Apparatus and a method for preventing unauthorized use and a device with a function of preventing unauthorized use

• US 20050071635A1
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Furuyama, Junko
• Granted Patent: US 7,647,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231

Abstract

A device comprises an authentication section that compares a characteristic included in a user'"'"'s input into an input section with a characteristic of a person registered in a comparison data memory so as to determine an authentication result. An authentication control section comprises a function to store a value indicating a likelihood of being the person, which is determined based on the above authentication result, and to control the value indicating a likelihood of being the person which is to be stored, based on the authentication result determined as above from a user'"'"'s input including input other than input done in response to an input request for authentication, and based on a passage of time; and a function to, in response to an instruction to begin a process which requires authentication, control whether or not to permit execution of the process depending on whether or not a stored value indicating a likelihood of being the person is a certain threshold or more. Unauthorized use of a device is prevented, while a trouble of being asked to make a special input for authentication is resolved when a process requiring authentication is executed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for preventing unauthorized use, the apparatus comprising:

an authentication unit that compares a characteristic included in a user'"'"'s input into a device with a registered characteristic of a person to determine as an authentication result a likelihood of the user'"'"'s being the person;

a memory for storing a value that is determined based on an authentication result by the authentication unit and indicates a likelihood of being the person;

a first controller that controls a value indicating a likelihood of being the person which is to be stored in the memory, based on an authentication result determined by the authentication unit from a user'"'"'s input including input other than input done in response to an input request for authentication, and based on a passage of time; and

a second controller that, in response to an instruction to begin a process which requires authentication, refers to a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory and controls whether or not to permit execution of the process instructed to begin depending on whether or not the referred value is a certain threshold or more.

2. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 1, wherein the second controller refers to a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory, without requesting a user to input for authentication when instructed to begin a process which requires authentication, and requests a user to input for authentication without permitting execution of the process instructed to begin if the referred value is lower than the certain threshold.

3. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 1, wherein the first controller makes the authentication unit determine an authentication result using, as a user'"'"'s input, an input to be used by the device for a purpose other than authentication or an input accompanying a user'"'"'s action for a purpose other than authentication.

4. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 1, wherein the first controller decreases a value indicating a likelihood of being the person which is to be stored in the memory as time passes while an authentication result by the authentication unit is not obtained, and, if an authentication result by the authentication unit is obtained, increases, maintains, or decreases a value indicating a likelihood of being the person which is to be stored in the memory in accordance with the obtained authentication result.

5. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 4, wherein the first controller makes the authentication unit determine an authentication result every time a user'"'"'s input with which the authentication unit can authenticate is made.

6. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 4, wherein the first controller makes the authentication unit determine an authentication result if a user'"'"'s input with which the authentication unit can authenticate is made when a certain time period has passed after an authentication result by the authentication unit was previously obtained.

7. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 4, wherein the first controller makes the authentication unit determine an authentication result if a user'"'"'s input with which the authentication unit can authenticate is made when a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory is lower than a desired threshold.

8. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 1, wherein

the first controller, based on a certain function, decreases a value indicating a likelihood of being the person which is to be stored in the memory as time passes while an authentication result by the authentication unit is not obtained, and wherein

the second controller compares a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory with, as the certain threshold, a threshold for a service to be conducted by the process instructed to begin, out of thresholds set for every service that the device provides.

9. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 8, wherein the thresholds for every service are determined such that, in relation to the certain function, an amount of time that a value takes to decrease to a level at which execution of a process for each service is refused due to not obtaining an authentication result by the authentication unit is in accordance with safety required for each service, the value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory.

10. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 8, wherein the certain function is determined such that, in relation to the thresholds for every service, an amount of time that a value takes to decrease to a level at which execution of a process for each service is refused due to not obtaining an authentication result by the authentication unit is in accordance with safety required for each service, the value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory.

11. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 1, wherein

the authentication unit determines a plurality of authentication results by a plurality of authentication methods, the plurality of authentication methods including a first authentication method that uses a first kind of user'"'"'s input into the device and a second authentication method that uses a second, different from the first, kind of user'"'"'s input into the device and has lower authentication accuracy than the first authentication method, and wherein

the first controller, based on an authentication result by the second authentication method, corrects a value indicating a likelihood of being the person, the value being determined based on an authentication result by the first authentication method and being stored in the memory.

12. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 11, wherein

the first controller makes the authentication unit determine an authentication result by the first authentication method if the user'"'"'s first kind of input is made when a first condition is satisfied, and makes the authentication unit determine an authentication result by the second authentication method if the user'"'"'s second kind of input is made when a second condition is satisfied,

the first and second conditions being determined such that the first authentication method is used less frequently than the second authentication method.

13. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies a user about a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory.

14. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 13, wherein the notification unit includes a unit that encourages a user to do an input with which the authentication unit can authenticate when a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory is lower than a desired threshold.

15. The apparatus for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 13, wherein

the second controller compares a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory with, as the certain threshold, a threshold for a service to be conducted by the process instructed to begin, out of thresholds set for every service that the device provides, and wherein

the notification unit notifies a user allowing the user to distinguish a level of a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory, the level determining a process for which service is permitted to execute.

16. A method for preventing unauthorized use in a device comprising an authentication module that compares a characteristic included in a user'"'"'s input into the device with a registered characteristic of a person to determine as an authentication result a likelihood of the user'"'"'s being the person, the method comprising:

determining an authentication result by the authentication module from a user'"'"'s input other than input done in response to an input request for authentication;

storing in a memory a value that is determined based on the authentication result and indicates a likelihood of being the person;

decreasing, as time passes, a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory;

referring to a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory in response to an instruction to begin a process which requires authentication; and

controlling whether or not to permit execution of the process instructed to begin depending on whether or not the referred value is a certain threshold or more.

17. The method for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 16, the method further comprising:

determining a new authentication result by the authentication module using an input which is done by a user during the passage of time and is to be used by the device for a purpose other than authentication or an input accompanying a user'"'"'s action for a purpose other than authentication; and

increasing, maintaining, or decreasing a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory in accordance with the new authentication result.

18. The method for preventing unauthorized use according to claim 16, the method further comprising permitting execution of the process instructed to begin without requesting a user to input for authentication if a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory has not decreased to a level below the certain threshold.

19. A program for preventing unauthorized use which is to be stored in a memory of a device comprising an authentication module that compares a characteristic included in a user'"'"'s input into the device with a registered characteristic of a person to determine as an authentication result a likelihood of the user'"'"'s being the person, wherein the program

makes the authentication module determine an authentication result from a user'"'"'s input other than input done in response to an input request for authentication;

makes the memory store a value that is determined based on the authentication result and that indicates a likelihood of being the person;

decreases, as time passes, a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory;

refers to a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory in response to an instruction to begin a process which requires authentication; and

controls whether or not to permit execution of the process instructed to begin depending on whether or not the referred value is a certain threshold or more.

20. A device with a function of preventing unauthorized use, the device comprising:

an input unit that accepts a user'"'"'s input;

a process unit that executes an instructed process;

an authentication unit that compares a characteristic included in an input accepted by the input unit with a registered characteristic of a person to determine as an authentication result a likelihood of the user'"'"'s being the person;

a memory for storing a value that is determined based on an authentication result by the authentication unit and indicates a likelihood of being the person;

a first controller that controls a value indicating a likelihood of being the person which is to be stored in the memory, based on an authentication result determined by the authentication unit from a user'"'"'s input including input other than input done in response to an input request for authentication, and based on a passage of time; and

a second controller that, in response to an instruction to begin a process which requires authentication, refers to a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory and permits or refuses the process unit'"'"'s executing the process instructed to begin depending on whether or not the referred value is a certain threshold or more.

21. The device with a function of preventing unauthorized use according to claim 20, wherein a program for realizing the authentication unit and the first and second controller and certain data including the registered characteristic of the person are securely stored in the device, and wherein a value indicating a likelihood of being the person and stored in the memory can not be changed by other than the first controller.

22. The device with a function of preventing unauthorized use according to claim 20, wherein an input that is accepted by the input unit and can be used for authentication by the authentication unit includes at least one of the following:

a fingerprint of a user'"'"'s finger that touched a button of the device;

a sound emitted by a user to a microphone of the device;

an image of a user'"'"'s body part captured by a camera of the device;

data inputted into a sensor provided at a part that a user touches to hold the device in the user'"'"'s hand;

a user'"'"'s keystroke to keys of the device; and

information obtained by the device through its communication with an external device in response to a user'"'"'s action.