Electronic Image Verification via Block-Level Partial Signatures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques fail to effectively detect and prove changes, especially partial modifications, in electronic image data, such as JPEG images, and cannot distinguish between altered and unaltered portions, nor can they identify the person responsible for changes or prove the history of modifications, which is crucial for secure electronic document management and compliance with laws like the e-Document Law and Personal Information Protection Law.
Innovation Solution
An electronic image data verification system that generates partial signature information separately from the image data, allowing for the detection and proof of changes by dividing the image into blocks, using intermediate information that is not influenced by other parts during format transformation, and adding arbitrary information to generate partial signature information, which can be verified to prove the presence or absence of changes and their location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional electronic signature techniques are used to store and manage electronic documents, then the originality and non-alteration of documents can be guaranteed, but any processing or modification operations cannot be performed on the documents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the electronic document into multiple blocks and generates separate signature information for each block. This allows individual blocks to be modified while maintaining verification capability for unmodified blocks, thus enabling document processing while preserving originality guarantees for unchanged portions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying a complete electronic signature that prevents any modification, the patent applies partial signature verification to specific blocks. This allows modifications in certain blocks while maintaining verification integrity in other blocks, enabling selective processing without compromising overall document security.
2Reliability
If general electronic signature schemes are applied to documents requiring partial operations, then no processing can be performed due to the nature of electronic signatures, making them an obstacle
Solution Approach 1:
The document is divided into blocks with individual signature information generated for each block. Modified blocks generate new signature information while unmodified blocks retain original signature information, allowing easy modification of specific portions without affecting the entire document's verifyability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces block-level signature information as an intermediary between the document content and verification process. This intermediary structure allows modifications to be isolated to specific blocks while maintaining the overall verification framework, facilitating easier document operations.
3Reliability
If conventional techniques store electronic data in complete forms with electronic signatures, then originality is maintained, but they do not consider scenarios where corrections and modifications are made to documents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the document into blocks and generates signature information at the block level. This segmentation enables the system to distinguish between modified and unmodified blocks, supporting both originality preservation and correction operations by maintaining signature integrity only for unchanged portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent generates signature information for each block in advance before any modifications occur. This preliminary signature generation allows the system to later compare current block states with original signature information, enabling efficient detection of modifications while supporting subsequent correction operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic image data verification program disclosed herein is capable of detecting presence or absence of a change, specifying a changed portion (the position of a change) if present, and making the presence or absence and the changed portion provable to third parties, by generating partial signature information separately from electronic image information to be registered, by dividing and maintaining the partial signature information, and by clearly separating functions/roles of the electronic image information (original information) and the partial signature information (verification information). The present invention comprises: a partial signature information generation section 40 that uses partial information of electronic image information, to generate partial signature information for specifying presence or absence of a change to the electronic image information and a changed portion if a change has been made; a registration section 70 that registers the electronic image information and the partial signature information generated from the electronic image information; a storage section 80; and a partial signature verification section 50 that uses the electronic image information and the partial signature information registered by the registration section, to verify presence or absence of the change to the electronic image information, or a changed portion if a change has been made to the electronic image information.