Reliable document authentication system
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorJose Pastor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for reliably authenticating a document includes a device having a decryption key therein that, upon application to information provided by a user, reveals not only a plain text message indicating the source of the authentication but, in addition, provides the decryption key for use with the information provided by the mailer.
Claims17
A method for authenticating documents sent by a user to an authentication service, comprising the steps of:
- (a) generation by a third party of a first pair of encryption keys E.sub.1, D.sub.1 and at least a second pair of encryption keys E.sub.i, D.sub.i ;
- (b) said third party:
- (b1) maintaining said key E.sub.1 in privacy;
- (b2) providing said key E.sub.i to said user;
- (b3) providing said key D.sub.1 to said authentication service;
- (b4) encrypting a message M with said key E.sub.1, said message M comprising said key Di;
- (b5) providing said encrypted message E.sub.1 [M] to said user;
- (c) said user:
- (c1) incorporating said encrypted message E.sub.1 [M] into said document;
- (c2) encrypting additional information P with said key E.sub.i ;
- (c3) incorporating said additional encrypted information E.sub.i [P] into said document;
- and,
- (c4) delivering said document to said authentication service;
- and
- (d) said authentication service:
- (d1) decrypting said encrypted message E.sub.1 [M] with said key D.sub.1 to obtain said key D.sub.i ;
- and
- (d2) decrypting said additional encrypted information E.sub.i [P] with said key D.sub.i.
A system for use by a third party to authenticate documents sent by a user to a third party, comprising:
- (a) means for generating a first pair of encryption keys E.sub.1, D.sub.1 and at least a second pair of encryption keys E.sub.i, D.sub.i ;
- (b) means for providing said key E.sub.i to said user;
- (c) means for providing said key D.sub.1 to said authentication service;
- (d) means for encrypting a message M with said key E.sub.1 ;
- said message comprising said key D.sub.i ;
- and
- (e) means for providing said encrypted message E.sub.1 [M] to said user.
A system for use by a user to authenticate documents sent by said user to an authentication service, comprising:
- (a) means for receiving a key E.sub.i from a third party, said key E.sub.i forming part of a pair of encryption/decryption keys E.sub.i, D.sub.i ;
- (b) means for receiving a message E.sub.1 [M] encrypted with a key E.sub.1, said message M comprising said key D.sub.i ;
- (c) means for incorporating said encrypted message E.sub.1 [M] into said document;
- (d) means for encrypting additional information P with said key E.sub.i ;
- and,
- (e) means for incorporating said encrypted additional information E.sub.i [P] into said document.
A system for use by an authentication service to authenticate a document said document comprising an encrypted message E.sub.1 [M], said encrypted message E.sub.1 [M] comprising a key D.sub.i and said document further comprising additional information encrypted with a key E.sub.i, E.sub.i [P], said keys forming an encryption decryption pair E.sub.i, D.sub.i, said system comprising:
- (a) means for storing a decryption key D.sub.1, said key D.sub.1 forming an encryption/decryption pair E.sub.1, D.sub.1 with said key E.sub.1 ;
- (b) means for decrypting said encrypted message E.sub.1 [M] to obtain said key D.sub.i ;
- (c) means for decrypting said additional encrypted information E.sub.i [P] to obtain information P.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.