System and method for authenticating an electronically transmitted document

• US 4,064,389 A
• Filed: 06/23/1976
• Issued: 12/20/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: RCA Corporation (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Patterson, Peter Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): Cook, Daryl W.
• Application Number:
  US05/698,930
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 235/61.7 B, 235/61.9 R, 235/61.6 R, 340/149 A, 340/172.5, 179/2 CA, 179/2 DP, 179/6.3 CC, 179/6.3 R
• US Class Current: 235/431
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/247 electronically, e.g. by comparing signal of hand-writing with a reference signal from the pass
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3204 of data relating to a user, sender, addressee, machine or electronic recording medium H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for electronically transmitting to a remote point unique data to be included in a document and for electronically transmitting from a second independent source an authenticating mark for the document. Where a plurality of documents, all containing common information, are being transmitted, the common information is transmitted only once. Equipment at the remote location prints the finished document(s) ready for delivery to the recipient(s).

Claims

1. A system for transmitting electronically from an input point to a remote output point the contents of a document which includes a machine-readable text and for authenticating that document by means of a card containing an authentication mark in digitized machine readable form, comprising in combination:

means at said input point for optically scanning said text of said document and for producing corresponding electronic signals;

means for reading from said card digitized signals corresponding to said authentication mark and for producing electronic signals corresponding thereto;

means at said output point adapted to be coupled to said scanning means and said card reading means and when so coupled receptive of said signals corresponding to said text and to signals corresponding to said mark for producing a document containing the same text as that contained in said document at said input point, and containing said mark authenticating said document.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said card includes a written signature and machine-readable digitized data corresponding to said signature.

3. An electronic mailing system for authenticating a document the contents of which are electronically transmitted, said contents having a machine-readable text comprising is combination:

means for scanning said document and converting the text thereof to electronic signals;

means responsive to the entire text being scanned for producing an end-of-message signal;

a card bearing a machine readable digitized version of an authentication mark,

means responsive to said end-of-message signal for reading said card and producing electronic signals corresponding thereto;

means at a remote location adapted to be coupled to said document scanning means and card reading means and when so coupled receptive of said signals from said scanning means and reading means for producing a document having the same text as the scanned document and bearing an authentication mark representative of said mark on said card.

4. An electronic mailing system for transmitting electronically from a point of origin to a remote point the contents of a plurality of documents which include material common to all and each of which includes unique data, comprising in combination:

means containing machine readable information corresponding to said common material;

means for reading said machine readable information and for producing digital electronic signals corresponding thereto and for producing an end-of-message signal when all said machine readable information has been converted to electronic signals;

means containing said unique data for each document;

means coupled to said means containing unique data and responsive to said end-of-message signal for converting said unique data to digital electronic signals;

means at a remote point adapted to be coupled to said means for reading said machine readable information for receiving and storing said common material signals only once, said remote point means further coupled to said means for converting said unique data for receiving signals corresponding to said unique data for each document;

printing means responsive to unique data signals and coupled to said memory means for printing for each document the common information and unique data.

5. The combination of claim 4, wherein said documents require authentication, and wherein said means containing unique data contains a second end-of-message signal after the contents of each document requiring authentication, and further including at said point of origin an authentication card bearing an authentication mark in machine-readable form for each document requiring different authentication also readable by said reading means, and also including means responsive to said second end-of-message signal for triggering said reading means to read said authentication mark from said authentication card for transmission to and printing at said remote point.

6. The method of transmitting electronically the contents of a document having a machine-readable text from an input point to a remote output point and authenticating the document comprising the steps of:

a. scanning said machine-readable text and converting said text to corresponding electronic signals;

b. providing a card containing a digitized machine-readable form of an authentication mark;

c. scanning said card and converting the signals thereon to corresponding electronic signals;

d. transmitting the electronic signals produced in steps a) and c) to a remote point;

e. at said remote point, printing a document containing said text of the original document and printing said authentication mark.

7. The method of generating at a point remote from an input point a plurality of documents which include graphics information common to all documents and information unique to each document, comprising the steps of:

providing at said input point a card containing, in machine-readable form, said common graphics information;

converting said graphics information in machine-readable form from said card to electronic signals and transmitting said signals from said input point to said remote point;

at said remote point storing said electronic signals;

providing at said input point in machine-readable form, the unique data contents of said plurality of documents;

reading said machine-readable form for said document contents at said input point and converting the same to electronic signals for transmitting said signals to said remote point;

generating at said remote point documents containing graphics in accordance with said stored electronic signals and containing unique data in accordance with electronic signals associated therewith.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein said documents require an authentication mark further including steps of:

providing a card for each authenticating mark required containing said authenticating mark in machine-readable form;

transmitting said mark in electronic form from said input point to said remote point;

generating said authenticating mark on each of said documents.