Device, method, and program for authenticating temporary visitors.

Abstract

This invention provides a method for authenticating temporary occupants in a rental housing complex with multiple private rooms, each equipped with a lock that is unlocked by an electrical signal, and which does not require network equipment to connect the locks of each room to an IP network. [Solution] When the user enters the date of use in the input field 210 of the passcode issuance screen 200 and selects the "Send SMS" button by clicking or tapping, the property information management device 110 sends the issuance request to the authorization information management device 120 (S301). If the authorization information management device 120 successfully authenticates the person using the company terminal 130 or the property management company to which they belong, it generates a passcode PIN with an expiration date (S302) and sends the passcode with an expiration date to the user terminal 140 via SMS to the specified telephone number (S303).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method, and a program therefor for authenticating temporary visitors.

Background Art

[0002] Locks have a long history as devices for securing doors in the closed state, and have been locked and unlocked using metal keys. However, hundreds of thousands of such physical keys are lost annually in Japan, for example. In addition, the cost of key replacement required when moving is said to amount to tens of billions of yen per year.

[0003] In recent years, the use of so-called electronic locks or electric locks has been increasing to address such problems as the risks and inefficiencies associated with physical keys. Examples include a method of entering a personal identification number via a numeric keypad installed near the door, a method in which a dedicated device is carried and the lock is automatically unlocked when approaching the door, a method of holding a card key over a receiver installed near the door, and a method of installing a dedicated application (hereinafter also referred to as "app") on a smartphone and transmitting an unlock signal using the app. A passcode is represented by some kind of electrical signal, and the lock receives this and successfully performs authentication, whereby unlocking is executed.

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although locks of the type that are unlocked by electrical signals without using such physical keys are highly convenient, when attempting to use them in a rental housing complex with multiple private rooms, for example, there is a burden of frequently changing the unlock passcode set for the lock each time a prospective renter visits for a property viewing.

[0005] If the lock in question were connected to an IP network such as the Internet, a passcode change request could be sent from a management server communicating with the lock via the IP network before the viewing. However, connecting the locks of each individual room to an IP network is undesirable from the standpoint of installation costs, maintenance costs, and other expenses.

[0006] The aforementioned problems also apply to entry by representatives of companies that require temporary access, such as property management companies and cleaning companies, in addition to prospective tenants.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of these points, and its objective is to provide a device, method, and program for authenticating temporary occupants in a rental housing complex having multiple private rooms equipped with locks that are unlocked by electrical signals and do not require network equipment to connect the locks of each private room to an IP network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve these problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a method for authenticating a temporary occupant in a rental housing complex having a plurality of private rooms equipped with locks that are unlocked by electrical signals, comprising the steps of: receiving a passcode issuance request including a room ID that identifies one of the plurality of private rooms; generating a passcode using the same secret key as the secret key stored in the lock identified by the lock ID associated with the room ID; and transmitting the passcode to an occupant terminal used by the occupant.

[0009] Furthermore, a second aspect of the present invention is the method of the first aspect, wherein the transmission is transmitted via SMS.

[0010] Furthermore, a third aspect of the present invention is a method of the first aspect, further comprising the step of receiving a request to associate a room ID with a lock ID that identifies the lock of the room identified by the room ID.

[0011] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is the method of the first aspect, wherein the generation is performed using a secret key identical to the secret key stored in the lock identified by the lock ID, and period information representing the period during which entry is permitted.

[0012] Furthermore, a fifth aspect of the present invention is the method of the fourth aspect, wherein the period information includes the date of use.

[0013] Furthermore, a sixth aspect of the present invention is the method of the fourth aspect, wherein the period information includes a start time and an effective period.

[0014] Furthermore, a seventh aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to perform a method for authenticating a temporary occupant in a rental housing complex having a plurality of private rooms equipped with locks that are unlocked by electrical signals, the method comprising: receiving a passcode issuance request including a room ID that identifies one of the plurality of private rooms; generating a passcode using a secret key identical to the secret key stored in a lock identified by a lock ID associated with the room ID; and transmitting the passcode to an occupant terminal used by the occupant.

