Electronic Document Authentication With Encrypted Audit Tokens
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic documents can be tampered with and signatures can be forged, making it difficult to authenticate the identity of the signer and ensure the document's authenticity and integrity, especially in mixed-signed documents.
Innovation Solution
A system that captures and applies a digital equivalent of a wet signature, authenticates users, and secures documents with an encrypted token visualization element, storing information on a distributed ledger to track the chain of custody and audit trail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If electronic documents are shared digitally, then convenience and speed of document execution are improved, but document integrity and signature authenticity are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication and hashing of the document before digital sharing. The document is hashed using SHA-256 algorithm and the hash is embedded in the metadata before the document is shared electronically, ensuring that any subsequent tampering can be detected
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication mechanism that acts as a mediator between the document and the recipient. This includes digital certificates, timestamps from trusted authorities, and embedded metadata that verify the document's origin and integrity without requiring physical presence
2Productivity
If digital signatures are applied to electronic documents, then document processing efficiency is improved, but signature forgery becomes more difficult to detect
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses visual indicators to represent the authentication state of signatures. The encrypted token visualization element changes appearance based on verification status, providing immediate visual feedback about signature authenticity without requiring complex technical analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple authentication layers including digital signatures, cryptographic hashes, timestamps, and visual tokens into a composite authentication structure. This multi-layered approach makes forgery detection more reliable by providing multiple independent verification mechanisms
3Reliability
If encrypted token visualization elements are added to documents, then document security and authenticity are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex cryptographic verification logic is extracted from the document viewing process and placed in the background authentication system. The document itself remains simple with embedded metadata, while the complexity is handled separately by the authentication service that verifies tokens when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates simplified visual copies (tokens) that represent complex cryptographic information. Instead of requiring users to understand or process complex encryption algorithms, the system generates visual token representations that can be easily verified while maintaining the underlying cryptographic security
Data Source
AI summary
The present embodiments provide an environment where a user first creates or imports a document comprising of fields to be completed by one or more users. All users who have view-only access or can act on a document are considered to be “in the workflow.” All users in the workflow (except view-only users) can take actions in the document by editing, adding or entering values or signatures in those fields. When the document is complete, a computing device adds an encrypted token visualization element to the document that uniquely identifies and secures the document. Thereafter, a copy of the original document, all attachments, authentication, security and validation information, and all other relevant information about the document and users will be available to view in the chain of custody and audit trail by the authorized users by scanning the token visualization element within the platform (web application or mobile application).