JP2002032343A - Communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication system that easily discriminates a user. SOLUTION: This communication system has a means for storing biological information for reference, a means for reading the biological information for inquiry of the user, a means for collating the biological information for inquiry with the biological information as reference, and a means for sending information that the biological information for inquiry matches with the biological information for reference as data to the opposite party when the biological information for inquiry coincides with the biological information for reference.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system. In particular, the communication system is characterized by performing authentication using biometric information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, communication technology for connecting to the Internet using an authentication device such as a mobile phone, a personal computer, and a personal digital assistant has been rapidly developing. The connection to the Internet or the like at a company or at home is made by connecting a telephone line to a stationary personal computer. In particular, in recent years, mobile phones such as i-mode, which can easily use the Internet, have become widespread, and various types of information exchange have been easily performed.

[0003] In recent years, attention has been paid to mail-order sales and stock trading using a communication network such as the Internet because of the convenience that a transaction can be completed while staying at home. However, when conducting a transaction with a partner using the authentication device, it is difficult to confirm (authentication work) that the partner communicating is the person. For this reason, there is a possibility that a third party other than the principal impersonates the principal and communicates with the other party as the user.

[0004] In view of the above, there is a need to increase the certainty that the user is the user in the authentication work.

FIG. 14 shows a flow of a conventional authentication work.
First, the user connects to the Internet using an authentication device such as a mobile phone, and transmits a password such as a password for authentication as data to the other party under specified conditions. The other party who has received the password for authentication as data checks the password registered in the user's place in advance against the password sent from the user, and confirms whether or not they match. Here, if a match is found, the user is authenticated as the user, and if not, the user is not authenticated.

[0006] After the collation is completed, the other party transmits a collation end signal having information as to whether or not the authentication is required as data to the user. If the user is not authenticated as the user, the user sends the password again as data to the other party. If the authentication is successful, the authentication work ends when the collation end signal is received, and the communication starts next.

[0007] In this specification, the term "communication" means transmission and reception of target information, which is performed after the authentication operation is completed.

As described above, in the conventional authentication work, in order to prevent a third party other than the user from impersonating the user and communicating with the other party as the user, the number transmitted by the user to the other party is set in advance. It has been confirmed that the user is the person himself / herself by comparing the password with the person's password registered in the other party.

[0009]

A communication system using the above-mentioned conventional authentication device has the following problems.

First, there is no denying that the password may be leaked to a third party. If the password is leaked to a third party, it becomes impossible to confirm that the user is the person himself in the conventional authentication work.

There is a possibility that the user forgets the password. In such a case, it becomes necessary for the person to inquire the password of the other party or to frequently rewrite the password, which is very troublesome.

Further, in the conventional authentication work, the user needs to send a password as data to the other party and receive a collation end signal from the other party. Then, when the user sends an incorrect password to the other party, it is necessary to send the correct password again to the other party. For this reason, data transmission / reception is performed at least twice between the other party and the user.

If the number of times data is transmitted and received between the user and the other party is large, the cost required for the authentication work increases.
If the number of times of data transmission / reception is large, there is a high possibility that the line between the user and the other party is interrupted during data transmission / reception due to some error. If the line is interrupted while data is being sent or received, you will need to start the authentication process again from the beginning.
The work is complicated.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems.

[0015]

According to the present invention, the authentication work is performed only by the user, and the fact that the authentication has been completed is transmitted to the other party as data. Confirmation (identification) of the user is performed by comparing the user's biometric information (verification biometric information) with the user's biometric information (reference biometric information).

[0016] In the present specification, the biological information means physical information inherent to human beings and information that can be used to identify individual human beings. Representative biometric information includes fingerprints, palm prints, voice prints, and the like. The biological information used in the present invention is not limited to a fingerprint, a palm print, and a voice print. Any information that is a physical characteristic inherent to a human being and that can identify a human individual can be used as biometric information in the authentication work of the present invention.

As a result of the comparison, if the biometric information of the user does not match the biometric information of the user, the user checks the biometric information of the user and the biometric again. If the user and the person's biometric information match,
The end of the authentication is transmitted as data to the other party, and the authentication work is completed.

When the authentication work is completed and the other party confirms that the user is himself, the intended communication with the other party is started.

If the user's biometric information does not match the biometric information of the user in the above-described authentication work, the biometric information of the user and the biometric information of the user can be collated again.
Then, when it is attempted to perform repetitive matching, if the number of matches does not match continuously n times or more (n is a natural number), the other party may be automatically notified that the number of matches does not match n times or more.

Also, the biological information of the person (biological information for reference)
May be plural. For example, the authentication work may be performed using both the fingerprint and the voiceprint. Alternatively, a plurality of fingerprints can be used as the biometric information of the person (reference biometric information).

It is also possible to use a plurality of user biometric information (verification biometric information), and to use a plurality of biometric information of the same type or a plurality of biometric information of different types. is there.

When rewriting the reference biometric information,
It is necessary to show the person who can confirm the identity to the other party. Alternatively, a password necessary for rewriting biometric information may be sent to the other party as data after performing authentication once, and the reference biometric information may be rewritten if the password matches at the other party.

The above-described authentication work is not limited to the case where the authentication is performed between the user and the other party. For example, if there is an administrator who manages the communication between the user and the other party, the administrator is notified that the authentication of the user has been completed. May be started.

In the present specification, a partner or an administrator corresponds to a device that manages communication performed between the user of the authentication device and the partner. Specifically, a provider or the like is included, but the other party or the administrator in this specification is not limited to this, and may be any person who manages communication performed between the user and the other party.

If there is an administrator who manages the communication between the user and the other party, the matching between the user's biometric information and the user's biometric information must be consistently repeated at least n times (n is a natural number). Alternatively, it may be automatically notified to the administrator that no match has been made at least n times.

Also, in this case, when rewriting the reference biometric information, it is necessary to present to the administrator a piece of information that can confirm the identity of the user. Alternatively, after performing authentication once, a password required when rewriting biometric information is sent to the administrator as data, and when the password matches on the administrator side, the reference biometric information may be rewritten. .

