Lenovo Seeks Blockchain Patent For Document Validation

Lenovo filed a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for an electronic device to ensure the integrity of a signed physical document using blockchain technology, according to a recent filing. The device identifies an integrity symbol in a physical document and converts it into a card that allows the device to verify the integrity of the document

The application, number 20180046889, published on February 15, 2018, was filed on August 1, 2016 by Lenovo Pte. Ltd from Singapore. Listed inventors include Robert James Kapinos of Durham, NC, Timothy Winthrop Kingsbury of Cary, NC, Scott Wentao Li of Cary, NC, Russell Speight VanBlon of Raleigh, NC.
The electronic device includes an imager that creates a digital image of the document. The device contains a processor, a memory, a document integrity module, an input device with an imager, and an output device with a printer.

Answer to a need
The filing notes that companies have not embraced digital signatures largely because of the technological complexity and lack of a widely accepted standard. When a paper document is physically signed in ink, then scanned, faxed or emailed, there is no guarantee that the text has not been changed after the document was signed, the filing notes.

Digital signature technologies do not currently provide tamper-proof mechanisms to verify ink-printed documents, filing notes.

Embodiments for the device may take the form entirely of hardware, entirely software or a combination of both.

The storage device may include an electrical connection; a laptop diskette; a hard disc; random access memory; a read-only memory; an erasable, programmable and read-only memory; a compact disc, portable, read-only; an optical storage device; a magnetic storage device; or any combination of the above.

Read also: Official: Arizona law recognizes blockchain signatures and smart contracts

Cryptographic Hash deployed
To ensure the integrity of a physical document, a cryptographic hash is taken from the areas in the document that contains the content, ranking notes. A table such as a hash table is formed containing the cryptographic hashes corresponding to the physical document. The areas of the document can then be modified and are included in a hash table. The table is converted to a printable form and included in the document. The printable form encodes the health card in a format that can be analyzed and used to verify the integrity of the document.

When the document is printed and scanned, the integrity symbol is decoded to obtain the integrity card. The content can then be compared to the health card to verify that no changes have been made since the integrity symbol was printed.

In an implementation, a new integrity map is created by computing cryptographic hashes of the same areas as the printed document. If it is not compatible with the scanned health card, the document has been modified.

The authenticity of any electronic or printed version can be verified by examining the brand integrity symbol.

The depot includes a detailed explanation of the embodiments and a detailed description of the functional units and features.