Trusted and secure techniques for item delivery and execution

Abstract

Documents and other items can be delivered electronically from sender to recipient with a level of trustedness approaching or exceeding that provided by a personal document courier. A trusted electronic go-between can validate, witness and/or archive transactions while, in some cases, actively participating in or directing the transaction. Printed or imaged documents can be marked using handwritten signature images, seal images, electronic fingerprinting, watermarking, and/or steganography. Electronic commercial transactions and transmissions take place in a reliable, “trusted” virtual distribution environment that provides significant efficiency and cost savings benefits to users in addition to providing an extremely high degree of confidence and trustedness. The systems and techniques have many uses including but not limited to secure document delivery, execution of legal documents, and electronic data interchange (EDI).

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
   
   
       22 . A method for securely managing electronic documents, the method comprising:
 creating an electronic document;   packaging the electronic document in a secure electronic container;   associating one or more controls with the secure electronic container, the one or more controls specifying one or more permitted uses of the electronic document, the controls being configured to be used by tamper-resistant hardware and/or software to govern access to or other use of the electronic document; and   sending the secure electronic container to a trusted go-between.   
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , in which the trusted go-between comprises a computer used to store secure electronic containers and to forward secure electronic containers to authorized recipients. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 22 , in which the trusted go-between comprises a commercially operated computer system used to store secure electronic containers and to forward secure electronic containers to authorized recipients. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 23 , in which the trusted go-between is operable to time or date stamp the secure electronic container. 
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 23 , in which the trusted go-between is unable to access contents of the secure electronic container. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 22 , in which the one or more controls include a control indicating that the electronic document is not allowed to be modified. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 22 , in which the one or more controls include a control indicating that the electronic document can be displayed only to one or more predefined entities. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 22 , in which the trusted go-between is operable to, in accordance with the one or more controls, forward the secure electronic container to one or more authorized recipients. 
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29 , in which the trusted go-between is further operable to receive a second secure container including a modified version of the electronic document, and to forward the second secure container to one or more authorized recipients. 
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 29 , in which the trusted go-between is further operable to receive and store one or more communications from the one or more authorized recipients approving the electronic document. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 22 , in which the trusted go-between is operable to associate one or more additional controls with the secure electronic container. 
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 32 , in which the one or more additional controls include one or more controls requiring auditing information to be maintained regarding at least one of: where the secure electronic container has been, who has accessed contents of the secure electronic container, and/or when access to the contents of the secure electronic container occurred.