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Secure method for duplicating sensitive documents

  • US 5,982,956 A
  • Filed: 09/24/1997
  • Issued: 11/09/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. Method of document reproduction and management comprising the steps of first placing graphic marking and rules elements on documents considered sensitive;

  • said marking element enabling said sensitive documents to be distinguished from non-sensitive documents and comprised of a particular graphic element that does not affect document legibility but which is detectable, said marking element being present only on documents considered a sensitive document and absent from all other documents;

    said rules elements being placed on all of said sensitive documents; and

    define requirements for and restrictions on reproduction of said documents; and

    include reference and identification elements of the documents;

    these rules elements allow information on options for reproduction and actions that the reproduction and management device must carry out when the document is presented for copying;

    said rules elements supplement the marking elements;

    where a document without marking elements has no rules elements, and a document having marking elements must have rules elements;

    the rules elements being coded on the document using a technique that minimizes impairment of the legibility of the document itself;

    where the rules elements authorize reproduction of the document but with alteration of the original, the alteration instruct ions are included in the rules using appropriate wording;

    and subsequently carrying out the following steps;

    (a) initialization by a user, by presenting a request for definition of a reproduction job (101) to be done on the original document;

    (b) presentation (102) of the original document to be reproduced;

    (c) numbering (103) the original document presented and converting said document into a logical element;

    (d) searching (104) to detect the presence or absence of a marking element on the logical image of said document to be reproduced, and generating therewith a YES logical value when the document to be reproduced is a sensitive document, while the absence of detection of a marking element on this document generates a NO logical value indicating that said document is a non-sensitive document;

    said logical values determining the following sequence of steps;

    (e) if a mark identifying the document to be reproduced as non-sensitive is absent, then the initial reproduction request is made (105) on the document;

    (f) if the document to be reproduced is identified as a sensitive document, having a marking element, then making an analysis (106) to search for and decrypt the rules elements;

    the result of this step is a YES logical output if valid rules are detected in the processed document and a NO logical value output if the document has no rules elements and in the case where the document has invalid rules elements;

    (g) if the result of the previous step (f) is a logical NO;

    rejecting (107) the request, and possible triggering of security measures;

    (h) if the result of the previous step (f) is a YES logical value;

    interpreting (108) the rules and controls for authorizing the request taking into account the elements defined in the rules elements on the document and the user'"'"'s request;

    the result of this step is a logical NO value if the request expressed is not authorized, bringing about rejection (107) of the request, and a YES logical value if the request is authorized;

    (i) if the result of the previous step (h) is a YES logical value, then processing (109) the request on the sensitive document;

    the digitized image of the document to be reproduced being generated as a function of the instructions emerging from the nature of the request and operation of the sensitive document rules, elements and parallel management of in situ or remote archiving for monitoring the reproduction operations carried out, possibly in combination with additional elements furnished by the user, and;

    (j) execution (110) of the request;

    the document, in its digitized form, may be converted into a paper document.

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