Patent EA-002175-B1 (EA)
Title: Authentication card system
IPC: G06F21/34
Filed: 1999-05-19
Abstract: 1. A user authentication system comprising a registration station provided with an information acquisition device for obtaining biological individuality data for distinguishing individuality of a user, an authentication card issuing station that issues to the user a user authentication card recorded with a divided part of the biological individuality data, an authentication access terminal provided with an authentication-card reader for reading the information of the user authentication card and an identity acquisition device for inputting biological individuality data of the user, and at least one certification authority that is connected to the authentication access terminal through an information communication channel, wherein the certification authority holds the record of the remaining part of the biological individuality data that have obtained at the registration station but not recorded in the user authentication card, the recorded contents in the user authentication card read out by the authentication card reader are compared with the biological individuality data of the user obtained on the spot through the identity acquisition device to authenticate identification of the user at the authentication access terminal, and if a higher level of authentication is required, the certification authority compares the biological individuality data of the user obtained at the authentication access terminal with the part of the biological individuality data missing in the user authentication card in response to inquiry from the authentication access terminal and sends the comparison result to the authentication access terminal for further authentication. 2. A user authentication system according to claim 1, wherein the user authentication card has an computing function and the computing function executes calculation of authenticating personal identification at the authentication access terminal. 3. A user authentication system according to claim 2, wherein the information exchanged through the information communication channel is encrypted. 4. A user authentication system according to any of claims 1 through 3, wherein the two or more certification authorities dividedly record part of the biological individuality data obtained at the registration station but not recorded in the user authentication card, and one certification authority compares the biological individuality data of the user input at the authentication access terminal with the part of the biological individuality data stored in the certification authority in response to inquiry from the authentication access terminal or other certification authority for further authentication. 5. A user authentication system according to any of claims 1 through 4, wherein the certification authority is provided with a memory device for recording the biological individuality data obtained at the registration station. 6. A user authentication system according to any of claims 1 through 5, wherein plural kinds of biological individuality data are registered so that different transactions can be conducted in response to the kind of the input data. 7. A user authentication device comprising: an authentication-card reader for reading out information recorded in an authentication IC card, an identity acquisition device for inputting biological individuality data of a user, a judgment device for checking the biological individuality data of the authentication IC card read out by the authentication-card reader against the biological individuality data input on the spot through the identity acquisition device and for judging acceptance of the user, a communication unit for transmitting at least a part of the biological individuality data of the user input through the identity acquisition unit to a certification authority outside and receiving an authentication result of the certification authority.