Authentic time-stamping for archival storage

A method for verifying the existence of a document comprising:

• postulating a state of existence of the document;
• obtaining, from a server, a proof of existence of the document at a time T;
• obtaining, from a trusted medium, a commitment for time T;
• and testing the postulate by determining whether there is a pre-established correspondence between the proof obtained from the server and the commitment obtained from the trusted medium;
• wherein a successful determination establishes the postulate is true and wherein a negative comparison establishes the postulate is false.

A program product for verify existence of a document comprising:

• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer-executable program code enabling:
• computer-executable program code operating in memory, wherein the computer-executable program code is configured for execution of:
• postulating a state of existence of the document;
• obtaining, from a server, a proof of existence of the document at a time T;
• obtaining, from a trusted medium, a commitment for time T;
• and
• testing the postulate by determining whether there is a pre-established correspondence between the proof obtained from the server and the commitment obtained from the trusted medium;
• wherein a successful determination establishes the postulate is true and wherein a negative comparison establishes the postulate is false.

A computer system to authenticate documents comprising:

• a computer having a memory;
• computer-executable program code operating in memory, wherein the computer-executable program code is configured for execution of:
• postulating a state of existence of the document;
• obtaining, from a server, a proof of existence of the document at a time T;
• obtaining a commitment for time T;
• and
• testing the postulate of the state of existence of the document by determining whether there is a pre-established correspondence between the proof obtained from the server with the commitment;
• wherein a successful comparison establishes the postulate is true and wherein a negative comparison establishes the postulate is false.