As described above, in the present invention, since the authentication is performed using the biometric information, there is no possibility that the password is leaked to a third party other than the person and the identity cannot be confirmed. Therefore, the reliability of the identity of the user can be increased by the authentication work.

In the authentication work, the number of times data is exchanged between the user and the other party (or the administrator) can be reduced, so that the cost required for data transmission and reception can be reduced, and any error Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the trouble of communication being interrupted and performing the authentication work again from the beginning.

Further, since the authentication work is performed using the biometric information of the user, the user does not need to forget the password and inquire the other party or frequently rewrite the password.

In general, the amount of biometric information is larger than that of a password. However, in the present invention, it is not necessary to directly transmit the biometric information of the user or the user as data to the other party (or the administrator), so that the time required for transmitting and receiving data to and from the other party (or the administrator) is longer. And cost can be reduced.

Further, in the present invention, since the reference biometric information of all persons who perform the authentication work does not need to be stored by the other party (or the administrator), the information amount of the biometric information is larger than the password. However, the burden on the other party (or the administrator) does not increase. Since the individual stores the biometric information for reference, the number of biometric information for reference leaked when security is broken (in this case, all biometric information possessed by the same person is counted as one) It is possible to suppress the reference biometric information of all the persons who perform the authentication work as compared with a case where the reference biometric information is stored in the other party (or the administrator).

The configuration of the present invention will be described below.

The present invention relates to a communication system for identifying a user, a means for storing reference biometric information, a means for reading the user's reference biometric information, and a means for transmitting the reference biometric information to the reference biometric information. It is characterized in that it has means for collating with information, and means for sending, as data, the fact that it matched with the other party when the collation is matched.

The present invention is a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of reference biometric information; means for reading the n pieces of reference biometric information of the user; It is characterized in that it comprises means for matching the biometric information for inquiry with the n pieces of biometric information for reference, and means for sending, as data, a match with the other party when all the matches match.

The present invention is a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of reference biometric information; means for reading m pieces of reference biometric information of the user; Means for comparing the reference biometric information with the n pieces of reference biometric information; and in the matching, at least one of the n pieces of reference biometric information matches at least one of the m pieces of the reference biometric information. And a means for transmitting, as data, a match with the other party.

The present invention is a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing a plurality of types of reference biometric information; means for reading a plurality of types of reference biometric information of the user; Means for comparing the reference biometric information with the plurality of reference biometric information, and in the comparison, the plurality of types of reference biometric information and the plurality of types of reference biometric information all match. In this case, there is provided a means for transmitting, as data, the fact that it has matched the other party.

According to the present invention, there is provided a communication system for identifying a user, wherein a plurality of types of reference biometric information are stored in n pieces, and a plurality of types of reference biometric information of the user are read in m pieces. Means for comparing the m pieces of biometric information for inquiry with the n pieces of biometric information for reference, and in the matching, at least one of the biometric information for each type of the plurality of types of biometric information for inquiry When one of the n pieces of reference biometric information matches at least one of the various types of reference biometric information, there is provided a means for sending data indicating that the information matches the other party as data.

According to the present invention, there is provided a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of plural kinds of reference biometric information; and means for reading m pieces of plural kinds of reference biometric information of the user. Means for comparing the m pieces of biometric information for inquiry with the n pieces of biometric information for reference, wherein in the matching, all of the plurality of types of biometric information for inquiry are
Means for sending, as data, a match with the other party when all of the pieces of reference biometric information match.

The present invention relates to a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing reference biometric information; means for reading biometric information for reference of the user; A communication system comprising: means for checking with information, and means for sending, as data, a match to an administrator when the match is found, wherein the other party has received as data that the match was found. Later, communication is started between the user and the other party via the manager.

[0040] The present invention is a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing reference biometric information; means for reading the user's reference biometric information; A communication unit comprising: a unit for collating with the information; a unit for sending, when the collation is matched, a match to the manager as data; and a unit for sending the data that the collation is matched to the other party as data. In the system, after the partner receives the matching data as data, communication is started between the user and the partner via the manager. I do.

The present invention relates to a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing reference biometric information; means for reading the user's reference biometric information; A communication unit comprising: a unit for collating with the information; a unit for sending, when the collation is matched, a match to the manager as data; and a unit for sending the data that the collation is matched to the other party as data. The system is characterized in that direct communication is started between the user and the other party after the other party receives the matching data as data.

Only when a transaction is made between the user and the partner and the conditions set for the partner are satisfied,
It may be characterized in that the identification of the user is required.

The present invention relates to a communication system for identifying a user, a means for storing reference biometric information, a means for reading the user's reference biometric information, and a means for storing the reference biometric information into the reference biometric information. A communication system comprising: means for matching with information; and means for sending, as data, a match with the other party when the match is made, wherein data indicating that the match was made to the other party was sent as data. later,
When a password is sent to the other party as data and the password is authenticated as correct at the other party,
It is characterized in that the reference biometric information can be rewritten.

The present invention is a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of reference biometric information; means for reading n pieces of reference biometric information of the user; A communication system comprising: means for comparing reference biometric information with the n pieces of reference biometric information; and means for sending, as data, a match with the partner when all of the matches match, After sending the data that the collation matched earlier as data, the password is sent as data to the other party, and if the password is authenticated as correct at the other party, the n pieces of reference biometric information can be rewritten. It is characterized by:

The present invention is a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of reference biometric information; means for reading m pieces of reference biometric information of the user; Means for comparing the reference biometric information with the n reference biometric information; and in the comparison, at least one of the n reference biometric information matches at least one of the m reference biometric information. Means for sending, as data, that the match has been made to the other party, comprising: sending, as data, that the matching has been made to the other party as data, and then transmitting a password to the other party as data. In the case where the password is authenticated as being correct at the destination, the n pieces of reference biometric information can be rewritten.

