Document Image Authenticating Server

• US 20080243898A1
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ridout, Kevin, Gormish, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,081,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A document image authenticating server and method for using the same are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises a document receiving interface to capture images of documents associated with one or more workflows and tag the collected document with workflow information indicative of its associated workflow; a first memory to store images of documents captured by the document receiving interface and metadata, the first memory being accessible for verification operations performed with respect to the workflow; a second memory to store a log that includes entries with one or more media identifiers corresponding to the captured images, the second memory being accessible for verification operations performed with respect to the workflow; a first unit to generate log data corresponding to the images associated with workflows captured at the document receiving interface and to store the log data in the log; and a second unit to provide information about the log to another application

Claims

1. A server system comprising:

a document receiving interface to capture images of documents associated with one or more workflows and tag the collected document with workflow information indicative of its associated workflow;

a first memory to store images of documents captured by the document receiving interface and metadata, the first memory being accessible for verification operations performed with respect to the workflow;

a second memory to store a log that includes entries with one or more media identifiers corresponding to the captured images, the second memory being accessible for verification operations performed with respect to the workflow;

a first unit to generate log data corresponding to the images associated with workflows captured at the document receiving interface and to store the log data in the log; and

a second unit to provide information about the log to another application

2. The server system defined in claim 1 wherein the first unit logs data by generating a media identifier for each captured document and storing each media identifier in the log.

3. The server defined in claim 2 wherein the media identifier comprises a hash value generated by applying a hashing function to said each captured document.

4. The server defined in claim 3 wherein the first unit adds the hash value to the log with a rolling checksum.

5. The server defined in claim 4 wherein the first unit adds workflow tags and checksums from other servers into the log.

6. The server defined in claim 1 wherein the log stores entries that comprise a log entry type, a message hash, and a rolling hash.

7. The server defined in claim 6 wherein the log entry type is determined from content of the captured image.

8. The server defined in claim 1 wherein the log stores entanglement information indicative of a peer server.

9. The server defined in claim 8 wherein the first unit exchanges cryptographic checksum information with the peer server.

10. The server defined in claim 1 wherein the document receiving interface captures information associated with the document being captured.

11. The server defined in claim 1 wherein the workflow information comprises a workflow type, workflow instance and control point.

12. The server defined in claim 1 wherein each workflow includes a plurality of control points, where each control point is associated with at least one visual record.

13. The server defined in claim 11 wherein the first unit generates a time of initial storage and one or more data associated with images that are associate with a control point.

14. The server defined in claim 1 wherein the first unit supports interactions by adding tagged media images to the log and the image store and provides access to media to verify compliance of a regulation.

15. The server defined in claim 1 wherein the first memory and the second memory are the same.

16. The server defined in claim 1 wherein the second memory stores authentication information associated with one or more documents stored in the first memory.

17. The server defined in claim 1 wherein the first memory stores authentication information.

18. The server defined in claim 1 wherein the first memory stores a certificate validating a first document.

19. The server defined in claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of workflows represents a business process, and further wherein each of the plurality of workflows has a plurality of control points, wherein the control points are items examined in an audit and each control point has one or more documents with it to verify that the control was implemented.

20. The server system defined in claim 1 wherein the second unit exchanges information with at least one other device to entangle the log.

21. A method comprising:

receiving images of documents associated with control points of one or more workflows, wherein each of the plurality of workflows represents a business process, and further wherein each of the plurality of workflows has a plurality of control points, wherein the control points are items examined in an audit and each control point has one or more documents with it to verify that the control was implemented;

tagging the collected document with workflow information indicative of its associated workflow;

storing received images of documents with metadata in a memory accessible for verification operations performed with respect to the workflow;

storing a log that includes,

generating log information in a log, the log information corresponding to the received images associated with workflows, the log including entries with one or more media identifiers corresponding to the received images; and

interacting with one or more other devices to provide log information.

22. The method defined in claim 21 further comprising:

generating a hash value for each captured document by applying a hashing function to each received document; and

storing each media identifier in the log with a rolling checksum.

23. The method defined in claim 21 wherein interacting with one or more devices to exchange log information comprises entangling the log with a log of each of the one or more other devices.

24. The method defined in claim 21 wherein interacting with one or more devices to exchange log information comprises actively posting a hash of the log to one or more other logs, recording information in the log about the one or more other logs that interacted with the log to facilitate subsequent verification of log information stored in the log.