Electronic postmarking without directly utilizing an electronic postmark server

• US 7,266,696 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Chamberlain, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Song; Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US10/450,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20040034780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,087 Days
• Field of Search: 713/161, 713/170, 713175-176, 713178-179, 713/181, 705/60, 705/62
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/121 Timestamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing electronic postmarking of data, without directly utilizing a regular electronic postmark (EPM) server (110), including receiving data from a data acquisition device (102), generating a MicroEPM data structure (106) comprising a time stamp, a digital signature, and the received data and transferring the MicroEPM data structure (106) to a regular EPM server (110).

Claims

1. A method for performing electronic postmarking of data, without directly utilizing a regular electronic postmark (EPM) server, the method comprising:

receiving data from a data acquisition device;

generating a MicroEPM data structure comprising a hash value of the received data and a digital signature;

transferring the MicroEPM data structure to a regular EPM server; and

processing, by the regular EPM server, the transferred MicroEPM data structures,

wherein processing includes;

generating a trusted time/date stamp;

hashing the time/date stamp and the batch of MicroEPM data structures to produce a second hash value; and

generating an EPM data structure comprising the second hash value and the batch of MicroEPM data structures.

2. An apparatus for performing electronic postmarking of data, without directly utilizing a regular electronic postmark (EPM) server, comprising:

means for receiving data from a data acquisition device;

means for generating a MicroEPM data structure comprising a hash value and a digital signature;

an interface for transferring the MicroEPM data structure to a regular EPM sever;

means for processing, by the regular EPM server, the transferred MicroEPM data structures;

means for generating a trusted time/date stamp;

means for hashing the time/date stamp and the batch of MicroEPM data structures to produce a second hash value; and

means for generating an EPM data structure comprising the second hash value.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further including;

means for generating an EPM data structure comprising the second hash value and the batch of MicroEPM data structures.