Remote Certificate Management for Digital Signature Printer Drivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital signature systems are cumbersome for users, as they require locally stored digital certificates that can be vulnerable to theft or destruction, and involve complex operations for insertion into documents, especially in paperless systems.
Innovation Solution
A digital signature system with a printer driver loaded on the user's computer communicates with a remote certificate server via a network to verify identity and electronically place a digital signature on documents, using a unique identifier for validation, with the certificate and signed document stored remotely for audit trails.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If digital certificate is stored locally on user's computer, then digital signature can be applied, but the certificate is vulnerable to theft or destruction and requires routine updates and verification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the digital certificate from the local user computer and stores it remotely on a server. The user's computer only retains a reference to the remote certificate location. This extraction eliminates the security vulnerabilities of local storage (theft, destruction) while the automated remote management eliminates the operational burden of updates and verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service through automated certificate management. The server automatically handles certificate storage, updates, and verification without requiring user intervention. The printer driver automatically retrieves and uses the current valid certificate, eliminating the need for users to manually update or verify certificates.
2Reliability
If digital certificate is accessible via website, then security is improved, but the number of operations to insert digital signature becomes burdensome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the certificate retrieval and signature insertion operations into a single automated process within the printer driver. The driver automatically obtains the certificate from the remote server, applies it to the document, and completes the signing operation without requiring separate user actions for certificate selection or validation.
Solution Approach 2:
The printer driver acts as an intermediary between the user, the remote certificate server, and the document signing process. It automatically manages the interaction with the remote server to retrieve certificates and handles the technical complexity of signature insertion, presenting a simplified interface to the user.
3Ease of operation
If digital signature process is simplified, then ease of operation improves, but security verification mechanisms may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification of the digital certificate's validity and authenticity before the signature is applied. The printer driver automatically checks that the remote certificate is current and valid, ensuring security verification occurs in advance without requiring user involvement in the complex verification steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the remote server provides verification status information back to the printer driver. The driver receives confirmation that the certificate is valid and current before proceeding with the signature, ensuring security verification is maintained while keeping the user interface simple.
Data Source
AI summary
A digital signature system and method are disclosed. The digital signature system may include a remote certificate server for storing and maintaining at least one digital certificate of a user by a service provider and a digital signature printer driver loaded on the user's computer for communicating with the service provider via a network, such as the Internet. The digital signature printer driver may obtain verification of the user's identity from the service provider via the network and electronically place on a printable document a digital signature of the user based on the remotely stored digital certificate. The system may further include a remote storage server for storing a digital copy of the digitally signed document. The digital signature may include a unique identifier for subsequent validation of the digital signature by the service provider.