JP7733626B2 - PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a program, an information processing device, and an information processing method.

Technologies (such as two-factor authentication or two-step authentication) that authenticate users (hereinafter also referred to as "user authentication") multiple times when they make transactions on a service are known. Patent Document 1 discloses an authentication system that performs a first authentication process between an authentication server and the terminal through which the user logs in when using a service, and a second authentication process between the user's smartphone and the authentication server. This type of technology can ensure a higher level of security than when user authentication is performed only once.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-144598

When using services, there is a need to ensure user usability, such as efficiency. However, in Patent Document 1, the processing time from requesting user authentication to completion increases because user authentication is performed multiple times, which means users have to wait that long. This could impair user usability.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a program, information processing device, and information processing method that ensures security while preventing a loss of user usability when user authentication is performed multiple times to use a service.

A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer to implement the following: a reception function that receives an authentication request from a first device to authenticate a user of a service; a primary authentication function that, in response to the authentication request, performs primary processing based on primary information for performing primary processing for authenticating the user; and a provision function that, based on the results of the primary processing, provides secondary information for performing secondary processing to a second device that performs secondary processing for authenticating the user.

An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a reception unit that receives an authentication request from a first device to authenticate a user of a service, a primary authentication unit that performs primary processing based on primary information for performing primary processing for authenticating the user in response to the authentication request, and a provision unit that provides secondary information for performing secondary processing to a second device that performs secondary processing for authenticating the user based on the results of the primary processing.

In one aspect of the present invention, an information processing method includes a computer receiving an authentication request from a first device to authenticate a user of a service, performing primary processing based on primary information for performing primary processing for authenticating the user in response to the authentication request, and providing secondary information for performing secondary processing to a second device that performs secondary processing for authenticating the user based on the results of the primary processing.

According to the present invention, when user authentication is performed multiple times to use a service, it is possible to ensure security while preventing a loss of usability for the user.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an authentication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an authentication system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an authentication device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the authentication device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the authentication device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an authentication device according to the present embodiment.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment") will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in each drawing, components with the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations.

In this invention, the terms "unit," "means," "device," or "system" do not simply mean physical means, but also include cases where the functions of the "unit," "means," "device," or "system" are realized by software. Furthermore, the functions of a single "unit," "means," "device," or "system" may be realized by a combination of two or more physical means, devices, or software modules, and the functions of two or more "units," "means," "device," or "system" may be realized by a single physical means, device, or software module.

<1. System Configuration>
An example of the system configuration of an authentication system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the authentication system 1 includes a server device 100, a user device 200a of a user, a store device 200b of a store that uses a service linked with the authentication system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as an "linked service") or a store that provides the linked service, and a provider device 300 of a provider that provides the linked service. The user device 200a is one aspect of a first device that requests an authentication request, which will be described later, and the user device 200a is one aspect of a second device that executes secondary processing, which will be described later. Note that the first device and the second device are typically different devices, but may also be the same device.

Authentication system 1 ensures security by performing multiple authentications (hereinafter also referred to as "user authentication") to confirm the legitimacy of a user when the user uses a linked service. Specifically, in authentication system 1, in response to a request from user device 200a, primary processing for user authentication (hereinafter also simply referred to as "primary processing") is performed by server device 100. After the primary processing is performed, secondary processing for user authentication of the same user (hereinafter also simply referred to as "secondary processing") is performed by in-store device 200b.

Performing user authentication multiple times may mean, for example, performing multi-factor authentication such as two-factor authentication using multiple authentication elements, or performing multi-stage authentication such as two-step authentication that performs authentication in stages. As another example, performing user authentication multiple times may mean performing two or more authentications with different authentication levels.

The authentication level may, for example, represent the strength of the authentication method. Furthermore, the authentication level may, for example, represent whether or not multi-factor authentication is used. Furthermore, the authentication level may, for example, represent whether or not multi-stage authentication is used. Furthermore, the authentication level may, for example, represent whether or not multi-path authentication is used.

The user authentication may be, for example, the authentication defined by NIST SP 800-63-3. The authentication level applied to the user authentication may be, for example, the AAL (Authentication Assurance Level) defined by NIST SP 800-63B, as follows:
Level 1: One or more of the three authentication factors (knowledge, possession, and biometrics) must be used, and there is a certain degree of confidence in the person's authentication. In other words, it can be achieved by performing at least single-factor authentication.
Level 2: Of the three factors, multiple factors such as ID password + one-time password must be used, and there is a considerable degree of reliability in authenticating the person. Unlike Level 3, Level 2 can be achieved by using software as the second factor authentication method.
- Level 3: Two-factor authentication, and the second factor authentication method must use tamper-resistant hardware, and the reliability of identity authentication is very high (specifically, a PIN code + a card with an IC chip (hereinafter also referred to as an "IC card") + My Number card, etc.).

The possession information may be, for example, device identification information that identifies a device (e.g., an information terminal such as a smartphone) that is possessed by the user, or location information that indicates the location of the possession (e.g., distance information that indicates the distance between the possession and the provider device 300, or information that indicates GPS coordinates measured by a GPS system using a GPS (Global Positioning System) device).

The user's possessions may provide information about the possessions to the server device 100 and/or the in-store device 200b directly, or indirectly via the cloud, etc., as needed, via communication based on communication standards such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), UWB (Ultra Wide Band), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or near-field wireless communication (e.g., RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) or NFC (Near Field Communication)), or may also be provided to these devices by other methods.

The biometric information may be, for example, information about the user's physical appearance, fingerprints, palm print, voiceprint, and/or iris. The user may provide the user's biometric information to the server device 100, for example, through the user device 200a, the store device 200b, or a detection device described below.

