US 2019/0356644 A1 · METHODS FOR AUTHENTICATING PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE DATA

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for authenticating image files when network connections should not or cannot be used to transfer image files. A user device application may capture an image at a user device, generate an image file, and generate a hash file based on the image file. Instead of sending the image file to an authentication server for authentication, the application may send the hash file. If desired, the application may transfer the image file when a desirable network connection is available. Any alteration to the image file in the meantime will result in a different hash file for the altered image file, thus allowing detection of altered image files. This approach offers decreases the amount of data that is required to be transmitted in low or undesirable signal conditions, while maintaining an ability to detect alterations to image files that may have been made in the meantime.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A user device for capturing an image to be authenticated in conjunction with an authentication server accessible to the user device via a network communication, the user device comprising:

one or more physical processors;
and
electronic storage configured to store computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more physical processors, configure the one or more physical processors to:
store one or more predefined rules that control interaction between the user device and the authentication server, the one or more rules specifying one or more conditions that must be satisfied to send image files to the authentication server;
capture an image;
generate an image file based on the captured image;
generate a hash file based on a hash of the image file;
determine a characteristic of a network connection;
determine whether the one or more conditions specified by the one or more predefined rules have been satisfied based on the determined characteristic of the network connection;
and
responsive to a determination that the one or more conditions have been satisfied, cause the image file, the hash file, and/or identifying information that identifies the image file to be sent to the authentication server via the network connection.

8 more elements

A system for authenticating image files generated at user devices, the system comprising:

a user device and a networked authentication server,
wherein the user device is configured by computer program instructions to:
store one or more predefined rules that control interaction between the user device and the authentication server, the one or more rules specifying one or more conditions that must be satisfied to send image files to the authentication server;
capture an image;
generate an image file based on the captured image;
generate a hash file based on a hash of the image file;
determine a characteristic of a network connection;
determine whether the one or more conditions specified by the one or more predefined rules have been satisfied based on the determined characteristic of the network connection;
and
responsive to a determination that the one or more conditions have been satisfied, cause the image file, the hash file, and/or identifying information that identifies the image file to be sent to the authentication server via the network connection,
wherein the networked authentication server is configured by computer program instructions to:
receive, from the user device via the network connection, the user device-generated hash file based on the image file and identifying information that identifies the image file;
store the user device-generated hash file in association with the identifying information;
receive, from the user device, a copy of the image file that was used to generate the user device-generated hash file at the user device and the identifying information that identifies the image file;
store the copy of the image file in association with the identifying information;
receive a request to obtain an authentication of the image file, the request including the identifying information;
in response to the request, obtain the stored user device-generated hash file and the copy of the image file based on the identifying information;
generate a server-generated hash file based on the copy of the image file using the hash function;
compare the user device-generated hash file with the server-generated hash file;
determine whether the user device-generated hash file and the server-generated hash file match, wherein a non-match indicates that the copy of the image file from which the server-generated hash file was generated has been altered relative to the image file from which the user device-generated hash file was generated and wherein a match indicates that the copy of the image file has been unaltered relative to the image file;
generate a result based on the determination of whether the user device-generated hash file and the server-generated hash file match;
and
transmit an indication of the result in response to the request to authenticate the image file.

20 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Methods for authenticating photographic image data

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Methods for authenticating photographic image data

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Abstract

Claims22