Patent ID: 7059516

Claim:
A person authentication system for executing person authentication by comparing a template with sampling information, the template being person authentication data, and the sampling information being input by a user, the person authentication system comprising: a person authentication authority for issuing an electronic person authentication certificate including the template; and a person authentication execution entity for obtaining the template from the electronic person authentication certificate issued by said person authentication authority and executing person authentication on the basis of the obtained template; wherein the electronic person authentication certificate issued by said person authentication authority stores usage restriction information which includes at least either a certificate expiration date or a certificate usage number limit and includes a template expiration date, wherein when a service provider has a transaction with a user, the person authentication authority issues the electronic person authentication certificate including a signature written using a private key of the person authentication authority, and the signature is verifiable using a public key of the person authentication authority that is stored by the service provider, wherein the template is encrypted using a public key of the service provider and extractable from the electronic person authentication certificate using a private key of the service provider, and after the template is successfully extracted, the person authentication execution entity checks the validity of the template on the basis of the template expiration date when the person authentication is executed on the basis of the electronic person authentication certificate, and then executes the person authentication by comparing the template, stored in the electronic person authentication certificate, with sampling information input by the user on the condition that the validity of the template expiration date has been confirmed, wherein said person authentication execution entity checks the validity of the electronic person authentication certificate on the basis of the certificate expiration date or the certificate usage number limit when the person authentication is executed on the basis of the electronic person authentication certificate, and wherein said person authentication authority receives a request for updating the issued electronic person authentication certificate from an entity that received the electronic person authentication certificate, makes a second electronic person authentication certificate in which an updated certificate expiration date or an updated certificate usage number limit is set according to the request, and then issues the second electronic person authentication certificate.