The stored information may be, for example, information that identifies a user in authentication system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "user identification information"), a card number used to settle a transaction, an account number, a telephone number, an account name such as an email address, a password, a signature or graphic entered or selected by the user, a free-entry or multiple-choice answer to a predetermined question, or any other information stored by the user that can be obtained by server device 100. The user enters or selects the stored information through, for example, an input device provided on user device 200a or on store device 200b installed in the store, and provides the stored information to server device 100.

The authentication method is a method by which the authentication system 1 authenticates a user. The authentication method may be based on at least one of possession information about the user's belongings (e.g., a terminal device such as the user device 200a described below), biometric information about the user's biometrics, and stored information stored by the user. That is, the authentication method may be based solely on possession information, biometric information, or stored information, or may include two or more pieces of information from possession information, biometric information, and stored information. That is, when the authentication method is based on possession information and biometric information, the authentication system 1 authenticates the user who makes a payment for a transaction in a linked service (hereinafter simply referred to as a "transaction") based on the possession information and biometric information. The authentication method may also be based on information other than possession information, biometric information, and stored information. Hereinafter, authentication based on possession information will be referred to as "possession authentication," authentication based on biometric information will be referred to as "biometric authentication," and authentication based on stored information will be referred to as "stored authentication."

The server device 100, the user device 200a, the store device 200b, and the provider device 300 are connected to each other via a network N.

The server device 100 is an information processing device capable of communicating with the user device 200a, the store device 200b, and the provider device 300. By executing a specific program, the server device 100 provides a wallet function (hereinafter also referred to as an "online wallet") that users can use for various transactions in linked services in an online environment. For example, users can store payment method information (described below) in their online wallet. This allows users to access their online wallet from various devices in an online environment and settle transactions using the stored payment method information. The server device 100 also provides an authentication function for user authentication for linked services provided by the provider device 300 and/or the wallet function of its own device. This authentication function, for example, executes primary processing for user authentication.

The provider device 300 is an information processing device used by the provider, and is capable of communicating with the user device 200a, the store device 200b, and the provider device 300. The provider device 300 executes a specific program to realize a server function that provides linked services to users.

The user device 200a is an information processing device used by a user, such as a mobile device such as a smartphone, laptop, or tablet. By executing a specific program, the user device 200a accepts various requests from the user, cooperates with the server device 100 and/or the provider device 300 to accept user authentication requests when logging in to an integrated service, and, after logging in, outputs a screen of the integrated service's website or an application dedicated to the integrated service.

The in-store device 200b is an information processing device used in the store, such as a POS register terminal, tablet terminal, or handheld terminal. The in-store device 200b may have a reader function that reads, for example, product information about products sold in the store where it is installed, or information about services provided in the store. As another example, the in-store device 200b may not have a reader function, and an external device such as a card reader connected to the in-store device 200b may have the reader function. The in-store device 200b may have POS register functions such as accepting input of information about products or services (hereinafter also referred to as "products, etc.") and calculating the total price of the accepted products, etc. (in other words, the transaction amount).

Network N is composed of a wireless network or a wired network. Examples of network N include a mobile phone network, a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) network, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network, including communications conforming to IEEE 802.11 (so-called Wi/Fi (registered trademark))), 3G (3rd Generation), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), WiMax (registered trademark), infrared communication, visible light communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), a wired LAN, a telephone line, power line communication, a power line network, a network conforming to IEEE 1394, etc.

<2. Overview>
2, an overview of the primary processing and secondary processing for user authentication in the authentication system 1 will be described. In this example, the following linked services are provided: (a) a membership service that allows users who use services provided by a provider to join and accumulate points that can be used for various payments when using the service; and (b) a service that is provided face-to-face with a user at an existing store A (hereinafter also referred to as a "face-to-face service"). In this example, the face-to-face service is a retail service that sells products at store A.

(0) As shown in FIG. 2, the provider device 300 provides the server device 100 with primary information for executing the primary processing prior to the primary processing. (1) When a user enters store A, the server device 100 receives an authentication request for user authentication (hereinafter simply referred to as an "authentication request") from the user device 200a via a detection device or the like for detecting the entering user, and executes the primary processing. Specifically, the primary processing (a) identifies the user and (b) authenticates the identified user based on the primary information of the user's matched object included in the user authentication request, specifically by matching the primary information of the matched object with the pre-registered primary information of the matched object to determine whether or not the user is the user.

The primary information may include, for example, user identification information for identifying each user, primary authentication method information indicating the authentication method used in user authentication in the primary process, information on each user's possessions according to the primary authentication method information, biometric information, and/or stored information. The primary information may also include, for example, location information of the user (specifically, the user device 200a). The primary information may also include a primary information validity period indicating the period during which the primary information is valid. Hereinafter, the user's possession information, biometric information, and/or stored information will be collectively referred to as "authentication information."

The detection device may be, for example, an imaging device such as a camera that captures a facial image of the user as the user's biometric information; an image sensor that processes the image captured by the imaging device to generate biometric information; a facial authentication sensor that has an imaging device and image sensor and performs facial authentication by comparing the generated biometric information with the biometric information of the source for matching; and/or a beacon that acquires location information of the user's user device 200a. The detection device may also be a device installed near the entrance of store A that detects the user device 200a when the user enters store A using contact or contactless short-range communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or NFC) or a QR code (registered trademark).

(2) If the server device 100 successfully authenticates the user as a result of the primary processing (in other words, if it is determined that the user is the person in question), it provides the secondary information of the matching source to the store device 200b installed in store A, which is used to conduct sales transactions for products sold at store A, in order to execute the user's secondary processing. While this information is being provided, the user can spend their time freely selecting products to purchase at store A and trying out the selected products.

The secondary information, like the primary information, may include, for example, user identification information for each user, secondary authentication method information indicating the authentication method used for user authentication in the secondary process, and authentication information for each user according to the secondary authentication method information. The primary authentication method information and the secondary authentication method information may indicate different authentication methods (for example, primary is possession authentication and secondary is knowledge authentication), or may indicate the same authentication method (for example, both primary and secondary are possession authentication). The secondary information may also include a secondary information validity period indicating the period for which the secondary information is valid.

