Blockchain Ledger for Document Integrity in Image Forming Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing document security technologies, such as visible and invisible watermarks, fail to guarantee the integrity and authenticity of digital documents, particularly in scenarios involving digital image storage and processing.
Innovation Solution
An image forming device utilizes a blockchain-based ledger system to register and verify the integrity of documents by generating and comparing hash codes, ensuring data accuracy and consistency through a distributed network of nodes, thereby preventing forgery and falsification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional security technologies (watermarks, barcodes) are used for document security, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but document integrity and authenticity cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces blockchain technology as an intermediary layer between the document and the verification system. The blockchain ledger acts as a neutral mediator that records document hashes and transaction information immutably, enabling third-party verification without requiring direct trust between parties. This resolves the contradiction by providing high reliability through the blockchain's cryptographic security while keeping the implementation approachable through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/document-based security methods (watermarks, physical barcodes) with a digital cryptographic system. Instead of relying on physical document features that can be copied or altered, the system uses hash functions and blockchain cryptography to create a digital fingerprint of the document that is computationally infeasible to forge. This substitution dramatically improves document integrity guarantees.
2Reliability
If blockchain-based verification is implemented, then document authenticity and integrity are guaranteed, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-registering document hashes in the blockchain ledger before verification is needed. When a document is created or received, its hash is immediately calculated and recorded in the blockchain, creating a timestamped, immutable reference. This preliminary registration eliminates the need for complex real-time verification computations during document processing, as the blockchain already contains the authoritative reference data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating a digital hash (a simplified representation) of the document content and storing this hash in the blockchain rather than storing the entire document. The hash acts as a lightweight copy or fingerprint that can be easily verified against the original document without requiring storage or processing of the full document content. This dramatically reduces system complexity compared to storing and comparing complete documents.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If digital image storage is used for document verification, then forgery detection capability is improved, but data security and tamper-proofing are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces reliance on digital image storage with a cryptographic hash-based verification system. Instead of storing and comparing digital images (which can be altered without obvious detection), the system calculates a cryptographic hash of the document and compares this hash value. Cryptographic hash functions provide tamper-evident verification because even a single-bit change in the document produces a completely different hash value, making forgery detection extremely difficult while maintaining data security.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming device and an operation method are provided. The method includes receiving a request for performing a preparation operation for verifying integrity of a first document according to a first image forming job for the first document, obtaining first transaction information indicating that the first image forming job has been performed for the first document and obtaining a first hash code corresponding to the first transaction information, registering the first transaction information and the first hash code in a ledger based on a network of a blockchain that distributes and manages a ledger in which transaction information of a certain document has been recorded, obtaining first verification information for verifying the integrity of the first document from the ledger according to the first image forming job, and verifying the integrity of the first document based on the first verification information.