Communications: electrical – Selective – Intelligence comparison for controlling
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-16
2003-02-04
Horabik, Michael (Department: 2635)
Communications: electrical
Selective
Intelligence comparison for controlling
C340S005540, C340S870030, C340S005100, C340S005200, C370S338000, C370S230000, C370S431000, C341S022000, C713S152000, C713S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06515575
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of authenticating a user and a system of authenticating a user both to be used for a portable data-communication terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a conventional data-communication terminal is to log in to a host computer, the host computer usually requests the data-communication terminal to transmit an account name used for identifying a user and a pass word used for authenticating a user, as data for judging whether log-in is allowed.
Such data-communication terminals have been suggested in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications Nos. 4-233341 and 9-187081.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of one of conventional data-communication terminals which log in to a host computer.
When a data-communication terminal
20
logs in to a host computer
30
, a user inputs a request for log-in to the data-communication terminal
20
through an input section
320
. When a request for log-in is input through the input section
320
, an access controller
210
of the data-communication terminal
20
transmits a request for communication to the host computer
30
through a communication controller
310
.
When requested to show an account name and a password from the host computer
30
, the access controller
210
informs a user of such a request through a display screen
220
of the data-communication terminal
20
. A user informed of such a request inputs an account name and a password as log-in data
40
through the input section
320
. The thus input log-in data
40
is transmitted to the host computer
30
, and log-in of the data-communication terminal
20
to the host computer
30
is carried out, for instance, when the pass word as log-in data is coincident with a pass word stored in the host computer
30
.
Though an input of log-in data was carried out in a user's office in a conventional non-portable data-communication terminal, as a portable data-communication terminal has been widely used, an input of log-in data is often carried out outside a user's office. However, in accordance with the conventional method as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, an input of log-in data may be furtively looked at by a third party.
In addition, a data-communication terminal designed to be portable would have much possibility of being stolen or lost, which was not found in the conventional non-portable data-communication terminal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional data-communication terminal, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of authenticating a user and a system of doing the same both of which are capable of preventing a third party from using a portable data-communication terminal without user's permission.
In one aspect, there is provided a method of authenticating a portable data-communication terminal user in a system including a portable data-communication terminal and a device for authenticating a user both including a transceiver for making radio-communication to each other, the method including the steps of (a) transmitting and receiving user-authentication data between the portable data-communication terminal and the user-authenticating device to thereby carry out check as to whether the portable data-communication terminal is far away from the user-authenticating device by a distance equal to or smaller than a first distance within which the transceiver can make radio-communication between the portable data-communication terminal and the user-authenticating device, and (b) allowing the portable data-communication terminal to carry out a predetermined operation only when the portable data-communication terminal is authenticated to be located within the first distance from the user-authenticating device.
It is preferable that the user-authentication data is code data inherent to a user, and that the check is carried out by checking whether user-authentication data of the portable data-communication terminal is coincident with user-authentication data of the user-authenticating device.
It is preferable that the portable data-communication terminal has a function of logging in a host device by transmitting log-in data to the host device, and whether log-in of the portable data-communication terminal to the host device is allowed is determined in accordance with a result of the check.
It is preferable that the log-in data is stored in advance in a memory equipped in the portable data-communication terminal, and the log-in data is read out of the memory, and transmitted to the host device.
For instance, the log-in data may be comprised of first data including an account, used for identifying a user, and second data including a password, used for authenticating a user.
It is preferable that the check is carried out only when a predetermined request is input into the portable data-communication terminal.
It is preferable that after the check has been carried out once, the check is repeatedly carried out in a fixed interval.
It is preferable that the portable data-communication terminal transmits an authentication requesting signal including data about random number to the user-authenticating device, the user-authenticating device receiving the authenticating requesting signal produces a response signal including the data about random number and authentication data stored in the user-authenticating device, and transmits the thus produced response signal to the portable data-communication terminal, and the portable data-communication terminal receiving the response signal extracts the authentication data from the response signal, and compares the thus extracted authentication data with authentication data stored in the portable data-communication terminal.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for authenticating a user, including (a) a portable terminal which makes data-communication including a memory to store authentication data of itself therein, and a radio-transceiver to make radio-communication for transmitting and receiving the authentication data, and (b) a device which authenticates a user including a memory to store authentication data of itself therein, and a radio-transceiver to make radio-communication for transmitting and receiving the authentication data, the portable data-communication terminal and the user-authenticating device transmitting and receiving the authentication data therebetween to thereby carry out check as to whether the portable data-communication terminal is far away from the user-authenticating device by a distance equal to or smaller than a first distance within which the radio-transceivers can make radio-communication between the portable data-communication terminal and the user-authenticating device, the portable data-communication terminal being allowed to carry out a predetermined operation only when the portable data-communication terminal is authenticated to be located within the first distance from the user-authenticating device.
It is preferable that the user-authenticating device includes a radio-transmitter to transmit authentication data of itself to the portable data-communication terminal in radio, and that the portable data-communication terminal includes a radio-receiver to receive the authentication data transmitted from the user-authenticating device, and a comparator to compare the thus received authentication data to authentication data of the portable data-communication terminal.
It is preferable that the portable data-communication terminal includes a radio-transmitter to transmit a request for authentication to the user-authenticating device in radio, and that the user-authenticating device includes a radio-receiver to receive the request transmitted from the portable data-communication terminal.
It is preferable that the portable data-communication terminal includes a timer which monitors whether authentication data is received from the user-authenticating device within a predetermined period of time after the request has been transmi
Horabik Michael
McGinn & Gibb PLLC
NEC Corporation
Nguyen Nam V
LandOfFree
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