For example, if user authentication is successful as a result of primary processing, the server device 100 may provide the in-store device 200b with transaction permission information, together with or separately from the secondary information, indicating permission to execute processing related to the transaction (hereinafter also referred to as "transaction processing") or, within the transaction processing, processing to confirm the details of the transaction (hereinafter also referred to as "confirmation processing"). The transaction permission information may, for example, permit execution of transaction processing or confirmation processing if user authentication is successful as a result of secondary processing. The in-store device 200b may output on a screen a message indicating that the transaction indicated in the provided transaction permission information is permitted.

(3) When a user purchases a product, the in-store device 200b executes secondary processing to authenticate the user. Specifically, when the secondary information of the matching target is input from the user or a possession of the user device 200a, the secondary processing (a) identifies the user and (b) authenticates the identified user, specifically by matching the secondary information of the matching target with the acquired secondary information of the matching source to determine whether the user is the real user. In addition, the in-store device 200b may delete the acquired secondary information, for example, immediately after the secondary processing is completed, when a predetermined period has elapsed since completion, or when a predetermined date has arrived. This predetermined period and/or date may be set, for example, by the secondary information validity period.

(4) The user or store clerk inputs product information for each of one or more products to be purchased and payment method information for the payment method to be used in the purchase and sale of those products into the store device 200b as the order details, i.e., the transaction details. The store device 200b accepts a confirmation instruction from the user or store clerk regarding the entered transaction details and executes a confirmation process to confirm the transaction details. The product information may include, for example, the JAN code indicated by the barcode attached to the product to be purchased.

(5) The in-store device 200b transmits transaction information indicating the result of the confirmation process described in (4) above to the server device 100. The in-store device 200b also transmits secondary processing result information indicating the result of the secondary processing described in (3) above to the server device 100 together with the transaction information or separately from the transaction information.

Transaction information is information related to a transaction. Transaction information includes, for example, transaction identification information for identifying each transaction, the details of each transaction (e.g., the product or service being traded, the transaction amount, and/or the payment method used for the transaction), the transaction date and time, the status of the transaction processing (e.g., whether the transaction details are being accepted, whether the confirmation process has been completed, whether the process is temporarily suspended to await transaction availability information or transaction condition information, or whether the confirmation process has been suspended due to a processing error), and payment instructions for settling each transaction (if the confirmation process has been completed). Transaction processing refers to processing related to a user's transaction in the linked service. For example, in the case of a purchase and sale transaction of goods, the transaction processing may include at least one of the following: (a) accepting an order for the product, (b) calculating the subtotal and total amount (transaction amount) of the accepted order, (c) outputting the order details on the screen of the in-store device 200b, and (d) accepting a confirmation instruction from the user (or store clerk) regarding the output order details.

Payment method information includes, for example, type information indicating the type of payment method (e.g., credit card payment, debit card payment, or electronic money payment), payment method identification information for identifying the payment method (e.g., card number or account number), payment service provider identification information providing the payment method, user identification information for the user using the payment method, and security information for the security of the payment method.

(6) Based on the transaction confirmation information sent from the in-store device 200b and the payment method information regarding the payment methods available to the user, the server device 100 executes a payment process to settle the confirmed transaction using this payment method.

(7) The server device 100 sends the transaction confirmation information and payment processing information indicating the result of the payment processing described above in (6) to the provider device 300.

With the above configuration, the primary processing for user authentication is executed by the server device 100 upon entering the store, and the secondary processing is executed by the edge-side in-store device 200b during the transaction. This means that the user does not have to wait in front of the in-store device 200b from the time of the authentication request until multiple user authentications are completed. This allows the user to spend this time freely selecting and trying out products. Therefore, when user authentication is performed multiple times to use linked services, the authentication system 1 can ensure security while preventing a loss of user usability.

<3. Functional configuration>
The functional configuration of the server device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the server device 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, and a storage unit 130.

The control unit 110 includes a reception unit 111, a provision unit 112, and an authentication unit 113. The control unit 110 may also include, for example, an acquisition unit 114, a payment processing unit 115, a personal identification unit 116, and/or a registration unit 117.

[Reception Department]
The reception unit 111 receives various information and/or various requests from a first device (e.g., the user device 200a), a second device (e.g., the store device 200b), and/or the provider device 300. The reception unit 111 may receive various information in any manner. For example, the reception unit 111 may receive a message indicating an authentication request including primary or secondary information of the matching target from these devices. As another example, the reception unit 111 may receive the information by having the user input the primary or secondary information of the matching target on a screen output on the first or second device. Furthermore, the reception unit 111 may receive various information by, for example, using an API implemented by the server device 100 or an SDK library corresponding to the authentication system 1. The reception unit 111 receives an authentication request for authenticating a service user from a first device such as the user device 200a.

For example, if the second device cannot determine whether a transaction is possible based on the transaction conditions indicated in the transaction condition information (hereinafter simply referred to as "transaction conditions"), the reception unit 111 may receive a higher-level determination request from the second device to request a determination as to whether the transaction is possible. A case in which it cannot be determined whether the transaction is possible may be, for example, when the second device is unable to determine whether the transaction is possible, and/or when it determines that the transaction is not possible because the transaction conditions are not met.

[Provider]
The providing unit 112 provides various information to the first device, the second device, and/or the provider device 300, etc. The providing unit 112 may provide various information in any manner. For example, the providing unit 112 may send a data file or a message containing secondary information to these devices in an event-driven manner. As another example, the providing unit 112 may provide the secondary information and/or transaction information to these devices via an API or SDK library implemented by the providing unit 112. As another example, the providing unit 112 may cause the secondary information and/or transaction information to be referenced on a screen output by the user device 200a. Based on the results of the primary processing, the providing unit 112 provides the secondary information for executing the secondary processing to the second device, which executes the secondary processing for user authentication. For example, if user authentication is successful as a result of the primary processing, the providing unit 112 may provide the second device with the secondary information to be used as a matching source.

