OA20698A - A computer-implemented method for securely establishing an asset liability transfer document. - Google Patents

Abstract

Method (1) implemented by computer for establishing a document transferring responsibility for an asset, characterized in that it comprises: - The acquisition (11) of a plurality of data entered by a user; - The creation of a journal (12) of entry; - A step of calculating a final security key (13); - A storage step (14); and - A digital editing step (15) of a responsibility transfer document based on said acquired data.

Description

Description

Title of the invention: process implemented by computer for the secure establishment of a document transferring responsibility for an asset

The invention relates to a method implemented by computer for the secure establishment of a document transferring responsibility for an asset.

[0002] In particular, the invention relates to the secure establishment of a status sheet for a rental property when picking up and/or handing over the property, in particular for the rental of a vehicle. automobile.

[0003] The invention is however not only limited to the field of rental, it also applies to the related fields of insurance - report before subscription of the policy and declaration of loss -, in the context of fleet management. cars by companies/administrations, leaving factories by manufacturers to identify poor workmanship and/or defects on new vehicles.

The method according to the invention can also be used in different general fields such as real estate rental.

[0005] In the field of the rental of motor vehicles, and more generally in the field of the rental of goods, the establishment of a condition sheet, also called a report, inventory of fixtures or even report, is necessary as long as when taking the property and when handing it over, in order to certify the condition of the property during the transfer of responsibilities.

[0006] These inventories are usually carried out by a contradictory statement of the tenant and the owner, noting on a physical document, generally a paper sheet, the state of wear and the damage present on the property to be rented or on the property handed over; the document is then signed by both parties.

[0007] The introduction of digital technologies has allowed the appearance of digital reports, for which the paper document is replaced by an electronic form, completed by one of the two parties during the contradictory inventory.

[0008] However, the known digital inventory solutions do not provide sufficient security for the document obtained.

[0009] Indeed, the stored information is generally falsifiable thereafter, in a relatively undetectable manner, which creates a legal risk in the establishment of such findings.

[0010] This is why there is a need for a secure and reliable method for establishing a document transferring liability for an asset, such as a rental asset, in particular a motor vehicle.

[0011] To this end, a computer-implemented method for establishing a document transferring responsibility for a property is proposed, comprising:

[0012] - The acquisition of a plurality of data entered by a user, each acquired data corresponding to information of said document; said data being entered one after the other by said user;

[0013] The creation of an entry log forming a chronological sequence of data entry by said user;

[0014] - A step of calculating a final security key based on said data entered by said user;

[0015] A step of storing said acquired data, said input log and said security key; and

[0016] - A digital editing step of a responsibility transfer document based on said acquired data.

[0017] Thus, a transfer of responsibility document, also called a report, can be edited in a secure manner, by associating this document with security data capable of authenticating its content.

[0018] Advantageously and in a non-limiting manner, the method comprises, after the entry step, a step of forming a first security key log, so that for each entry of the entry log, the first key log security includes a key calculated based on said input. Thus, one can obtain a data log and a log of associated security keys, so that each security key allows the verification of the authenticity of each associated data of the data log.

[0019] Advantageously and in a non-limiting manner, the method further comprises an incremental security key calculation step in which a first key is calculated during the acquisition of a first datum entered by said user, and for each acquisition from a following datum entered by the user, a following security key is calculated as a function of said datum entered and of the previous security key. Thus, a final security key can be obtained incrementally, in other words obtained by taking into account all the data acquired.

[0020] Advantageously and in a non-limiting manner, said security keys calculated during the incremental security key calculation step are stored in a chained manner, so as to form an incremental security key log. Thus, it is possible to trace all the keys calculated incrementally, which improves the ability to detect a potential discrepancy between the stored data and a previously established report.

[0021] Advantageously and in a non-limiting manner, at least said final security key is stored in a decentralized manner, in particular on a Blockchain. Thus, the security of the storage of the security key can be improved.

[0022] Advantageously and without limitation, the acquisition step comprises the acquisition of at least one multimedia content, such as a digital image or a digital video, each associated with a distinct fingerprint calculated by a calculation of fingerprint separate from other acquired data and/or stored in a media content fingerprint log separate from other acquired data. Thus, one can authenticate and secure the acquisition of multimedia content in a relatively simple and fast way when creating a secure report.

