Physical Document Digital Access via Anonymized Key
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Solution Overview
Problem
Physical documents, such as certificates, are vulnerable to forgery and cannot be easily integrated into electronic data processing, and scanned data can be easily altered or compromised during the scanning process, leading to security and accuracy issues.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses a physical document to provide a secure digital copy by encrypting the document data and storing it on a server, where access is granted through an anonymized file name and a cryptographic key inscribed on the physical document, ensuring only the document owner can decrypt and access the digital copy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If physical documents are scanned to create digital copies, then digital access is enabled, but security against forgery and unauthorized alteration is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-encrypting the digital document with a cryptographic key before storing it on the server. The physical document contains this key in machine-readable form, enabling secure decryption later. This pre-encryption ensures that even if the digital file is accessed unauthorized, the content remains protected, thus maintaining security while enabling digital access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - a cryptographic key stored in machine-readable form on the physical document - that mediates between the physical and digital realms. This key acts as a bridge that enables secure decryption of the digital document without exposing the actual content in the physical document, thus maintaining security while enabling digital access.
2Speed
If document data is stored in plaintext for easy access, then retrieval speed is improved, but vulnerability to unauthorized access increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-encrypting the digital document with a cryptographic key before storing it on the server. The physical document contains this key in machine-readable form, enabling secure decryption later. This pre-encryption ensures that even if the digital file is accessed unauthorized, the content remains protected, thus maintaining security while enabling digital access.
3Ease of operation
If cryptographic keys are stored digitally for easy decryption, then access convenience is improved, but security against key compromise worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by creating a machine-readable copy of the cryptographic key on the physical document. This copy can be read by a scanning device to retrieve the key for decryption, providing convenience without storing the key digitally in vulnerable locations. The key exists in physical form that can be optically captured, bridging security and convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional digital storage of cryptographic keys with a physical, machine-readable representation on the document itself. Instead of storing keys in digital databases or files, the key is embedded in the physical document in a format that can be optically scanned and converted to digital form temporarily for decryption, eliminating persistent digital vulnerability.
4Ease of operation
If personal data is included in filenames for easy identification, then document organization is improved, but data privacy is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies taking out by extracting personal data from the filename field and storing it only in encrypted form within the document body. The filename uses only non-sensitive information, while the encrypted document contains the actual personal data. This separation protects privacy while maintaining organization through the use of anonymized filenames.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for providing a digital document (120) on a user computer system (200) using a physical document (100). The physical document (100) comprises a first document body (102) labelled with data (104) with an anonymized file name (106) and a cryptographic key (108).The procedure comprises: • Receiving the first anonymized filename (106) and first cryptographic key (108) provided by the physical document (100), • Establishing a connection via a network (160) with the server (300), • Sending a read request to read the digital document (120) from the user computer system (200) to the server (300), wherein the read request includes the anonymized filename (106) to identify the digital document (120) on the server (300), • Receiving the digital document (120) in response to the sending of the read request, • Providing the digital document (120) in decrypted form, wherein the decryption of the digital document (120) is carried out using the cryptographic key (108).