Hybrid digital signature workflow

• US 7,783,885 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Dietl, Josef
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr; Farid
• Application Number:
  US10/675,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,521 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176, 286/113, 705/75
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for processing documents in a workflow system with users external to the system.

An electronic document is generated in a workflow system. The electronic document has content and a document appearance, where the appearance represents the content. One or more control codes are generated for the electronic document as part of a workflow in the workflow system, where the control codes are usable to validate the content. A print out including the document appearance and the one or more control codes is created.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method executed in a workflow system as part of a workflow within the workflow system, comprising:

generating an electronic document in a workflow system for use with an external entity that does not exchange electronic documents with the workflow system, the electronic document having text content, the electronic document further having a human-readable document appearance representing the text content;

attaching one or more approval codes to the electronic document, such that when the document is printed, each approval code generates a unique approval mark;

converting the text content into a canonical form, wherein the text content is in an unambiguous reading order;

generating control codes for the electronic document as part of a workflow in the workflow system, the control codes including one or more first control codes that each correspond to a respective approval code, wherein the one or more first control codes authenticate the approval mark associated with the respective approval code, and one or more second control codes generated from the canonical form of the text content, wherein the one or more second control codes authenticate the text content and wherein the canonical form of the text is encrypted with a private key, the private key having an associated public key certificate for retrieving a public key associated with the private key; and

creating a print out of the electronic document, the print out having two or more physical pages and including;

a full-sized version of the human-readable document appearance representing the text content,

the unique approval mark corresponding to each of the one or more approval codes,

the one or more first control codes being usable to authenticate one or more respective approval marks, and

the second control codes being usable to validate the text content of the print out, each second control code corresponding to the text content on a page of the two or more physical pages of the print out, each page of the print out having a unique second control code corresponding to the text content on the page;

sending the print out to the external entity;

receiving a modified print out at the workflow system back from the external entity, the modified print out comprising the print out sent to the external entity with a modification;

validating the modified print out within the workflow system using the one or more control codes;

integrating the validated and modified print out into the workflow; and

continuing the workflow for the validated print out within the workflow system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the approval mark comprises:

generating a digital signature as the approval code; and

generating a signature image associated with the approval code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating one or more second control codes comprises:

generating a single second control code for all of the text content.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the modified print out comprises the print out sent to the external entity and a subsequently added human signature.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating an electronic document in a workflow system comprises routing the electronic document to one or more workflow locations;

and wherein attaching one or more approval codes to the electronic document comprises verifying the content of the electronic document at each of the one or more workflow locations.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more approval codes authenticate the text content of the electronic document and identify one or more approvers associated with the approval codes.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the print out comprises a barcode representation of the one or more first control codes and the one or more second control codes.

8. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

receive a print out of an electronic document having text content generated in a workflow system, the print out being received in an external entity that does not exchange electronic documents with the workflow system, the print out having two or more physical pages and including;

a full-size, human-readable document appearance representing the text content, the text content having an unambiguous reading order, and

control codes and one or more approval marks, the control codes including one or more first control codes each corresponding to a unique approval mark, the one or more first control codes generated from an approval code and being usable to authenticate the approval marks generated by the approval code, and two or more second control codes generated from a canonical form of the text content, each page of the two or more physical pages having a unique second control code;

receive a public key from the workflow system, the public key used to verify the one or more second control codes;

receive a character map from the workflow system used by the workflow to generate the one or more second control codes;

convert the text content of the human-readable appearance of the print out to the canonical form of the text content using the character map received from the workflow system; and

access a portal of the workflow system to authenticate the approval marks and to validate the print out using the canonical form and the first and second control codes.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the print out comprises a barcode representation of the one or more first control codes and the one or more second control codes.

10. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device, comprising instructions operable to cause a processor to:

generate an electronic document in a workflow system as part of a workflow, the electronic document being for use with an external entity that does not exchange documents with the workflow system, the electronic document having text content, the electronic document further having a human-readable document appearance representing the text content;

attach one or more unique approval codes to the electronic document, such that when the document is printed, each approval code generates a unique approval mark;

convert the text content into a canonical form, wherein the text content is in an unambiguous reading order;

generate control codes for the electronic document as part of a workflow in the workflow system, the control codes including one or more first control codes that each correspond to a respective approval code, wherein the one or more first control codes authenticate the approval mark associated with the respective approval code, and one or more second control codes generated from the canonical form of the text content, wherein the one or more second control codes authenticate the text content and wherein the canonical form of the text is encrypted with a private key, the private key having an associated public key certificate for retrieving a public key associated with the private key; and

create a print out of the electronic document, the print out having two or more physical pages and including;

a full-sized version of the human-readable document appearance representing the text content,

the unique approval mark corresponding to each of the one or more approval codes,

the one or more first control codes usable to authenticate one or more respective approval marks, and

the second control codes usable to validate the text content of the print out, each second control code corresponding to the text content on a page of the two or more physical pages of the print out, each page of the print out having a unique second control code corresponding to the text content on the page;

send the print out to an external entity;

receive the print out at the workflow system from the external entity, the print out comprising a human signature added subsequent to sending the print out to the external entity;

validate the print out comprising the human signature within the workflow system using the one or more control codes;

integrate the validated print out comprising the human signature into the workflow; and

continue the workflow for the validated print out within the workflow system.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the instructions to generate the approval code cause the data processing equipment to:

generate a digital signature as the approval code; and

generate a signature image associated with the approval code.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the instructions to generate the one or more second control codes cause the data processing equipment to:

generate a single second control code for all of the text content.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the print out has two or more physical pages, and the instructions to generate the one or more second control codes cause the data processing equipment to:

generate one or more second control codes, each second control code corresponding to the text content on a page of the one or more physical pages.

14. computer program product of claim 10, wherein the instructions to generate the one or more control codes cause the data processing equipment to:

encrypt the canonical form with a private key, the private key having an associated public key certificate for retrieving a public key associated with the private key.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the print out comprises a barcode representation of the one or more first control codes and the one or more second control codes.