Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US8224128?dq=5,266,072
Timestamp: 2014-07-28 10:32:40
Document Index: 17040498

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 300', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 412', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 412', 'art 413', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 413']

Patent US8224128 - Portable information terminal device - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsAn objective of the present invention is to provide a portable information terminal device capable of exclusively storing information which is useful to identify an illegal user. If a matching degree between characteristic information extracted from a photographed image by a characteristic extraction...http://www.google.com/patents/US8224128?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US8224128 - Portable information terminal deviceAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS8224128 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/996,185PCT numberPCT/JP2006/313875Publication dateJul 17, 2012Filing dateJul 12, 2006Priority dateJul 22, 2005Also published asCN101238705A, CN101238705B, EP1914961A1, EP1914961A4, EP1914961B1, US20090141948, WO2007010799A1Publication number11996185, 996185, PCT/2006/313875, PCT/JP/2006/313875, PCT/JP/6/313875, PCT/JP2006/313875, PCT/JP2006313875, PCT/JP6/313875, PCT/JP6313875, US 8224128 B2, US 8224128B2, US-B2-8224128, US8224128 B2, US8224128B2InventorsAkira Nakaoka, Junichi ShimizuOriginal AssigneeSharp Kabushiki KaishaExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (19), Referenced by (1), Classifications (19), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetPortable information terminal deviceUS 8224128 B2Abstract An objective of the present invention is to provide a portable information terminal device capable of exclusively storing information which is useful to identify an illegal user.
an imaging module for photographing an object;
a characteristic information storage module for storing characteristic information extracted from face images as registered characteristic information in advance;
an authentication processing module for processing authentication by using said registered characteristic information on the basis of an image photographed by said imaging module; and
an error history management module for causing an authentication failure storage module to store history information obtained when authentication has failed in said authentication process as authentication failure information, wherein
said authentication processing module including: a characteristic extraction module for extracting characteristic information from said photographed image; matching degree calculation module for obtaining a numerically expressed matching degree by comparing characteristic information extracted by said characteristic extraction module with said registered characteristic information stored in said characteristic information storage module; and matching degree determination module for comparing said matching degree with an authentication threshold value,
said error history management module causes said authentication failure storage module to store authentication failure information only when said characteristic information extracted by said characteristic extraction module and said matching degree is determined to be smaller than said authentication threshold value by said matching degree determination module,
a predetermined number of plural authentication failure information can be stored in said authentication failure storage module in the descending order from the latest authentication failure information,
said error history management module determining whether authentication has failed before or after a fixed period of time after previous authentication failure information has been stored, and
said error history management module causes said authentication failure storage module to store authentication failure information when authentication has failed after a fixed period of time after previous authentication failure information has been stored, and to not store authentication failure information when authentication has failed before the fixed period of time after previous authentication failure information has been stored.
2. The portable information terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a time counting module for counting time, wherein
said authentication failure information includes time information on time counted by said time counting module when said authentication process is carried out.
3. The portable information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said authentication failure information includes images photographed by said imaging module and used in said authentication process.
4. The portable information terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a continuous authentication module for photographing an object again when authentication has failed in said authentication process so as to process authentication on the basis of the photographed image by controlling said imaging module and said authentication processing module, wherein
said authentication failure information includes entire images or one arbitrary image photographed by said imaging module and used in said authentication process.
5. The portable information terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a positional information detection module for detecting positional information of said portable information terminal device, wherein
said authentication failure information includes said positional information detected by said positional information detection module when said authentication process is carried out.
6. The portable information terminal device according to claim 1, comprising an error display module for showing a standby screen to display a screen indicating that authentication failure information is stored in said authentication failure storage module. Description
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a portable information terminal device, more specifically improvement of a portable information terminal device which carries out an authentication process on the basis of photographed images.
BACKGROUND ART Portable information terminal devices such as mobile phones include devices provided with a camera for generating image data by photographing an object. In some of the portable information terminal devices of this kind distributed to the market recently, an authentication process (so-called face authentication) is carried out by guiding a user to photograph a face image by a camera during operation and comparing characteristic information such as a shape and size of eyes, nose, mouth and outline extracted from a photographed face image with user characteristic information which is stored in advance in a memory provided in the portable information terminal devices. Only when results of the authentication process show that a matching degree between characteristic information extracted from a photographed image and user characteristic information exceeds an authentication threshold value, a person who carries out operation at that time is determined to be a true user and authorized to execute processes thereafter, so that security improvement and privacy protection can be enhanced (ex. refer to Patent Document 1).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-278658 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-115485 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-084991 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention In a failure in an authentication process according to the above conventional techniques, any images photographed in the authentication process are stored as history information. Accordingly, even if a person who performs operation photographs a surrounding scene instead of a face of the person in an authentication process, the image is stored in a memory as history. That is, information which is completely unnecessary to identify an illegal user is stored in a memory, which occasionally increases an amount of a memory to be used more than necessary.
Means Adapted to Solve the Problem A portable information terminal device of a first aspect of the present invention includes: imaging means for photographing an object; characteristic information storage means for storing characteristic information extracted from face images as registered characteristic information in advance; authentication processing means for processing authentication by using the registered characteristic information on the basis an image photographed by said imaging means; and error history management means for causing error history storage means to store history information obtained when authentication has failed in said authentication process as error history information, wherein said authentication processing means has: characteristic extraction means for extracting characteristic information from said photographed image; matching degree calculation means for obtaining a numerically expressed matching degree by comparing characteristic information extracted by said characteristic extraction means with said registered characteristic information stored in said characteristic information storage means; and matching degree determination means for comparing said matching degree with an authentication threshold value, whereas said error history management means causes said error history storage means to store error history information, in a case where said characteristic information is extracted by said characteristic extraction means and also said matching degree is determined to be smaller than the authentication threshold value by said matching degree determination means.
