Security system for controlling access to images and image related services

• US 5,784,461 A
• Filed: 05/23/1996
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Townsend, Kevin Arnold, Shaffer, Stephen L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): White, Carmen D.
• Application Number:
  US08/653,737
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 380/20, 380/21
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00135 Scanning of a photographic original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00145 from a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00151 with selective access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00164 at a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00962 Input arrangements for operating instructions or parameters, e.g. updating internal software program loading in general G06F9/445; network-specific protocols involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2179 Interfaces allowing access to a plurality of users, e.g. connection to electronic image libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3281 Encryption; Ciphering

Abstract

A secure method for granting customer access to images and image related services at an image fulfillment center, includes the steps of: scanning a customer film image to generating high and low resolution digital versions of the image; appending a unique ID and associated security key to the high resolution version of the image and storing the appended image at the fulfillment center; encrypting the ID with a shared encryption key and appending the encrypted ID and the security key to the low resolution version of the image and sending the appended low resolution image to the customer; using the security key to encrypt a request for services relating to the high resolution version of the image and sending the encrypted ID with the encrypted request to the fulfillment center; decrypting the ID using the shared encryption key at the fulfillment center and using the decrypted ID to retrieve the appended high resolution version of the image; and retrieving the key from the appended high resolution version of the image and employing the key to decrypt the request for services.

Claims

1. A secure method for granting customer access to images and image related services at an image fulfillment center, comprising the steps of:

a) scanning a customer film image to generate high and low resolution digital versions of the image;

b) appending a unique ID and associated security key to the high resolution version of the image and storing the appended image at the fulfillment center;

c) encrypting the ID with a shared encryption key and appending the encrypted ID and the security key to the low resolution version of the image and sending the appended low resolution image to the customer;

d) using the security key to encrypt a request for services relating to the high resolution version of the image and sending the encrypted ID with the encrypted request to the fulfillment center;

e) decrypting the ID using the shared encryption key at the fulfillment center and using the decrypted ID to retrieve the appended high resolution version of the image; and

f) retrieving the security key from the appended high resolution version of the image and employing the retrieved security key to decrypt the request for services.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the scanning is performed at a photofinisher location remote from the image fulfillment center, and further comprising the steps of:

a) after scanning the film, encrypting the ID and security key using a fulfillment center public key and appending the encrypted ID and security key to the high resolution version of the image;

b) sending the appended high resolution version of the image to the fulfillment center; and

c) decrypting the ID and security key at the fulfillment center using a fulfillment center private key.

3. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the unique ID is generated by combining a scan site ID, a universal date and time, an image sequence number, and a daily order number.

4. The method claimed in claim 3, wherein the security key is generated by combining a scan site ID, a universal date and time, an image sequence number, a daily order number, a random number, a global ID, and a seed phrase, and hashing the resulting combination.

5. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the high resolution version of the image is a difference image that does not contain any of the information contained in the low resolution version.

6. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the low resolution version of the image is supplied to the customer on a secure smart card with memory function.

7. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the appended security key is encrypted with a customers public key.