The present invention is a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing a plurality of types of reference biometric information; means for reading a plurality of types of reference biometric information of the user; Means for comparing the reference biometric information with the plurality of reference biometric information, and in the comparison, the plurality of types of reference biometric information and the plurality of types of reference biometric information all match. In the case, the communication system having means for sending data that matches the destination as data, and after sending the data that the matching has been matched to the destination as data, sending a password as data to the destination, When the other party is authenticated that the password is correct, the plurality of types of reference biometric information can be rewritten.

According to the present invention, there is provided a communication system for identifying a user, wherein a plurality of types of reference biometric information are stored in a number n, and a plurality of types of reference biometric information of the user are read in a number m. Means for comparing the m pieces of biometric information for inquiry with the n pieces of biometric information for reference, and in the matching, at least one of the biometric information for each type of the plurality of types of biometric information for inquiry Means for sending, as data, a match to the other party when at least one of the reference biometric information of each type matches the n biometric reference information, After sending the matching to the other party as data, the password is sent to the other party as data, and if the password is authenticated as correct at the other party, the plurality of types Featuring that rewritten reference biometric information.

According to the present invention, there is provided a communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of plural kinds of reference biometric information; and means for reading m pieces of plural kinds of reference biometric information of the user. Means for comparing the m pieces of biometric information for inquiry with the n pieces of biometric information for reference, wherein in the matching, all of the plurality of types of biometric information for inquiry are
Means for sending, as data, a match to the other party when all of the reference biometric information matches, and sends data indicating that the matching has been made to the other party as data. After that, a password is sent as data to the other party, and when the other party is authenticated that the password is correct, the plurality of types of reference biometric information can be rewritten.

The present invention relates to a communication system for identifying a user, comprising means for storing reference biometric information, means for reading the user's reference biometric information, and means for referencing the reference biometric information to the reference biometric information. A communication system comprising: means for matching with information; and means for sending, as data, a match to an administrator when the match is found, wherein the data that the match was found was sent to the manager as data. later,
When a password is sent to the administrator as data and the administrator authenticates that the password is correct,
A communication system characterized in that the reference biometric information can be rewritten.

[0050] The reference biometric information may be a fingerprint, a palm print or a voice print.

The biometric information for verification may be a fingerprint, a palm print or a voice print.

[0052] The palm print may be the entire palm print of the palm or a part of the palm print.

[0053] The storage means may be a flash memory.

The reading means may be a photodiode or a CCD.

The present invention may be characterized by using a portable information terminal, a portable telephone or a personal computer.

[0056]

FIG. 1 shows a flow chart of a communication system according to the present invention. When the authentication work is started, biometric information of the user is collected by a device that performs the authentication work (authentication device). The collection of biometric information is started when the user controls the authentication device. If pre-programmed,
It is also possible to start the collection of biological information by pressing one operation key (operation key). It is also possible to automatically start collecting biometric information when the power of the authentication device is turned on.

The collection of biological information is performed by, for example, a line sensor or area sensor using a CCD or a photodiode, a microphone, or the like.

The biometric information of the user (reference biometric information) is stored in the authentication device in advance. The reference biometric information is stored in, for example, a built-in memory of the authentication device, which is formed of a nonvolatile memory or the like.

The collected biometric information of the user (verification biometric information) is collated with the biometric information of the user (reference biometric information) stored in the authentication device in advance. Here, if it is determined that the two pieces of biometric information, that is, the biometric information for verification and the biometric information for reference, match, the user is authenticated as the person who performs the intended communication.

If it is determined that the collation does not match, the biometric information of the user is collected again by the authentication device,
The collected biometric information for reference and the biometric information for reference can be collated again.

The number of times that the user re-checks the biometric information can be arbitrarily set by the practitioner. For example, collation may not be repeated more than n times (n is an arbitrary natural number) during one authentication operation.
In addition, when the collation does not match n consecutive times, the authentication device may generate an alarm. In addition, it may be configured to automatically notify a person other than the user or a device other than the authentication device that the collation does not match n consecutive times.

After the authentication is completed, a signal (authentication completion signal) having information indicating that the authentication has been completed is transmitted to the other party for the intended communication. At this time, since the authentication has already been completed, there is no need to newly exchange biometric information with the other party, and the other party only needs to receive the authentication completion signal from the authentication device.

When the other party receives the authentication completion signal,
The authentication work ends. After the authentication work is completed, the intended communication is performed between the user and the other party. Note that the intended communication is not limited to being used for profit-making economic activities such as transactions. The communication performed between the user and the other party can transmit any intention or information.

In the present invention, the authentication device needs to have three functions of collecting the biometric information of the user, collating the biometric information, and transmitting the authentication completion signal. One authentication device may have the above three functions together. Further, the above three functions may be performed by using a plurality of devices. In this case, the plurality of devices are all referred to as an authentication device.

Next, fingerprints and palm prints among the biological information used in the communication system of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 2 shows a human right hand. The biometric information read by the authentication device is a palm print 1 as a part of a palm, a palm print 2 as a whole palm, a thumb fingerprint, a forefinger fingerprint, a middle finger fingerprint, a ring finger fingerprint or a little finger fingerprint. Alternatively, a palm print of the left hand may be used instead of the right hand, or both the right hand and the left hand may be used.

The palm print 1, which is a part of the palm, the palm print 2, which is the whole palm, the fingerprint of the thumb, the finger of the index finger, the fingerprint of the middle finger, the fingerprint of the ring finger, and the fingerprint of the little finger are unique to each person. In addition, the third party can be prevented from misusing the authentication device.

[0068] Of the biological information, only one type may be used in the communication system of the present invention, or a plurality of types may be used. Also, one or more pieces of the same type of biological information can be used. For example, it is possible to use the same thumbprint as a plurality of pieces of biometric information. Also, a plurality of different types of biological information can be used. For example, it is possible to use a plurality of fingerprints of the same little finger and a voiceprint together as biometric information.

Hereinafter, a case where the matching is performed using a plurality of pieces of biometric information of the same type will be specifically described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relation of collation when a plurality of reference biometric information is used. In FIG. 3 (A), a case where all four pieces of reference biometric information (A1, A2, A3, A4) and all four pieces of matching biometric information (A1 ′, A2 ′, A3 ′, A4 ′) match. Shows an example of authentication.

