Information processing apparatus and authentication control method

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a plurality of authentication units, and a setting unit configured to selectively set a first authentication mode and a second authentication mode, the first authentication mode determining a person to be authenticated to be an authenticated person when authentication by any one of the plurality of authentication units succeeds, and the second authentication mode determining the person to be authenticated to be an authenticated person when the authentications by two or more of the plurality of authentication units succeed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A general architecture that implements the various feature of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view showing an external appearance of a computer which is an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a system configuration of the computer of the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram for explaining an authentication process to be executed by the computer of the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram showing a setting screen displayed by an authentication mode setting-utility module of the computer of the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart showing operational procedures of a user authentication process executed by the computer of the embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart showing a modification of a setting screen displayed by the authentication mode setting-utility module in the computer of the embodiment.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of authentication units; anda setting unit configured to selectively set a first authentication mode and a second authentication mode, the first authentication mode determining a person to be authenticated to be an authenticated person when authentication by any one of the plurality of authentication units succeeds, and the second authentication mode determining the person to be authenticated to be an authenticated person when the authentications by two or more of the plurality of authentication units succeed.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit arbitrarily selects authentication unit to be used in the second authentication mode from the plurality of authentication units.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising authentication control unit configured to perform such a control that when authentication by the first authentication unit included in the plurality of authentication units fails in the second authentication mode, the person to be authenticated is not informed of the authentication failure by the first authentication unit.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the authentication control unit does not inform the person to be authenticated of the authentication failure by the first authentication unit, and instructs the person to be authenticated to perform authentication by second authentication unit included in the plurality of authentication units.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the authentication control unit determines that the authentication by the second authentication unit fails irrespective of success or failure of the authentication by the second authentication unit, and informs the person to be authenticated of the failure of the authentication by the second authentication unit.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising wireless communication unit, wherein one of the plurality of authentication units approves authentication when the information processing apparatus is linked to an external electronic apparatus by the wireless communication unit.

7. An information processing apparatus comprising: an inputting unit;a wireless communication unit configured to execute wireless communication; anda setting unit configured to selectively set a first authentication mode and a second authentication mode, the first authentication mode determining a person to be authenticated to be an authenticated person when authentication by first authentication unit or second authentication unit succeeds, the first authentication unit approving authentication when the information processing apparatus is linked to an external electronic apparatus by the wireless communication unit, the second authentication unit approving authentication when a correct password is input by the inputting unit, and the second authentication mode determining the person to be authenticated to be an authenticated person when authentication by the first authentication unit and the second authentication unit succeeds.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising authentication control unit, wherein when the authentication by the first authentication unit fails in the second authentication mode, the authentication control unit does not inform the person to be authenticated of the failure of the authentication by the first authentication unit and instructs the person to be authenticated to perform authentication by the second authentication unit, determines that the authentication by the second authentication unit fails irrespective of whether or not a correct password is entered, prompts the person to be authenticated to repeat the reentry of the password a predetermined number of times, and then informs the person to be authenticated of the failure of authentication by the second authentication unit.

9. An authentication control method of an information processing apparatus including a plurality of authentication unit, comprising: setting a first authentication mode in which a person to be authenticated is determined to be an authenticated person when authentication by any one of said plurality of authentication units succeeds; andsetting a second authentication mode in which, when the first authentication mode is not set up, the person to be authenticated is determined to be an authenticated person when the authentications by two or more of the plurality of authentication unit succeed.

10. The authentication control method according to claim 9, further comprising performing such a control that when authentication by first authentication unit included in the plurality of authentication unit fails in the second authentication mode, the person to be authenticated is not informed of the authentication failure by the first authentication unit.

11. The authentication control method according to claim 10, wherein the performing such the control does not inform the person to be authenticated of the authentication failure by the first authentication unit, and instructs the person to be authenticated to perform authentication by second authentication unit included in the plurality of authentication units.

12. The authentication control method according to claim 11, wherein the performing such the control, after the person to be authenticated is instructed to perform the authentication by the second authentication unit, determines that the authentication by the second authentication unit fails irrespective of success or failure of the authentication by the second authentication unit, and informs the person to be authenticated of the failure of the authentication by the second authentication unit.