Chinese computer giant Lenovo recently published a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to validate documents using blockchain technology.

The blockchain technology will verify the legitimacy of physical documents by using computers to process digital signatures encoded in these documents. The series of digital signatures will represent a security blockchain that protects the growing database from tampering or revision.

Although Lenovo submitted the patent application in August 2016, USPTO released the patent on February 15th, 2018 during the Chinese government’s crackdown on digital currencies. The Chinese government already banned ICOs in September 2017 and all foreign digital currency exchanges in early February.

Despite the government’s recent crackdown, many multinational Chinese companies continue to explore the benefits of blockchain technology. Lian Lian, Chinese payment service provider also recently partnered with Ripplenet on February 7th in 2018 to undergo faster and cheaper cross-border payments internationally.

In regards to the Lenovo patent, Swiss Bank UBS also filed something similar with USPTO. The Swiss Bank filed a blockchain based patent in December 2017 to streamline the user validation process. As with other multinational companies, Lenovo hopes to leverage blockchain technology to improve and streamline their operations.

Validating documents with blockchain technology

According to the patent, to verify the legitimacy of physical documents, it begins with a processor machine that decodes the signature within the document. The signature converts into an integrity map, which the user can use to compare with the physical document. Over time, the accumulation and series of digital signatures represent a security blockchain.

Lenovo’s patent refers to the security blockchain as a distributed database that maintains a continuously growing list of data records secured from tampering and revision. The patent goes on to state that every block contains information about the physical document at various points in time.

Benefits of the patent for Lenovo

With this patented technology, anyone who holds report duplicates can verify they are viewing an accurate copy. Accurate and legitimate copies eliminate the possibility that any part of the document was changed or altered after a signature was applied to the document.

Anyone can validate the legitimacy of a physical document with the security blockchain. The physical document can have multiple paper copies with different entries and modifications from a variety of people. However, the document will remain in its authentic form. If anyone attempts to forge the document, it will appear as orphaned blocks in the chain.

Lenovo’s blockchain validation patent is not the first time the PC giant explored blockchain technology. Forbes reported in 2017 that IBM has been working with Lenovo to build a blockchain invoicing system. The goal of the system is to increase traceability and transparency in billing and operational processes.

The multinational company has taken progressive steps to integrate blockchain technology into their systems. Despite the political turmoil in China concerning digital currencies, Lenovo looks to blockchain to streamline and improve current operations.

Image credit: Lenovo logo

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