Secured Facsimile Transmission via Scrambled Image Encryption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Facsimile transmissions over public networks are insecure, allowing unauthorized access and potential interception due to ease of interception and misdelivery, as they are typically transmitted in plain text and can be intercepted or sent to incorrect recipients.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for secured facsimile transmission that encrypts and compresses facsimile data using a conversion table to create a scrambled image, allowing only intended recipients to view the content, with options for standard and optimized encryption modes to minimize transmission size and time, compatible with existing facsimile standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If facsimile transmission is performed via public network in plain text, then transmission is simple and compatible with existing systems, but security is compromised and data can be intercepted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the facsimile transmission process into distinct secure and non-secure components: the facsimile data itself is encrypted and compressed, while control signals and transmission metadata remain in plain text. This allows the data to be secured without completely breaking compatibility with existing facsimile infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary encryption/compression layer between the original facsimile data and the transmission channel. This intermediary layer transforms the plain text data into encrypted form without requiring changes to the underlying facsimile protocol or receiving equipment.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If encryption is applied to facsimile data, then security is improved, but transmission time and data size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the encryption and compression operations into a single integrated processing step. By combining these two functions, the system achieves both security and size reduction simultaneously, avoiding the penalty of transmitting large encrypted blocks of data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of data representation by converting the facsimile data into a compressed format before encryption. This parameter transformation reduces the amount of data that needs to be encrypted and transmitted, thereby reducing transmission time while maintaining security.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If encryption is applied to facsimile data, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the transmission apparatus to perform multiple functions using a unified approach: the same encryption and compression mechanism handles both data security and data compression, while the control unit manages both encrypted data transmission and plain text control signal handling. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If all data is encrypted, then security is maximized, but transmission efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different quality levels of protection to different parts of the transmission: the facsimile data is encrypted and compressed for maximum security, while control signals and transmission metadata are transmitted in plain text for maximum efficiency. This local differentiation optimizes both security and transmission efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for secured facsimile transmission of a document, comprising the steps of generating at least one image of said document (step a)), reading the pixels of said at least one image into a series of blocks of predetermined size (step b)), converting said series of blocks into a character string based on a conversion table (step c)), encrypting said character string to create an encrypted character string (step d)), compressing said encrypted character string to create a scrambled image (step e)), and transmitting said scrambled image (step f )), wherein an option between a standard encryption mode and an optimized encryption mode is provided, wherein in the standard encryption mode in step a) one image is generated from the entire document and in the optimized encryption mode in step a) a series of images is generated, each image corresponding to one line of the document, in step b) the pixels of each image of said series of images are read into a series of blocks of predetermined size, in step c) said series of blocks corresponding to each image are each converted into a character string, resulting in one character string per image, and in step d) only character strings corresponding to images with at least one non- white pixel are encrypted. The present invention relates further to an apparatus for performing the method of the invention.