As shown in FIG. 3A, A1 and A1 ',
A2 and A2 'match, A3 and A3' match, and A4 and A4 'match, respectively. In this way, by authenticating only when all of the plurality of pieces of reference biometric information and the plurality of pieces of biometric information for verification match, it is possible to increase the reliability of the identity of the user.

The number of reference biometric information and comparison biometric information is not limited to four, and the number of biometric information is arbitrary.

In FIG. 3B, one of the four pieces of reference biometric information (A1, A2, A3, A4) and the matching biometric information (A5 ', A6', A7 ', A2') are used. An example is shown in which authentication is performed when one of these matches.

As shown in FIG. 3B, A2 and A2 'match, but A1, A3 and A4 and A5' and A2 '
6 'and A7' do not match. In this manner, by performing authentication only when any one of the plurality of reference biometric information matches any one of the plurality of verification biometric information, the number of times of collecting the verification biometric information can be reduced. Can be suppressed, and the authentication work becomes easy.

The number of reference biometric information and comparison biometric information is not limited to four, and the number of biometric information is arbitrary. Further, in FIG. 3B, authentication is performed only when any one of the plurality of pieces of biometric information for reference matches any one of the pieces of biometric information for verification. It is not limited to one. The number to be matched can be arbitrarily set by the practitioner.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relation of collation when a plurality of types of reference biometric information are used. In FIG. 4A, two types of reference biometric information (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2) and
Similarly, two types of biometric information for verification (A1 ′, A2 ′, A
3 ′, B1 ′, and B2 ′) are authenticated when they all match.

As shown in FIG. 4A, A1 and A1 ',
A2 and A2 ', A3 and A3', B1 and B1 ', B2 and B
2 ′ matches each other. In this way, by authenticating for the first time when all of the plurality of types of reference biometric information and the plurality of types of biometric information for verification match, it is possible to increase the reliability of the identity of the user. it can.

The types of the biometric information for reference and the biometric information for verification are not limited to two, and the number of types of biometric information is arbitrary. The number of each type of the reference biometric information and the matching biometric information is also arbitrary.

In FIG. 4B, any one of the three pieces of reference biometric information (A1, A2, A3) and any one of the biometric information for comparison (A4 ', A5', A2 ') are combined. Yes, one of the two biometric information for reference (B1, B2)
One of the biometric information for verification (B3 ', B1')
An example is shown in which authentication is performed when the two match.

As shown in FIG. 4B, A2 and A2 ′,
B1 and B1 'match, but A1, A3, B2,
A4 ', A5' and B3 'do not match. In this way, using a plurality of types of reference biometric information, for each type, any one of the reference biometric information and any one of the verification biometric information are matched, and authentication is performed for the first time. Thus, it is possible to increase the certainty that the user is the person himself.

The types of reference biometric information and verification biometric information are not limited to two, and the number of types of biometric information is arbitrary. The number of each type of the reference biometric information and the matching biometric information is also arbitrary. In FIG. 4B, the authentication is performed only when one of the reference biometric information and one of the plurality of collation biometric information match for each type. Is not limited to one. The number that should match for each type of biometric information can be arbitrarily set by the practitioner.

Next, the flow after the completion of the authentication in the above-described authentication work will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5A is a relationship diagram in the case where the authentication work and the communication are performed only between the user and the other party. After the authentication is completed, an authentication end signal is transmitted from the user side (specifically, an authentication device used by the user) to the other party. Then, the intended communication is started between the user and the other party.

FIG. 5B shows that the authentication work and the communication are not performed only between the user and the other party but between the user, the other party and the manager. It is a relationship diagram in the case of being performed. The administrator has a role of managing communication between the user and the other party.

The flow up to the completion of the authentication is the same as that performed between the user and the other party, and will not be described. When the authentication of the user is completed, an authentication end signal is transmitted from the user side (specifically, an authentication device used by the user) to the administrator. Then, the target communication is started between the user and the other party via the manager.

FIG. 5C is a relationship diagram in the case where the authentication work and the communication are performed among the user, the partner, and the manager, similarly to FIG. 5B.

The flow up to the completion of the authentication is the same as that performed between the user and the other party, and will not be described. When the authentication of the user is completed, the user (specifically, an authentication device used by the user) transmits an authentication end signal to the administrator. Upon receiving the authentication end signal from the user, the administrator also sends the authentication end signal to the other party. Then, the target communication is started between the user and the other party via the manager.

FIG. 5D shows the relationship between the case where the authentication work and the communication are performed among the user, the other party, and the manager, similarly to FIGS. 5B and 5C. FIG.

The flow up to the completion of the authentication is the same as that performed between the user and the other party, and will not be described. When the authentication of the user is completed, the user (specifically, an authentication device used by the user) transmits an authentication end signal to the administrator. Upon receiving the authentication end signal from the user, the administrator also sends the authentication end signal to the other party. Then, the intended communication is directly started between the user and the other party without going through the administrator.

In the communication system according to the present invention, if there is a user (for example, an administrator) involved in the authentication work and communication other than the user and the other party, the flow after the completion of the authentication may be various. Combinations are possible. The present invention is not limited to the relationship diagram shown in FIG. Any combination may be used as long as the user can start communication between the user and the other party by transmitting an authentication completion signal to another person.

In the communication system of the present invention, the number of destinations and the number of managers are not limited to one, and there may be a plurality of destinations or a plurality of managers.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the authentication is performed using the biometric information, there is no possibility that the password is leaked to a third party other than the person and the identity cannot be confirmed. Therefore, the reliability of the identity of the user can be increased by the authentication work.

[0093] In the authentication work, the number of times data is exchanged between the user and the other party (or the administrator) can be reduced, so that the cost required for data transmission and reception can be reduced, and any error can be prevented. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the trouble of communication being interrupted and performing the authentication work again from the beginning.

Further, since the authentication operation is performed using the biometric information of the user, it is not necessary for the user to forget the password and inquire the other party or frequently rewrite the password.

