Authentication system

• US 8,074,075 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Sawada, Kensuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHEHNI, GHAZAL B
• Application Number:
  US11/312,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,176 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 21, 713182-186
• US Class Current: 713/182
• 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 to transmit and register a message to and in the authentication device;

information storage unit to be stored with plural items of information related to the receiving terminal;

selecting unit to select information to be adopted and information not to be adopted among information stored in the information storage unit according to the user operation as authentication information for accessing the message; and

authentication information transmitting unit to transmit the authentication information including plural items of the adopted information related to the receiving terminal to the authentication device,

the authentication device comprising;

message receiving unit to receive the message from the transmitting terminal;

authentication information receiving unit to receive the authentication information including the plural items of the adopted information related to the receiving terminal from the transmitting terminal;

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

request receiving unit to receive a request showing a purport of acquiring the message and the authentication information for acquiring the message from the receiving terminal;

authenticating unit to authenticate the receiving terminal, if both the authentication information including item of information received from the receiving terminal and the authentication information including the plural items of the adopted information related to the receiving terminal registered on the registering unit, which the authentication information receiving unit receives from the transmitting terminal, are coincident with each other; and

message transmitting unit to transmit, if the authenticating unit authenticates the receiving terminal, the message corresponding to the authentication information to the receiving terminal,

the receiving terminal comprising;

message request unit to request acquisition of the message;

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

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

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

the authentication device comprises updating unit to update 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 to request, if the item of information received from the receiving terminal is insufficient with respect to the plural items of the adapted information registered on the registering unit, the receiving terminal to add the authentication information to supplement the insufficient item of information.

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

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

the authentication device comprises approval request transferring unit to transfer 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 to request 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 wherein the authentication device is requested for access in a message from a receiving terminal and receives an authentication information from the receiving terminal, comprising:

message transmitting unit to transmit and register a message to and in the authentication device;

information storage unit to be stored with plural items of information related to the receiving terminal;

selecting unit to select information to be adopted and information not to be adopted among information stored in the information storage unit according to the user operation as authentication information for authenticating the receiving terminal, wherein the authentication device authenticates the receiving terminal if both the authentication information, which the authentication information receiving unit receives from the transmitting terminal, and authentication information which the authentication device receives from the receiving terminal are coincident with each other; and

authentication information transmitting unit to transmit the authentication information including plural items of the adopted information related to the receiving terminal to the authentication device.

7. A transmitting terminal according to claim 6, further comprising updating unit to transmit 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 to receive, 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 to transmit 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 to receive a message from the transmitting terminal;

authentication information receiving unit to receive authentication information including plural items of information related to the receiving terminal from the transmitting terminal;

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

request receiving unit to receive a request showing a purport of acquiring the message and the authentication information for acquiring the message from the receiving terminal;

authenticating unit to authenticate the receiving terminal, if both authentication information including plural items of information received from the receiving terminal and the authentication information including plural items of information registered on the registering unit, which the authentication information receiving unit receives from the transmitting terminal, are coincident with each other;

message transmitting unit to transmit, if the authenticating unit authenticates the receiving terminal, the message corresponding to the authentication information to the receiving terminal; and

addition request unit to request, if the item of information received from the receiving terminal is insufficient with respect to the plural items of information registered on the registering unit, the receiving terminal to add the authentication information to supplement the insufficient item of information.

11. An authentication device according to claim 10, comprising updating unit to update, 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 approval request transferring unit to transfer, 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.

13. An authentication device according to claim 10, comprising authentication information request unit to request, 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.

14. 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 including plural items of information related to the receiving terminal 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 and the authentication information for acquiring the message from the receiving terminal;

authenticating the receiving terminal, if both the authentication information including plural items of information received from the receiving terminal and the registered authentication information including plural items of information, which were received from the transmitting terminal, are coincident with each other;

transmitting, if the receiving terminal has been authenticated, the message corresponding to the authentication information to the receiving terminal; and

requesting, if the item of information received from the receiving terminal is insufficient with respect to the items of information registered on the registering means, the receiving terminal to add the authentication information to supplement the insufficient item of information.

15. An authentication method according to claim 14, 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.

16. An authentication method according to claim 14, 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.

17. An authentication method according to claim 14, 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.