Authentication system, authentication method and service providing system

1. An authentication method comprising:

producing, by an authentication terminal, an artifact authentication result; and

authenticating, by an authentication server, an authentication subject based on the artifact authentication result, wherein

the producing the artifact authentication result includes:

authenticating, using an authentication apparatus on the authentication terminal, the authentication subject using inherent information of the authentication subject;

receiving, at a signal processing section included in the authentication terminal, a subject authentication result, from the authentication apparatus, indicating whether the authentication subject is authenticated;

receiving, at the signal processing section, designation information from the authentication server;

inputting, by the signal processing section to an artifact on the authentication terminal only if the authentication subject is authenticated by the authentication apparatus, as an input signal, a signal based on the designation information from the authentication server, the input signal not including the inherent information of the authentication subject;

performing, at the artifact, an operation in accordance with the input signal and outputting, from the artifact, a result of the operation as an operation result; and

outputting, from the signal processing section to the authentication server, as the artifact authentication result, an output signal in accordance with the operation result of the artifact, and

the authenticating the authentication subject based on the artifact authentication result includes:

storing information indicating an input/output characteristic of the artifact; and

authenticating the authentication subject based on whether the artifact authentication result indicates that the input signal resulted in the output signal in accordance with the input/output characteristic of the artifact;

wherein the producing the artifact authentication result further includes:

storing a plurality of input signals in association with a plurality of addresses;

determining a base address with the authentication server; and

inputting the input signal, from the signal processing section to the artifact, at an address shifted from the base address by an address offset designated by the authentication server.

2. The authentication method according to claim 1 , further comprising performing, at the authentication server, the steps of:

storing a table associating an input signal and an expected output signal for each of a plurality of authentication terminals, and

selecting the input signal corresponding to the authentication terminal and sending it to the authentication terminal.

3. The authentication method according to claim 1 , wherein

the authenticating the authentication subject based on the artifact authentication result further includes:

determining the base address with the signal processing section; and

designating the address offset with regards to the signal processing section.

4. The authentication method according to claim 1 , wherein

the producing the artifact authentication result further includes

storing a plurality of types of inherent information of the authentication subject in association with a plurality of signals; and

notifying the authentication apparatus of the type of the inherent information corresponding to the signal designated by the authentication server, and

the authenticating at the authentication apparatus includes authenticating the authentication subject based on the notified type of the inherent information.

5. The authentication method according to claim 4 , further comprising:

performing, at the authentication server,

designating two or more of the stored plurality of signals; and

sequentially authenticating, at the authentication apparatus, the authentication subject based on the types of the inherent information corresponding to each of the designated signals.

6. The authentication method according to claim 4 , further comprising

designating, at the authentication server, the input signal in accordance with a purpose of the artifact authentication result with regards to the signal processing section.

7. The authentication method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

performing, at the authentication terminal, the steps of:

storing a plurality of types of inherent information of the authentication subject in association with a plurality of signals;

authenticating, at the authentication apparatus, the authentication subject based on a type of the inherent information designated by the authentication subject; and

inputting, from the signal processing section to the artifact, the input signal corresponding to the inherent information designated by the authentication subject, and

specifying, by the authentication server, an instruction content of the authentication subject based on the input signals that the output signal corresponds to.

8. The authentication method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

sending, by the authentication server, a set signal setting an operating condition of the artifact along with a signal designating the input signal to the authentication terminal; and

setting, at the signal processing section, the operating condition of the artifact based on the set signal received along with the signal designating the input signal.

9. The authentication method according to claim 8 , further comprising:

performing, at the authentication server, the steps of:

storing information indicating an input/output characteristic of the artifact for each of a plurality of operation conditions of the artifact; and

authenticating the authentication subject based on whether the artifact authentication result indicates that the input signal resulted in the output signal corresponding to the set signal.

10. The authentication method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

storing, at the authentication server, information indicating an input/output characteristic of the artifact for each of a plurality of temperatures of the artifact;

outputting, from the authentication terminal to the authentication server, information indicating a temperature of the artifact along with the output signal; and

authenticating, at the authentication server, the authentication subject based on whether the artifact authentication result indicates that the input signal resulted in the output signal corresponding to the temperature.

11. The authentication method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

authenticating, at the authentication apparatus, the authentication subject based on biometric information of the authentication subject.

12. A service providing method comprising:

performing the authentication method according to claim 1 ; and

providing, by a service providing server, services to a user only if the user is authenticated by the authentication method.

13. The service providing method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

requesting, by the service providing server, authentication of the user to the authentication server when the authentication terminal requests a service provision to the service providing server.