Patent ID: 7424734

Claim:
In a service providing system having an authentication managing apparatus for making an authentication, required for a terminal unit to receive a service, in proxy for an information providing apparatus to provide the service, and an image managing apparatus for managing an image representative of the service, The authentication managing apparatus comprising: first storing means for storing service identifying information of the service associated with user identifying information of a user on the terminal unit; determining means for determining whether the terminal unit is to be authenticated or not, in proxy for the information providing and for determining if the information providing apparatus is to be registered or not; first detecting means for detecting the service identifying information stored associated with the user identifying information from the first storing means when the determining means determines that the terminal unit is to be authenticated, in proxy for the information providing apparatus; first sending means for sending the service identifying information detected by the first detecting means to the image managing means associated with image information representative of the service and for sending an authentication ID to the information providing apparatus; authenticating means for authenticating the terminal unit when providing the service is requested from the terminal unit; and executing means for executing a predetermined process to provide the service to the terminal unit depending upon an authentication result by the authentication means; the image managing apparatus comprising: second storing means for storing service identifying information of the service and image information representative of the service to be identified by the service identifying information, the image information comprising an image icon; writing means for generating a private icon by writing the image icon with the service identifying information; second detecting means for detecting the image information representative of the service to be identified by the service identifying information from the second storing means when the service identifying information is sent by the first sending means of the authentication managing apparatus; and second sending means for sending the image information and the private-icon detected by the second detecting means to the terminal unit; and the terminal unit comprising: third storing means for storing the image information sent by the second sending means of the image managing apparatus; display control means for displaying an private icon stored in the third storing means; operating means for operating the private icon displayed by the display control means; request means for requesting to provide the service corresponding to the private icon operated by the operating means; and second receiving means for receiving the service provided due to the process by the executing means of the authentication managing apparatus.