Proxy CA Server for Electronic Contract Certification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital certification methods for contracts lack comprehensive tracking and verification of electronic document sending, receipt, and acceptance, particularly in cross-border transactions, leading to confusion and potential manipulation of contract data.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a proxy CA server to verify digital certificates and identity through email or SMS, ensuring robust transactional evidence generation and certification by a telecommunications operator, including a contract server, time stamp server, and evidence generation server to create and validate electronic contracts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single CA is used for all certificates and signatures in one location, then the certification process is simplified, but the number of required certificates and locations increases, making the system complex and difficult to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the certification process into separate functional components: a proxy CA server that handles certificate verification and identity validation, a contract server that manages contract creation and storage, and a time stamp server that provides temporal validation. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific tasks, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive certification capabilities across multiple locations.
2Ease of operation
If traditional email and fax services are used for contract delivery, then the process is familiar and easy to implement, but the contracts can be manipulated and redistributed, compromising security and reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy CA server as an intermediary between the contracting parties. This intermediary validates digital certificates, verifies identities, and provides cryptographic proof of the contract delivery process. The time stamp server acts as another intermediary that provides authoritative temporal validation. These intermediaries ensure contract integrity and non-repudiation while maintaining ease of operation through automated processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces traditional mechanical contract delivery methods (physical signing, fax services) with electronic cryptographic mechanisms. Digital signatures, certificate validation, and time-stamping provide equivalent or superior security and reliability compared to traditional methods, while enabling remote and automated contract execution.
3Reliability
If comprehensive tracking and verification of contract sending, receipt, and acceptance is implemented, then the reliability and traceability of electronic contracts improve, but the system complexity and number of required components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy CA server performs multiple functions: it validates digital certificates, verifies recipient identities, generates cryptographic proof of delivery, and coordinates with the time stamp server. The contract server manages contract creation, storage, and retrieval while integrating with the certification infrastructure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, managing system complexity while providing comprehensive tracking and verification.
Data Source
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AI summary
The object of the invention relates to a method in which a telecommunications operator or an e-delivery provider can send contracts by email to one or a number of recipients, certifying the content of the contract and with a link to a proxy server of a CA (certification authority) who will verify the digital certificate of the recipient and their identity, resending the communication to a contract server where the contract can be verified, accepted or rejected and generate proof of the transaction as a communications operator where the contract, the contracting entity, the certificate issued by the CA relating to the contracting entity and all the transactional data required to demonstrate the transaction is found.