Method and Apparatus for Automatically Publishing Content Based Identifiers

• US 20100088512A1
• Filed: 10/02/2008
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Wolff, Greg, Gormish, Michael J., Piersol, Kurt, Schwartz, Edward L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,185,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically publishing content based identifiers are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises accessing an electronic communication to obtain a content based identifier (CBI) contained in the electronic communication. In one embodiment, the method may also comprise using the CBI to validate integrity of a hash chained log.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

accessing an electronic communication to obtain a content based identifier (CBI) contained in the electronic communication; and

using the CBI to validate integrity of a hash-chained log.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication is for a purpose other than validating integrity of hash-chained logs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the CBI is a latest rolling hash in the hash-chained log.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication is accessed from a communications archive.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication is one of an electronic mail message, a voice over internet protocol communication, an instant message, or an electronic message formatted for syndication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the CBI is stored in a field of the electronic communication that does not get modified when the electronic communication is processed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication is accessed from a legally required communications archive.

8. A computer readable medium storing instructions thereon which, when executed by a system, cause the system to perform a method comprising:

accessing an electronic communication to obtain a content based identifier (CBI) contained in the electronic communication; and

using the CBI to validate integrity of a hash-chained log.

9. A system, comprising:

means for accessing an electronic communication to obtain a content based identifier (CBI) contained in the electronic communication; and

means for using the CBI to validate integrity of a hash-chained log.

10. A method, comprising:

adding a content based identifier (CBI) to an electronic communication, the CBI a hash value and enables verification of integrity of a hash chained log; and

transmitting the electronic communication to a receiving system.

11. A computer readable medium storing instructions thereon which, when executed by a system, cause the system to perform a method comprising:

adding a content based identifier (CBI) to an electronic communication, the CBI a hash value and enables verification of integrity of a hash chained log; and

transmitting the electronic communication to a receiving system.

12. A system, comprising:

means for adding a content based identifier (CBI) to an electronic communication, the CBI a hash value and enables verification of integrity of a hash chained log; and

means for transmitting the electronic communication to a receiving system.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving an electronic communication;

determining if the electronic communication includes a content based identifier (CBI), the CBI a hash value that enables verification of integrity of a hash chained log; and

storing the CBI in a data archive.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the hash value is a rolling hash value.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a request to verify a received electronic communication; and

responding to the request with an electronic mail message from the data archive that includes a CBI related to the request.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

extracting identification data from the CBI that identifies the hash-chained log; and

storing the identification data, along with the CBI, in the data archive.

17. A computer readable medium storing instructions thereon which, when executed by a system, cause the system to perform a method comprising:

receiving an electronic communication;

determining if the electronic communication includes a content based identifier (CBI), the CBI a hash value that enables verification of integrity of a hash chained log; and

storing the CBI in a data archive.

18. A system comprising:

means for receiving an electronic communication;

means for determining if the electronic communication includes a content based identifier (CBI), the CBI a hash value that enables verification of integrity of a hash chained log; and

means for storing the CBI in a data archive.