System and method for secure communication of electronic documents

• US 7,502,466 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Honig, David, Shahindoust, Amir, Yeung, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Simitoski; Michael J
• Application Number:
  US11/030,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20060153374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 380/44, 380/43, 380/262, 380/239
• US Class Current: 380/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0662 with particular pseudorandom sequence generator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for secure communication of electronic documents to a document processing device. A document processing request containing electronic document data is received containing document data in an unencrypted form. A seed value is then received and used to generate a random number. The random number is used to encrypt the electronic document. The seed value, in a header, is transmitted, along with the encrypted electronic document, to a document processing device. The document processing device extracts the seed value from the header and uses the seed value to generate a random number. The encrypted document is then decrypted using the random number generated from the seed value. The document processing device subsequently performs the selected document processing operation on the decrypted electronic document.

Claims

1. A system for secure communication of electronic documents comprising:

a user device including,

means adapted for receiving a document processing request, which document processing request includes document data representative of an unencrypted, electronic document,

means adapted for generating page job language information, which page job language information is adapted to control operation of an associated document processing device, in accordance with a received document processing request,

means adapted for generating a seed value,

a user device random number generation means adapted for generating a random number from the seed value,

encryption means adapted for encrypting the document data in accordance with the random number so as to generate encrypted document data;

seed encryption means adapted for encrypting the seed value in connection with key data,

means adapted for embedding the encrypted seed value and the page job language information associated with the encrypted document data as a header to the encrypted document data,

a user device data interface, and

communication means adapted for communicating the encrypted document data and a header inclusive of the page job language information and the encrypted seed value to an associated document processing device via the data interface; and

a document processing device including,

a document processing device data interface in data communication with the user device data interface,

means adapted for receiving the encrypted document data and the header inclusive of the page job language information and the encrypted seed value via the document processing device data interface,

a data storage associated with the document processing device adapted for storing a copy of the key data,

means adapted for extracting the encrypted seed value from the header,

means associated with the document processing device adapted for decrypting the extracted encrypted seed value in accordance with the copy of the key data in the data storage,

a document processing device random number generation means adapted for generating a random number from the decrypted seed value,

means adapted for decrypting the encrypted document data in accordance with the random number generated by the document processing device random number generation means, and

means adapted for commencing a document processing operation on the document processing device on the decrypted document data in accordance with a received document processing request and the page job language information.

2. The system for secure communication of electronic documents of claim 1, wherein in the seed value is a 32 bit sequence.

3. A method for secure communication of electronic documents comprising the steps of:

receiving, at an associated user device, a document processing request, which document processing request includes document data representative of an unencrypted, electronic document;

generating, at the user device, page job language information, which page job language information is adapted to control operation of an associated document processing device, in accordance with a received document processing request;

generating, at the user device, a seed value;

generating, at the user device, a random number from the seed value;

encrypting, at the user device, the document data in accordance with the random number so as to generate encrypted document data;

encrypting, at the user device, the seed value in connection with key data;

embedding, at the user device, the encrypted seed value and page job language information associated with the encrypted document data and the document processing request in a header of the encrypted document data;

communicating the encrypted document data and the header inclusive of the page job language information and the encrypted seed value to an associated document processing device via a user interface associated with the user device;

receiving, at a document processing device user interface associated with the associated document processing device, the encrypted document data and the header inclusive of the page job language information and the encrypted seed value;

storing a copy of the key data in a data storage associated with the document processing device;

extracting, via the document processing device, the encrypted seed value from the header;

decrypting, via the document processing device, the extracted encrypted seed value in accordance with a copy of the key data in the data storage;

generating, via the document processing device, a random number from the decrypted seed value;

decrypting, via the document processing device, the encrypted document data in accordance with the random number generated by the document processing device; and

commencing a document processing operation on the document processing device on the decrypted document data in accordance with a received document processing request and the page job language information.

4. The method for secure communication of electronic documents of claim 3 wherein in the seed value is a 32 bit sequence.

5. A computer-readable medium of instructions with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for secure communication of electronic documents comprising the steps of:

instructions for receiving, at an associated user device, a document processing request, which document processing request includes document data representative of an unencrypted, electronic document;

instructions for generating, at the user device, page job language information, which page job language information is adapted to control operation of an associated document processing device, in accordance with a received document processing request;

instructions for generating, at the user device, a seed value;

instructions for generating, at the user device, a random number from the seed value;

instructions for encrypting, at the user device, the document data in accordance with the random number so as to generate encrypted document data;

instructions for encrypting, at the user device, the seed value in connection with key data;

instructions for embedding, at the user device, the encrypted seed value and page job language information associated with the encrypted document data and the document processing request in a header of the encrypted document data;

instructions for communicating the encrypted document data and the header inclusive of the page job language information and the encrypted seed value to an associated document processing device via a user interface associated with the user device;

instructions for receiving, at a document processing device user interface associated with the associated document processing device, the encrypted document data and the header inclusive of the page job language information and the encrypted seed value;

instructions for storing a copy of the key data in a data storage associated with the document processing device;

instructions for extracting, via the document processing device, the encrypted seed value from the header;

instructions for decrypting, via the document processing device, the extracted encrypted seed value in accordance with a copy of the key data in the data storage;

instructions for generating, via the document processing device, a random number from the decrypted seed value;

instructions for decrypting, via the document processing device, the encrypted document data in accordance with the random number generated by the document processing device; and

instructions for commencing a document processing operation on the document processing device on the decrypted document data in accordance with a received document processing request and the page job language information.

6. A computer-implemented method for secure communication of electronic documents comprising the steps of:

receiving, at an associated user device, a document processing request, which document processing request includes document data representative of an unencrypted, electronic document;

generating, at the user device, page job language information, which page job language information is adapted to control operation of an associated document processing device, in accordance with a received document processing request;

generating, at the user device, a seed value;

generating, at the user device, a random number from the seed value;

encrypting, at the user device, the document data in accordance with the random number so as to generate encrypted document data;

encrypting, at the user device, the seed value in connection with key data;

embedding, at the user device, the encrypted seed value and page job language information associated with the encrypted document data and the document processing request in a header of the encrypted document data;

communicating the encrypted document data and the header inclusive of the page job language information and the encrypted seed value to an associated document processing device via a user interface associated with the user device;

receiving, at a document processing device user interface associated with the associated document processing device, the encrypted document data and the header inclusive of the page job language information and the encrypted seed value;

storing a copy of the key data in a data storage associated with the document processing device;

extracting, via the document processing device, the encrypted seed value from the header;

decrypting, via the document processing device, the extracted encrypted seed value in accordance with a copy of the key data in the data storage;

generating, via the document processing device, a random number from the decrypted seed value;

decrypting, via the document processing device, the encrypted document data in accordance with the random number generated by the document processing device; and

commencing a document processing operation on the document processing device on the decrypted document data in accordance with a received document processing request and the page job language information.