Generally, the amount of biometric information is larger than that of a password. However, in the present invention, it is not necessary to directly transmit the biometric information of the user or the user as data to the other party (or the administrator), so that the time required for transmitting and receiving data to and from the other party (or the administrator) is longer. And cost can be reduced.

Further, in the present invention, the reference biometric information of all the persons who perform the authentication work does not need to be stored by the other party (or the administrator), so that the information amount of the biometric information is larger than the password. However, the burden on the other party (or the administrator) does not increase. Since the individual stores the biometric information for reference, the number of biometric information for reference leaked when security is broken (in this case, all biometric information possessed by the same person is counted as one) It is possible to suppress the reference biometric information of all the persons who perform the authentication work as compared with a case where the reference biometric information is stored in the other party (or the administrator).

[0097]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

(Embodiment 1) In this embodiment, a case where the reference biometric information stored in the authentication device is rewritten using the authentication device will be described in detail.

FIG. 6 shows a flow of rewriting the reference biometric information according to the present embodiment. First, an authentication operation is performed to authenticate that the user is himself. Since the detailed description of the authentication work has already been described in the embodiment, the description is omitted here.

When the authentication work is completed and the communication between the user and the other party (or the administrator) is started, the rewriting work is started, and a password required for rewriting the biometric information is entered.
The user sends the data to the destination.

If the passwords do not match, the reference biometric information cannot be rewritten. In this case, the other party (administrator) notifies the user that the passwords do not match. Then, the user can transmit the password again as data.

In this case, as in the case of the authentication work collation, the number of times of retransmitting the password can be arbitrarily set by the practitioner. For example, collation may not be performed more than n times (n is an arbitrary natural number) during one rewriting operation. In addition, when the collation does not match n consecutive times, the authentication device may generate an alarm. In addition, it may be configured to automatically notify a person other than the user or a device other than the authentication device that the collation does not match n consecutive times.

When the password is collated and matched at the other party, rewriting of the reference biometric information is accepted. A rewrite approval signal is transmitted to the user and includes information indicating that rewriting of the reference biometric information has been approved by the other party (administrator).

Upon receiving the rewrite approval signal, the user newly reads biometric information into the authentication device. Then, the new reference biometric information is stored in the authentication device, and the work of rewriting the reference biometric information is completed.

By rewriting the reference biometric information in accordance with the above-described flow, the possibility that the reference biometric information can be rewritten by a third party other than the user can be reduced.

Further, since the entire rewriting operation can be performed using the authentication device, the complexity of rewriting the reference biometric information can be reduced.

(Embodiment 2) The configuration and operation of an authentication device used in the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the authentication apparatus according to this embodiment. The authentication device of this embodiment includes an antenna 601, a transmission / reception circuit 602, a signal processing circuit 603 for compressing / expanding and encoding a signal, a control microcomputer 604, and a flash memory 6.
05, operation keys 606, and the like. Further, a sensor 611, a matching circuit unit 612, and the like are provided.

By operating the operation keys 606,
The control microcomputer 604 controls the sensor 611 to read the biological information of the user. In this embodiment, an example in which a palm print or a fingerprint is used as biometric information will be described. The biological information of the user read by the sensor 611 is
The data is input to the matching circuit unit 612.

The user's biometric information (verification biometric information) input to the verification circuit unit 612 is input to the A / D converter 613.
Is converted into a digital signal. The biological information of the user converted into the digital signal is input to a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 614, where the signal is processed. Specifically, the signal processing is to emphasize the place where the density of an image changes using a differential filter or the like in order to make it easier to distinguish the biological information. The obtained biometric information for verification is digitized inside the DSP 614 and input to the comparison circuit 615.

The comparison circuit 615 has the flash memory 605
Is compared with the reference biometric information stored in the DSP 614 and the comparison biometric information digitized inside the DSP 614 and input to the comparison circuit 615.

As a method of comparing the biometric information, there are a feature matching method in which the respective features of the reference biometric information and the matching biometric information are compared and compared, and an image matching method in which the two pieces of biometric information are directly compared. However, either method may be used. In addition, not only one piece of reference biometric information, but a plurality of pieces of the biometric information, for example, by slightly changing the direction of the hand, enable more reliable authentication.

If a match is found, the control microcomputer 604 outputs an authentication completion signal. The authentication completion signal is transmitted to the signal processing circuit 603, the transmission / reception circuit 602, and the antenna 601.
Is output from the authentication device through The authentication completion signal output from the authentication device is transmitted to the other party (or the administrator) through the Internet or the like. The authentication completion signal output from the authentication device may be directly transmitted to the destination (or the administrator) without going through the Internet.

(Embodiment 3) Hereinafter, an example of the configuration of an authentication apparatus used in the present invention and an operation thereof different from that of Embodiment 1 will be described.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the authentication device of this embodiment. This authentication device includes an antenna 501, a transmission / reception circuit 5
02, a signal processing circuit 50 for compressing / expanding and encoding a signal
3, control microcomputer 504, flash memory 505,
An operation key 506 and the like are provided. Further, a microphone 511, an amplifier 516, a matching circuit unit 512, and the like are provided.

By operating the operation keys 506,
The control microcomputer 504 controls the microphone 511 to read the biological information of the user. In this embodiment, an example in which a voice print is used as the biological information will be described. Microphone 5
The biological information of the user read at 11 is amplified by the amplifier 516 and input to the matching circuit 512.

The user's biometric information (verification biometric information) input to the verification circuit unit 512 is converted into an A / D converter 513.
Is converted into a digital signal. The biometric information for verification converted into a digital signal is input to a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 514 and subjected to signal processing. Specifically, the signal processing is to digitize the sound intensity for each frequency using a band-pass filter or the like in order to make it easier to determine the biological information. The reference biological information quantified by the DSP 514 is input to the comparison circuit 515.

The comparison circuit 515 includes a flash memory 505
Is compared with the reference biometric information stored in the DSP 514 and the comparison biometric information digitized inside the DSP 514 and input to the comparison circuit 515.

