Patent ID: 7519992
Filing Date: 2009-04-14
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An access control system which controls access on the basis of a group signature scheme, comprising: a group administration organization device which, at a users request, admits a user device to an authorized group, creates authority permission information using the group signature scheme, and sends the authority permission information to the user device; the user device which retains the authority permission information received from the group administration organization device as a result of the user's request, creates authority proof information using the group signature scheme from the authority permission information and sends the authority proof information; and a service provider device which, when accessed by the user device, requests the authority proof information of the user device, verifies the authority proof information received from the user device through the group signature scheme and, when a verification result indicates validity, provides a corresponding service, wherein the group signature scheme is for proving that a user belongs to the authorized group without identifying the user, the authority proof information is a group signature in the group signature scheme, and the group signature is created by an individual user, the user device transmits a service request to the service provider device to receive service provision, the service provider device includes, challenge creation means which creates challenge information including unpredictable information based on the service request received from the user device, proof request means which transmits a recquired authority proof request to request proof of the required authority information retrieved by the required authority retrieval means and the challenge information created by the challenge creation means to the user device, proof information verification means which verifies the authority proof information based on the challenge information upon receipt of the authority proof information from the user device in response to transmission by the proof request means, service information output means which outputs service information so as to provide the service when a verification result by the proof information verification means indicates validity, and usage management means which manages the authority proof information which has been verified to be valid by the proof information verification means and usage history information corresponding to the authority proof information in such a way that they are associated with each other and transmits the authority proof information, the usage history information, and an accounting request to the group administration organization device at regular intervals, and the group administration organization device includes, accounting request verification means which verifies the authority proof information upon receipt of the authority proof information, the usage history information, and the accounting request from the service provider device, and accounting means which identifies the user from the authority proof information based on the group signature scheme when a verification result by the accounting request verification means indicates validity and manages user information corresponding to an identification result and usage charge information in the usage history information in such a way that they are associated with each other.