Effects of the Invention According to the portable information terminal device of the present invention, error history information can be stored only when the photographed image is a face image and the matching degree between the characteristic information extracted from the photographed image and the registered characteristic information is determined to be smaller than the authentication threshold value. Therefore, storage of error history information can be prevented in such a case that a user cannot be identified as an illegal user from the photographed image, so that information which is useful to identify the illegal user can be exclusively stored and an amount of a memory to be used can be reduced.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION FIG. 1 is an appearance view showing an example of a portable information terminal device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein a mobile phone 1 is presented as an example of the portable information terminal device. The mobile phone 1 is a so-called folding-type mobile phone, where a display case 100 and an operation case 200 are connected via a hinge part 300 so that the display case 100 and the operation case 200 can be folded by disposing respective faces of the cases to be opposed from one another.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example of the main display part 101 in a setting of face authentication. When a user reads a security setting screen by operating the operation keys 201 (refer to FIG. 5( a)) and carries out operation to select a �face authentication setting� item out of items displayed in the security setting screen, the main display part 101 displays a screen for guiding a user to input a terminal password which is assigned to the mobile phone 1 in advance (refer to FIG. 5( b)). In this display screen, if a user operates a clear key included in the operation keys 201, the main display part 101 returns to display the security setting screen shown in FIG. 5( a).
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of a face authentication image registration screen. In the face authentication setting screen of FIG. 5( f), if any one of the items which are made to correspond to face authentication images is selected, the main display part 101 is switched to display the face authentication image registration screen corresponding to the face authentication image as shown in FIG. 6( a). The face authentication image registration screen includes an item for �overwrite registration� and an item for �registration data confirmation�.
Operation to select the item for �overwrite registration� out of the items displayed in the face authentication image registration screen of FIG. 6( a) causes the sub-camera 105 to start, where the main display part 101 displays an image of an object with respect to the sub-camera 105 in real time after the sub-camera 105 is brought into a photographable state (refer to FIG. 6( b)). At this time, the main display part 101 functions as a finder of the sub-camera 105, where a face of a person who performs operation while looking at a screen displayed in the main display part 101 is projected in a finder screen constituted by the main display part 101.
Operation to select the item for �registration data confirmation� out of the items displayed in the face authentication image registration screen of FIG. 6( a) is followed by reading a corresponding face authentication image stored in the image data storage part 412 of the memory 410, where the face authentication image is displayed in the main display part 101 (refer to FIG. 6( e)). A user is allowed to confirm a registered face authentication image from the face authentication image confirmation screen shown in FIG. 6( e). In this display screen, operation of the clear key included in the operation keys 201 causes the main display part 101 to return to display the face authentication image registration screen shown in FIG. 6( a).
In the face authentication image confirmation screen of FIG. 6( e), operation of the operation keys 201 by a user to delete a corresponding face authentication image causes the main display part 101 to switch to display a deletion confirmation screen for confirming whether or not the face authentication image may be deleted (refer to FIG. 6( f)). This display screen includes a �yes� key 115 for instructing to delete the face authentication image and a �no� key 116 for instructing not to delete the face authentication Image. In the deletion confirmation screen of FIG. 6( f), selection of the �yes� key 116 by operating the operation keys 201 causes the main display part 101 to return to display the face authentication image confirmation screen shown in FIG. 6( e).
In the deletion confirmation screen of FIG. 6( f), selection of the �yes� key 115 by operating the operation keys 201 causes the image data storage part 412 and the characteristic information storage part 413 of the memory 410 to start processes to delete a corresponding face authentication image and registered characteristic information, where the main display part 101 displays a screen indicating it is in the process of deletion (refer to FIG. 6( g)). When the processes to delete the face authentication image and registered characteristic information are completed, the main display part 101 displays a screen indicating the process completion (refer to FIG. 6( h)), and the main display part 101 returns to display the face authentication setting screen shown in FIG. 5( f) due to timeout after a predetermined amount of time lapses or in response to operation of any key included in the operation keys 201.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of a security level setting screen. In the face authentication setting screen of FIG. 5( f), selection of the item which is made to correspond to the security level setting causes the main display part 101 to switch to display the security level setting screen for setting an authentication threshold value for use in face authentication as shown in FIG. 7. Security levels set in advance include a �level 3� having a highest authentication threshold value, �level 2� having an authentication threshold value which is lower than that of the �level 3�, and �level 1� having an authentication threshold value which is lower than that of the �level 2�, where any one of the security levels can be selected in the security level setting screen.
In a management function screen for setting management functions of the mobile phone 1 as shown in FIG. 9( a), operation to select a �secret mode� item out of items displayed in the management function screen causes the sub-camera 105 to start. The sub-camera 105 is then brought into a photographable state, followed by displaying an image of an object with respect to the sub-camera 105 in the main display part 101 in real time (refer to FIG. 9( b)), where automatic authentication starts. At this time, when the sub-camera 105 is brought into a photographable state after finishing an initialization process thereof, a face image for authentication is photographed without performing photographing operation by a user, where the characteristic information is further extracted from the photographed image. The extracted characteristic information is compared with user characteristic information stored in advance in the characteristic information storage part 413 of the memory 410, which enables an authentication process to be performed automatically.
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