Time stamp obtaining apparatus, time stamp obtaining method, and recording medium

• US 20070214363A1
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ishii, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US11/635,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20070214363A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/178
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps

Abstract

Disclosed is a time stamp obtaining apparatus that includes a memory unit to store one or a plurality of electronic data (image data), and a control unit to obtain one time stamp that relates to entirety of the electronic data in accordance with a hash value calculated from the entirety of the stored electronic data, and to store the obtained time stamp in connection with the electronic data in the memory unit.

Claims

1. A time stamp obtaining apparatus comprising a memory unit and a control unit, wherein the control unit conducts a control to:

calculate one first hash value from one or a plurality of electronic data among electronic data stored in the memory unit;

obtain one first time stamp that relates to the one or the plurality of electronic data, from which the first hash value is calculated, in accordance with the first hash value; and

store the first time stamp in connection with the one or the plurality of electronic data that relates to calculation of the first hash value, in the memory unit.

2. The time stamp obtaining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit:

extracts electronic data that is not in connection with a time stamp, among the electronic data stored in the memory unit; and

calculates a second hash value for entirety of the electronic data that is not in connection with the time stamp that is extracted.

3. The time stamp obtaining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls so that electronic data that is not in connection with a time stamp, among the electronic data stored in the memory unit, cannot be accessed from external.

4. The time stamp obtaining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit:

obtains one second time stamp that relates to entirety of the electronic data stored in the memory unit, in accordance with a third hash value that is calculated from entirety of individual hash value for each of the electronic data stored in the memory unit; and

the second time stamp is stored in the memory unit in connection with the individual hash value.

5. The time stamp obtaining apparatus of claim 4, wherein in a case where instruction information to instruct deletion of a particular electronic data is inputted from external, the control unit deletes electronic data that is instructed to be deleted from the memory unit.

6. The time stamp obtaining apparatus of claim 5, wherein in a case where all electronic data that is in connection with the first or the second time stamp is deleted, the first or the second time stamp and the first hash value or all of the individual hash value that are in connection with the first or the second time stamp are deleted from the memory unit.

7. A time stamp obtaining method comprising:

first calculation step to calculate one first hash value from one or a plurality of electronic data among electronic data stored in a memory unit;

first obtaining step to obtain one first time stamp that relates to the one or the plurality of electronic data, from which the first hash value is calculated, in accordance with the first hash value; and

first storing step to store the first time stamp in connection with the one or the plurality of electronic data that relates to calculation of the first hash value, in the memory unit.

8. The time stamp obtaining method of claim 7, further comprising:

extraction step to extract electronic data that is not in connection with a time stamp, among the electronic data stored in the memory unit; and

second calculation step to calculate a second hash value for entirety of the electronic data that is not in connection with the time stamp that is extracted.

9. The time stamp obtaining method of claim 7, wherein electronic data that is not in connection with a time stamp, among the electronic data stored in the memory unit, cannot to be accessed from external.

10. The time stamp obtaining method of claim 7, further comprising:

second obtaining step to obtain one second time stamp that relates to entirety of the electronic data stored in the memory unit, in accordance with a third hash value that is calculated from entirety of individual hash value for each of the electronic data stored in the memory unit; and

second storing step to store the second time stamp in the memory unit in connection with the individual hash value.

11. The time stamp obtaining method of claim 10, wherein in a case where instruction information to instruct deletion of a particular electronic data is inputted from external, electronic data that is instructed to be deleted is deleted from the memory unit.

12. The time stamp obtaining method of claim 11, wherein in a case where all electronic data that is in connection with the first or the second time stamp is deleted from the memory unit, the first or the second time stamp and the first or all of the individual hash value that are in connection with the first or the second time stamp, are deleted from the memory unit.

13. The time stamp obtaining method of claim 7, wherein validation of electronic data that is stored in connection with a time stamp is conducted in accordance with the time stamp.

14. A computer readable recording medium stored with a program, said program causing a computer to execute a process comprising:

first calculation step to calculate one first hash value from one or a plurality of electronic data among electronic data stored in a memory unit;

first obtaining step to obtain one first time stamp that relates to the one or the plurality of electronic data, from which the first hash value is calculated, in accordance with the first hash value; and

first storing step to store the first time stamp in connection with the one or the plurality of electronic data that relates to calculation of the first hash value, in the memory unit.

15. The computer readable recording medium of claim 14, wherein the program executes the process further comprising:

extraction step to extract electronic data that is not in connection with a time stamp, among the electronic data stored in the memory unit; and

second calculation step to calculate a second hash value for entirety of the electronic data that is not in connection with the time stamp that is extracted.

16. The computer readable recording medium of claim 14, wherein the program makes electronic data that is not in connection with a time stamp, among the electronic data stored in the memory unit, unable to be accessed from external.

17. The computer readable recording medium of claim 14, wherein the program executes the process further comprising:

second obtaining step to obtain one second time stamp that relates to entirety of the electronic data stored in the memory unit, in accordance with a third hash value that is calculated from entirety of individual hash value for each of the electronic data stored in the memory unit; and

second storing step to store the second time stamp in the memory unit in connection with the individual hash value.

18. The computer readable recording medium of claim 17, wherein the program, in a case where instruction information to instruct deletion of a particular electronic data is inputted from external, deletes electronic data that is instructed to be deleted from the memory unit.

19. The computer readable recording medium of claim 18, wherein the program, in a case where all electronic data that is in connection with the first or the second time stamp is deleted from the memory unit, deletes the first or the second time stamp and the first or all of the individual hash value that are in connection with the first or the second time stamp, from the memory unit.

20. The computer readable recording medium of claim 14, wherein the program conducts validation of electronic data stored in connection with a time stamp in accordance with the time stamp.