Patent ID: 8143994

Claim:
A method for authenticating a user of a telematics terminal in a vehicle comprising: receiving, by the telematics terminal and from a user, first user authentication information from a time when a request is made for a first telematics service provided through a mobile communication network, which time follows the telematics terminal being turned on; transmitting, by the telematics terminal, the received first user authentication information to an information providing center in order to receive the first telematics service, wherein the information providing center previously stored first user authentication information for comparison with the received first user authentication information; storing, by the telematics terminal, the received first user authentication information; maintaining, by the telematics terminal, the stored first user authentication information while the telematics terminal remains turned on; upon receiving a request for a second telematics service before the telematics terminal is turned off, reusing, by the telematics terminal, the stored first user authentication information, thereby to transmit the stored first user authentication information to the information providing center through the mobile communication network, in order to receive the second telematics service without action by the user to provide authentication for the second telematics service; receiving, by the telematics terminal, a re-authentication request from the information providing center when the second telematics service is determined to be a special service; and in response to receiving the re-authentication request, requesting, by the telematics terminal, and receiving second user authentication information from the user; and when the received second user authentication information is not valid, transmitting, by the telematics terminal, a failure message, which notifies the user of the telematics terminal that the authentication information was not valid, to a communication device other than the telematics terminal, the communication device having been previously designated by the user of the telematics terminal such that a status of the vehicle and the telematics terminal is provided to the user by means of the communication device, wherein the information providing center previously stored the same second user authentication information thereby to compare, for the second telematics service, the received second user authentication information to the previously stored same second user authentication information.