Method of compression of electronic documents with digital signature

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of saving and compressing electronic documents with electronic signatures in a cloud system in such a way that the certificate is not corrupted and the data of the do

Description

[0001] METHOD OF COMPRESSION OF ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS WITH DIGITAL SIGNATURE

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention relates to a method of saving and compressing electronic documents with electronic signatures in a cloud system in such a way that the certificate is not corrupted and the data of the document takes up to 12 times less space.

[0004] BACKGROUND ART

[0005] The process of reducing one or more files to a smaller size with the algorithm used is referred to as compression. Compression reduces the size of files. Files, that are reduced to a smaller size than they actually are, become easier to download, share and send. Thus, users can save both time, internet resources and storage space. We can explain compression in two ways.

[0006] Lossy compression: All lossy compression methods involve modifications to the original file. For example, when an image file is lossy compressed, while there is a significant reduction in size, the quality of the image is equally degraded, or the clarity is lost, as well.

[0007] Lossless compression: This form of compression does not change the quality of the original files. Now, if you create a new folder on the desktop, place a text document therein and then compress it, the same files will be extracted in the same quality also when this archive file is opened.

[0008] On a computer, the most common data (file) compression programs are WinZip and WinRAR under the Windows operating system, and Gzip and Bzip2 under Linux. In the state of the art, different compression processes can be applied depending on the type of data to be compressed. For example, in video compression process, compression can be achieved by reducing the frame rate. In order to get the original video data from the compressed data, the frame rate can be increased to its original value by means of different frame rate enhancement algorithms. However, there are also different applications for compressing image frames in the state of the art.

[0009] Digital transformation of printed documents such as invoices and delivery notes not only provides environmental benefits, but also increases tax revenues by reducing manual processes. For this reason, since 2018, it has become mandatory for companies above a certain financial turnover to switch to the e- invoice system. Today, there are over 100 e-invoice special integrators in Turkey. In 2020, 332,400 taxpayers of the Turkish Revenue Administration (GIB) generated over 366 million e-invoices. In addition, 321 ,700 taxpayers created approximately 3 trillion e-archive documents in 2020, and integrators mediate a significant portion of this heavy document traffic. It is one of the leading organizations in Turkey with an average of 100K e-invoices and 450K e-archive invoices per month. We have two main solutions that will benefit from this work: E- invoices used for internal commercial activities of corporate taxpayers and e- archive invoices issued to taxpayers who are not corporate taxpayers. For the continuity of trade, e-invoice and e-archive technical infrastructures must provide their users with the agility and performance to manage this intensive use. Every month, 1TB (Tera Byte) for e-invoices and an additional 1TB for other e- documents are added to the existing data managed by our company. Widely used ZIP applications are used as the current solution. However, this common method is not very successful for visual files, which constitute the main data load.

[0010] The following information is provided in the Turkish Patent Office documents regarding data compression methods in the state of the art: The document numbered "TR2013 / 08587" is summarized as follows: "The invention relates to lossless compression of graphical data obtained from sensors by offset method. The data compression method of the invention is based on offsetting the base value (offset value) of the data during the transmission of data in bytes (8 bits), in case the values of this data are greater than 1 byte, so as not to create confusion on the return, and it looks at the number difference between the number to be encoded from the beginning (raw data) and the offset. Thus, coding approximates a predetermined offset value to the data and sends the data losslessly. "

[0011] However, the current application does not provide a solution to our technical problem.

[0012] Thus, the need to eliminate such shortcomings and disadvantages of the embodiments and practices employed in the prior art entails an improvement in the respective tehnical field.

[0013] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present disclosure relates to a method for compressing digitally signed electronic documents developed for eliminating the aforementioned disadvantages and providing new advantages to the respective technical field.

[0015] The object of the invention is to store digitally signed documents without compromising their integrity and to provide high compression with an effective compression solution in a system with high data flow.

[0016] The invention provides a solution to compress data in a way that takes up less storage space than existing generic file archiving tools such as zip. When a query is made in the system, it is ensured that an identical document is created with a valid certificate and signature. According to the GIB, like paper invoices, electronic versions must be stored in data warehouses for at least ten years. This responsibility results in a high cost for digital storage systems, especially for cloud-based systems. Compressing these files with our present invention is a way to reduce costs.

[0017] Brief Description of Drawings

[0018] The embodiments of the present disclosure which are summarized above and discussed in more detail below can be better understood by referring to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings only describe the typical embodiments of the present disclosure, and thus, are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure such that other effective embodiments may also be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 1: Schematic view of the compression process steps of the digitally signed document of the invention.

