Facilitating electronic signatures based on physical proximity of devices

Abstract

Systems and methods for requesting transmission of a document from a sender device to a signer device, for purposes of obtaining an e-signature from the signer device, are disclosed. In some example embodiments, the systems and methods establish and/or determine a physical proximity between a signer device and a sender device, such as via a handshake between the devices, and a document to be signed is provided to the signer device in response to the established physical proximity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-readable storage hardware device whose contents, when executed by a processor of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method for obtaining an electronic signature for a document, the method comprising:
 determining that a first mobile device is physically proximate to a second mobile device by the second mobile device receiving a communication from the first mobile device via a first communication channel; and   upon determining that the first mobile device is physically proximate to the second mobile device, transmitting, by the second mobile device, an information package to one or more servers hosting an electronic signature service, the information package including a device identifier that identifies the first mobile device and that is usable by the one or more servers to transmit the document, a link to the document, or a combination thereof to the first mobile device, wherein the information package is transmitted from the second mobile device to the one or more servers via a second communication channel that is different from the first communication channel.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-readable storage hardware device of  claim 1 , wherein the communication includes an electronic handshake acceptance, which is received using near field communication protocol. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-readable storage hardware device of  claim 1 , wherein the communication includes an electronic handshake acceptance, which is received using Bluetooth. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-readable storage hardware device of  claim 1 , wherein the communication includes an electronic handshake, which is facilitated using geo-location data. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-readable storage hardware device of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises receiving, by the second mobile device, signature-confirmation information from the one or more servers via the second communication channel. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-readable storage hardware device of  claim 5 , wherein the signature-confirmation information includes information identifying a time at which the document was uploaded, signed, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-readable storage hardware device of  claim 6 , wherein the information identifying the time is received from the one or more servers together a copy of the document having the electronic signature. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-readable storage hardware device of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises storing, by the second mobile device, the document that is to receive the electronic signature; and wherein the information package includes a copy of the document. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-readable storage hardware device of  claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device is not physically connected to the second mobile device. 
     
     
         10 . A computerized method for obtaining an electronic signature for a document, the method comprising:
 receiving, by one or more servers hosting an electronic signature service, an indication that a physical-proximity determination was made, the physical-proximity determination evidencing that a first mobile device is physically proximate to a second mobile device;   receiving, by the one or more servers, the document to be signed;   in response to the indication, transmitting the document, a link to the document, or a combination thereof to the first mobile device;   receiving, by the one or more servers, a signed document that includes an electronic signature provided by the first mobile device; and   storing, by the one or more servers, an electronic record of the physical-proximity determination in association with the signed document, the electronic record memorializing that the document was electronically signed while the first mobile device was physically proximate to the second mobile device.   
     
     
         11 . The computerized method of  claim 10 , wherein receiving the indication includes receiving an information package from the second mobile device. 
     
     
         12 . The computerized method of  claim 11 , wherein the information package includes an identifier of the first mobile device. 
     
     
         13 . The computerized method of  claim 12  further comprising, using the identifier to transmit the document, the link to the document, or the combination thereof to the first mobile device. 
     
     
         14 . The computerized method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more servers transmits the document, the link to the document, or the combination thereof to the first mobile device using a first communication channel, and wherein the physical-proximity determination was made using a second communication channel that is different from the first communication channel. 
     
     
         15 . The computerized method of  claim 14 , wherein the second communication channel includes a direct communication channel between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, the direct communication channel omitting the one or more servers of the electronic signature service. 
     
     
         16 . The computerized method of  claim 15 , wherein the physical-proximity determination includes an electronic handshake between the first mobile device and the second mobile device. 
     
     
         17 . The computerized method of  claim 10 , wherein the electronic record includes a timestamp indicating when the document was signed while the first mobile device was physically proximate to the second mobile device. 
     
     
         18 . A system for obtaining an electronic signature for a document, the system comprising:
 a first mobile device and a second mobile device that confirm physical proximity to one another by exchanging an electronic handshake; and   one or more servers that execute a method comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more servers, the document to be signed; 
 receiving, by the one or more servers, an indication from the first mobile device that the physical proximity was confirmed; 
 in response to the indication, transmitting the document, a link to the document, or a combination thereof to the second mobile device; 
 receiving, by the one or more servers, a signed document that includes an electronic signature provided by the second mobile device; and 
 storing, by the one or more servers, an electronic record memorializing that the physical proximity was confirmed, the electronic record being stored in association with the signed document. 
   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the method further comprises generating a report that lists the electronic record. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the method further comprises combining the report with a copy of the signed document.