[0015] Furthermore, an eighth aspect of the present invention is a device for authenticating temporary occupants in a rental housing complex having multiple private rooms equipped with locks that are unlocked by electrical signals, the device receiving a passcode issuance request that includes a room ID identifying one of the multiple private rooms, generating a passcode using the same secret key as the secret key stored in the lock identified by the lock ID associated with the room ID, and transmitting the passcode to the occupant terminal used by the occupant. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, in order to authenticate a temporary occupant in a rental housing complex having multiple private rooms equipped with locks that are unlocked by electrical signals, a passcode issuance request including a room ID that identifies one of the multiple private rooms is received, and a passcode is generated using the same secret key as the secret key stored in the lock identified by the lock ID associated with the room ID. Then, by transmitting the generated passcode to the occupant's terminal, authentication of the temporary occupant becomes possible without requiring network equipment to connect the locks of each private room to an IP network. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] An example of a passcode issuance request input screen according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 3] This figure shows the procedure for issuing a passcode according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 shows a system for authenticating entrants according to one embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 comprises a property information management device 110 for managing property information, an access control information management device 120 for managing access control information, a company terminal 130 used by a person in charge at the property management company, an entrant terminal 140 used by the entrant, and a lock 150 installed in the private room to be entered.

[0020] The property information management device 110 stores property information corresponding to property registration information transmitted from the company terminal 130. The property information includes the room ID of the private room, and may further include a property name, the building name of the building having the room, the address and telephone number of the room or the building, photographs of the room or the building, and the like. The property information may be identical to the property registration information input at the company terminal 130. For example, the property information management device 110 may generate a room ID for the received property registration information, and store the property information including the room ID.

[0021] The property information management device 110 can transmit passcode issuance request input screen display information to the company terminal 130, and cause the display screen of the company terminal 130 to display a passcode issuance request input screen, abbreviated as a passcode issuance screen, as shown in FIG. 2. The passcode issuance screen 200 has an input field 210 for an issuance request of a daily personal identification number, which is a passcode for entering a designated property. In FIG. 2, when an entrant inputs the usage date for entry and selects the "Send SMS" button by clicking or tapping, the issuance request is transmitted to the authority information management device 120 (S301). If the authentication of the person in charge using the company terminal 130 or the property management company to which the person belongs is successful in the authority information management device 120, the daily personal identification number is generated (S302), and the daily personal identification number is transmitted by SMS to the entrant terminal 140 with the designated telephone number as the destination (S303). Examples of the destination include an e-mail address in addition to a telephone number.

[0022] Here, a daily personal identification number is issued, but the start date and time of the accessible period and the validity period may be made inputtable, and a personal identification number in units of date and time may be issued. More generally, the passcode may be a passcode with an expiration date. Further, default values may be used when the usage date, the start date and time, the validity period, and the like are not input. Further, instead of the start date and time and the validity period, a start date and time and an end date and time may be input, or a time period may be selected.

[0023] Authentication of the person in charge or the property management company to which they belong may be performed before displaying the passcode issuance screen 200, for example, when logging in to the property information management service provided by the property information management device 110. The property information management device 110 or a storage device or storage medium (not shown) accessible from the property information management device 110 can store associations between multiple property management companies and one or more properties that each property management company can request to issue, as the issuance authority of these property management companies. The association may further include the period during which an issuance request can be made, a flag indicating whether an issuance request can be made at the current time, etc. The association may represent the issuance authority of each person in charge of the property management company, rather than the issuance authority of each property management company, and in any case, it is sufficient that the authority information management device 120 can determine whether the person in charge who sends an issuance request from the company terminal 130 has the issuance authority.

[0024] Furthermore, the phone number of the person entering the premises, to be the recipient of the SMS message, may be made inputtable in Figure 2, or an input screen may be provided before or after Figure 2 for input. Here, the input by the property management company's representative can be done by sending the input screen display information as, for example, an HTML file and displaying the input screen on the company terminal 130's display screen via a web browser, or by running an application installed on the company terminal 130 and performing the input from the input screen displayed within that application. Note that the "input screen" can take various forms such as a web page, modal window, or popup window when displayed on a web browser, or it can be a screen of the application when displayed on an application. In any case, any screen that includes an area with an input field for inputting information is considered an input screen, and the same applies to all input screens referred to in this specification.

