Abstract: An apparatus and method for user authentication for easily realizing the allocation of a complexity of rights when controlling access by a plurality of users to a plurality of objects. A verification apparatus sends to a proving apparatus required security information that shows the authority property required for access to an object, along with a challenge data and a modulo of a public key. A required security information inspection unit within the proving apparatus obtains the required security information stored in a response data memory and a control information representing a user's authority property stored in a control information memory. It then inspects whether an identifier of:the required security information is included in a list included in the control information. If the identifier is included, a response data is generated, upon! condition that all of challenge data, required security information, access ticket, control information and user identifying information are correct.

Abstract: The present invention provides a signing apparatus used for signing by a user on usage information of a source provided in a format made available by the use of key information. The apparatus includes a unit for generating the usage information which is to be signed, a unit for performing a first computation by utilizing the key information which has been encrypted and the usage information, a unit for performing a second computation by utilizing a user's private key and a result of the first computation. The apparatus further includes a unit for performing a third computation by utilizing a result of the second computation, and thereby generating the key information which has been decrypted and a result of the computation performed on the usage information by utilizing the user's private key. The apparatus further includes a unit for making the source available by utilizing the decrypted key information.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device for authenticating user's access rights to resources, which comprises first memory means for storing challenging data, second memory means for storing unique identifying information of the user, third memory means for storing proof support information which is a result of executing predetermined computations to the unique identifying information of the user and unique security characteristic information of the device, response generation means for generating a response from the challenging data stored in the first memory means, the unique identifying information stored in the second memory means and the proof support information stored in the third memory means, and verification means for verifying the legitimacy of the response by verifying that the response, the challenging data and the unique security characteristic information of the device satisfy a specific predefined relation.

Abstract: A user operates a user interface to select a rule for executing the process of a work flow, which is stored in a personal data base or a shared data base, and sends the conditional part of the selected rule as the goal to a query portion. Then, the query portion successively executes the process of the work flow through the computation by the SLD contradiction. When the goal fails in the execution by the computation, the failure goal is transferred as a tapple to the tapple space. The tapple is solved by another query portion, and the result of executing the tapple is returned to the tapple space. If a rule for executing the tapple is not found, the task is processed by man or a user and the result of the processing is entered into the system. In answer to this, the system interprets that the task has been proved to be true, and continues the execution of the work flow process.

Abstract: A way and a system for invoking a method in an object-oriented language which is so arranged that when a predetermined method for a first whole object is invoked, two instance variables of the first whole object maintain an exclusive relationship while the exclusive relationship is also satisfied between first and second part objects. In such an arrangement, when a message is sent from a second whole object to the first part object and the exclusive relationship cannot be satisfied between the first and second part objects, a daemon method for the first whole object is invoked to send a message from the first whole object to the second part object, thereby maintaining the exclusive relationship between the first and second part objects.

Abstract: An RF coil for MRI apparatus is provided which comprises a dielectric unit, such as a bobbin, plurality of coil conductors formed on the outer peripheral surface of the dielectric unit in a mutually adjacent relation to generate a magnetic field, and frame, such as a guard ring, provided on the inner surface of the dielectric unit to define a bobbin portion of the dielectric unit. An accommodation space is provided inside the bobbin to located a living substance to be examined, allowing an RF wave to be transmitted and received to and from the subject in the accommodation space. A plurality of openings are provided in the dielectric unit per se at a location of the bobbin portion. By so doing, it is possible to reduce an induction loss in the bobbin portion which would otherwise be damaging to the electrical function of the RF coil and to obtain an RF coil of an improved Q-factor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device for authenticating user's access rights to resources, which comprises first memory means for storing challenging data, second memory means for storing unique identifying information of the user, third memory means for storing proof support information which is a result of executing predetermined computations to the unique identifying information of the user and unique security characteristic information of the device, response generation means for generating a response from the challenging data stored in the first memory means, the unique identifying information stored in the second memory means and the proof support information stored in the third memory means, and verification means for verifying the legitimacy of the response by verifying that the response, the challenging data and the unique security characteristic information of the device satisfy a specific predefined relation.