The invention also relates to a method implemented by computer for verifying the authenticity of a document established by said method described above, comprising:

[0024] The acquisition of a set of stored data, an associated security key and an associated input log;

[0025] The calculation of a second security key based on said associated input log and said stored data;

The comparison between the associated security key and the second security key, if the two keys are identical, said document being authentic.

Thus, the validity of a report created with the establishment process described above can be determined with certainty.

In this sense the invention solves the problem obtained by the advantageous combination of the two claimed methods, on the one hand by the creation of a report associated with authentication data and a security key and on the other hand verification of this report with stored data.

The invention also relates to a data processing device, such as a server, a personal computer, a telephone, a tablet, or any other device, comprising means for implementing the steps of the method for establishing as described above and/or the steps of the verification method described above.

The invention also relates to a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, lead the latter to implement the steps of the establishment method described previously and/or the steps of the verification method as described above.

The invention also relates to a computer-readable data medium, such as a hard disk, a CD-Rom, a DVD-Rom, a flash memory, a ROM, and any other medium known to man. of the profession, on which is recorded one or more computer programs described above.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the description given below of a particular embodiment of the invention, given as an indication but not limiting, with reference to the appended drawings on which :

[0033] [Fig. 1] is a flowchart of a process for establishing a liability transfer document according to one embodiment of the invention;

[0034] [Fig. 2] is a detailed flowchart of a security key creation step according to the embodiment of Figure 1; and

[0035] [Fig. 3] is a flowchart of a verification method according to one embodiment of the invention.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, a device such as a computer, a server providing an input interface, or any other mobile computing device such as a smartphone or a digital tablet, implements a process for the secure establishment of a document transferring responsibility for an asset.

[0037] In the context of this invention, we mean a document transferring responsibility for a property, any document for the inventory of fixtures, the condition of movable or immovable property, or any other finding, contradictory or not, to establish the condition of an item on a certain date.

[0038] Such a document, also referred to interchangeably in the rest of the description as report, inventory or report, thus comprises a succession of textual and visual data, such as images and videos. Any other type of digital data may be included such as digital documents, digitized sounds, depending on the field or property to which the statement is applied.

[0039] The invention can therefore be applied to any property, movable or immovable, and to any associated activity such as real estate rental, car rental or any other property, conveyance, provision, guarding, logistics, insurance, etc.

The method 1, with reference to Figures 1 and 2, comprises a succession of steps associated with a user interface.

The method implemented by computer is also called in the rest of the description application or computer program.

[0042] Thus, to create a new finding, the method requires in a first step a secure connection of the user.

In this embodiment, the connection is made by an authentication combining an individual identifier, such as an email address, a telephone number, a registration and a password or a single-use code composed of several alphanumeric characters, communicated by message.

For those users with an individual account, the account is stored in a database and is also associated with a unique identification number. Some users are attached to a legal entity account (company, administration, etc.) and therefore do not have an individual account.

[0045] When a user connects to make a report, he authenticates himself, chooses the form corresponding to the core business sought (such as rental, insurance, conveyance of goods, etc.) or allocated to the legal person to which it is attached, and/or the type of property to be inspected (car, boat, apartment, etc.).

[0046] Depending on this data, the method offers the user a form for entering information.

This form, also called models or template, is a document comprising predefined fields to be completed by the user.

[0048] Although the nature of the data collected differs depending on the type of inspection and customer needs, the forms are generally divided into sections containing fields to be completed, relating respectively to:

- To the persons concerned/sign atia ries. This involves filling in fields such as surname and first name, company to which you are attached, function, telephone number, email, etc.

- To the property subject to the inspection. This is to provide the references of the property: brand / model, registration, unique identification number (VIN), type and address for real estate;

- Guided photos (also called photo-scans) of the property intended to provide visual proof of the condition of the property;

- Free photos intended to provide additional visual information to the extent that the user deems it necessary, on the condition of the property;

- When the report is signed by the person(s) initiating and/or concerned.

Also when the user completes the form, he enters data acquired by the process, each data being associated with a predefined field of the form.

The objective of the invention is to make it possible to certify that the information contained in the final report actually corresponds to the data entered by the initiator of the report, and to the photos of the property taken using the process implemented. work by computer, and that they have not been modified by an unauthorized person either during or after the completion of the inventory.

In other words, it is therefore a question of guaranteeing the integrity of the data in the report both during the production of the inventory and after the generation of the report.

Several security means have been put in place, the combination of which results in a process for securing data/information in the sense of preserving their integrity.

To this end, several security elements have been implemented.