[0025] On the passcode issuance screen 200 in Figure 2, a property which is the room 202 of the building named "ABC Residence" is specified. For example, a person in charge at the property management company may input a room ID into the search field 220 to display the property determined by the property information including the relevant room ID, or input a building name into the search field 220 to display a plurality of properties determined by the property information including the relevant building name, and further display a property determined by selecting a room.

[0026] Hereinafter, the passcode generation processing in the authority information management apparatus 120 will be described in detail. The authority information management apparatus 120 includes a communication unit 121 such as a communication interface, a processing unit 122 such as a processor or a CPU, and a storage unit 123 including a storage device or a storage medium such as a memory or a hard disk, and can be configured by executing a program for performing each process in the processing unit 122. The authority information management apparatus 120 may include one or a plurality of apparatuses, computers, or servers. Further, the program may include one or a plurality of programs, and may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium to be a non-transitory program product. The program may be stored in the storage unit 123 or a storage device or a storage medium such as the database 124 accessible from the authority information management apparatus 120 via an IP network, and may be executed by the processing unit 122. Data described below as being stored in the storage unit 123 may be stored in the database 124, and vice versa. The property information management apparatus 110 may also have a similar configuration.

[0027] The authorization information management device 120, upon receiving a passcode issuance request from the property information management device 110, performs authentication as necessary and generates a passcode using the same secret key as the secret key stored in the lock of the private room identified by the room ID included in the issuance request. More specifically, the passcode can be obtained using a common secret key identical to the secret key stored in the lock of the private room identified by the room ID included in the issuance request, and period information representing the period during which entry is permitted. For example, the passcode may be a portion of the hash value obtained by inputting the common secret key and the period information or a value obtained using it into a hash function. The passcode may, as an example, be a number of digits, symbols, or a combination thereof. The period information may, as an example, be the date of use, the start date and time and validity period, the start date and time and end date and time, or a time zone identifier. The user may be asked to select a time slot such as 09:00 to 12:00 on the passcode issuance screen 200, and an identifier representing the selected time slot may be included in the period information. Alternatively, the start date and time and validity period entered on the passcode issuance screen 200, or an identifier representing the time slot corresponding to the start date and time and end date and time, may be included in the period information.

[0028] An entrant using the entrant terminal 140 that received the passcode can, for example, enter the passcode using the keypad on the lock 150. Even if the entrant terminal 140 does not have an app installed to authenticate the entrant using it, it is sufficient that it can receive the passcode, for example, via SMS or email. The lock 150 generates a passcode using the secret key stored therein, verifies the received passcode by comparing it with the received passcode, and if the verification is successful, proceeds to the unlocking process.

[0029] If the period information used for passcode generation in the authorization information management device 120 is the date of use, the lock 150 uses the date the passcode was received as the period information and generates a passcode using the same calculation as the authorization information management device 120. If the period information is the start date and time and validity period of the period during which entry is permitted, the lock 150 needs to know the start date and time and validity period, which the lock 150 can receive from the authorization information management device 120 separately from the passcode or as part of the passcode.

[0030] The secret key stored in the lock 150 is a secret key generated by the authorization information management device 120 embedded in a secure manner, and is stored in the authorization information management device 120 in association with the lock ID. The lock ID may also be stored in the authorization information management device 120 in association with the serial number printed on the lock 150. After the lock 150 is installed in the private room, the authorization information management device 120 receives a linking request from a terminal (not shown) that has performed the necessary authentication with the authorization information management device 120, which includes the lock ID and the room ID of the private room, or the serial number printed on the lock 150 and the room ID of the private room. The serial number can be represented, for example, by a two-dimensional code printed on the lock 150. Upon receiving the linking request, the authorization information management device 120 can link the lock ID and the room ID. The terminal used here may be, for example, a terminal of the manufacturer of the lock 150, or a terminal of the construction company of the private room where the lock 150 is installed or the building containing it. After the linking request, a command to enable the passcode function in the lock 150 may be sent from the terminal to the lock 150.

