Document Shredding Algorithm for Confidential Data Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for digitizing paper forms often compromise confidentiality by requiring secure networks or encryption, making it difficult to process sensitive information without exposing it to unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
The technology involves 'shredding' digitized documents into non-sensitive, easily accessible 'shreds' that can be stored and processed without compromising confidentiality, using algorithms that break down documents into field-specific, non-confidential components, allowing for secure and efficient data extraction and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If documents are digitized and stored in databases, then information accessibility and processing efficiency are improved, but confidentiality and security are compromised due to exposure to third-party access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a document into multiple non-overlapping regions (shreds), where each shred contains only a portion of the original information. This segmentation ensures that no single shred reveals confidential data, while the complete document can be reconstructed when all shreds are combined with proper authorization.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If secure networks and encryption are used to protect confidential documents, then confidentiality is maintained, but system complexity and access difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of encrypting the entire document or using complex secure network infrastructure, the patent segments the document into multiple shreds that are stored separately. This approach maintains confidentiality through spatial distribution rather than cryptographic complexity, simplifying the system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an authorization mechanism that acts as an intermediary between users and the shredded document data. The system verifies authorization credentials and reconstructs the document only for authorized users, providing security without requiring complex encryption or secure network infrastructure.
3Productivity
If entire documents are exposed to third-party processors, then processing completeness is improved, but security risks and confidentiality exposure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the document into multiple shreds that are distributed and processed independently. Third-party processors can access and process individual shreds without obtaining the complete document, ensuring processing can be distributed while maintaining security through the segmentation barrier.
Solution Approach 2:
Different shreds of the document can be processed by different third-party systems with appropriate local permissions. Each processor only accesses the specific shred(s) needed for its function, ensuring that no single processor obtains access to the complete confidential document while still achieving comprehensive processing across the system.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a method and apparatus for storing and/or digitizing documents that preserves the confidentiality of the documents. The technology includes a process, referred to herein as “shredding”, that extracts portions of a digitized document, such as a scanned document or an image file, to create “shreds.” A shred can be, for example, a field of a form, a portion of a photo, etc. In some embodiments where the source document includes confidential information, each individual shred does not include the confidential information and, with information of only one shred, a person cannot obtain the confidential information. As a result, while the source document needs to be stored in a secure fashion to prevent disclosure of the confidential information, the shreds can be stored in a non-secure fashion without risking disclosure of the confidential information.