[0054] When a user connects to the Application to create a report, he performs a certain number of actions such as choosing a form template, filling in the fields, taking photos, signing the report.

Each of its actions is acquired 11 by the process 1 in the form of acquisition data, recorded by the process.

Also the method 1 comprises a step 11 of acquisition of a plurality of data entered by a user, each acquired data corresponding to information of said document.

[0057] As these data are entered one after the other by the user, the set of successive acquisitions is called the Entry Journal.

The method 1 for this purpose implements a step 12 of creating an entry log forming a chronological sequence of data entry by said user.

The log thus traces chronologically all the actions that led to the generation of the final report and makes it possible to trace the history of the report.

The log, and the other logs according to the invention, can be stored in the form of a file, in a database or in any other suitable digital format.

The log creation step 12 can be performed in parallel with the acquisition step 11, in the sense that each time a datum is entered by the user and acquired 11 by the method, it is added 12 to the real-time log.

In particular, in this embodiment of the invention, after each addition of a piece of data to the log during the log creation step 12, the log is encrypted and saved locally on the device implementing the process.

[0063] The encryption of the log can be carried out by any known encryption method suitable for protecting a data log and for being saved in a file stored locally, for example on a memory storage device of the device, such as a disk. hard or flash memory.

[0064] Any encryption algorithm can be implemented, such as Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Data Encryption Standard (DES) or the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) algorithm, when the method is suitable to encrypt the log regularly before storing it locally.

[0065] The encrypted log file is temporarily stored locally on the device implementing the method, such as a mobile device, smartphone or tablet, so as to be able to operate even in the absence of a remote communication such as a Wifi or GSM network.

However, the local storage is only temporary, until the return of a communication network allowing the transmission of the encrypted log file to a secure remote server.

The permanent storage of the log files is carried out on a remote server and the local files are deleted after transfer to the remote server.

[0068] Thus, the log is created, encrypted and stored, in real time with each entry, which makes it possible to ensure high security and optimal monitoring of the actions of the user, even in the event of untimely closing of the software, while ensuring that the log file is not modified fraudulently.

[0069] In addition to the data entered by the user in an active manner, such as connection actions, filling in fields, taking photos, importing contacts, accepting contractual conditions, other events can be acquired in the log. . We then speak of events automatically captured by the system, on a regular or occasional basis, such as the identification of the user or the identification and geographical location of the device creating the report.

[0070] All these constituent elements of the final report, automatic seizures and acquisitions, form elements called traces of constitution of the report, and more simply traces.

Each trace is thus an element added to the log, the set of traces forming the final log for creating the report.

Thus, by replaying the entire final log from the first trace to the last trace, the report can be obtained again as created.

[0073] However, one of the objectives of the invention is precisely to be able to certify that the log has not been modified a posteriori, whether it is a voluntary modification, for example malicious, or a corrupted data.

[0074] Thus, by way of example for an automobile report, the method can log the following traces:

[0075] A date and time of completion of the trace;

[0076] The identification of the user at the origin of the traced event;

[0077] Identification of the type of event;

[0078] The geographical location of the event (geographical location of the device used to carry out the inventory);

[0079] A unique evidence identifier.

In the case of a vehicle inventory, for example, the fields below can be listed as traces.

[0081] - Identification of the operating system integrated into the computer device used to carry out the report (IOS, Android, etc.)

[0082] - User's first and last name

[0083] - reference number used to identify the User;

[0084] - public identifier, such as email address;

[0085] - geographical location of the device used to carry out the inventory;

[0086] - geographical parameters read by the system corresponding to the altitude

[0087] - geographical parameters recorded by the system corresponding to the latitude;

[0088] - geographical parameters recorded by the system corresponding to the longitude;

[0089]- timestamp of entries or regular timestamp

[0090] - Position in the form being edited

[0091] - Section of the form template, if the form template is divided into separate sub-parts

[0092] - vehicle registration number;

[0093] - old value as part of the replacement or correction of an incorrect previous entry;

[0094] - photo of the front of the vehicle;

[0095] - photo of the front left side of the vehicle;

[0096] - photo of the front right side of the vehicle;

[0097] - photo of the rear left side of the vehicle;

[0098] - photo of the rear right side of the vehicle;

[0099] - photo of the rear face of the vehicle;

[0100] - photos freely taken by the user;

[0101] In addition, among the automatically acquired events, the following traces can be logged:

[0102] - initialization of a report from a template;

[0103] - reopening of a pending report;

[0104] - recovery of a report and/or a log after a crash (bug or other incident having interrupted the inventory in progress);

[0105] - start of a profile import;

[0106] - end of a profile import;

[0107] - starting a report import from the directory;

[0108] - end of importing the report from the directory;

[0109] - finalization of a step and request by the user to move on to the next step of creating the report;

[0110] - the user prematurely ends the creation of the report with saving of the report state, for example by clicking on "exit and save" in a user interface;

[0111] - The user accepts contractual conditions, for example by ticking an appropriate box.

