DEVICE AND METHOD FOR VERIFYING A CONTENT OF AN ANALOG DOCUMENT

Abstract

A device for verifying a content of an analog document is provided. The device includes a scanning unit being configured to generate a scan information by scanning the analog document and to store the scan information in a storing element being provided on the analog document, and a verification unit being configured to verify the content of the analog document using the stored scan information. Further, a corresponding method for verifying a content of an analog document is provided. Using the provided device for verifying the content of an analog document, it can be ensured that the content of the analog document is not changed by an attacker. If the content is changed, the verification would fail.

Claims

1. A device for verifying a content of an analog document, the device comprising: a scanning unit being configured to generate a scan information by scanning the analog document and to store the scan information in a storing element being provided on the analog document; and p1 a verification unit being configured to verify the content of the analog document using the stored scan information.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the scanning unit is configured to generate a digital signature based on the scan information and to store the digital signature in the storing element.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the scanning unit is configured to generate an error correction information when scanning the analog document and wherein the analog document includes a specific area on which the error correction information is providable.

4. The device according to claim 3, further comprising: a printing unit being configured to print the error correction information to the specific area.

5. The device according to any one of claim 3, wherein the scanning unit is configured to generate a horizontal error correction information and a vertical error correction information.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the printing unit is configured to print the horizontal error correction information to a first segment of the specific area and to print the vertical error correction information to a second segment of the specific area.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the analog document includes a calibration pattern and wherein the scanning unit is configured to be calibrated using the calibration pattern before scanning the analog document.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the storing element is a visual representation of a binary code being attachable to the analog document.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the storing element is a digital secure element being included in the analog document.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the scanning unit is configured to store as scan information at least one scanned version of the analog document.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the verification unit is configured to scan the analog document and to generate a comparison result by comparing the scanned analog document with the at least one stored scanned version of the analog document.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the verification unit is configured to verify the content of the analog document based on the comparison result.

13. The device according to claim 10, wherein the scanning unit is configured to scan the analog document using different scanning parameters and to store for each scanning parameter one scanned version of the analog document.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the verification unit is configured to scan the analog document and to generate a plurality of comparison results by comparing the scanned analog document with each of the stored scanned versions of the analog document and to verify the content of the analog document using the plurality of comparison results.

15. A method for verifying a content of an analog document, the method comprising: generating a scan information by scanning the analog document; storing the scan information in a storing element being provided on the analog document; and verifying the content of the analog document using the stored scan information.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[0064] Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein:

[0065] FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a device for verifying a content of an analog document, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

[0066] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of an analog document used by the device of FIG. 1, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; and

[0067] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a sequence of method steps for verifying a content of an analog document, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] FIG. 1 shows a device 10 for verifying a content 24 of an analog document 20, which will be described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2.

[0069] The device 1 comprises a scanning unit 11, a verification unit 12 and a printing unit 13. Although shown as being integrated into one module, the scanning unit 11, the verification unit 12 and the printing unit 13 may be also located remote from each other.

[0070] The scanning unit 11 scans the analog document 20 and generates a scan information. The scan information is then stored in a storing element 21 being provided on the analog document 20.

[0071] The storing element 21 may be a binary code being printed or glued to the analog document 20. The storing element 21 may also be a digital secure element being embedded in the analog document 20.

[0072] The verification unit 12 verifies the content 24 of the analog document 20 using the stored scan information.

[0073] In one embodiment, the scan information may correspond to a signature which is generated using the scanned version of the analog document 20. In this case, the verification unit 12 may verify whether the stored signature corresponds to the actual content of the analog document.

[0074] In another embodiment, the scan information may correspond to a plurality of scanned versions of the analog document 20. In this case, the verification unit 12 may compare the stored scanned versions with an actual scanned version to verify the content of the analog document.

[0075] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of an analog document 20 being used by the device 10.

[0076] The document comprises a reserved area 24 for analog content. Area 22 may contain a right-hand-side margin used for an horizontal error correction code. Area 23 may contain a bottom-side margin used for a vertical error correction code. Area 21 may be reserved for the storing element 21 in the form of a sticker or a direct print.

[0077] The signature 21 as well as the error correction codes in areas 22, 23 may be printed directly on the paper through a printer.

[0078] In order to calibrate the scanning unit 11, area 21, before adding the signature, there may be a calibration pattern already embedded in the paper. When the sticker 21 is brought to the document 21, it covers the calibration pattern but the format of the signature sticker 21 (e.g. width and length, etc.) may be used for calibration of the entire document 20. Alternatively, an additional area (not shown) may be added to the document 20, e.g. in the upper-right corner of the document 20 or in the top right or left or bottom left area. These area(s) may contain calibration patterns for the scanning unit 11 to work properly.

[0079] The calibration pattern may comprise an embedded identifier for the scanning unit 11 to be able to recognize which resolution (e.g. in DPI—dots-per-inch) to use for scanning the content 21.

[0080] The calibration pattern and/or the signature 21 may comprise information regarding a signing authority. It can also be omitted, in case it can be implicitly determined, e.g. from the analog information contained in area 24. It is also possible to manually select a signing authority in the verification terminal.

[0081] A signing authority may be used for example when some entity owns a private key which is not known by others and is used to digitally sign a document (e.g. by encrypting the result of some hash function). The public key, which is available to everyone, can be used to verify the signature. As long as the relationship between the owner of the public key and the public key itself can be asserted, the same can be said for the verification of the signature of some document. In particular, the process might go through a trusted certification authority which is used for asserting the relationship between the public key owner and the public key itself (through a chain of trust).

[0082] The following is a brief description of the expected life-cycle of the analog signed document 20. An individual takes an already properly formatted piece of paper which follows the patterns shown e.g. in FIG. 2, i.e. with different areas. The individual uses a pen to freely write in the area 24 (i.e. manually). When ready, the document can be given a digital signature by a signing authority, which may be the owner itself or a certifying authority like a government. Two situations might occur:

[0083] First, the document owner signs himself—the verification process can only state that the document 20 comes from the owner and the analog content 21 has not been changed.

[0084] Second, the document 20 may be signed by a signing authority (e.g. government or credited delegate). The document 20 might only be signed if some criteria are fulfilled (which may depend on the signing authority), e.g. the document owner is present. In this case, the signing authority (or a delegate thereof) may later verify the validity of the document 20 that was signed by said authority or delegate thereof. The trust chain is established by the usage of keys and the criteria used for issuing the analog signature.

[0085] FIG. 3 shows a method for verifying a content of an analog document. The method comprises the following steps:

[0086] In a first step 301, a scan information is generated by scanning the analog document 20.

[0087] In a second step 302, the scan information is stored in a storing element 21 being provided on the analog document 20.

[0088] In a third step 303, the content 24 of the analog document 20 is verified using the stored scan information.

[0089] Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail by way of the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not restricted by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived herefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

[0090] For the sake of clarity, it is to be understood that the use of ‘a’ or ‘an’ throughout this application does not exclude a plurality, and ‘comprising’ does not exclude other steps or elements.