Patent ID: 8401245

Claim:
An authentication apparatus comprising: time-information storage means for storing a reference time used for authentication; biometric-information storage means for storing biometric information used for authentication; biometric-information obtaining means for obtaining biometric information of a person; matching-score calculating means for calculating a matching score representing a degree of similarity between the biometric information stored in the biometric-information storage means and the obtained biometric information; current-time obtaining means for obtaining a current time; threshold setting means for setting a threshold used for authentication, on the basis of the obtained current time and the reference time stored in the time-information storage means; and authentication-result determining means for determining success or failure of authentication regarding the obtained biometric information, on the basis of the calculated matching score and the set threshold, wherein the biometric-information obtaining means includes first biometric-information obtaining means for obtaining biometric information of the person at a time of entry of the person and second biometric-information obtaining means for obtaining biometric information of the person at a time of exit of the person, the time-information storage means stores an entry time representing the time when the first biometric-information obtaining means obtained the biometric information and an exit time representing the time when the second biometric-information obtaining means obtained the biometric information, in such a manner that the entry time and the exit time are associated with the person relevant to the biometric information, the matching score calculating means calculates a matching score representing a degree of similarity between the biometric information stored in the biometric-information storage means and the biometric information obtained by the first biometric-information obtaining means, and the threshold setting means sets the threshold on the basis of the obtained current time and on the basis of consistency between the entry time and the exit time stored in the time-information storage means in association with the person relevant to the biometric information obtained by the first biometric-information obtaining means.