System and method for graphical indicia for the certification of records

• US 7,017,046 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2001
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DFS Linkages, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Proofspace Incorporated
• Inventors: Doyle, Michael D., Hamilton, Robert G., Bernsohn, Glenn W., Doyle, Paul F., Perrone, Marc V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): GYORFI, THOMAS A
• Application Number:
  US09/844,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20020129241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 713156-158, 713/171, 713175-178, 713/161, 713/168, 705/50, 705/60, 705/63, 705/67, 705/418
• US Class Current: 713/178
• 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 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/007 involving hierarchical structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3265 using certificate chains, trees or paths; Hierarchical trust model

Abstract

A system and method for authenticating records. Certification information may be encoded in graphical form. This graphical form, or design, may be referred to as an “Indicia.” The record at issue may be printed out by a computer or stored electronically and bear on it an indicia that relates to the authenticity of the document. The indicia (and record) may then be scanned and interpreted by the computer to authenticate the record.

Claims

1. A method for providing security with respect to who provided digital data at what time, said method comprising the steps of:

performing a serially chained certification process including;

a) forming a first interval certification at a first server including the server'"'"'s identification, the start time of an interval chain in Coordinated Universal Time, the start time of the interval in Coordinated Universal Time, the stop time of the interval, a public key for the interval, a digital signature for the interval, signed by a previous interval'"'"'s private key, and a digital signature for the interval, signed by the interval'"'"'s private key;

b) upon expiration of the first interval, destroying its private key;

c) continuing steps (a) and (b) for second, third, and following intervals so that intervals are cross-chained with other servers to form a widely witnessed, temporal web of signed intervals of time; and

encoding certification information in graphical form to form an indicia that relates to the authenticity of the document.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

decoding the indicia to authenticate a document.