More generally, the method also logs the loading of any data obtained dynamically, whether it is internal data loaded after the start of the method or external data acquired for example via an interface mechanism programming (better known by the English acronym of API).

[0113] Such dynamically loaded data may for example include data relating to a fleet comprising all of the goods, in this embodiment of the vehicles, recorded in the database and being associated with the user, either because he had to make findings relating to these goods, either because he added them through a dedicated functionality of the software associated with the method according to the invention.

[0114] In this case, the fleet import therefore refers to the automatic selection of an already registered asset.

[0115] By such an import, when the user selects the asset, all the related information is displayed automatically and fills in the fields of the form provided for this purpose (eg brand, VIN, registration, etc.). This automatic filling action is also logged by the method.

In order to constitute a cryptographic proof of the authenticity of the report, the method then implements a calculation step (13) of a final security key depending on the data entered by the user and the data acquired automatically by the process.

For each trace recorded in the log, a unique hash is calculated 131 from a hash function, from English to hash; in other words, we proceed to calculate a hash of this data.

A hash function is a function calculating a hash, also called a signature, hash, or hash, unique from the data or data provided.

The hash function, sometimes called the condensation function, makes it possible to obtain a digest of a text, that is to say a fairly short sequence of characters representing the text that it condenses.

The hash function is such that it associates one and only one fingerprint with a clear text. Therefore, the slightest modification of the document leads to the modification of its fingerprint.

[0121] On the other hand, it is a one-way function, so that it is impossible to find the original message from the digest. If there is a way to retrieve the plaintext message from the hash, the hash function is said to be “secretly breached”.

The length of the hash must always be the same, regardless of the length of the input data, although the invention could be adapted to operate with variable hash lengths.

[0123] It is not possible to find the original data from the fingerprints: The hash functions only work in one direction.

In this embodiment of the invention, the hash function is a SHA-256 function. However, the invention is not limited to a single hash function, many alternatives of which are known to those skilled in the art.

The transformation 131 of a trace by the hash function gives a fingerprint or hash, called Blockhash. In other words, the fingerprint of a trace in the log is called the Blockhash.

From the hash of each trace, a log 133, 133' of security keys is created.

More precisely in this embodiment of the invention, two logs 133, 133' are created, on the one hand a log 133' forming a chaining of Blockhashes, and on the other hand an incremental hash log 133.

Indeed, each fingerprint, which in this embodiment is in the form of a string of 64 characters, is associated 132, by calculation with the hash function, with the fingerprint of the following trace in the log, creating a new hash, and so on, down to the last trace. In other words, we obtain a hash calculated 132 incrementally with the previous hash successively calculated, called current hash, or also incremental hash.

Thus, the incremental hash log 133 comprises a succession of hashes, each formed from the combination of a trace associated with the previous hash of the log 133, in other words with the previous incremental hash.

However, although the creation of the two key logs 133, 133' is preferred, the invention can also be implemented with only the creation of one of the two logs 133, 133'.

[0131] In the case of photos, the fingerprint of each photo of the inventory report is also calculated using a hash function here SHA-1, and is in the form of a series of 40 characters.

The evidence of the photos alone can thus, according to one implementation of the invention, be separated from the other traced elements.

[0133] Furthermore, the photos can also be stored in a separate journal.

[0134] However, photo metadata can be added to the main log in order to strengthen the ability to authenticate the data in the report.

The last calculated incremental hash, i.e. the last calculated incremental hash, which corresponds to the hash of the last trace acquired before the end of report editing calculated with the previous incremental hash, corresponds to the final security key.

[0136] The final hash of the log, also called the final security key, is then recorded 134 in a Blockchain, in this embodiment in the public Bitcoin Blockchain.

This process makes it possible to obtain irrefutable proof of the existence of the data contained in the log and, by extension, in the inventory report generated.

The process then proceeds to a step of digital editing 15 and/or physical printing of the final report.