With the above configuration, the providing unit 112 provides the second device with secondary information for secondary processing based on the results of the primary processing for user authentication, thereby enabling the second device to execute the secondary processing for user authentication. For example, security can be ensured because the secondary information is provided only if user authentication in the primary processing is successful. Furthermore, by separating the devices that execute the primary and secondary processing, rather than executing the primary and secondary processing together on the same device, i.e., the server device 100, the user can make effective use of the time between these processes. Therefore, when user authentication is performed multiple times to use an integrated service, security can be ensured while preventing a loss of user usability.

The providing unit 112 may provide transaction permission information to the second device based on the results of the primary processing, for example. Specifically, the providing unit 112 may provide the transaction permission information to the second device if user authentication in the primary processing is successful. The transaction permission information may, for example, permit the execution of a transaction process or a confirmation process based on the results of the secondary processing. Specifically, the transaction permission information may permit the execution of a confirmation process if user authentication is successful as a result of the secondary processing. The transaction permission information may, for example, permit the execution of a transaction process or a confirmation process for each transaction, or may permit the execution of one or more transaction processes or one or more confirmation processes executed within a predetermined period. The second device may execute a transaction process or a confirmation process for each transaction, for example, with the successful user authentication in the secondary processing and the acquisition of the provided transaction permission information as conditions for executing these processes.

The providing unit 112 may, for example, provide the provider device 300 with primary processing result information indicating the result of the primary processing. The primary processing result information may include, for example, (a) information about the identified user (e.g., user identification information, etc.), (b) information indicating the result of determining whether the identified user is the user in the user authentication of the primary processing, i.e., information indicating whether authentication was successful or unsuccessful, and (c) information indicating the authentication method used in the user authentication in (b) above. Furthermore, for example, when the confirmation process for the user's transaction in the linked service has been completed, the providing unit 112 may provide the provider device 300 with transaction information together with or instead of the primary processing result information.

The providing unit 112 may provide the secondary information to the second device, for example, depending on whether the transaction is possible or not, as indicated by the transaction possibility information acquired by the acquiring unit 114. Specifically, if the transaction possibility information indicates that the transaction is possible, the providing unit 112 may provide the secondary information to the second device. On the other hand, if the transaction possibility information indicates that the transaction is not possible, the providing unit 112 may cancel providing the secondary information to the second device. When canceling the provision of the secondary information in this way, the providing unit 112 may provide the second device with information indicating that the transaction is not possible, instead of the secondary information.

With the above configuration, the providing unit 112 can provide secondary information based on information stored (in other words, stored) by the provider device 300 regarding whether the user is able to trade. In this case, the second transaction device may determine that the transaction is possible based on obtaining the provided secondary information. For example, if the provider device 300 is inquired about whether the transaction is possible for the first time when the transaction processing is executed on the second device, the user will have to wait the time required for this inquiry and response before the transaction can be completed. Therefore, by inquiring about whether the transaction is possible in advance of the transaction being executed on the second device and providing secondary information based on the result, it is possible to prevent a loss of usability for the user. Furthermore, rather than storing secondary information in the second device in advance, it is possible to provide secondary information only when the transaction is possible each time a transaction is made. This minimizes the amount of secondary information stored on the second device, ensuring security.

The providing unit 112 may, for example, provide the second device with transaction condition information acquired from the provider device 300. In this case, the second device may execute transaction processing related to the transaction based on the provided transaction condition information. Specifically, the second device may execute transaction processing when the transaction information and/or transaction history information of the user satisfy the transaction conditions indicated in the transaction condition information.

With the above configuration, the second device located on the edge side can determine whether a transaction can be carried out based on the transaction conditions, without querying the provider device 300. This reduces the time the user has to wait and prevents a loss of user usability. Furthermore, if the second device is connected to the server device 100 or the provider device 300 via a wide area communication network such as the Internet as network N, the second device can determine whether a transaction can be carried out regardless of the state of this connection. Therefore, particularly when settling a transaction with cash, by debiting the balance deposited in the local wallet function of the user device 200a, or by debiting the balance on an IC card held by the user, the transaction can be settled even if communication between the second device and the server device 100 or the provider device 300 is not possible.

The providing unit 112 may, for example, provide the second device with the higher-level determination result information acquired by the acquiring unit 114. In this case, the second device may execute transaction processing for the transaction based on this provided higher-level determination result information. The higher-level determination result information is information indicating the result of the transaction approval/disapproval determination made by the provider device 300 (e.g., whether the transaction is possible or not). With this configuration, even for high-value or special transactions for which the second device on the edge side cannot determine whether the transaction is possible, it is possible to query the higher-level provider device 300 and execute transaction processing based on the response. This makes it possible to handle a wide variety of transactions.

[Authentication section]
The authentication unit 113 executes processing related to user authentication in response to the authentication request received by the reception unit 111 .

The authentication unit 113 includes a primary authentication unit 113a. In response to an authentication request, the primary authentication unit 113a performs primary processing for user authentication based on the primary information.

[Acquisition part]
The acquisition unit 114 acquires various information from the first device, the second device, and/or the provider device 300. For example, the acquisition unit 114 may acquire, from the provider device 300, transaction propriety information indicating whether or not a transaction to be executed on the second device is permitted, which information is provided in accordance with the primary processing result information and/or the transaction information.

The acquisition unit 114 may, for example, acquire secondary information provided from the provider device 300 in response to primary processing result information. Specifically, the acquisition unit 114 may acquire secondary information provided from the provider device 300 when user authentication is successful as a result of primary processing. With this configuration, rather than having the server device 100 store the secondary information in advance, the secondary information is acquired only when primary authentication is successful, thereby minimizing the amount of secondary information stored on the server device 100 and ensuring security.

