Validating Documents via Blockchain

• US 20180219685A1
• Filed: 01/30/2017
• Published: 08/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inveniam Capital Partners Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Factom, Inc. (Stewart Information Services Corporation)
• Inventors: Deery, Brian, Snow, Paul, Paolini-Subramanya, Mahesh
• Granted Patent: US 10,419,225 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

Authentication of electronic document is based on multiple digital signatures incorporated into a blockchain. Structured data, metadata, and instructions may be hashed to generate the multiple digital signatures for distribution via the blockchain. Any peer receiving the blockchain may then verify an authenticity of an electronic document based on any one or more of the multiple digital signatures incorporated into the blockchain.

Claims

1. A method of verifying an authenticity associated with an electronic document, the method comprising:

retrieving, by a hardware processor, structured data representing the electronic document, the structured data formatted according to a format;

generating, by the hardware processor, a digital signature in response to hashing the structured data using an electronic representation of a hash function;

incorporating, by the hardware processor, the digital signature in a blockchain; and

distributing, by the hardware processor, the blockchain incorporating the digital signature via the Internet to a peer device;

wherein the peer device may verify the authenticity associated with the electronic document based on the blockchain incorporating the digital signature generated in response to the hashing of the structured data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the digital signature in response to the hashing of the structured data formatted according to a schema.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the digital signature in response to the hashing of a data version associated with the electronic document.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the digital signature in response to the hashing of a data version associated with the structured data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the digital signature in response to the hashing of a database entry associated with the structured data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the digital signature in response to the hashing of a database field associated with the structured data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the digital signature in response to the hashing of a data record associated with the structured data.

8. A system, comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a memory device, the memory device storing instructions, the instructions when executed causing the hardware processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

retrieving metadata associated with an electronic document;

generating a digital signature in response to hashing the metadata using an electronic representation of a hash function;

incorporating the digital signature in a blockchain; and

distributing the blockchain incorporating the digital signature via the Internet to a peer device;

wherein the peer device may verify an authenticity associated with the electronic document based on the blockchain incorporating the digital signature generated in response to the hashing of the metadata.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a date of creation associated with the electronic document.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise generating the digital signature in response to the hashing of the date of creation associated with the electronic document.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a title associated with the electronic document.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise generating the digital signature in response to the hashing of the title associated with the electronic document.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving an abstract associated with the electronic document.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise generating the digital signature in response to the hashing of the abstract associated with the electronic document.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a keyword associated with the electronic document.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise generating the digital signature in response to the hashing of the keyword associated with the electronic document.

17. A memory device storing instructions that when executed cause a hardware processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

retrieving different types of electronic data representing an electronic document;

generating multiple digital signatures in response to hashing the different types of the electronic data using an electronic representation of a hash function;

incorporating the multiple digital signatures in a blockchain; and

distributing the blockchain incorporating the multiple digital signatures via the Internet to a peer device;

wherein the peer device may verify an authenticity associated with the electronic document based on the blockchain incorporating the multiple digital signatures generated in response to the hashing of the different types of the electronic data.

18. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a current version associated with the electronic document.

19. The memory device of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise generating hash values representing the current version associated with the electronic document using the electronic representation of the hash function.

20. The memory device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise comparing the hash values representing the current version associated with the electronic document to the multiple digital signatures incorporated in the blockchain to determine the authenticity.