In this embodiment of the invention, the report is edited in an encapsulated file format, here PDF, but any other mode of editing the report can be implemented by those skilled in the art.

[0140] In particular, the edited document is signed, via an electronic stamp affixed by method 1, so as to certify the creation of this file by this method 1, for example with a stamp based on a digital certificate issued by a trusted certification authority.

The invention also relates to a verification method 3 of the authenticity of a document established by said creation method 1 above.

The method 3, with reference to FIG. 3, comprises a step 31 for acquiring the stored data, an associated security key and an entry log, associated with the report to be verified.

The acquired elements are thus acquired by the method on a platform, for example a remote and private server.

From the acquired data 31, a second security key, called verification key, is calculated 32 with the same hashing process as for the creation of the report, from the data of the associated input log and of said stored data.

Once the verification key has been calculated, using the same calculation method as for creation method 1, it is compared 33 to the final security key,

The final security key having been able to be acquired during the acquisition step 31 or during another acquisition step, for example by acquiring it on a Blockchain, such as the public Blockchain of Bitcoin.

If it is found during the comparison 33 between the associated security key and the second security key, that the two keys are identical then the document is authentic 34.

[0148] On the other hand, if the two keys are different, then it is established that the log does not comply with the associated report.

Thus, the two methods 1 and 3 make it possible to secure the creation and verification of reports.

[0150] In particular, the sealing of traces in the Blockchain gives rise to the generation of an anchor receipt or proof receipt, which is a file containing all the information necessary to verify the existence of the data (traces ) contained in a log, and their timestamp. The proof format used in this embodiment of the invention is Chainpoint 1.0.

[0151] Such a file thus attests to the recording in the Blockchain of the final security key; the registration of the key in the Blockchain with the aim of guaranteeing its integrity.

[0152] The proof receipt can thus be communicated in the event of litigation or pre-litigation, at the request of any person interested in verifying the data of a log. The recipient can thus carry out the verification in two stages:

[0153] He can first of all check the reality of the anchoring of the data fingerprint in the Blockchain. To do this, he will use the proof receipt and carry out a search on a dedicated website;

[0154] Secondly, he will recalculate the fingerprint of the data using the method according to the invention and will compare the fingerprint obtained with the fingerprint sealed in the Blockchain.

Claims (10)

Claims [Claim 1] Process (1) implemented by computer for establishing a document transferring responsibility for an asset, characterized in that it comprises: - The acquisition (11) of a plurality of data entered by a user, each acquired data corresponding to information of said document; said data being entered one after the other by said user; - The creation of an entry log (12) forming a chronological sequence of data entry by said user; - A step of calculating a final security key (13) based on said data entered by said user; - A step of storing (14) said acquired data, said input log and said security key; and - A digital editing step (15) of a responsibility transfer document based on said acquired data. [Claim 2] Method (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the method comprises, after the entry step, a step of constituting (133') a first security key log, so that for each entry of the input log (12), the first security key log (133') includes a computed key (131) based on said input. [Claim 3] Method (1) according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the method further comprises an incremental security key calculation step (132) in which a first key (131) is calculated during the acquisition of a first datum entered by said user, and for each acquisition of a following datum (130) entered by the user, a next security key (131) is calculated as a function of said datum entered and of the security key previous. [Claim 4] Method according to Claim 3, characterized in that the said security keys calculated during the incremental security key calculation step (132) are stored in a chained manner (133), so as to form a log of incremental security keys. [Claim 5] Method according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least the said final security key is stored (134) in a decentralized manner, in particular on a Blockchain. [Claim 6] A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the acquiring step comprises acquiring at least one multimedia content, such as a digital image or a digital video, each associated with a separate fingerprint computed by a separate fingerprint calculation from other acquired data and/or stored in a media content fingerprint log separate from other acquired data. [Claim 7] Computer-implemented method (3) of verifying the authenticity of a document established by said method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises: - acquiring (31) a set of stored data, an associated security key and an associated entry log; - The calculation (32) of a second security key based on said associated input log and said stored data; - The comparison (33) between the associated security key and the second security key, if the two keys are identical, said document being authentic. [Claim 8] Data processing device comprising means for implementing the steps of the establishment method (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 and/or the steps of the verification method (3) according to claim 7. [Claim 9] Computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, lead the latter to implement the steps of the establishment method (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 and/or the steps of the verification method (3) according to claim 7. [Claim 10] Computer-readable data carrier on which the computer program according to Claim 8 and/or the computer program according to Claim 9 is recorded.