Methods and system of devices for managing confidential documents using authentication codes

A method for managing documents within a system of devices, the system comprising a first image forming device having a first security status and a second image forming device having a second security status and a mobile device connected over a network to the first image forming device and the second image forming device, the method comprising:

• receiving a first electronic document having the first security status at the first image forming device to store the first electronic document at the first image forming device, wherein the first security status corresponds to first confidential information within the first electronic document;
• generating a first authentication code corresponding to the first electronic document;
• modifying the first electronic document to remove the first confidential information identified by a first confidential redaction rule and to generate a second electronic document having the second security status, wherein the second electronic document is stored at the second image forming device and wherein the first security status differs from the second security status in that the second security status corresponds to an absence of the first confidential information in the second electronic document;
• generating a second authentication code corresponding to the second electronic document;
• sending the first authentication code to the mobile device;
• scanning the first authentication code on the mobile device at the second image forming device;
• sending the first electronic document to the second image forming device;
• sending the second authentication code to the mobile device;
• and
• scanning the second authentication code on the mobile device at the first image forming device and sending the second electronic document to the first image forming device.