Patent ID: 8056822

Claim:
A method for certification and later authentication of original information under the form of text or binary files ( 15 ) or of original documents in physical form ( 8 ) provided by an issuer, the method including the following steps: (a) associating the original document ( 8 ) or original information ( 15 ) with a unique and non-reproducible authenticator previously recorded in a centralized database ( 9 ) of a trusted third party, wherein the content integrity of the original document ( 8 ) or original information ( 15 ) is certified by the issuer, wherein the unique and non-reproducible authenticator is a seal ( 7 ); (b) digitalizing opto-electronically said original document ( 8 ) or original information ( 15 ) using a device ( 1 ) enabling the content of the original document ( 8 ) or original information ( 15 ) to be linked with said unique and non-reproducible authenticator ( 7 ) in a single operation, wherein the device ( 1 ) is connected directly or indirectly through a network ( 18 ) to a secured computer recording system ( 10 )( 13 ), wherein the computer recording system ( 10 )( 13 ) is local or remote, wherein the device ( 1 ) is a scanner with a bubble seal ( 6 ) integrated in said scanner enabling simultaneous authentication of the device ( 1 ) and affiliation of the device ( 1 ) with the original document ( 8 ) or original information ( 15 ) upon reading the original document ( 8 ) or the original information ( 15 ) and the seal ( 7 ) associated with the original document ( 8 ) or original information ( 15 ); (c) transmitting to and recording in the secured computer recording system ( 10 )( 13 ) a logical copy ( 8 â€²) of said original document ( 8 ) or original information ( 15 ) and associated authenticator, wherein the logical copy ( 8 â€²) is date/time stamped, non-modifiable, and non-rewriteable, wherein the logical copy ( 8 â€²) is archived in the secured computer recording system ( 10 )( 13 ) at an address corresponding to the associated authenticator; and d) in order to authenticate a presented document or information, comparing said presented document or information with either the logical copy ( 8 â€²) archived in the secured computer recording system ( 10 )( 13 ) or a condensed summary product of an applied hashing function in order to determine whether the presented document or information is the original document ( 8 ) or original information ( 15 ).