# US 10,373,277 B2 · System and method for electronically providing legal instrument > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,277 B2 - Document ID: US10373277B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/201,480 - Filed: 2016-07-03 - Published: 2017-01-05 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-07-02 - Assignees: Goldman, Sachs & Co. - Applicants: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC - Inventors: Raymond John Kaminski; Anthony Edward Bunnell; William Walter Hurley; David Campos Cardona - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373277B2 ## CPC - G06Q 50/18: Legal services - G06F 21/31: User authentication - G06F 21/64: Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures - H04L 63/083: {using passwords (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226)} - G06F 2221/2111: Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Disclosed subject matter includes systems and methods for providing a witnessed an electronically executed legal instrument, such as a limited power of attorney. The technology disclosed herein allows for the immediate transfer of a witnessed electronic document meeting today's current standards for witnessing of a document, including proximity of parties, and multiple forms of party identity authentication. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for electronically providing an authorized and witnessed legal instrument, the method comprising: establishing a user login event by a user login module, the user login module authenticating user login information, the user login module providing a user login authorization; populating a draft legal instrument by a first instrument populating module; authenticating principal identity information by a principal authentication module, the principal authentication module providing a principal authentication permission; acquiring witness contact information by a witness information acquisition module; confirming witness participation information by a witness confirmation module; authenticating witness identity information by a witness authentication module, the witness authentication module providing a witness authentication permission; populating a final legal instrument by a second instrument populating module, the final legal instrument comprising principal name information of the principal identity information, the final legal instrument comprising witness name information of the witness identity information; confirming co-location information by a proximity confirmation module, the proximity confirmation module providing a proximity permission, wherein confirming co-location comprises generating and transmitting a barcode to at least one electronic device associated with the principal, and generating and transmitting a barcode to an electronic device associated with the witness, and requesting that the principal and witness use their electronic devices to take respective photographs containing faces of the principal and the witness and the barcodes, the respective barcodes defining a time limit during which the photographs are required to be captured and/or transmitted to a server, the co-location of the principal and witness being confirmed based on a time of receipt of the photograph and the barcode; and executing the final legal instrument by an execution module where the principal authentication permission, witness authentication permission, and proximity permission are provided. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the barcode transmitted to the at least one electronic device associated with the principal is different from the barcode transmitted to the electronic device associated with the witness. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the photograph containing the barcode sent to the at least one electronic device associated with the principal is received from the remote electronic device associated with the witness, and the photograph containing the barcode sent to the witness is received from the at least one remote electronic device associated with the principal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each barcode comprises identity information of the person to whom the barcode was transmitted and the person with whom the recipient of the barcode is purportedly co-located. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each photograph received from the electronic device associated with a principal or witness comprises metadata including one or more timestamps, the method comprising comparing the timestamps associated with each received photograph. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein: comparing meta-data associated with the received photographs by determining whether a timestamp associated with the photograph received from the at least one electronic device associated with the principal and a timestamp associated with the photograph received from the electronic device associated with witness are within a predetermined time frame. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein comparing the meta-data associated with the received photographs comprises comparing a timestamp of the creation of each photograph with the timestamp of the storage of that photograph in the memory of the remote electronic device from which that respective photograph is received. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: upon receipt of a transmission of data from the witness and/or principal, comparing location data associated with that transmission with location data associated with another transmission received from the witness and/or principal, the location data associated with each transmission comprising the location of the principal and/or witness at the time the respective transmission is sent. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: communicating execution information for an executed legal instrument over a distributed communications network via a network adapter. ### Claim 10 A computer program product for electronically providing an authorized and witnessed legal instrument, the computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium and including instructions for causing a processor to execute steps comprising: establishing a user login event by a user login module, the user login module authenticating user login information, the user login module providing a user login authorization; populating a draft legal instrument by a first instrument populating module; authenticating principal identity information by a principal authentication module, the principal authentication module providing a principal authentication permission; acquiring witness contact information by a witness information acquisition module; confirming witness participation information by a witness confirmation module; authenticating witness identity information by a witness authentication module, the witness authentication module providing a witness authentication permission; populating a final legal instrument by a second instrument populating module, the final legal instrument comprising principal name information of the principal identity information, the final legal instrument comprising witness name information of the witness identity information; confirming co-location information by a proximity confirmation module, the proximity confirmation module providing a proximity permission, wherein confirming co-location comprises generating and transmitting a barcode to at least one electronic device associated with the principal, and generating and transmitting a barcode to an electronic device associated with the witness, and requesting that the principal and witness use their electronic devices to take respective photographs containing faces of the principal and the witness and the barcodes, the respective barcodes defining a time limit during which the photographs are required to be captured and/or transmitted to a server, the co-location of the principal and witness being confirmed based on a time of receipt of the photograph and the barcode; and executing the final legal instrument by an execution module where the principal authentication permission, witness authentication permission, and proximity permission are provided. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the barcode transmitted to the at least one electronic device associated with the principal is different from the barcode transmitted to the electronic device associated with the witness. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the photograph containing the barcode sent to the at least one electronic device associated with the principal is received from the remote electronic device associated with the witness, and the photograph containing the barcode sent to the witness is received from the at least one remote electronic device associated with the principal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The computer program product of claim 10, wherein each barcode comprises identity information of the person to whom the barcode was transmitted and the person with whom the recipient of the barcode is purportedly co-located. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The computer program product of claim 10, wherein each photograph received from the electronic device associated with a principal or witness comprises metadata including one or more timestamps, the method comprising comparing the timestamps associated with each received photograph. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The computer program product of claim 14, wherein: comparing meta-data associated with the received photographs by determining whether a timestamp associated with the photograph received from the principal and a timestamp associated with the photograph received from the witness are within a predetermined time frame. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer program product of claim 15, wherein comparing the meta-data associated with the received photographs comprises comparing a timestamp of the creation of each photograph with the timestamp of the storage of that photograph in the memory of the remote electronic device from which that respective photograph is received. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising: upon receipt of a transmission of data from the witness and/or principal, comparing location data associated with that transmission with location data associated with another transmission received from the witness and/or principal, the location data associated with each transmission comprising the location of the principal and/or witness at the time the respective transmission is sent. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising: communicating execution information for an executed legal instrument over a distributed communications network via a network adapter.