The acquisition unit 114 may, for example, acquire from the provider device 300 transaction condition information indicating transaction conditions for determining whether or not a transaction in the linked service is permitted. These transaction conditions include, for example, an upper limit on the transaction amount (hereinafter also referred to as "amount upper limit"), an upper limit on the number of transactions that can be performed after determining that the transaction conditions have been met on the second device, and the types of transactions that are permitted (for example, sales transactions involving the provision of services or products, loans, factoring, remittance transactions, transfers of value such as electronic money, etc.).

The acquisition unit 114 may acquire the higher-level determination result information from the provider device 300, for example, as a response to the higher-level determination request sent by the transmission unit 121.

For example, if the transaction conditions indicate that a transaction is permitted on the condition that the user performs additional authentication, the acquisition unit 114 may acquire additional authentication information for performing the additional authentication from the provider device 300. The additional authentication information may include, for example, like the primary information, user identification information for each user, additional authentication method information indicating the authentication method used for the additional authentication, and authentication information for each user according to the additional authentication method information. The additional authentication method information may indicate an authentication method different from or the same as the primary authentication method information and the secondary authentication method information. The acquisition unit 114 may, for example, refer to the transaction conditions information and, if applicable, send a request to acquire additional authentication information to the provider device 300 and acquire the additional authentication information in response.

The second device may execute a confirmation process to confirm the details of the transaction in the linked service based on the results of the secondary processing. In this case, the acquisition unit 114 may, for example, acquire from the second device secondary processing result information indicating the results of the secondary processing executed in the confirmation process, and transaction confirmation information indicating the results of the confirmation processing.

[Payment processing unit]
The payment processing unit 115 executes a payment process to settle the transaction using the payment method indicated in the payment method information, based on the payment method information and the transaction information indicating that the confirmation process has been completed. The payment processing unit 115 may also execute a payment process to settle the transaction, based on, for example, secondary processing result information.

For example, if the payment method indicated in the payment method information is credit card payment, the payment processing unit 115 may send a credit card payment instruction including the transaction amount and payee information to the credit card company's server based on the credit card information (e.g., card number, member name, expiration date, security code, etc.) from the user's payment method information managed in the online wallet. Also, for example, if the payment method indicated in the payment method information is direct deposit, the payment processing unit 115 may send an instruction to transfer the transaction amount from the user's account to the account of the business partner (e.g., the owner of store A) to the server of the financial institution such as a bank that manages the user's account.

[Identity Verification Department]
The identity verification unit 116 performs identity verification of the user based on the user's verification information. This identity verification electronically verifies the authenticity of the user (so-called eKYC), and may be, for example, identity proofing as defined by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) SP 800-63-3. The verification information is information related to the user's identity verification, and may include, for example, the user's name, address, contact information, information related to the user's My Number card used for identity verification, and/or information related to the user's driver's license used for identity verification.

Possible timings for the identity verification unit 116 to perform identity verification include (a) when issuing an account for the user to use the wallet function and/or authentication function of the server device 100, (b) when issuing an account for the user in an integrated service, and (c) when the reception unit 111 receives a request for additional identity verification of the user from the second device. In case (c), for example, if a store clerk determines that the user's appearance or behavior is suspicious, the request for additional verification may be sent from the in-store device 200b, which is the second device, to the server device 100.

[Registration Department]
The registration unit 117 registers user information about the user provided from the user device 200a or the like in the storage unit 130. For example, the registration unit 117 may register the user information in the storage unit 130 in association with the primary information, secondary information, and/or transaction information of the same user.

User information may include, for example, user identification information for identifying the user (e.g., an account ID issued by the server device 100), the user's personal information (e.g., name, address, telephone number, email address, password), and information about the card or device (e.g., the user device 200a) used for payment by the user (e.g., a card number, the device's MAC address, or IP address). User information may also include, for example, authentication method information indicating one or more authentication methods available to the user, and authentication information corresponding to the one or more authentication methods indicated by the authentication method information. User information may also include, for example, information about the user's account issued by the linked service (e.g., an account ID, payment method information linked to the account, etc.).

[Communications Department]
The communication unit 120 transmits and receives various information and/or various requests between a first device (e.g., a user device 200a), a second device (e.g., a store device 200b), and/or a provider device 300, etc., via the network N.

The communication unit 120 may include, for example, a transmission unit 121. The transmission unit 121 transmits the higher-level determination request received from the second device to the provider device 300. The transmission unit 121 may also transmit, for example, additional authentication information acquired by the acquisition unit 114 to the second device. With this configuration, for transactions requiring a higher authentication level or security, additional authentication can be performed by the second device on the edge side, thereby satisfying the higher authentication level or ensuring higher security.

[Storage]
The storage unit 130 stores, for example, user information, payment method information, primary information, secondary information, and/or transaction information in association with each other.

<4. Operation example>
An example of the operation of the authentication system 1 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. The order of processing and the units of processing shown in Figures 4 and 5 are merely examples and may be changed as appropriate.

Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow from an authentication request to the execution of primary processing in authentication system 1, and the interactions between each device. As shown in Figure 4, user device 200a accepts an authentication request operation for user authentication from a service user (S10). User device 200a transmits this accepted authentication request to store device 200b (S11). Store device 200b further transmits this transmitted authentication request to server device 100 (S12).

The reception unit 111 of the server device 100 receives the authentication request sent above (S13). In response to this authentication request, the primary authentication unit 113a of the server device 100 executes primary processing based on the primary information (S14).

