Creation of signatures for authenticating applications

• US 8,504,480 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2011
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Piersol, Kurt W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II, Calvin Loyd
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHERR, CRISTINA O
• Application Number:
  US13/020,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20120203670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 795 50- 59
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

A method and system for authenticating applications. The system includes a plurality of portable electronic devices, at least one process organizer, at least one module developer, at least one task performer and a workflow server. The process organizer generates an application. The process organizer can request modules from module developers that are incorporated into the application. Alternatively, the process organizer makes an agreement with a task performer to perform tasks to complete the application. The application is transmitted to the workflow server, which includes an online marketplace for displaying and selling the applications. A user purchases the application through the store. A routing module generates a signature and compares the signature to application, module or document metadata and a secret to determine consistency of the data before the application, module or document is routed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for generating a document signature for a document, the method comprising:

receiving, with one or more processors, a change by an application to the document;

determining, with the one or more processors, a rolling hash for the document by generating a first hash of a previous hash associated with a previous action performed on the document and a recent action associated with changing the document;

determining, with the one or more processors, a rolling hash offset for the document by generating a second hash for the recent action associated with changing the document and calculating a difference between the second hash and the previous hash associated with the previous action performed on the document;

determining, with the one or more processors, a globally unique identifier and a secret associated with the application that changed the document;

generating, with the one or more processors, a document signature by combining the rolling hash, the rolling hash offset, the globally unique identifier and the secret; and

storing the document signature, the globally unique identifier, the rolling hash and the rolling hash offset in data storage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an application signature for a blank document and transmitting the blank document to a user for the user to change the document.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the document;

retrieving metadata and the secret;

computing a signature hash; and

comparing the signature hash to the metadata and the secret.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a problem by comparing the signature hash to the metadata and the secret; and

transmitting a first error message.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

comparing a destination of the document to a destination specified in the metadata.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a problem by comparing the destination of the document to the destination specified in the metadata; and

transmitting a second error message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second error message is transmitted to at least one of a process organizer, a customer, a task performer and a module developer.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of routing the document to the destination specified in the metadata.

9. A computer implemented system for generating a document signature for a document, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of

determining, with the one or more processors, a rolling hash for the document by generating a first hash of a previous hash associated with a previous action performed on the document and a recent action associated with changing the document;

determining, with the one or more processors, a rolling hash offset for the document by generating a second hash for the recent action associated with changing the document and calculating a difference between the second hash and the previous hash associated with the previous action performed on the document;

determining, with the one or more processors, a globally unique identifier and a secret associated with the application that changed the document;

generating, with the one or more processors, a document signature by combining the rolling hash, the rolling hash offset, the globally unique identifier and the secret; and

storing the document signature, the globally unique identifier, the rolling hash and the rolling hash offset in data storage.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the routing module is further configured to generate an application signature for a blank document and transmit the blank document to a user for the user to change the document.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the routing module receives the document, retrieves metadata and the secret, computes a signature hash and compares the signature hash to the metadata and the secret.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the routing module detects a problem by comparing the signature hash to the metadata and the secret and transmits a first error message.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the routing module compares a destination of the document to a destination specified in the metadata.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the routing module compares the destination of the document to the destination specified in the metadata and transmits a second error message.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the routing module transmits the second error message to at least one of a process organizer, a customer, a task performer and a module developer.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the routing module routes the document to the destination specified in the metadata.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform steps comprising:

receiving from a user a change by an application to a document;

determining a rolling hash for the document by generating a first hash of a previous hash associated with a previous action performed on the document and a recent action associated with changing the document;

determining a rolling hash offset for the document by generating a second hash for the recent action associated with changing the document and calculating a difference between the second hash and the previous hash associated with the previous action performed on the document;

determining a globally unique identifier and a secret associated with the application that changed the document;

generating a document signature by combining the rolling hash, the rolling hash offset, the globally unique identifier and the secret; and

storing the document signature, the globally unique identifier, the rolling hash and the rolling hash offset in data storage.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising generating an application signature for a blank document and transmitting the blank document to a user for the user to change the document.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the document;

retrieving metadata and the secret;

computing a signature hash; and

comparing the signature hash to the metadata and the secret.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a problem by comparing the signature hash to the metadata and the secret; and

transmitting an error message.