System and method for providing secure value-added document network services

• US 7,826,076 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2001
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Realm Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Manchala, Daniel W., Sprague, Mary Ann, Rahgozar, M. Armon
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Edward L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Singh, Satwant K
• Application Number:
  US09/946,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20030043402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,345 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.14, 358/434, 705/64, 705/78, 380/277, 380/51, 717/101, 710/220, 713/156, 713/201, 713/155, 713/181, 713/160, 713/182, 707/500, 707/1, 726/5, 702/188
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/045 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing secure value-added network services in a network using one or more operating systems. The system runs on a distribution agent Web server accessible from one or more types of network Operating Systems (“OS”) via a Secure Socket Layer (“SSL”) channel. The system includes one or more subsystems, including a receiving system that receives one or more document service requests over a secure communications medium, an authentication system that authenticates each received document service request, a processing system that processes the one or more authenticated document service requests, and a request fulfillment system that fulfills each processed document service request.

Claims

1. A method for providing secure value-added network services in a network including a server and a plurality of client devices, the method comprising:

receiving, by the server, one or more document service requests from one of the client devices to send to at least one other of the plurality of client devices over a secure communications medium, wherein each received document service request is associated with at least one quality of service selection that causes the at least one other of the plurality devices receiving the request to perform, at the receiving device, an output operation related to reproducing the document in a manner specified by the selection;

authenticating, by the server, a sender of each received document service request; and

in response to said authenticating, processing the one or more authenticated document service requests to fulfill each of the processed document service requests based upon the associated at least one quality of service selection,

wherein the requesting client device and the at least one other of the plurality of client devices each have a different type of computer operating system, and

wherein the plurality of client devices includes a personal computer, a file server and a facsimile machine coupled together over the secure communications medium.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the one or more document service requests and the at least one associated quality of service selection are encrypted using a public key encryption algorithm and a symmetric key algorithm.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the authentication further comprises determining whether the sender is authorized to make the document service request or whether the one or more documents have been modified or corrupted.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the processing further comprises identifying the received document service requests as a request for one or more documents to be printed, transmitted as one or more facsimile messages, or converted from a first file format to a second file format.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the processing further comprises determining whether the received document service requests are associated with at least one quality of service selection.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 further comprising identifying the at least one quality of service selection as a request that the documents be assigned a priority rating to determine their processing order, that a quality level of the processed documents be verified by humans, or that the documents be processed by an approximate time.

7. The method as set forth in claim 5 further comprising identifying the at least one quality of service selection as a request that one or more documents be printed in accordance with one or more print quality levels, that a particular type of printing paper be used to print the documents, or that the documents be printed in black-and-white or color.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fulfilling further comprises a human verifying that a processed document has a sufficient toner level, a sufficient color quality, a coffect number of generated pages, or a document processing priority status.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fulfilling further comprises delivering the processed document using the secure communications medium or a physical delivery system.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the secure communications medium comprises a secure socket layer channel.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, comprising determining which of the other of the plurality of client devices is best suited to fulfill each document service request.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the sending and receiving devices of the plurality of client devices are facsimile machines.

13. A distribution agent system for providing secure value-added network services in a network including a server and a plurality of client devices, the system comprising:

a receiving system provided with the server for receiving one or more document service requests from one of the client devices to send to at least one other of the plurality of client devices over a secure communications medium, wherein each received document service request is associated with at least one quality of service selection that causes the at least one other of the plurality devices receiving the request to perform, at the receiving device, an output operation related to reproducing the document in a manner specified by the selection;

an authentication system provided with the server for authenticating a sender of each received document service request; and

a processing system that processes, in response to said authenticating, the one or more authenticated document service requests to fulfill each processed document service request based upon the associated at least one quality of service selection,

wherein the requesting client device and the at least one other of the plurality of client devices each have a different type of computer operating system, and

wherein the plurality of client devices includes a personal computer, a file server and a facsimile machine coupled together over the secure communications medium.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the one or more document service requests and the at least one associated quality of service requests are encrypted using a public key encryption algorithm and a symmetric key algorithm.

15. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the authentication system determines whether a sender of one or more documents associated with the received document service requests is authorized to make the document service request or whether the one or more documents have been modified or corrupted.

16. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the processing system identifies the received document service requests as a request for one or more documents to be printed, transmitted as one or more facsimile messages, or converted from a first file format to a second file format.

17. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the processing system determines whether the received document service requests are associated with at least one quality of service selection.

18. The system as set forth in claim 17 wherein the processing system further comprises identifying the at least one quality of service selection as a request that the documents be assigned a priority rating to determine their processing order, that a quality level of the processed documents be verified by humans, or that the documents be processed by an approximate time.

19. The system as set forth in claim 17 wherein the processing system further comprises identifying the at least one quality of service selection as a request that one or more documents be printed in accordance with one or more print quality levels, that a particular type of printing paper be used to print the documents, or that the documents be printed in black-and-white or color.

20. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the fulfillment system further comprises a human verifying that a processed document has a sufficient toner level, a sufficient color quality, a coffect number of generated pages, or a document processing priority status.

21. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the fulfillment system delivers the processed document over the secure communications medium or using a physical delivery system.

22. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the secure communications medium comprises a secure socket layer channel.

23. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the processing system determines which of the other of the plurality of client devices is best suited to fulfill each document service request.

24. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the sending and receiving devices of the plurality of client devices are facsimile machines.

25. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for providing secure value-added network services in a network including a server and a plurality of client devices, causes the processors to perform:

receiving, by the server, one or more document service requests from one of the client devices to send to at least one other of the plurality of client devices over a secure communications medium, wherein each received document service request is associated with at least one quality of service selection that causes the at least one other of the plurality devices receiving the request to perform, at the receiving device, an output operation related to reproducing the document in a manner specified by the selection;

authenticating, by the server, a sender of each received document service request; and

in response to said authenticating, processing the one or more authenticated document service requests to fulfill each of the processed document service requests based upon the associated at least one quality of service selection,

wherein the requesting client device and the at least one other of the plurality of client devices each have a different type of computer operating system, and

wherein the plurality of client devices includes a personal computer, a file server and a facsimile machine coupled together over the secure communications medium.

26. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the one or more document service requests and the at least one associated quality of service requests are encrypted using a public key encryption algorithm and a symmetric key algorithm.

27. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the authentication further comprises determining whether a sender of one or more documents associated with the received document service requests is authorized to make the document service request or whether the one or more documents have been modified or corrupted.

28. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the processing further comprises identifying the received document service requests as a request for one or more documents to be printed, transmitted as one or more facsimile messages, or converted from a first file format to a second file format.

29. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the processing further comprises determining whether the received document service requests are associated with at least one quality of service selection.

30. The medium as set forth in claim 29 further comprising identifying the at least one quality of service selection as a request that the documents be assigned a priority rating to determine their processing order, that a quality level of the processed documents be verified by humans, or that the documents be processed by an approximate time.

31. The medium as set forth in claim 29 further comprising identifying the at least one quality of service selection as a request that one or more documents be printed in accordance with one or more print quality levels, that a particular type of printing paper be used to print the documents, or that the documents be printed in black-and-white or color.

32. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the fulfilling further comprises a human verifying that a processed document has a sufficient toner level, a sufficient color quality, a coffect number of generated pages, or a document processing priority status.

33. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the fulfilling further comprises delivering the processed document over the secure communications medium or using a physical delivery system.

34. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the secure communications medium comprises a secure socket layer channel.

35. The medium as set forth in claim 25, comprising determining which of the other of the plurality of client devices is best suited to fulfill each document service request.

36. The medium as set forth in claim 25, wherein the sending and receiving devices of the plurality of client devices are facsimile machines.