal data thereon;

wherein at least said input section is disposed on a detachable element of said mobile electronic apparatus.

18. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 17, wherein said detachable element is a battery pack.

19. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 18, wherein said authorized user is an owner of the mobile electronic apparatus.

20. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 17, further comprising another storing section to previously store the reference biometrics feature information.

21. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 17, further comprising:

a medium interface section adapted to be connected to a portable memory medium previously storing the reference biometrics feature information; and

a read-out section to read out the reference biometrics feature information from said portable memory medium through said medium interface section.

22. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 21, wherein said portable memory medium is an IC card.

23. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 17, further comprising a communications section, adapted to be communicably connected to an external apparatus, to receive the reference biometrics feature information from the external apparatus.

24. A mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information, said apparatus comprising:

an input section to measure biometrics information unique to a user to be verified and receive the biometrics information;

an extracting section to extract, from the biometrics information measured and received by said input section, biometrics feature information for verification;

a verifying section to compare the biometrics feature information, which is extracted by said extracting section, with reference biometrics feature information unique to an authorized user to verify whether the user'"'"'s biometrics feature information matches the authorized user'"'"'s reference biometrics feature information;

a memory section to store personal data of the authorized user; and

an access control section to control access to the personal data, which is stored in said memory section, in response to the result of said verification being positive;

wherein at least said input section is disposed on a detachable element of said mobile electronic apparatus.

25. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 24, wherein said detachable element is a battery pack.

26. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 24, further comprising an interface section, adapted to be connected to an information apparatus, to input and output the personal data from and to the information apparatus through said interface section in response to the result of the verification being positive.

27. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 26, wherein said memory section functions as an extended drive medium of said information apparatus.

28. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 24, wherein the type of said interface section is selected in accordance with an interface system of said information apparatus.

29. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 26, wherein the type of said interface section is selected in accordance with an interface system of said information apparatus.

30. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 27, wherein the type of said interface section is selected in accordance with an interface system of said information apparatus.

31. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 24, further comprising a storing section to previously store the reference biometrics feature information.

32. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 24, further comprising:

a medium interface section, adapted to be connected to a portable memory medium previously storing the reference biometrics feature information, and

a read-out section to read out the reference biometrics feature information from said portable memory medium through said medium interface section.

33. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 32, wherein said portable memory medium is an IC card.

34. The mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user'"'"'s biometrics information according to claim 24, further comprising a communications section, adapted to be communicably connected to an external apparatus, to receive the reference biometrics feature information from the external apparatus.