[0020] Figure 2: Schematic view of the process steps for reconstructing the digitally signed document of the invention.

[0021] Figure 3: A schematic view of the present invention.

[0022] For ease of understanding, identical reference numerals are used where possible to indicate identical elements in the figures. Figures are not drawn to scale and can be simplified for clarity. It is contemplated that elements and features of an embodiment can be usefully incorporated into other embodiments without the need for further explanation.

[0023] Description of Details in Drawings

[0024] Described herein are the reference numbers shown in the figures.

[0025] 1 - Start 2- Enter XML

[0026] 3- Parsing XML, find <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag

[0027] 4- Generate MD5 hash of XSLT

[0028] 5- Query XSLT with hash code

[0029] 6- XSLT database

[0030] 7- Is XSLT available in the database?

[0031] 8- Write the new incoming XSLT to the database, get the generated key

[0032] 9- Get key returned from query in XSLT database

[0033] 10-Extract XSLT from the <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag

[0034] 11 -Write the key in its place

[0035] 12-Compress the file

[0036] 13-Write the compressed file to the cloud

[0037] 14-Enter the compressed file

[0038] 15-Unfile the file

[0039] 16-Parse tags

[0040] 17-Get the key in the <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag

[0041] 18-Get the corresponding XSLT file for the corresponding key from the XSLT database

[0042] 19-Update the document with incoming XSLT

[0043] 20-View the original document

[0044] 21 -Customer

[0045] 22-NGiNIX server

[0046] 23-E-invoice Module

[0047] 24-Revenue Administration

[0048] 25-Xml Compression Module

[0049] 26-Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

[0050] 27-Sign Servers

[0051] 28-HSMn Chippers

[0052] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The preferred alternatives of the embodiments of invention, which are mentioned in this detailed description, are only intended for providing a better understanding of the subject-matter, and should not be construed in any restrictive sense.

[0053] The invention demonstrates that it is possible to compress Unified Business Language (UBL) formatted data with 12 times efficiency by simply encoding it. The UBL format is technically a file in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format. Unlike XML, UBL tags are assigned by the relevant organization (GIB) for a specific scenario.

[0054] In the case where the file content is guaranteed by digital certificates, in order to obtain an effective compression algorithm, a problem-specific solution needs to be developed beyond general compression algorithms. A document signed with a digital certificate is no longer valid in the event of the slightest change.

[0055] High-resolution logos and images take up the most space in digital documents. Current common file extension-independent compression algorithms do not do very well with already compressed visual files.

[0056] In summary, our study solves two main technical problems and offers the following solutions:

[0057] • Storing digitally signed documents without compromising their integrity

[0058] • Ensuring high compression with an efficient compression solution in a system with high data flow.

[0059] The method of the invention comprises the process steps of:

[0060] - Removing the invoice image from the document, keeping it in a separate database with Hash (hash code) and comparing the hash coded invoice template (XSLT) in the database of that taxpayer every time a new document is received and removing it from the file if it is the same,

[0061] - If different, adding it to the database as a new entry,

[0062] - Adding the record to a separate table that keeps the relationship of the record made to this new database with the invoice. E-Document Compression:

[0063] 1. The XSLT part containing the visual template of the invoice, including the logo, is in the <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag.

[0064] 2. Invoices generated by the same company are usually identical in this section and constitute a large part of the document size.

[0065] 3. This data, repeated in every invoice, is removed from the document. A key for the XSLT file is generated with the MD5 hashing method.

[0066] 4. The XSLT containing the image of the invoice and the key are stored in the database.

[0067] 5. The corresponding key is placed directly in the XSLT section of the file.

[0068] 6. The encoded XML file is then compressed using a standard tool such as ZIP and stored in the database.

[0069] The invention relates to a computer-implemented method for compressing a digitally signed document and comprises the following process steps:

[0070] - Start (1 ),

[0071] - Enter XML (2),

[0072] - Parsing XML, find <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag (3),

[0073] - Generate MD5 hash of XSLT (4),

[0074] - Query XSLT with hash code (5),

[0075] - XSLT database (6),

[0076] - Is XSLT available in the database? (7),

[0077] - Write the new incoming XSLT to the database, get the generated key (8),

[0078] - Get key returned from query in XSLT database (9),

[0079] - Extract XSLT from the <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag (10),

[0080] - Write the key in its place (11 ),

[0081] - Compress the file (12),

[0082] - Write the compressed file to the cloud (13). Reconstructing the E-Document:

[0083] 1. The compressed version of the document is converted to its original form (Unzip).

[0084] 2. The database is accessed with the key in the <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag of the invoice and the corresponding XSLT snippet is replaced with the key.