As a method of comparing the biometric information, there are a feature matching method for comparing the features of the reference biometric information and the biometric information for comparison, and an image matching method for directly comparing the spectra of the two pieces of biometric information. There is a method,
Either method may be used. The reference biological information is 1
Not only one but also changing the pronunciation slightly, etc., it is more reliable to provide more than one.

If a match is found, the control microcomputer 504 outputs an authentication completion signal. The authentication completion signal is transmitted to the signal processing circuit 503, the transmission / reception circuit 502, and the antenna 501.
Is output from the authentication device through The authentication completion signal output from the authentication device is transmitted through the Internet or the like. Note that the authentication completion signal output from the authentication device may be directly transmitted to the destination without going through the Internet.

The structure of this embodiment can be implemented in combination with the first or second embodiment.

Embodiment 4 Next, a portable information terminal, which is one of the authentication devices used in the present invention, will be described. FIG.
Reference numeral 2 denotes a portable information terminal of the present embodiment, 2701 denotes a display panel, and 2702 denotes an operation panel. The display panel 2701 and the operation panel 2702 are connected to each other by a connection portion 270.
3 are connected. The surface of the connection panel 2703 on which the sensor-equipped display 2704 of the display panel 2701 is provided and the operation panel 2702
Angle θ with the surface on which the voice input unit 2708 is provided
Can be arbitrarily changed.

The display panel 2701 has a display 2704 with a built-in sensor. The display with built-in sensor 2704 is used for reading an image and displaying an image.
It has two functions. In this embodiment, an EL display is used as the sensor built-in display 2704.

The portable information terminal shown in FIG. 9 has a function as a telephone, the display panel 2701 has an audio output unit 2705, and the audio is output from the audio output unit 2705.
Output from

The operation panel 2702 has an operation key 270
6, a power switch 2707 and a voice input unit 2708. Although the operation key 2706 and the power switch 2707 are separately provided in FIG. 9, a configuration in which the power switch 2707 is included in the operation key 2706 may be employed. In the voice input unit 2708, voice is input.

In FIG. 9, the display panel 2701 has the audio output unit 2705 and the operation panel 2702 has the audio input unit 2708, but the present embodiment is not limited to this configuration. The display panel 2701 is a voice input unit 270
8 and the operation panel may have a sound output unit 2705. The audio output unit 2705 and the audio input unit 27
08 may be provided on the display panel 2701, or the audio output unit 2705 and the audio input unit 2708 may be both provided on the operation panel 2702.

Note that a display 2704 with a built-in sensor is provided.
May have a function of measuring the brightness (illuminance) around the portable information terminal and automatically adjusting the brightness. The portable information terminal of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 9 can measure the surrounding brightness (illuminance) on the sensor-equipped display 2704.
A sensor unit such as a CCD may be provided separately from the sensor unit 04, and the illuminance around the sensor unit may be measured in the sensor unit to adjust the brightness of the display 2704 with a built-in sensor.

The display 2704 with a built-in sensor of the portable information terminal automatically increases the brightness when the power is turned on, when the operation key 2706 is operated, or when an incoming call is received, so that the user can talk. , The brightness may be automatically reduced when a certain time has elapsed after the operation of the operation key 2706 has been completed. This makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the portable information terminal itself.

The operation key 270 is kept for a certain time or more.
If the user does not operate 6 or does not receive an incoming call, it is possible to automatically turn off only the display with built-in sensor 2704 so that no image is displayed. This makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the portable information terminal itself.

A method of using the portable information terminal shown in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 10, when authentication is performed by the portable information terminal shown in FIG. 9, the palm 2710 is used so as to cover the display 2704 with a built-in sensor. For authentication, key operation is performed with the operation key 2706, and the display 2704 with the sensor reads the palm of the user.
Perform authentication work.

Although FIG. 10 shows an example in which the operation key 2706 is operated with the index finger, as shown in FIG. 11, the operation key 2706 can be operated with the thumb. Note that the operation key 2706 may be provided on a side surface of the operation panel 2702. The operation can be performed with only one index finger or one thumb.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the portable information terminal shown in FIG. 9 will be described.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the portable information terminal of this embodiment. This portable information terminal includes an antenna 901, a transmission / reception circuit 902, a signal processing circuit 903 for compressing / expanding and encoding a signal, a microcomputer 904 for control, a flash memory 905, operation keys 906, an audio input circuit 907, an audio output circuit 908, A microphone 909, a speaker 910, and the like are provided. Further, a sensor 911, a matching circuit unit 912, and the like are provided.

[0134] The voice input from the voice input unit 2708 is input to the microphone 909, and is input to the voice input circuit 907 as an analog signal. The analog signal input to the audio input circuit 907 is amplified, converted to a digital signal, and input to the signal processing unit 903. Signal processing unit 9
The digital signal compressed and decompressed and encoded in 03 is changed in frequency in a transmission / reception circuit 902, amplified in some cases, and transmitted from an antenna 901.

A digital signal having audio information received by antenna 901 is changed in frequency in transmission / reception circuit 902, amplified in some cases, and input to signal processing section 903. The digital signal input to the signal processing unit 903 is compressed / expanded and encoded, and input to the audio output circuit 908. The digital signal input to the audio output circuit 908 is converted into an analog signal and then amplified, output from the speaker 910, and output from the audio output unit 27.
08 is input to the user's ear as a voice.

By operating the operation keys 906,
The control microcomputer 904 controls the sensor 911 to read the biological information of the user. In this embodiment, an example in which a palm print or a fingerprint is used as biometric information will be described. The user's biometric information (comparing biometric information) read by the sensor 911 is input to the matching circuit unit 912.

The biometric information for collation input to the collation circuit 912 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 913. The biometric information for verification converted into a digital signal is input to a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 914 and subjected to signal processing. Specifically, signal processing
In order to make it easier to discriminate the biological information, it is necessary to use a differential filter or the like to highlight places where the density of the image changes. The obtained biometric information for verification is digitized inside the DSP 914 and input to the comparison circuit 915.

