Patent ID: 8396258

Claim:
A finger vein pattern inputting device for inputting a finger vein pattern as biometric information for personal authentication comprising: a finger table with a first part for supporting and locating a finger to be authenticated by touching a front part of the finger, and a second part for passing a near-infrared light to be radiated on the finger to form a finger vein pattern; a light-emitting part for emitting the near-infrared light to be radiated on the finger to be authenticated; an imaging device for photographing an image of the finger vein pattern; and a case comprising: a hood part provided with the light-emitting part and covering an upper part of the finger table; two side parts partially provided at each side of the second part of the finger table in the lengthwise direction of the finger, for forming an opening at the upper part of the first part of the finger table at each of a tip side part and a root side part of the finger, when the finger is placed on the finger table so that the side parts are arranged between the openings in the lengthwise direction, wherein the case covers the side parts of the second part and supports the hood part; and a bottom part provided with the finger table and the imaging device, wherein the case forms an imaging space between the hood part, the side parts, and the bottom part, and the hood part, side parts and bottom part form an outside part of the inputting device and a closed condition; wherein an imaging range of the imaging device is formed in a region between an inside of each of the side parts of the case facing each other, and wherein the opening at the tip side part of the finger is arranged such that the tip side part of the finger is visible from an outside of the case in each of: (1) a finger width direction perpendicular to each of the lengthwise direction of the finger and an optical direction of the near-infrared light, and (2) a direction from the tip side part of the finger toward the root side part of the finger in parallel with the lengthwise direction of the finger.