Deterministic Active Content Rendering for Document Authenticity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic documents are prone to modification and variability, leading to issues with authenticity and consistency across different environments and devices, particularly problematic for signed documents where different versions can arise due to dynamic rendering and execution of embedded program logic.
Innovation Solution
A method for rendering active content into a stable and environmentally independent format by acquiring the content, recognizing presentation attributes, ignoring environmentally dependent portions, and converting them into a non-modifiable and consistent format, ensuring the same visual and content appearance across multiple environments and devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If electronic documents are stored in modifiable formats to enable editing and workflow, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to risk of tampering and modification
Solution Approach 1:
The document is divided into two separate formats: an editable source format (e.g., Word, Excel) for ease of operation and a finalized rendered format (e.g., PDF) for reliability. The system manages both versions separately, allowing editing of the source while maintaining the integrity of the rendered output.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the document in a finalized, non-editable format from the editable source format. This copy preserves the content while eliminating the ability to modify it, thus maintaining reliability without affecting the ease of operation of the original editable version.
2Adaptability or versatility
If documents are rendered dynamically with embedded program logic to resolve content based on environment, then adaptability is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to variability across different displays and devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary rendering of the document content before final delivery to the user. This preliminary action resolves any dynamic content, executes embedded program logic, and generates a stable, finalized version that will display consistently across all devices and environments, eliminating variability while preserving adaptability.
3Manufacturing precision
If bitmap versions of documents are used to preserve visual appearance, then manufacturing precision is improved, but reliability deteriorates as bitmaps can still be modified within image editors
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the editable and modifiable characteristics from the document representation by separating it into a source format (for editing) and a finalized rendered format (for display). The finalized format captures the visual appearance precision while removing the modifiable properties through format selection and rendering.
Data Source
AI summary
Active content is deterministically rendered in a stable format that is independent of any particular targeted environment, which the active content may subsequently be rendered to. Environmental and dynamic dependencies are removed from a specification associated with the active content for purposes of producing a stable and consistent specification for the active content. The stable and static specification is used to subsequently render the active content into the stable format for any targeted or desired environment.