Secure flexible electronic submission acceptance system

Abstract

In an electronic filing system over a computer network, a central server sets the requirements for making submissions. These requirements include a time limit after the expiry of which, submissions will no longer be accepted. A gateway server polls the central server for the submission requirements, and establishes a directory in its own file system to which all potential submitters have write access until expiry of the time limit. On completion of its submission, a submitter generates evidence of the complete submission. The evidence can be in the form of a digitally signed message digest. The submitter may encrypt the evidence using the gateway server's public encryption key and then forwards the evidence to the gateway server. If the evidence is filed before expiry of the time limit, the gateway server permits the evidence to be written to the directory established for the submission requirements. Once the submitter has successfully filed its evidence, it can forward the complete submission to the gateway server. When the gateway server receives the complete submission, if encrypted, it decrypts the evidence, checks the submitter's digital signature on the evidence, and it then compares the complete submission with the evidence. If the evidence is a message digest, the gateway server computes a message digest of the complete submission. If the two digests are identical, then it is clear that the submission was completed when the evidence was filed, before expiry of the deadline, and the gateway server can then forward the submission on to the central server.