The comparison circuit 915 includes a flash memory 905
Is compared with the reference biometric information stored in the DSP 914 and the comparison biometric information digitized inside the DSP 914 and input to the comparison circuit 915.

As a method of comparing the biometric information, there are a feature matching method in which the respective features of the reference biometric information and the matching biometric information are compared and compared, and an image matching method in which the two biometric information are directly compared. However, either method may be used. In addition, not only one piece of reference biometric information, but a plurality of pieces of the biometric information, for example, by slightly changing the direction of the hand, enable more reliable authentication.

If a match is found, the control microcomputer 904 outputs an authentication completion signal. The authentication completion signal is transmitted to the signal processing circuit 903, the transmission / reception circuit 902, and the antenna 901.
Is output from the portable information terminal via the. The authentication completion signal output from the portable information terminal is transmitted through the Internet or the like. The authentication completion signal output from the portable information terminal may be directly transmitted to the other party without using the Internet.

The authentication device used in the present invention is not limited to the portable information terminal having the configuration shown in this embodiment. Further, the portable information terminal shown in this embodiment uses a fingerprint or a palm print as biometric information, but may have a configuration in which a voice print is used as biometric information.

This embodiment can be implemented by combining the first to third embodiments.

(Embodiment 5) This embodiment describes a situation where the present invention is used. When the intended communication is used for business or other economic activities for profit,
The present invention may not be used when authentication does not require advanced authentication up to biometric information. This is not always necessary in the case of small money transfers.

Therefore, the user can select whether or not to authenticate,
For example, it is also possible to selectively perform authentication only when money is accompanied by a large amount of movement. It can be used in accordance with the situation of the other party, or can be used only when the numerical value exceeds a certain value by setting a judgment criterion in advance on the control microcomputer of the authentication device. It is also possible to transmit the authentication completion signal to the other party (or the administrator) via the Internet only when the authentication result is necessary.

This embodiment can be implemented in combination with Embodiments 1 to 4.

(Embodiment 6) As an authentication device used in the present invention, various electronic devices can be used.

FIG. 13A shows a personal computer (personal computer) having a main body 2501, a housing 2502, a display portion 2503, a keyboard 2504, a sensor 2505.
And so on. In the present invention, biological information can be captured in a personal computer using the sensor 2505.

In this embodiment, an example in which a fingerprint or a palm print is used as biometric information has been described. However, a voice input unit may be provided to use a voice print as biometric information. Also, by providing both a sensor 2505 and a voice input unit,
A configuration in which a fingerprint or a palm print and a voice print are used together may be adopted.

FIG. 13B shows a mobile phone, and the main body 26 is provided.
01, an audio output unit 2602, an audio input unit 2603, a display unit 2604, operation keys 2605, and an antenna 2606. When making a normal call, the display unit 2604 displays the telephone number of the other party, the reception state of radio waves, and the like. When the Internet is used, necessary information of the other party is displayed. And the display unit 26
Reference numeral 04 also functions as a sensor, and the display unit 2604 can capture biological information.

Further, the mobile phone shown in FIG.
Although the display portion 2604 has both the function as a sensor and the function as a display, the display portion 2604 may be used only as a display and a sensor may be separately provided.

The authentication device used in the present invention is not limited to the electronic device shown in this embodiment. It is only necessary to have a function of capturing biometric information, collating the biometric information with biometric information stored in advance, and notifying the other party that authentication has been completed when the collation matches.

[0152]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the authentication work is performed using the biometric information, there is a possibility that the password is leaked to a third party other than the person and the identity cannot be confirmed. Disappears. Therefore, the reliability of the identity of the user can be increased by the authentication work.

In the authentication work, the number of times data is exchanged between the user and the other party (or manager) can be reduced, so that the cost required for data transmission / reception can be reduced, and any error Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the trouble of communication being interrupted and performing the authentication work again from the beginning.

Further, since the authentication operation is performed using the biometric information of the user, it is not necessary for the user to forget the password and inquire the other party or frequently rewrite the password.

In general, biometric information has a larger amount of information than a password. However, in the present invention, it is not necessary to directly transmit the biometric information of the user or the user as data to the other party (or the administrator), so that the time required for transmitting and receiving data to and from the other party (or the administrator) is longer. And cost can be reduced.

Further, in the present invention, the reference biometric information of all persons who perform the authentication work does not need to be stored by the other party (or the administrator), so that the information amount of the biometric information is larger than the password. However, the burden on the other party (or the administrator) does not increase. Since the individual stores the biometric information for reference, the number of biometric information for reference leaked when security is broken (in this case, all biometric information possessed by the same person is counted as one) It is possible to suppress the reference biometric information of all the persons who perform the authentication work as compared with a case where the reference biometric information is stored in the other party (or the administrator).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a communication system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing positions of palm prints or fingerprints to be read.

FIG. 3 is a relationship diagram of biometric information collation.

FIG. 4 is a relationship diagram of biometric information collation.

FIG. 5 is a flow after authentication is completed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a rewriting operation when rewriting the reference biometric information.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the structure of the authentication device.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the structure of the authentication device.

FIG. 9 is an external view of a portable information terminal that is an example of an authentication device.

FIG. 10 illustrates a usage example of a portable information terminal that is an example of an authentication device.

FIG. 11 illustrates a usage example of a portable information terminal that is an example of an authentication device.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a structure of a portable information terminal which is an example of an authentication device.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of an electronic device that is an example of an authentication device.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a conventional authentication.

