Patent Application
20230230184
The invention relates generally to notarization and the prevention of notary fraud, and more specifically to using a mobile application system and method for notary and signer verifications to prevent notary fraud.
A notary or notary public, as is known in the art, is an individual who acts as a third-party witness having no personal stake in a given transaction. The notary has the duty of noting, through the notary's signature and stamp, that a signer of a document understands the importance of the document, that the signature belongs to the signer, and that the document was signed willingly.
As described above, notarization of a document requires the witnessing of a signature and a verification of the signer's identity (via a passport or driver's license, for example). As such, the notarization process is currently mostly performed in person at banks, legal offices, notary centers, etc., for the notary to personally issue a notary stamp and their signature, and to record the occurrence of the notarization in their journal/log.
However, issues of malpractice may occur during the notarization process, as evidenced by the growing problem of notary fraud. Notary fraud, which may be committed on the part of the notary or the signer/signatory, may refer to the failure to acknowledge a document, the failure to verify the identity of the signer/signee, the falsification of notary stamps and/or signatures, and/or the allowance of the signer to sign a document while the notary is not present. Instances of notary fraud may be difficult to detect, especially instances of falsifying notary stamps since many types of notary stamps are used. Additionally, notary stamps applied electronically and/or sent via email can be difficult to verify and must be approved by the particular state in which the notarization occurred. In short, there are few metrics in place to ensure the notary's work is held accountable.
Moreover, instances of identity theft may be committed against a signer/signee by a false or unverified notary, or vice versa, by a signer/signee using a false or stolen identity during the notarization process. Instances of fraud may occur after the notarization process as well, such as the forging of notarized documents by altering/editing the originally notarized documents. No centralized and secured database currently exists for storing any and all notarized documents, rendering the verification of a seemingly legitimate notarized document challenging without access to the notary's personal journal/log.
Therefore, there is a need to solve the problems described above by providing a system and method for electronically notarizing documents in a verified and secure manner and allowing for such notarized documents to be securely archived and later retrieved by an authorized user.
The aspects or the problems and the associated solutions presented in this section could be or could have been pursued; they are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches presented in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their presence in this section of the application.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In an aspect, a notarization system for use in notarizing a document is provided. The notarization system may comprise: a handheld notarization device having a printer; and a notarization application configured to be accessible only by a primary user and to operate on a mobile device, the mobile device being in electrical communication with the notarization device, the notarization application being programmed to digitally read identification information from an identification card of a secondary user scanned via a camera of the mobile device, such that to verify the identity of the secondary user and authenticate the identification card, digitally scan and generate a digital line drawing of a fingerprint of the secondary user received via the camera, and digitally generate a notarization endorsement and cause a printing of the notarization endorsement onto a tamper-resistant sticker via the printer; and wherein, when the notarization application is being accessed by the primary user for notarizing the document, and upon signing of the document by the verified secondary user, the notarization application causes a printing of a notarization endorsement onto the tamper-resistant sticker for placement onto the signed document, the notarization endorsement officiating the notarization of the signed document. Thus, an advantage is that the notarization device may be lightweight and easy to carry around, providing the notary with free mobility during use, and thus easy retrieval for use during the notarization process. An additional advantage is the ease of incorporation of the notarization device and notarization program with existing wireless devices, which may thus reduce operational costs.
In another aspect, a method of notarizing a document to be signed by a signer using a notarization system is provided, the notarization system comprising a notarization device and a notarization application operating on a mobile device. The method may comprise the steps of: providing the notarization system with a biometric identifier and a notary license for identification verification and notary license validation; accessing the notarization application following the identification verification and notary license validation, and classifying the document via the notarization application, such that to assign a unique barcode to the document being notarized; capturing a photograph of the signer using a camera of the mobile device for digital recordation; obtaining a fingerprint scan from the signer using the camera for digital recordation; obtaining an identification card from the signer for digital verification via the notarization application; visually verifying and witnessing the signing of the document by the signer, such that to notarize the document, and confirming the notarization with the notarization application; and associating a notary endorsement sticker printed by the notarization device with the signed document, the notary endorsement sticker officiating the notarization of the signed document. Thus, an advantage is that the notarization device may be lightweight and easy to carry around, providing the notary with free mobility during use, and thus easy retrieval for use during the notarization process. Another advantage is that the notary may accomplish multiple tasks in accordance with the notarization process using a single, compact device. An additional advantage is the ease of incorporation of the notarization device and notarization program with existing wireless devices, which may thus reduce operational costs. Another advantage is that the signer's identity may be automatically verified using the disclosed method, which may prevent instances of notary fraud.
