# US 2013/0160078 A1 · User authentication apparatus and method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0160078 A1 - Document ID: US20130160078A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/770,402 - Filed: 2013-02-19 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2008-07-04 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Pil-seung YANG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130160078A1 ## CPC - G06F 21/6218: {to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database} - G06F 21/34: involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards - G06F 21/35: communicating wirelessly - H04L 9/32: including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system {or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials} - H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)} - H04L 2209/805: Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor - H04W 12/02: Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII] - H04W 12/06: Authentication - H04W 12/47: using near field communication [NFC] or radio frequency identification [RFID] modules - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A user authentication apparatus includes an information collection unit which collects user information from a plurality of personal devices of a user within a predetermined distance, and a control unit which identifies the user as a user corresponding to the collected information based on the amount of user information collected. Accordingly, user authentication can be easily performed using devices of a user, resulting in increased user convenience. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A user authentication apparatus, comprising: an information collection unit which collects authentication information from a plurality of devices associated with a user, the collected authentication information including user information and device identification information; and a control unit which verifies whether each of the plurality of devices, based on the collected authentication information, is registered for the user, and authenticates the user if an amount of information collected from the plurality of devices verified by the control unit is larger than a threshold value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The user authentication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the amount of information collected from the plurality of devices comprises a number of devices. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information collection unit collects the information using at least one of radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth, and Zigbee. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user authentication information includes the same information on the user which the plurality of devices share in common, or information on the user which the plurality of devices have individually. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information collection unit automatically collects the information from the plurality of devices within a detectable coverage area of the user authentication apparatus. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit applies a weight to the amount of corresponding information according to characteristics of a device from which the information is collected. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface unit which requests additional information if the amount of information collected is not larger than the threshold value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit which stores user authentication information representing whether or not there are authentications for each user, wherein the control unit performs user authentication by identifying the user authentication information corresponding to the identified user. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices include at least one of a cell phone, an RFID card, an Portable Media Player, a laptop computer and accessory. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit authenticates the user as a user corresponding to the collected information if the number of indispensible information is plural. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The user authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit authenticates the user based on a number of the predetermined devices verified by the control unit. ### Claim 12 A user authentication method, comprising: collecting authentication information from a plurality of devices associated with a user, the collected authentication information including user information and device identification information; and verifying whether each of the plurality of devices, based on the collected authentication information, is registered for the user, and authenticating the user if an amount of information collected from the plurality of devices verified by the control unit is larger than a threshold value. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The user authentication method according to claim 12, wherein the amount of information collected from the plurality of devices comprises a number of devices. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The user authentication method according to claim 12, wherein the user authentication information is collected using at least one of radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth, and Zigbee. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The user authentication method according to claim 12, wherein the user authentication information is the same information on the user which the plurality of devices share in common, or information on the user which the plurality of devices have individually. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The user authentication method according to claim 12, wherein the user authentication information is automatically collected from the plurality of devices within a detectable coverage area of the user authentication apparatus. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The user authentication method according to claim 12, wherein in identifying the user, a weight is applied to the amount of corresponding information according to characteristics of a device from which the information is collected. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The user authentication method according to claim 12, further comprising requesting additional information if the amount of information collected is not larger than the threshold value. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The user authentication method according to claim 12, further comprising performing user authentication by identifying user authentication information, representing whether or not there are authentications, corresponding to the identified user. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising an execution program for executing a user authentication method, wherein the user authentication method comprises: collecting authentication information from a plurality of devices associated with a user, the collected authentication information including user information and device identification information; and verifying whether each of the plurality of devices, based on the collected authentication information, is registered for the user, and authenticating the user if amount of information collected from the plurality of devices verified is larger than a threshold value. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 20, wherein in identifying the user, a weight is applied to an amount of corresponding information according to characteristics of a device from which the information is collected. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 20, wherein the user authentication method further comprises performing user authentication by identifying user authentication information, representing whether or not there is permissions, corresponding to the identified user. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 20, wherein the user authentication method further comprises requesting additional information if the amount of information collected is not larger than a threshold value.