[0031] In this way, by storing the secret key stored in the lock 150, which is identified by a lock ID that has been pre-associated with the room ID, in the access control information management device 120, it becomes possible to provide the entrant terminal 140 with a passcode to unlock the lock 150 upon entry, without requiring network equipment to connect the lock 150 to an IP network.

[0032] In the passcode generation method described above, if the room ID is the same and the period information is also the same, the same passcode will be generated. Different passcodes may be generated depending on the property management company or its representative that entered the issuance request, or depending on the recipient of the passcode. Alternatively or additionally, different passcodes may be generated depending on the number of times the passcode has been issued. For example, multiple common secret keys are prepared to be stored in the lock 150 and the authorization information management device 120, and even if the room ID included in the issuance request is the same, different passcodes can be generated as described above by selecting the secret key to use.

[0033] Although Figure 1 shows an example where the property information management device 110 and the authorization information management device 120 are separate servers, they may be the same server. Furthermore, the authorization information management device 120 may be divided into a first server that provides an API and other APIs for the property information management device 110 to send passcode issuance requests, and a second server that processes passcode issuance and other operations in response to requests received by the first server.

[0034] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, unless the word "only" is used, such as "based only on," "depending only on," or "in the case of only," it is assumed in this specification that additional information may also be considered. Also, as an example, the statement "if a, then b" does not necessarily mean "always b in the case of a" or "b immediately after a," unless explicitly stated otherwise. In addition, the statement "each a constituting A" does not necessarily mean that A is composed of multiple components, but includes the possibility that the component is singular.

[0035] Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, even if there are aspects of operation in some method, program, terminal, device, server, or system (hereinafter referred to as "method, etc.") that differ from the operation described herein, each aspect of the present invention is intended to cover the same operation as any of the operations described herein, and the existence of operation different from the operation described herein does not mean that such method, etc. is outside the scope of each aspect of the present invention.

[0036] Furthermore, the "start" and "end" shown in Figure 3 are merely examples and do not necessarily mean that the method according to this embodiment will always start or end in the illustrated procedure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 100 Systems 110 Property information management device 120 Authority Information Management Device 130 Company terminals 140 Enteree terminals 150 tablets 200 Passcode Issuance Screen 210 Issuance Request Input Field 220 Search field

Claims

1. A method for authenticating temporary occupants in a rental housing complex having multiple private rooms equipped with locks that are unlocked by electrical signals, The step of receiving a passcode issuance request that includes a room ID identifying one of the aforementioned multiple private rooms, The steps include generating a passcode using the same secret key as the secret key stored in the lock identified by the lock ID associated with the aforementioned room ID, The steps include: transmitting the passcode to the entry terminal used by the person entering the room; Includes.

2. The method according to claim 1, The aforementioned transmission is via SMS.

3. The method according to claim 1, The step further includes receiving a request to associate the room ID with a lock ID that identifies the lock for the room identified by the room ID.

4. The method according to claim 1, The aforementioned generation is performed using a secret key identical to the secret key stored in the lock identified by the lock ID, and period information representing the period during which entry is permitted.

5. The method according to claim 4, The aforementioned period information includes the date of use.

6. The method according to claim 4, The aforementioned period information includes the start time and the validity period.

7. A program for causing a computer to perform a method for authenticating temporary occupants in a rental housing complex having multiple private rooms equipped with locks that are unlocked by electrical signals, wherein the method is: The step of receiving a passcode issuance request that includes a room ID identifying one of the aforementioned multiple private rooms, The steps include generating a passcode using the same secret key as the secret key stored in the lock identified by the lock ID associated with the aforementioned room ID, The steps include: transmitting the passcode to the entry terminal used by the person entering the room; Includes.

8. A device for authenticating temporary occupants in a rental housing complex having multiple private rooms equipped with locks that are unlocked by electrical signals, Upon receiving a passcode issuance request that includes a room ID identifying one of the aforementioned multiple private rooms, A passcode is generated using the same secret key as the secret key stored in the lock identified by the lock ID associated with the aforementioned room ID. The passcode is transmitted to the entry terminal used by the person entering the room.

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