Patent ID: 8264327

Claim:
An authentication apparatus comprising: an authentication unit configured to compare at least one of face image data detected from image data and a plurality of items of registered face image data in a data recording unit and calculate each authenticity of the plurality of items of registered face image data with respect to the detected face image data based upon similarity between the detected face image data and the plurality of items of registered face image data; and a result determination unit configured to compare a first authenticity, which is the maximum value from among the calculated authenticities of the plurality of items of registered face image data, with a first threshold value and determine that an authentication by said authentication unit is success if the first authenticity is greater than the first threshold value and that the authentication is failure if the first authenticity is not more than the first threshold value; wherein a least part of the plurality of items of registered face image data in the data recording unit is associated with a name of a person corresponding to the item of registered face image data and a group name to which the person corresponding to the item of the registered face image data belongs, each group name is associated with two or more items of the registered face image data, wherein said result determination unit determines whether the first authenticity is greater than a second threshold value which is greater than the first threshold value, and displays a name of a person associated with an item of a first registered face image data of which a first authenticity is calculated on a display unit if the first authenticity is greater than the second threshold value, and displays a group name but not a name of a person associated with the item of the first registered face image data on the display unit if the first authenticity is greater than the first threshold value but not more than the second threshold value and the group name is associated with the item of the first registered face image data.