Patent #US6571334

Patent Title: 
Apparatus and method for authenticating the dispatch and contents of documents
Patent Abstract: 
Apparatus and method for authenticating that a sender has sent certain information via a dispatcher to a recipient is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing a set A comprising a plurality of information elements a1, . . . , an, said information element a1 comprising the contents of said dispatched information, and said one or more information elements a2, . . . , an comprising dispatch-related information and comprise at least the following elements: a2—a time indication associated with said dispatch; and a3—information describing the destination of said dispatch, and wherein at least one of said information elements is provided in a manner that is resistant or indicative of tamper attempts by said sender; (b) associating said dispatch-related information with said element a1 by generating authentication-information, in particular comprising a representation of at least said elements a1, a2 and a3, said representation comprising a set of one or more elements, each comprising a representation of one or more elements of said set A; (c) securing at least part of said authentication-information against undetected tamper attempts of at least said sender. The dispatch relates either to transmission or to manual delivery. The apparatus implements the operations of the method.
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