Visible Digital Document Seal for Mobile Authentication Freshness

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing digital authentication methods for documents lack confidence and flexibility, failing to ensure authenticity and data freshness, particularly in environments where specialized equipment like flatbed scanners are unavailable.

Innovation Solution

A document digital sealing and authenticating (DSA) computing device that uses a processor to extract data from a document, apply a unique visible graphic seal, and authenticate the document using mobile devices, leveraging image processing and blockchain technology to ensure data integrity and freshness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional authentication methods (password, biometric, encryption) are used to protect documents, then document security is improved, but authenticity and data freshness cannot be ensured

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedocument securityVSAvoidauthenticity and freshness assurance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

A digital seal acts as an intermediary component between the document content and the authentication verification process. The seal contains encoded authentication data that mediates the trust relationship, allowing verification of both authenticity and freshness without requiring direct exposure of sensitive document contents or complex authentication protocols.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The digital seal is applied to the document before any potential tampering or verification occurs. By pre-encoding authentication data and freshness information into the seal at the time of document creation or last update, the system ensures that authenticity and freshness can be verified at any future point without requiring re-authentication or risking data manipulation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If specialized equipment like flatbed scanners is required for document authentication, then authentication accuracy is improved, but device complexity and accessibility worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication accuracyVSAvoidspecialized equipment requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a digital copy of the physical document and applies a digital seal to this digital representation. This copying process eliminates the need for specialized scanning equipment while maintaining authentication accuracy, as the digital seal can be applied and verified on the digital copy without requiring physical document handling or specialized hardware.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces mechanical scanning and physical document handling with digital image processing and computational verification. By substituting the mechanical flatbed scanner with mobile device cameras and digital image processing algorithms, the system achieves equivalent authentication functionality without specialized equipment requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If digital seals with unique visible graphics are applied to documents, then authentication confidence is improved, but device complexity and processing requirements worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication confidenceVSAvoidprocessing requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The digital seal utilizes visible graphic elements with distinct visual characteristics that can be easily detected and differentiated. By incorporating unique visible graphics with specific color patterns or visual markers, the system enables simple detection and verification processes that enhance authentication confidence without requiring complex processing algorithms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

The authentication process is segmented into distinct components: the visible graphic element for detection, the encoded authentication data for verification, and the freshness information for timeliness validation. This segmentation allows each component to be processed independently using simple, efficient algorithms, reducing overall processing requirements while maintaining high authentication confidence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12547748B2Digital document seal
Publication Date: 2026.02.10 IDEMIA PUBLIC SECURITY FRANCE
  • US12547748B2 patent drawing
  • US12547748B2 patent drawing
  • US12547748B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Systems and methods for sealing a document using a visible graphical digital seal are described, as well as systems and methods for authenticating a sealed document by identifying and decoding the digital seal.