If user authentication is successful as a result of the primary processing, the user device 200a, the store device 200b, the server device 100, and the provider device 300 execute processing within the upper area indicated by the combined fragment alt1 (alternative1). Specifically, the providing unit 112 of the server device 100 provides the secondary information and transaction permission information to the store device 200b (in other words, transmits them to the store device 200b; the same applies below) (S15). The providing unit 112 also provides the provider device 300 with primary processing result information indicating that user authentication was successful as a result of the primary processing (S17). Based on the provided primary processing result information, the provider device 300 extracts transaction conditions for determining whether or not to permit the transaction for the relevant user (S18). The provider device 300 provides transaction condition information indicating the extracted transaction conditions to the server device 100 (S19). The acquiring unit 114 of the server device 100 acquires the provided transaction condition information (S20). The providing unit 112 of the server device 100 provides the acquired transaction condition information and first processing result information to the in-store device 200b (S21). The in-store device 200b acquires the provided first processing result information and transaction condition information (S22). The in-store device 200b provides the acquired first processing result information to the user device 200a (S23). The user device 200a outputs on a screen or the like a message indicating that user authentication, indicated by the first processing result information, was successful (S24).

If user authentication fails as a result of the above-mentioned primary processing, the user device 200a, store device 200b, server device 100, and provider device 300 execute the processing within the lower part of the area indicated by the combined fragment alt1. Specifically, the providing unit 112 of the server device 100 provides primary processing result information indicating that user authentication failed as a result of the above-mentioned primary processing to the store device 200b (S25). The store device 200b provides this provided primary processing result information to the user device 200a (S26). The user device 200a outputs on a screen or the like a message indicating that user authentication indicated by the primary processing result information failed (S27).

Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow and interactions between each device in authentication system 1, from transaction acceptance through secondary processing to execution of transaction settlement processing after the completion of the primary processing in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 5, in-store device 200b accepts input of transaction information for a transaction in the linked service from a user or store clerk (S30). In-store device 200b determines whether the transaction indicated by the transaction information satisfies the transaction conditions indicated in the transaction condition information (S31).

If the transaction satisfies the transaction conditions indicated in the acquired transaction condition information, the user device 200a, store device 200b, server device 100, and provider device 300 execute the processing within the upper part of the area indicated by the combined fragment alt2 (alternative2). Specifically, the store device 200b accepts input of the secondary information of the matching target from the user (S32). The store device 200b executes secondary processing of user authentication, such as comparing the accepted secondary information of the matching target with the acquired secondary information of the matching source (S33).

If user authentication is successful as a result of the secondary processing, the user device 200a, the store device 200b, the server device 100, and the provider device 300 execute processing within the upper portion of the area indicated by the combined fragment alt3 (alternative3). Specifically, the store device 200b executes a confirmation process to confirm the details of the transaction indicated in the transaction information based on the acquired transaction permission information (S34). The store device 200b transmits to the server device 100 secondary processing result information indicating that user authentication was successful as a result of the secondary processing, and transaction information indicating the result of the confirmation process executed (S35). The payment processing unit of the server device 100 executes a payment process to settle the transaction using the user's available payment method based on the transmitted secondary processing result information and transaction information, and the user's payment method information stored in the memory unit 130 as an online wallet function (S36). The transmission unit 121 of the server device 100 transmits payment processing result information indicating the result of this payment processing to the in-store device 200b (S37). The in-store device 200b outputs the result of the payment processing indicated by the transmitted payment processing result information on a screen or the like (S38).

If user authentication fails as a result of the above secondary processing, the user device 200a, store device 200b, server device 100, and provider device 300 execute the processing within the upper part of the area indicated by the combined fragment alt3. Specifically, the store device 200b outputs on a screen or the like a message indicating that user authentication has failed (S39).

If the transaction satisfies the transaction conditions indicated in the acquired transaction condition information, the user device 200a, the store device 200b, the server device 100, and the provider device 300 execute the processing within the lower part of the area indicated by the combined fragment alt2. Specifically, the store device 200b outputs an error message on a screen or the like indicating that the transaction is not possible (S40).

5. Hardware Configuration
6, an example of a hardware configuration in which the above-described server device 100 is realized by a computer 800 will be described. Note that the functions of each device can also be realized by dividing them into multiple devices.

As shown in FIG. 6, the computer 800 includes a processor 801, a memory 803, a storage device 805, an input I/F unit 807, a data I/F unit 809, a communication I/F unit 811, and a display device 813.

The processor 801 controls various processes in the computer 800 by executing programs stored in the memory 803. For example, the various functional units of the control unit 110 of the server device 100 can be realized by the processor 801 executing programs temporarily stored in the memory 803.

Memory 803 is a storage medium such as RAM (Random Access Memory). Memory 803 temporarily stores program code for programs executed by processor 801 and data required when the programs are executed.

The storage device 805 is a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory. The storage device 805 stores an operating system and various programs for implementing the above-mentioned configurations. In addition, the storage device 805 can also store tables for registering various information such as user information, and a database for managing these tables. Such programs and data are loaded into the memory 803 as needed and referenced by the processor 801.

The input I/F unit 807 is a device for receiving input from the user. Specific examples of the input I/F unit 807 include a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, various sensors, and wearable devices. The input I/F unit 807 may be connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus).

The data I/F unit 809 is a device for inputting data from outside the computer 800. A specific example of the data I/F unit 809 is a drive device for reading data stored on various storage media. The data I/F unit 809 may also be provided outside the computer 800. In that case, the data I/F unit 809 is connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as a USB.

The communication I/F unit 811 is a device for performing data communication via the Internet N with devices external to the computer 800, either wired or wirelessly. The communication I/F unit 811 may also be provided external to the computer 800. In that case, the communication I/F unit 811 is connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as a USB.

The display device 813 is a device for displaying various types of information. Specific examples of the display device 813 include a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and a display for a wearable device. The display device 813 may be provided external to the computer 800. In this case, the display device 813 is connected to the computer 800 via, for example, a display cable. Furthermore, if a touch panel is used as the input I/F unit 807, the display device 813 can be configured as an integral part of the input I/F unit 807.

Note that this embodiment is an example for explaining the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention to this embodiment alone. Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will be able to adopt embodiments in which the elements described below are replaced with equivalents, and such embodiments are also within the scope of the present invention.

