Digital Signature Authority Endorsement via Nested Server Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital signature systems fail to conveniently verify the authority of a signer, especially when signing on behalf of a company or with specific privileges, as this information is not readily available within the document and relying on external databases can be impractical and costly for long-term maintenance.
Innovation Solution
An automated method and system that verifies the identity and authority of a signer by using a trusted authority server to receive a signed document, establish the type of document, and add an authority endorsement, which includes an attestation and digital signature to ensure the signer's authority is within limits, eliminating the need for external databases for long-term verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional digital signature systems are used to verify signer identity, then the document authenticity can be confirmed, but the signer's authority information is not readily available and requires external databases for verification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds authority endorsement information directly within the digital signature structure itself. The authority endorsement is nested inside the signature container, which already contains the signer's certificate and signature value. This eliminates the need for external databases by making the authority verification data self-contained within the signature object.
Solution Approach 2:
The authority endorsement is established and embedded in the signature at the time of signing, before any verification takes place. The endorsing authority signs the signer's signature container, creating a pre-validated authority statement that can be verified later without requiring external database queries or additional authority verification steps.
2Reliability
If external databases are used to maintain signer authority information, then authority verification is possible, but long-term maintenance becomes impractical and costly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying on external databases that require ongoing maintenance, the patent creates a self-contained copy of the authority verification information within the digital signature structure. The authority endorsement encapsulates the necessary authority data at the time of signing, making it permanently available without requiring updates or maintenance of external databases.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, long-term database maintenance with a lightweight, self-contained authority endorsement embedded in the signature. This endorsement is created once at signing time and can be verified indefinitely without additional cost or time investment for database maintenance.
3Ease of operation
If authority information is not embedded in the document, then the digital signature structure remains simple, but verifying signer authority becomes inconvenient and impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The authority endorsement is nested within the existing digital signature container structure. The signature container already holds the signer's certificate, signature value, and other metadata; the authority endorsement is simply added as another nested element within this existing structure, leveraging the container's ability to hold multiple related data elements.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and system for endorsing and verifying the authority of a digital signature is provided. The system includes, a server that is operationally coupled to a user's computer via a network link, wherein the server receives a signed document; the server identifies the type of document submitted and the signer's authority to sign it; and if all conditions are met, the server provides a signed statement or endorsement stating the user was authorized to sign the electronic document.