User authentication apparatus and method thereof

• US 8,402,509 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Pil-seung
• Primary Examiner(s): Yalew, Fikremariam A
• Application Number:
  US12/416,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20100005508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/47 using near field communication [NFC] or radio frequency identification [RFID] modules

Abstract

A user authentication apparatus includes an information collection unit which collects user information from a plurality of personal portable devices of a user within a predetermined distance, and a control unit which identifies the user as a user corresponding to the collected information based on the amount of user information collected. Accordingly, user authentication can be easily performed using portable devices of a user, resulting in increased user convenience.

Claims

1. A user authentication apparatus, comprising:

an information collection unit which collects information for user authentication from a plurality of portable devices in a vicinity of the user authentication apparatus; and

a control unit which verifies whether each of the plurality of portable devices, based on the collected information, is a portable device predetermined for user authentication, and authenticates a user based on an amount of information of the plurality of portable devices verified by the control unit,

wherein the collected information includes information on the user of the portable devices and the portable device identification information, and

wherein the control unit identifies the user as a user corresponding to the collected information if the amount of information collected is larger than a threshold value and the plurality of portable devices include the portable device predetermined to be indispensible for user authentication.

2. The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information collection unit collects the information using at least one of radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth, and Zigbee.

3. The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information for user authentication is the same information on the user which the plurality of portable devices share in common, or information on the user which the plurality of portable devices have individually.

4. The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information collection unit automatically collects the information from the plurality of portable devices within a detectable coverage area of the user authentication apparatus.

5. The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit applies a weight to the amount of corresponding information according to characteristics of a portable device from which the information is collected.

6. The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface unit which requests additional information if the amount of information collected is not larger than a threshold value.

7. The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit which stores user authentication information representing whether or not there are authentications for each user,

wherein the control unit performs user authentication by identifying the user authentication information corresponding to the identified user.

19. The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portable device is at least one of a cell phone, an RFID card, an Portable Media Player, a laptop computer and accessory.

20. The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit authenticates the user as a user corresponding to the collected information if the number of indispensible information is plural.

21. The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit authenticates the user based on a number of the predetermined devices verified by the control unit.

8. A user authentication method, comprising:

collecting information for user authentication from a plurality of portable devices in a vicinity of a user authentication apparatus; and

verifying whether each of the plurality of portable devices, based on the collected information, is a portable device predetermined for user authentication and authenticating a user based on an amount of information of the plurality of portable devices verified by a control unit,

wherein the collected information includes information on the user of the portable devices and the portable device identification information, and

wherein the user is identified as a user corresponding to the collected information if the amount of information collected is larger than a threshold value and the plurality of portable devices include the portable device predetermined to be indispensible for user authentication.

9. The user authentication method according to claim 8, wherein the information for user authentication is collected using at least one of radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth, and Zigbee.

10. The user authentication method according to claim 8, wherein the information for user authentication is the same information on the user which the plurality of portable devices share in common, or information on the user which the plurality of portable devices have individually.

11. The user authentication method according to claim 8, wherein the information for user authentication is automatically collected from the plurality of portable devices within a detectable coverage area of the user authentication apparatus.

12. The user authentication method according to claim 8, wherein in identifying the user, a weight is applied to the amount of corresponding information according to characteristics of a portable device from which the information is collected.

13. The user authentication method according to claim 8, further comprising requesting additional information if the amount of information collected is not larger than a threshold value.

14. The user authentication method according to claim 8, further comprising performing user authentication by identifying user authentication information, representing whether or not there are authentications, corresponding to the identified user.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising an execution program for executing a user authentication method, wherein the user authentication method comprises:

collecting information for user authentication from a plurality of portable devices in a vicinity of a user authentication apparatus; and

verifying whether each of the plurality of portable devices, based on the collected information, is a portable device predetermined for user authentication and authenticating a user based on an amount of information of the plurality of portable devices,

wherein the collected information includes information on the user of the portable devices and the portable device identification information, and

wherein the user is identified as a user corresponding to the collected information if the amount of information collected is larger than a threshold value and the plurality of portable devices include the portable device predetermined to be indispensible for user authentication.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15, wherein in identifying the user, a weight is applied to an amount of corresponding information according to characteristics of a portable device from which the information is collected.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the user authentication method further comprises performing user authentication by identifying user authentication information, representing whether or not there is permissions, corresponding to the identified user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the user authentication method further comprises requesting additional information if the amount of information collected is not larger than a threshold value.