[0085] The digitally signed document is reconstructed after compression. The invention relates to a computer-implemented method for e-document reconstruction and comprises the following porcess steps:

[0086] - Start (1 ),

[0087] - Enter the compressed file (14),

[0088] - Unfile the file (15),

[0089] - Parse tags (16),

[0090] - Get the key in the <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag (17),

[0091] - Get the corresponding XSLT file (18) for the corresponding key from the XSLT database (6),

[0092] - Update the document with incoming XSLT (19),

[0093] - View the original document (20),

[0094] The invention provides that in electronic invoice files, the image of the invoice printout is removed from the file and kept in a separate database by means of a key associated with the file, so that this information is kept in a different database without repetition, instead of writing the same information over and over again to cloud systems for each different invoice.

[0095] It is intended to store the XSLT file containing the invoice images of the taxpayer, which is included in the invoice document, in a different database, to extract it from the existing invoice file, and to maintain the method that prevents the same information from taking up space in the cloud system over and over again. When the document is to be accessed again, this file can be accessed from a single database for the same file through a key and the original document can be generated without changing the integrity of the document. Thanks to the invention, the data of the document is stored in our cloud systems in a way that takes up to 12 times less space without corrupting the certificate of the electronically signed document.

[0096] As shown in Figure 3, the invoice (22) generated in the Customer (21 ) system is first received by the NgiNX server (22) which manages the load distribution. It is forwarded to the e-invoice module (23) to ensure the necessary conformities and to complete the transformations of the data format. The invoice is then transmitted to the signature server (27) so that it can be signed with an electronic certificate. The certificate stored in HSMn Chipper (28-29) is brought to the e-invoice module (27) and transmitted to GIB (24). The e-documents are first transmitted to the xml compression module so that they can be accessed later from the archive (25). The data flow inside the module is shown in detail in Figures 1 and 2. The compressed data is then archived in the Virtual Private Cloud system (26).

[0097] In step 4, the MD5 hash code of the XSLT is obtained. This code shows uniquness for the xslt file. For this reason, it will be sufficient to check whether the same customer (21) has the same invoice template (XSLT), regardless of the existence of other XSLT files in the system. For this reason, the functional hash code is used in the table as a key instead of a key that is normally incremented sequentially in relational databases. MD5 Hash (hash code) translates a string value of any length into 128 bit code. When a new invoice arrives, the hash created in step 4 is queried to see if it is available in the XSLT database (6) shown in step 5. If there is an entry in the database with this code, the code in step 4 is written instead of the value (XSLT file) in the <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag in the invoice (10 and 11 ).

[0098] The value in the <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag, 128 bit key, is queried against database 6 (database 18 in this schema, database 6 in figure 1 ). The value from the database query (18) is written in place of the Hash code in the XSLT tag <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> (17-19).

Claims

CLAIMS1- A system for compressing digitally signed documents, characterized in that it comprises:- NgiNX server (22), which manages the load distribution where the invoice generated in the customer (21 ) system is first received,- E-invoice module (23) through which data is transmitted to the Revenue Administration (24) to ensure the necessary conformities and to complete the transformations of the data format,- The signature server to which the invoice is transmitted so that it can be signed with an electronic certificate (27),- XSLT containing the image of the invoice and the XSLT database where the key is stored (6)- XML Compression Module (25), where e-documents are first transmitted, so that they can be accessed later from the archive,- At least one Virtual Private Cloud system (26), where electronic documents with electronic signatures are saved and stored with the certificate intact and the data of the document compressed in such a way that takes up to 12 times less space.2- A computer-implemented method for compression of digitally signed documents chracterized in that it comprises the process steps of:- Start (1 ),- Enter XML (2),- Parsing XML, find <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag (3),- Generate MD5 hash of XSLT (4),- Query XSLT with hash code (5),- Query whether it is available in the XSLT database (6),- Does the XSLT exist in the database (7), if present, retrieve the key returned from the query (9) in the XSLT database (6), if not present, write the new incoming XSLT to the database, retrieve the key that generated it (8),- Extract XSLT from the <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag (10),- Write the key in its place (11 ),- Compress the file (12),- Write the compressed file to the cloud (13).3- The computer-implemented method for reconstructing digitally signed documents according to claim 1 , chracterized in that it comprises the process steps of:- Start (1 ),- Enter the compressed file (14),- Unfile the file (15),- Parse tags (16),- Get the key in the <EmbeddedDocumentBinaryObject> tag (17),- Get the corresponding XSLT file (18) for the corresponding key from the XSLT database (6),- Update the document with incoming XSLT (19), -View the original document (20).