Methods and device for digitally signing data
Methods and device for digitally signing documents ( 140 ) by using a portable device ( 110 ) that encodes a signature string to sound. The acoustic signature string may be transmitted and then decoded ( 150 ) back into digital data. The signature string may be further processed to verify the signature of the document and to produce a certificate of identity and integrity for the document. The certificate of identity and integrity may be used to further identify and validate the document and its signer.
1. A method for digitally signing a document utilizing a portable device, comprising the steps of:
computing an identification code for the portable device;
encoding the identification code into a plurality of analog waves;
transmitting the plurality of analog waves from the portable device to a user node;
decoding the plurality of analog waves into a digital string;
transmitting the document and the digital string from the user node to a recipient node;
transmitting the digital string from the recipient node to a third party node;
processing the digital string to determine the identification code;
identifying the portable device from the identification code;
preparing a certificate of identity for the document;
transmitting the certificate of identity from the third party node to the recipient nodes;
applying a mathematical function to the document to obtain a first result;
entering the first result into the portable device;
encrypting the first result to obtain a cipher text;
wherein the step of encoding comprises encoding the identification code and the cipher text into a plurality of analog waves;
wherein the step of processing comprises processing the digital string to determine the cipher text and the identification code;
decrypting, at the third party node, the cipher text to determine the first result;
wherein the certificate of identity includes the first result;
applying, at the recipient node, the mathematical function to the document to obtain a second result;
retrieving the first result from the certificate of identity; and
comparing the first result to the second result to determine the integrity of the document.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of encrypting comprises encrypting a part of the first result to obtain a cipher text, wherein the step of decrypting comprises decrypting the cipher text to determine the part of the first result, and wherein the certificate of identity includes the part of the first result.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
applying, at the recipient node, the mathematical function to the document to obtain a second result;
retrieving the part of the first result from the certificate of identity; and
comparing the part of the first result to a corresponding part of the second result to determine the integrity of the document.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portable device is an acoustic token.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portable device is a cellular phone.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the document comprises a computer file.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identification code is variable.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of analog waves comprises acoustic information.