Furthermore, the components of the server device described in the above embodiment are assumed to be implemented in cooperation with other hardware by the processor 801 executing a program stored in the storage device 805. In other words, these components can be considered as both software or firmware and the corresponding hardware, and in both of these concepts, they can also be referred to as "functions," "means," "parts," "processing circuits," "units," or "modules," and can be interpreted interchangeably.

[Modification]
Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment, the following cases are also included in the present invention.

[Modification 1]
Although not shown in the above embodiment, a detection device may detect people, including people other than the user, who enter a store that uses or provides an integrated service, and identify the user from among the detected people. In this example, the first device is a detection device for detecting users who enter the store. The detection device, for example, detects the belongings or living bodies of each person in or near the store. Based on the detection results, the detection device generates possession information regarding the detected possessions or biometric information regarding the living bodies, and transmits this to the server device 100. The server device 100 obtains the transmitted possession information or biometric information. Based on the obtained possession information or biometric information, the server device 100 may identify the user from among people in or near the store and authenticate the identified user.

The linked service may include, for example, face-to-face services at a store. In this case, the acquisition unit 114 may, for example, acquire possession information regarding possessions of each person in the store or near the store, and/or biometric information regarding each person's living body. The control unit 110 of the server device 100 may also, for example, include an identification unit (not shown), which identifies the user from among people in the store or near the store based on user information regarding the user, possession information, and/or biometric information. The primary authentication unit 113a may, for example, perform primary processing for the user identified by the identification unit, even if the reception unit 111 does not receive an authentication request from the first device.

With the above configuration, in face-to-face services at a store, the detection device can automatically detect users who enter the store and execute primary processing, without the user having to manually request authentication on the user device 200a, etc. This improves usability for users. Furthermore, particularly when biometric authentication, such as facial recognition of the user, is used as primary authentication, there is a possibility that people other than the user themselves may be detected. Even in such cases, the user can be identified and authenticated.

The sending unit 121 may, for example, send an acquisition request to the provider device 300 requesting acquisition of primary information of the user identified by the identification unit. The acquisition unit 114 may, for example, acquire the primary information from the provider device 300 as a response to this acquisition request. The primary authentication unit 113a may execute primary processing for authenticating the identified user based on this acquired primary information. With this configuration, even if the server device 100 does not hold the primary information of the identified user, it can be acquired as needed, such as when the user enters a store. This makes it possible to strengthen security (particularly confidentiality) for the primary information.

[Modification 2]
In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the primary processing (a) identifies a user and (b) authenticates the identified user based on primary information of the user's matching target included in the user authentication request. However, the primary processing of the present invention is not limited to this. The primary processing may, for example, only identify the user (a) or a candidate thereof (hereinafter also referred to as a "candidate user"). For example, the identification unit of the server device 100 identifies one or more people detected by the detection device as candidate users. The acquisition unit 114 transmits a request to acquire secondary information from the provider device 300 for the one or more identified candidate users and acquires the secondary information as the acquisition request. The identification unit may identify a candidate user for whom secondary information has been acquired (i.e., a candidate whose secondary information is stored in the provider device 300 as a user of the linked service) as a user. The provision unit 112 may then provide the acquired secondary information to a second device that executes secondary processing for authenticating the identified user.

For example, when a facial recognition sensor or the like is used as the detection device, the server device 100 may be able to obtain biometric information such as a user's facial image from the detection device, but may not be able to obtain information that can identify the user (e.g., user identification information). Furthermore, in biometric authentication using the user's biometric information, the user may not be uniquely identified. With the above configuration, even in such cases, if the user's secondary information can be obtained from the provider device 300, the secondary information can be provided to the second device, enabling user authentication to be performed. This improves usability for users.

[Modification 3]
At least some of the components of the server device 100 according to the above embodiment may be provided in a first device such as the user device 200a, a second device such as the store device 200b, and/or a provider device 300.

[Modification 4]
In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a secondary process is executed to authenticate a user when a transaction occurs in the linked service, but the authentication system according to the present invention can also be applied to cases in which no transaction occurs in the linked service. For example, if the linked service is an access control service, when this access control service manages access to a specified building and/or a specified area, the authentication system 1 may be used to authenticate users who are allowed to enter and exit the building and/or a specified area.

The authentication system according to the present invention can also be applied to, for example, authentication of contractual actions that do not involve payment. The linked service may be, for example, a service related to contractual actions that do not involve payment, such as a points transaction service, a remittance transaction service, and/or a service related to the exchange of coupons.

[Modification 5]
In the above embodiment, the following two methods (a) and (b) have been described as examples for determining whether or not a transaction is permitted, but these two methods may be used selectively depending on the situation.
(A) The upper provider device 300 determines whether or not a transaction is permitted, and transmits transaction propriety information indicating the determination result to the second device on the edge side via the server device 100. The second device executes transaction processing according to the propriety of the transaction indicated by the transaction propriety information.
(i) The transaction condition information is transmitted to the second device on the edge side, and the second device determines whether or not to permit the transaction based on the transaction conditions indicated by the transaction condition information.

As an example of using the above two methods (A) and (B) appropriately depending on the situation, for example, when the server device 100 executes primary processing and sends primary processing result information of this primary processing to the provider device 300, it may issue an acquisition request to acquire transaction information from the second device executing the transaction processing of the transaction in the linked service. In response to this acquisition request, if the transaction information cannot be acquired because it has not yet been accepted by the second device, or if the transaction information can be acquired but the transaction processing status of the transaction information is not "processing completed (of confirmation processing)," the server device 100 may select and execute method (B) above. On the other hand, if the transaction information can be acquired and the transaction processing status of the transaction information is "processing completed (of confirmation processing)," the server device 100 may select and execute method (A) above. With this configuration, it is possible to select an efficient method depending on the status of the transaction processing, such as having a higher-level device determine whether the transaction can be accepted, or having a second device on the edge side determine whether the transaction can be accepted using transaction conditions.

