Patent ID: 7814557

Claim:
An IC card, comprising: file creating means for, in response to a voucher file creation request from a communication partner, creating a voucher file while defining the communication partner as a voucher issuer; file access authority setting means for, in response to an access authority setting request from the communication partner as the voucher issuer, setting an access authority to the voucher file; folder creating means for, in response to a folder creation request from an owner to request a creation of a folder containing the voucher file, creating the folder; folder access authority setting means for, in response to an access authority setting request from the owner, setting an access authority to the folder; access controlling means for controlling an access to the voucher file, based on at least one of the access authority to the voucher file and the access authority to the folder containing the voucher file; and an authenticator configured to determine how an access partner is to be authenticated, among an owner authentication mode, a partner authentication mode, and a non-authentication mode, based on authentication mode information designated by the access partner at a start of a communication, wherein the access controlling means, if a predetermined authentication process in the owner authentication mode, which is executed by the authenticator, is successful, checks the access authority of the voucher file; and if an object operation is permitted, executes the object operation, if a predetermined authentication process in the partner authentication mode, which is executed by the authenticator, is successful, checks the access authority of the folder; if an object operation is permitted, checks whether an identity of the voucher issuer of the voucher file is the same as an identity of the access partner; when the identity of the voucher issuer of the voucher file is the same as the identity of the access partner, executes the object operation; if the identity of the voucher issuer of the voucher file is different from the identity of the access partner, checks the access authority of the voucher file; and if the object operation is permitted, executes the object operation; and in a non-authentication mode, checks the access authority of the folder; if an object operation is permitted, checks the access authority of the voucher file; and if the object operation is permitted, executes the object operation.