Method for Certifying and Subsequently Authenticating Original, Paper of Digital Documents for Evidences

• US 20080267511A1
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novatec Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Novatec Incorporated
• Inventors: Bourrieres, Franck, Bourrieres, Francis, Kaiser, Clement
• Granted Patent: US 8,056,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/209
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/125 Offline card verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/324 Selecting a particular authentication information from amongst a plurality of different authentication information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for certifying and subsequently authenticating original physical or digital documents. The concept of the evidence lies in the dual nature of a physical information item and a digital information item, one being the reference for the other that cannot lie amended at the risk of the evidence being lost. For a physical original document (8) associated with a bubble seal (7) there is a corresponding time-and-date-stamped, proprietary paperless reference counterpart. For a time-and-date-stamped, proprietary digital original document (15) there is a corresponding reference counterpart in the form of a bubble seal (7).

Claims

1. ). Method for certification and later authentication of original information under the form of text or binary files (15) or of original documents in physical form (8) for constituting evidences, characterized in that it includes the following steps:

a) original document (8) or information (15) which content integrity is certified by the issuer is associated with a unique and non-reproducible authenticator constituting a seal (7) previously recorded in a centralized BD1 database (9) of a trusted third party, indicating ownership to the issuer or to his beneficiary of the original document or information to be certified

b) said original document (8) or information (15) associated with said unique and non-reproducible authenticator (7) is digitalized opto-electronically using a device (1) enabling, in a single operation, to link the content of document (8) or information (15) with said unique and non-reproducible authenticator (7). Reading device (1) is connected directly or indirectly through a network (18) to a secured, local or remote, BD2 computer recording system (10) (13), where all added information is date/date/time stamped, non-modifiable, and non-rewritable.

c) Original document (8) or information (15) and associated authenticator are sent and recorded in the BD2 recording system (10) (13).

d) In order to subsequently prove the authenticity of original document (8) or original information (15), a match and a comparison are performed between said originals (8) (15) and their logical copy (8′

) archived in the BD2 recording system at the address of the associated authenticator, or by comparing condensed summaries product of applied hashing function integrating content, date, and property.

2. ). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the access to BD2 computer recording system (10) (13) is authorized by a biometrical print control done through a sensor (14), said prints being recorded previously and associated to a person'"'"'s identity (19) in the recording system (10) (13) in order to be able to make a link of property with the recorded originals (8) (15).

3. ). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the associated unique and non-reproducible authenticator is a bubble seal (7).

4. ). Method according to claims 1 and 3 according to claim 1, characterized in that, reading device (1) is a customized scanner with bubble seal (6) integrated in said scanner enabling its authentication and its affiliation simultaneously upon reading original document or information, (8) (15) and of its seal (7).

5. ). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the acquisition and recording procedure for certification is as follows:

Pre-recording and user assignment of bubble seal (6) linked to reading device (1) and of its authenticating characteristics in BD1 database (9) constituting a trusted third party;

Pre-recording and user assignment in BD1 database (9) of adhesive bubble seals (7) permitting to authenticate each original document (8) or original information (15);

Apposing a bubble seal (7) by collage on the original physical document to be certified (8) or on an annexed medium (20) for digital data. Placing original document (8) or annexed medium (20) containing its seal (7) on scanner (1) and launching global reading of document (8) and of the associated authenticating part contained in seal (7), and simultaneously, in the same reading, of bubble seal (6) linked to scanner (1);

Querying trusted BD1 database (9) in order to verify whether the bubble seal (7) is pre-recorded, not used, and possibly not yet consulted, then transmission to BD2 recording organ (10) (13) for final document logical recording and plain date/time stamping, and/or recording in the form of a condensed summary, product of applying a hashing function; and

Recording the use of bubble seal (7) in BD1 base (9), with date and time of use, and possibly the scanner used.

6. ). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the logical content of information archived in the BD2 system is associated with the unique logical signature extracted from the physical authenticator for generating a one way hash code of all such information in combination notably with the date/time stamping.

7. ). Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the logical content of information archived in the BD2 system is associated to the unique logical signature extracted from the physical authenticator related to the originals and to the logical signature extracted from the physical authenticator related to the BD2 base in order to generate a one way hash code of all such information in combination notably with the date/time stamping and at least one biometric print (19).

8. ). Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the condensed summary product of hashing function application is printed on a paper medium (20) on which is already glued bubble seal (7), itself serving through its signature to develop said printed digest.

9. ). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that BD2 computer recording system (10) is an electronic safe built within a certified date/time stamping device, enabling to associate the date certifying each recording

10. ). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that computer recording system BD2 is a write-once DVD type of medium (13) authenticated by a bubble seal (16) that is physically integrated.

11. ). Method according to claim 10, characterized in that BD2 computer recording system under the form of DVD type of medium (13) is in communication with a Universal Time server (17) enabling to burn in and certify the date/time stamping on said DVD (13) at the time of each original information (15) or document (8) recording.

12. ). Reading device (1) type of scanner enabling simultaneous recording of an original document (8) and of its authentication bubble seal (7) for the purpose of proving subsequently that the assembly is authentic, characterized in that it is equipped with a driven punctual light bar capable of generating several successive lightings during the displacement of said bar in order to cause reflections on the bubbles of the seals in order to prove that said bubbles are authentic bubble seals

13. ). Reading device according to claim 12, characterized in that it has a built-in bubble seal (6) allowing to track it during the capture of the document to be recorded (8) (20).