# US 10,771,256 B2 · Method for generating an electronic signature

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- Number: US 10,771,256 B2
- Document ID: US10771256B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/568,693
- Filed: 2016-04-25
- Published: 2018-10-18
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2015-04-30
- Assignees: Bundesdruckerei GmbH
- Applicants: Bundesdruckerei GMBH
- Inventors: Christian Seegebarth
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10771256B2

## CPC

- G06F 21/43: wireless channels
- G06F 21/645: {using a third party}
- H04L 9/0897: {involving additional devices, e.g. trusted platform module [TPM], smartcard or USB}
- H04L 9/3215: {using a plurality of channels (network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18)}
- H04L 9/3231: {Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina (network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861)}
- H04L 9/3234: {involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token (network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853)}
- H04L 9/3247: {involving digital signatures}
- H04L 63/168: {above the transport layer}
- H04W 12/06: Authentication
- H04W 12/068: {using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications}
- H04W 12/069: using certificates or pre-shared keys
- 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)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

A method for generating an electronic signature of a user for an electronic document including establishing a secure Internet session between a telecommunication terminal of a user and a signature server computer system; receiving a code from the signature server computer system via a separate and/or separately secured side channel by the telecommunication terminal; transmitting a combination of code and authentication information of the user via the secure Internet session to the signature server computer system; checking the validity of the combination of code and authentication information by the signature server computer system; and generating the electronic signature of the user by a high-security module of the signature server computer system, wherein the private key of the user for generating the electronic signature is stored in the high-security module.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for generating an electronic signature of a user for an electronic document, a telecommunication terminal of a telecommunication network being assigned to the user, said method comprising the following steps:
establishing a secure Internet session between the telecommunication terminal of the user and a signature server computer system,
receiving a code from the signature server computer system via a separate and/or separately secured side channel by the telecommunication terminal,
transmitting a combination of code and authentication information of the user via the secure Internet session to the signature server computer system,
checking the validity of the combination of code and authentication information by the signature server computer system, and
generating the electronic signature of the user by a high-security module of the signature server computer system, wherein the private key of the user for generating the electronic signature is stored in the high-security module, wherein the method further comprises the following steps for an initial registration of the user by the signature server computer system:
authenticating the user to an ID token assigned to the user, wherein the ID token has a protected memory area, in which attribute values of attributes of the user are stored,
authenticating the signature server computer system to the ID token via the Internet,
establishing a connection with end-to-end encryption between the signature server computer system and the ID token via the Internet and the telecommunication terminal,
transmitting the attribute values of the user from the ID token to the signature server computer system via the connection with end-to-end encryption, and
storing a user profile of the user, which profile contains the attribute values of the user received from the ID token, in order to carry out the registration of the user by the signature server computer system.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the code is a random value or a pseudorandom value which is generated by the signature server computer system on the basis of the receipt of a signature request for the generation of the electronic signature via the secure Internet session.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the secure Internet session is an https session.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the code is received by the telecommunication terminal via the side channel of the mobile communication network as an SMS message or as a generated automatic voice message.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the user is authenticated to the telecommunication terminal, for example by the user logging in to the signature server computer system via the secure Internet session, so that the identity of the user is recognised by the signature server computer system.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein the electronic document to be signed is stored in a memory area of the signature server computer system accessible to the logged-in user, wherein the user selects the document via the secure Internet session, so that the document is transmitted to the telecommunication terminal and visualised there via the secure Internet session, whereupon the user sends the signature request for the generation of the electronic signature for the selected electronic document to the signature server computer system via the secure Internet session.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method according to claim 6, wherein the electronic document has an identifier, the identifier is captured by the user with the aid of the telecommunication terminal, the telecommunication terminal sends a message, which includes the identifier, and the signature server computer system identifies the user on the basis of the message, accesses the electronic document with the aid of the identifier, and stores said document in the memory area of the user.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the telecommunication terminal generates an SMS message and sends it to the signature server computer system via the mobile communication network, wherein the SMS message contains the identifier of the document.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the authentication of the user to the ID token comprises the following steps:
capturing a biometric feature of the user by an interface,
comparing the captured biometric feature with a biometric feature stored on the ID token by the ID token, and
authenticating the user if the captured biometric feature matches the stored biometric feature.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 comprising the following further steps for the initial registration of the user by the signature server computer system:
reading at least one biometric feature of the user stored in the ID token from the ID token by the telecommunication terminal,
detecting the attribute values of the user,
transmitting the stored biometric feature from the telecommunication terminal to the signature computer system with end-to-end encryption,
capturing at least one biometric feature of the user corresponding to the stored biometric feature by an interface of the telecommunication terminal,
transmitting the captured biometric feature from the telecommunication terminal to the signature computer system with end-to-end encryption, and
comparing the stored biometric feature and the captured biometric feature on the signature computer system and identifying the user if the stored biometric feature and the captured biometric feature match.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method according to claim 10, wherein the biometric feature is read by means of an interface of the telecommunication terminal, in particular by means of a camera, and the corresponding biometric feature of the user is captured using the same interface.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the electronic document contains at least one input field, wherein the signature server computer system accesses the user profile in order to enter one of the attribute values into the at least one input field.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method according to claim 12, wherein the input field and the attribute of which the attribute value is entered into the input field are semantically associated with one another.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method according to claim 12 comprising the following steps:
sending a first attribute specification-from the signature computer system to an ID provider computer system via the communication network, wherein the first attribute specification specifies the attributes required by the signature computer system in order to fill out the input fields of the document,
authenticating the user to the ID token,
authenticating the ID provider computer system to the ID token,
authenticating the ID token to the ID provider computer system,
establishing a first secure transmission channel with end-to-end encryption between the ID token and the ID provider computer system via the network,
performing a first read access of the ID provider computer system to the ID token in order to read the attributes according to the first attribute specification from the ID token,
transmitting a first set of the attributes specified in the first attribute specification and stored in the memory area of the ID token from the ID token to the ID provider computer system via the first secure transmission channel,
generating a second attribute specification of a second set of the attributes of the first attribute specification, which specifies those attributes which are not contained in the first set, and transmitting the second attribute specification from the ID provider computer system to the ID token via the first secure transmission channel,
storing the second attribute specification in the ID token,
authenticating an attribute provider computer system to the ID token,
authenticating the ID token to the attribute provider computer system,
establishing a second secure transmission channel with end-to-end encryption between the attribute provider computer system and the ID token, wherein the first secure transmission channel remains unchanged,
transmitting the second attribute specification from the ID token to the attribute provider computer system via the second secure transmission channel,
performing a write access of the attribute provider computer via the second secure transmission channel in order to store attributes according to the second attribute specification in the ID token,
performing a second read access of the ID provider computer system via the first secure transmission channel in order to read the attributes stored by the attribute provider computer system in accordance with the second attribute specification in the ID token,
outputting the attributes read from the ID token on the basis of the read access by the ID provider computer system to the signature computer system, and
inputting the attributes into the input fields of the document.

