Patent ID: 6990588

Claim:
A user authentication system, comprising: a registration station provided with an information acquisition device for obtaining biological individuality data for distinguishing individuality of a user; an authentication card issuing station that issues to the user a user authentication card recorded with a divided part of the biological individuality data; an authentication access terminal provided with an authentication-card reader for reading the information of the user authentication card and an identity acquisition device for inputting biological individuality data of the user; and at least one certification authority that is connected to the authentication access terminal through an information communication channel, wherein the certification authority holds the record of the remaining part of the biological individuality data that has been obtained at the registration station but not recorded in the user authentication card, compares the biological individuality data of the user obtained at the authentication access terminal with the part of the biological individuality data missing in the user authentication card in response to inquiry from the authentication access terminal, and sends the comparison result to the authentication access terminal for authentication, and wherein the at least one certification authority dividedly records the remaining part of the biological individuality data obtained at the registration station but not recorded in the user authentication card, and the at least one certification authority compares the biological individuality data of the user input at the authentication access terminal with the part of the biological individuality data stored in the certification authority in response to an inquiry from the authentication access terminal or other certification authority for further authentication.