[Modification 6]
In the above embodiment, a face-to-face service for conducting face-to-face transactions has been described as an example of one of the linked services. However, transactions according to the present invention are not limited to this. The transactions according to the present invention may be, for example, transactions for online services provided online. The online service may be, for example, a social networking service (SNS) such as the Metaverse and/or an e-commerce service. When the authentication system according to the present invention is applied to transactions for online services, the second device performing the secondary processing may be (a) a user device used by a user (in this case, the first device and the second device may be the same device), or (b) a device performing transaction processing for online transactions other than the server device 100 (hereinafter also referred to as a "transaction device"). For example, the server device 100 may provide secondary information for performing the secondary processing to a user device or a transaction device that performs secondary processing for user authentication based on the results of the primary processing. The user device or the transaction device performs the secondary processing based on the provided secondary information.

1...Authentication system, 100...Server device, 110...Control unit, 111...Reception unit, 112...Provision unit, 113...Authentication unit, 114...Acquisition unit, 115...Payment processing unit, 116...Personal identification unit, 117...Registration unit, 120...Communication unit, 130...Storage unit, 200a...User device, 200b...Store device, 300...Provider device, 800...Computer, 801...Processor, 803...Memory, 805...Storage device, 807...Input I/F unit, 809...Data I/F unit, 811...Communication I/F unit, 813...Display device.

Claims (11)

On the computer,
a reception function for receiving an authentication request for authenticating a user of the service from the first device;
a primary authentication function that executes a primary process for authenticating the user in response to the authentication request based on primary information for executing the primary process;
a providing function of providing secondary information for executing a secondary process to a second device that executes a secondary process for authenticating the user based on a result of the primary process,
the providing function, when user authentication is successful as a result of the primary processing, provides the secondary information to the second device regardless of whether a transaction order of the user in the service has been accepted by the second device;
the reception function receives the authentication request for authenticating the user of the service from the first device via the second device;
program. the second device executes transaction processing related to the user's transaction in the service;
the providing function provides primary processing result information indicating a result of the primary processing to a provider device of a provider of the service;
causing the computer to realize an acquisition function of acquiring, from the provider device, transaction propriety information indicating whether the transaction is propriety or not, which information is provided in accordance with the primary processing result information;
the providing function provides the secondary information to the second device depending on whether the transaction is possible or not indicated by the transaction possibility information.
The program according to claim 1. the acquisition function acquires the secondary information provided in response to the primary processing result information from the provider device,
The providing function provides the acquired secondary information to the second device.
The program according to claim 2. The computer is caused to realize an acquisition function of acquiring transaction condition information indicating transaction conditions for determining whether or not a transaction for the service is possible from a provider device of the service provider,
the providing function provides the second device with the transaction terms information;
the second device executes transaction processing for the transaction based on the transaction condition information;
The program according to claim 1. the reception function, when the second device cannot determine that the transaction is possible under the transaction conditions, receives from the second device a higher-level determination request requesting a determination of whether the transaction is possible;
causing the computer to realize a transmission function of transmitting the higher-level determination request to the provider device;
the acquiring function acquires, from the provider device, higher-level determination result information indicating a result of the determination as a response to the higher-level determination request;
the providing function provides the higher-level determination result information to the second device;
the second device executes a transaction process for the transaction based on the higher-level determination result information.
The program according to claim 4. the acquiring function acquires, when the transaction conditions indicate that the transaction is permitted on the condition that additional authentication of the user is performed, additional authentication information for performing the additional authentication from the provider device;
causing the computer to realize a transmission function of transmitting the acquired additional authentication information to the second device;
The program according to claim 4. the second device executes a confirmation process to confirm the content of the transaction for the service based on the result of the secondary process;
causing the computer to realize an acquisition function of acquiring, from the second device, secondary processing result information indicating a result of the secondary processing and transaction information indicating a result of the confirmation processing;
and a payment processing function that executes a payment process for settling the transaction by the payment means based on payment means information related to the payment means available to the user, the secondary processing result information, and the transaction information.
The program according to claim 1. The service includes face-to-face service at a store,
an acquisition function for acquiring personal belongings information about personal belongings of each person in the store or near the store and/or biometric information about each person;
an identification function for identifying the user from among people present in or near the store based on user information about the user, the belongings information, and/or the biometric information;
the primary authentication function executes the primary processing for the identified user even if the reception function does not receive the authentication request.
The program according to claim 1. causing the computer to realize a transmission function of transmitting an acquisition request to a provider device of the service provider, the acquisition request requesting acquisition of the primary information of the specified user;
the acquisition function acquires the primary information from the provider device in response to the acquisition request;
The primary authentication function executes the primary processing based on the acquired primary information.
The program according to claim 8. a reception unit that receives an authentication request for authenticating a user of the service from the first device;
a primary authentication unit that executes a primary process for authenticating the user based on primary information in response to the authentication request;
a providing unit that provides secondary information for executing a secondary process to a second device that executes a secondary process for authenticating the user based on a result of the primary process,
the providing unit, when user authentication is successful as a result of the primary processing, provides the secondary information to the second device regardless of whether a transaction order of the user in the service has been accepted by the second device;
the reception unit receives the authentication request for authenticating the user of the service from the first device via the second device;
Information processing device. The computer
receiving an authentication request for authenticating a user of the service from the first device;
In response to the authentication request, a primary process is performed based on primary information for performing the primary process for authenticating the user;
providing secondary information for executing a secondary process to a second device that executes a secondary process for authenticating the user based on a result of the primary process;
If the user authentication is successful as a result of the primary processing, the secondary information is provided to the second device regardless of whether the second device has accepted the user's transaction order for the service;
When receiving the authentication request, the authentication request for authenticating the user of the service is received from the first device via the second device.
Information processing methods.