Patent ID: 7440594

Claim:
A face identification device comprising: detection means for detecting face images from original images taken by a camera; storage means in which a face image of a specific person is previously or subsequently stored; determination means for determining whether a face image detected by the detection means matches with the face image stored previously or subsequently in the storage means by comparing both face images; and abstraction process means for applying an abstraction process to a face image out of the face images detected by the detection means from the original images in order to make the face image unrecognizable, the abstraction process means applying the abstraction process exclusively to a detected face image when the determination means determines that the detected face image is not a specific person, and not applying the abstraction process to a detected face image when the determination means determines that the detected face image is a specific person, wherein the storage means stores the original image abstracted by the abstraction process means, when a new face image is stored in the storage means subsequently, the abstraction means restores to the original image abstracted by the abstraction process means in the storage means, the detection means detects face images from the restored original image, and the determination means determines whether a face image in the restored original image detected by the detection means matches with the new face image stored subsequently in the storage means by comparing both face images.