Claims (25)

[Claims] 1. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing reference biometric information; means for reading the reference biometric information of the user; and transmitting the reference biometric information to the reference biometric information. And a means for sending, as data, a match with the other party when the match is found. 2. A communication system for identifying a user, means for storing n pieces of reference biometric information, means for reading n pieces of reference biometric information of the user, and m pieces of reference. A communication system comprising: means for matching biometric information for use with the n pieces of reference biometric information; and means for sending, when all the matches are found, data indicating that the information matches the destination. 3. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of reference biometric information; means for reading m pieces of reference biometric information of the user; Means for comparing the biometric information for use with the n pieces of reference biometric information, wherein in the matching, at least one of the n pieces of biometric information for inquiry is at least one of the m pieces of biometric information for reference.
Means for sending, as data, a match to the other party when the two match. 4. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing a plurality of types of reference biometric information; means for reading a plurality of types of reference biometric information of the user; Means for comparing reference biometric information with the plurality of reference biometric information; and in the case where the verification matches all of the plurality of types of biometric information for reference and the plurality of types of biometric reference information, A means for transmitting, as data, a match with the other party. 5. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of a plurality of types of reference biometric information; means for reading m pieces of a plurality of types of reference biometric information of the user; Means for comparing the m pieces of biometric information for inquiry with the n pieces of biometric information for reference, wherein in the matching, at least one of the biometric information for each type of the plurality of types of biometric information for inquiry is Means for sending, as data, a match with a destination when at least one of the reference biometric information of each type matches the n pieces of biometric reference information. . 6. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of plural kinds of reference biometric information; and means for reading m pieces of plural kinds of reference biometric information of the user. Means for comparing the m pieces of reference biometric information with the n pieces of reference biometric information, wherein in the matching, all of the plurality of types of biometric information for reference are the n pieces of biometric information for reference. Means for sending, as data, a match to the other party when all match. 7. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing reference biometric information; means for reading the reference biometric information of the user; and transmitting the reference biometric information to the reference biometric information. And a means for sending, when the matching is matched, data indicating that the matching has been made to the administrator, after the matching has been received as data by the other party. Communication system, wherein communication between the user and the other party is started via the manager. 8. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing reference biometric information; means for reading the reference biometric information of the user; and transmitting the reference biometric information to the reference biometric information. A communication unit comprising: a unit that sends, as data, a match to the manager when the match is made; and a unit that sends the match as data to the other party when the match is made. Wherein the communication between the user and the counterpart is started via the manager after the counterpart receives the matching data as data. Communications system. 9. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing reference biometric information; means for reading the user's reference biometric information; and transmitting the reference biometric information to the reference biometric information. A communication unit comprising: a unit that sends, as data, a match to the manager when the match is made; and a unit that sends the match as data to the other party when the match is made. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication between the user and the other party is started directly after the other party receives the data that the collation is matched as data. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a transaction is performed between the user and the other party, and only when the condition set for the other party is satisfied, A communication system characterized by requiring identification of a person. 11. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing reference biometric information; means for reading the reference biometric information of the user; and transmitting the reference biometric information to the reference biometric information. And a means for sending, as data, that the match has been made to the other party when the match is made, after sending the data that the match was made to the other party as data. Transmitting a password as data to the other party, and rewriting the reference biometric information when the other party is authenticated that the password is correct. 12. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of reference biometric information; means for reading n pieces of reference biometric information of the user; A means for comparing biometric information for use with the n pieces of reference biometric information; and a means for sending, as data, a match to the other party when all of the matches match, After transmitting the matching as data to the counterpart, the password is transmitted to the counterpart as data, and when the counterpart is authenticated that the password is correct, the n pieces of reference biometric information can be rewritten. Communication system characterized by: 13. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of reference biometric information; means for reading m pieces of biometric information for reference of the user; Means for comparing the biometric information for use with the n pieces of reference biometric information, wherein in the matching, at least one of the n pieces of biometric information for inquiry is at least one of the m pieces of biometric information for reference.
Means for sending, as data, a match to the other party, if the match is found, after sending the matching as the data to the other party as data, the password is used as the data. A communication system, wherein the communication information is sent to a destination, and when the password is authenticated by the destination, the n pieces of reference biometric information can be rewritten. 14. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing a plurality of types of reference biometric information; means for reading a plurality of types of reference biometric information of the user; Means for comparing reference biometric information with the plurality of reference biometric information; and in the case where the verification matches all of the plurality of types of biometric information for reference and the plurality of types of biometric reference information, Means for sending data that matches the destination as data, and after sending the data that the verification matched to the destination as data, sending a password as data to the destination, A communication system characterized in that when the other party is authenticated that the password is correct, the plurality of types of reference biometric information can be rewritten. 15. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of reference biometric information of a plurality of types; means for reading m pieces of biometric information for a plurality of types of inquiry of the user; Means for comparing the m pieces of biometric information for inquiry with the n pieces of biometric information for reference, wherein in the matching, at least one of the biometric information of each type among the plurality of types of biometric information for inquiry is A means for sending, as data, a match with the other party when at least one of the reference biometric information of each type matches the n pieces of biometric reference information, After sending the matching data to the other party as data, the password is sent to the other party as data, and if the password is authenticated to be correct at the other party, the plurality of types Communication system that features be rewritten reference biometric information. 16. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing n pieces of a plurality of types of reference biometric information; means for reading m pieces of a plurality of types of reference biometric information of the user; Means for comparing the n pieces of reference biometric information with the m pieces of reference biometric information, wherein in the matching, all of the plurality of types of reference biometric information are the m pieces of reference biometric information. Means for transmitting, as data, that the data has been matched to the other party when all of the data have been matched. A communication system, wherein the plurality of types of reference biometric information can be rewritten when the password is sent to the destination and the password is authenticated by the destination. 17. A communication system for identifying a user, comprising: means for storing reference biometric information; means for reading the user's reference biometric information; and transmitting the reference biometric information to the reference biometric information. And a means for sending, as data, that the match is made to the administrator when the match is made, after sending the data that the match was made to the administrator as data. Transmitting a password as data to the administrator, and rewriting the reference biometric information when the administrator verifies that the password is correct. 18. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the reference biometric information according to claim 1 is a fingerprint, a palm print or a voice print. 19. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the biometric information for verification according to claim 1 is a fingerprint, a palm print or a voice print. 20. The method according to claim 18, wherein
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the palm print is an entire palm print of the palm or a partial palm print of the palm. 21. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein said storing means is a flash memory. 22. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein said reading means is a photodiode or a CCD. 23. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein a portable information terminal is used. 24. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein a mobile phone is used. 25. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein a personal computer is used. [0000]