US 7,607,018 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for collecting electronic signatures

AssigneeIPCom GmbH & Co. KG

InventorsSamuel C. Baxter, Thomas J. Colson

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Abstract

A method of collecting and authenticating electronic signatures and documents signed thereby, including the steps of storing a representation of a first handwritten signature and an associated first authenticated electronic signature of a first signatory in a database, storing a representation of a second handwritten signature and an associated second authenticated electronic signature of a second signatory in the database, creating a message digest for a document file associated with a document to be signed, appending the message digest to the document file, transmitting the document file with the appended message digest to the first and second signatories, receiving the document file with the appended message digest from the first and second signatories after the first and second signatories have affixed their first and second electronic signatures, respectively, to the document file, and, authenticating the first and second signatures, respectively, and the electronically signed document file. An apparatus for implementing the method is also disclosed.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method of collecting and authenticating an electronic signature and document signed thereby, comprising:

storing respective representations of first and second handwritten signatures for first and second signatories and associated first and second authenticated electronic signatures of said first and second signatories, respectively, in a database;
creating a message digest for a document file associated with a document to be signed;
appending said message digest to said document file;
transmitting said document file with said appended message digest;
accepting a representation of a first unauthenticated handwritten signature and a first unauthenticated electronic signature with respect to said transmitted document file;
accepting a second unauthenticated handwritten signature and a second unauthenticated electronic signature with respect to said transmitted document file as verification that an identity of an entity providing said first unauthenticated handwritten signature and said first unauthenticated electronic signature is the same as an identity for said first signatory;
receiving said document file with said appended message digest, said first and second unauthenticated handwritten signatures, and said first and second unauthenticated electronic signatures;
and,
comparing the stored first handwritten signature and the stored first authenticated electronic signature with the first unauthenticated handwritten signature and the first unauthenticated electronic signature, respectively, and the stored second handwritten signature and the stored second authenticated electronic signature with the second unauthenticated handwritten signature and the second unauthenticated electronic signature, respectively, to authenticate said first and second unauthenticated handwritten signatures, said first and second unauthenticated electronic signatures, and said electronically signed document file.

6 more elements

An apparatus for collecting and authenticating an electronic signature and document signed thereby, comprising:

means for storing respective representations of first and second handwritten signatures and associated first and second authenticated electronic signatures of first and second signatories, respectively, in a database;
means for creating a message digest for a document file associated with a document to be signed;
means for appending said message digest to said document file;
transmitting said document file with said appended message digest;
means for accepting a representation of a first unauthenticated handwritten signature and a first unauthenticated electronic signature with respect to said transmitted document file;
means for accepting a second unauthenticated handwritten signature and a second unauthenticated electronic signature with respect to said transmitted document file as verification that an identity of an entity providing said first unauthenticated handwritten signature and said first unauthenticated electronic signature is the same as an identity for said first signatory;
means for receiving said document file with said appended message digest, said first and second unauthenticated handwritten signatures, and said first and second unauthenticated electronic signatures;
and,
means for comparing the stored first handwritten signature and the stored first authenticated electronic signature with the first unauthenticated handwritten signature and the first unauthenticated electronic signature, respectively, and the stored second handwritten signature and the stored second authenticated electronic signature with the second unauthenticated handwritten signature and the second unauthenticated electronic signature, respectively, to authenticate said first and second unauthenticated handwritten signatures, said first and second unauthenticated electronic signatures, and said electronically signed document file.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.