### Claim 15

A telecommunication terminal for requesting the generation of an electronic signature of a user for an electronic document from a signature server computer wherein the telecommunication terminal is assigned to the user, said telecommunication terminal configured to:
establish a secure Internet session between the telecommunication terminal and the signature server computer system,
receive the electronic document to be signed via the secure Internet session from the signature server computer system, and/or visualize the electronic document on a visualisation device of the telecommunication terminal,
transmit a request of the user via the secure Internet session for the generation of the electronic signature by the signature server computer system for the electronic document visualised on the visualisation device,
receive a code from the signature server computer system via a separate and/or separately secured side channel of the communication network, and
transmit a combination of the code and authentication information of the user to the signature server computer system via the secure Internet session, wherein the telecommunication terminal comprises a communication interface for establishing a local connection to an ID token of the user, and wherein said telecommunication terminal is further configured to:
authenticate the user to the ID token, and
enable attributes of the user stored in the ID token to be read via the local connection by the signature server computer system with end-to-end encryption between the ID token and the signature server computer system.

### Claim 16

A signature server computer system for generating an electronic signature of a user for an electronic document, said system configured to:
establish a secure Internet session between a telecommunication terminal of the user and the signature server computer system, wherein the telecommunication terminal comprises a communication interface for establishing a local connection to an ID token of the user,
generate and send a code from the signature server computer system to the telecommunication terminal via a side channel of the mobile communication network,
receive a combination of the code and authentication information of the user via the secure Internet session,
check the validity of the combination of the code and of the authentication information by the signature server computer system, wherein
said signature server computer system comprises a high-security module configured to store the private key of the user for generating the electronic signature of the user, and wherein said system is further configured to:
authenticate itself to the ID token via the Internet session, the telecommunication terminal and the local connection,
establish a connection, with end-to-end encryption, with the ID token via the Internet session, the telecommunication terminal and the local connection,
send a read command to the ID token via the connection with end-to-end encryption for reading attribute values from the ID token,
receive the attribute values via the connection with end-to-end encryption, and
store the attribute values as part of registration data for the user.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The signature server computer system according to claim 16, wherein the system is further configured to generate a random value or a pseudorandom value for generation of the code, and generate an SMS message in order to send the code via the side channel of the communication network to the telecommunication terminal of the user.