Perceptual Hashing for Secure Document Reproduction Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for preventing the reproduction of secure data on printing devices often require user interaction or manual examination and are ineffective when secure data is embedded in documents without security features.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a perceptual hash calculation on a multi-function device to detect secure data, transmit the hash to a server for comparison with stored secure data hashes, and halt reproduction if a match is found, ensuring secure data is not printed or reproduced.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual examination or login/password methods are used to prevent reproduction of secure data, then user interaction and control are improved, but automation and efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The printing device automatically calculates perceptual hashes of documents and compares them against stored secure data hashes without requiring user intervention. The system self-manages security checks, automatically blocking reproduction when matches are detected, thereby eliminating the need for manual examination or password authentication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-calculates and stores perceptual hashes of secure data in a database before reproduction attempts occur. When a document is submitted for printing, the system immediately compares its perceptual hash against the pre-stored hashes, enabling proactive detection and prevention of secure data reproduction before it can occur.
2Reliability
If security features are attached to documents to limit reproduction, then document-level security is improved, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of modifying the original document with security features, the system creates a perceptual hash copy of the document's visual characteristics and compares it against a database of secure data hashes. This allows security checking without altering the document itself, maintaining adaptability while improving security.
Solution Approach 2:
The perceptual hash acts as an intermediary between the document and the security verification system. Rather than directly analyzing document content or attaching security markers, the system converts documents into perceptual hash representations that can be efficiently compared against stored secure data hashes, enabling versatile security checking across different document types.
3Measurement precision
If perceptual hash calculation and server transmission are performed for every document, then detection accuracy is improved, but processing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential visual characteristics of documents into perceptual hashes, discarding unnecessary document metadata and content. This extraction process creates a compact representation that can be efficiently transmitted to and compared against the server database, reducing processing complexity while maintaining detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex manual security verification processes with automated perceptual hash calculation and database comparison mechanisms. This substitution of mechanical manual checking with computational hash comparison significantly reduces processing complexity while improving detection accuracy and consistency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and apparatus for preventing reproduction of secure data on a multi-function device are disclosed. The method may be performed by a processor of a multi-function device. For example, the method receives a request to reproduce a document, calculates a perceptual hash of the document, transmits the perceptual hash of the document to a server, receives a control signal to halt reproduction of the document on the printing device in response to a perceptual hash of the secure data stored on the server matching at least a portion of the perceptual hash of the document, and halts the reproduction of the document on the printing device in response to the control signal.