Patent ID: 7689834
Filing Date: 2010-03-30
Classification: G07C

Abstract:
1. A personal authentication apparatus having an information obtaining section which obtains biometric information of a person, an information storing section which stores the biometric information of a person obtained in the past by the information obtaining section, and an authenticating section which checks the biometric information currently obtained by the information obtaining section against the biometric information stored in the information storing section to authenticate a person associated with the currently obtained biometric information, wherein: the information obtaining section obtains an ID of the person in addition to the biometric information of the person, and the information storing section associates and stores the ID of the person with the biometric information obtained in the past by the information obtaining section, the personal authentication apparatus comprising: an information registering section which causes the information obtaining section to obtain an ID of a new person and biometric information of the new person for registration and associates and registers the ID of the new person with the biometric information of the new person in the information storing section; and a permissibility information file which stores information indicating whether or not setting and registering of a duplicate ID, which is the same as an ID already registered in the information storing section and will be shared by a plurality of persons, is permitted, wherein the information registering section refers to the permissibility information file and, when the information stored therein indicates that setting and registering of the duplicate ID, which is the same as an ID already registered in the information storing section and will be shared by a plurality of persons, is prohibited, the information registering section checks whether or not a first ID, which is the ID currently obtained by the information obtaining section, for registration is identical to any of second IDs, which are the IDs stored in the information storing section, and only if the first ID differs from each of the second IDs, the information registering section associates and registers the biometric information with the first ID currently obtained for registering by the information obtaining section in the information storing section, and when the information stored in the permissibility information file indicates that setting and registering of the duplicate ID, which is the same as an ID already registered in the information storing section and is shared by a plurality of persons, is permitted, regardless of whether or not the first ID currently obtained is identical to any of the second IDs stored in the information storing section, the information registering section associates and registers the biometric information with the second ID identical to the first ID currently obtained by the information obtaining section, or the information registering section associates and registers the biometric information with the first ID when the identical second ID does not exist.