In another aspect, a method of assisting a notary with the notarization of a document is provided, the method comprising providing a notarization application having an electronic log (e-log). The notarization application may be programmed to: verify the identity of the notary using a biometric identifier received via an operating device and validate a notary license number of the notary; verify the identity of a signer by digitally reading and extracting identification information from an identification card of the signer, the identification card being received via the operating device, the extracted identification information being electronically stored in the e-log; digitally scan and generate a digital image of a fingerprint of the signer, the fingerprint being received via the operating device, the digital image being electronically stored in the e-log; digitally generate a notarization endorsement and cause a printing of the notarization endorsement onto a tamper-resistant sticker via an external device; and digitally generate a certificate of notarization certifying a date on, a location at, and a time at which the notarization occurred. Thus, an advantage is that the signer's identity may be automatically verified using the disclosed method, which may prevent instances of notary fraud. An additional advantage is the reduction in cases of notary fraud due to improved, instant third-party verification of notary and signer identities. Because the notarization program automatically generates the notary endorsement and the notarization certification, another advantage is the addition of fail safes to the overall notarization process.
The above aspects or examples and advantages, as well as other aspects or examples and advantages, will become apparent from the ensuing description and accompanying drawings.
For exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes, aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention are illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:
What follows is a description of various aspects, embodiments and/or examples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawings is part of this detailed description. The aspects, embodiments and/or examples described herein are presented for exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skills in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents.
It should be understood that, for clarity of the drawings and of the specification, some or all details about some structural components or steps that are known in the art are not shown or described if they are not necessary for the invention to be understood by one of ordinary skills in the art.
As used herein and throughout this disclosure, the term “mobile device” refers to any electronic device capable of communicating across a mobile network. A mobile device may have a processor, a memory, a transceiver, an input, and an output. Examples of such devices include cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, etc. The memory stores applications, software, or logic. Examples of processors are computer processors (processing units), microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers and microcontrollers, etc. Examples of device memories that may comprise logic include RAM (random access memory), flash memories, ROMS (read-only memories), EPROMS (erasable programmable read-only memories), and EEPROMS (electrically erasable programmable read-only memories). A transceiver includes but is not limited to cellular, GPRS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi transceivers.
“Logic” as used herein and throughout this disclosure, refers to any information having the form of instruction signals and/or data that may be applied to direct the operation of a processor. Logic may be formed from signals stored in a device memory. Software is one example of such logic. Logic may also be comprised by digital and/or analog hardware circuits, for example, hardware circuits comprising logical AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations. Logic may be formed from combinations of software and hardware. On a network, logic may be programmed on a server, or a complex of servers. A particular logic unit is not limited to a single logical location on the network.
Mobile devices communicate with each other and with other elements via a network, for instance, a cellular network. A “network” can include broadband wide-area networks, local-area networks, and personal area networks. Communication across a network can be packet-based or use radio and frequency/amplitude modulations using appropriate analog-digital-analog converters and other elements. Examples of radio networks include GSM, CDMA, Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH® networks, with communication being enabled by transceivers. A network typically includes a plurality of elements such as servers that host logic for performing tasks on the network. Servers may be placed at several logical points on the network. Servers may further be in communication with databases and can enable communication devices to access the contents of a database. For instance, an authentication server hosts or is in communication with a database having authentication information for users of a mobile network. A “user account” may include several attributes for a particular user, including a unique identifier of the mobile device(s) owned by the user, relationships with other users, call data records, bank account information, etc. A billing server may host a user account for the user to which value is added or removed based on the user's usage of services. One of these services includes mobile payment. In exemplary mobile payment systems, a user account hosted at a billing server is debited or credited based upon transactions performed by a user using their mobile device as a payment method.
For the following description, it can be assumed that most correspondingly labeled elements across the figures (e.g., 110 and 210, etc.) possess the same characteristics and are subject to the same structure and function. If there is a difference between correspondingly labeled elements that is not pointed out, and this difference results in a non-corresponding structure or function of an element for a particular embodiment, example or aspect, then the conflicting description given for that particular embodiment, example or aspect shall govern.
As will be described throughout this disclosure, the auto-notarizing program may be utilized by a notary/notary public for assistance in securely and efficiently notarizing a document. As shown as an example in
As shown as an example in
As an example, the completed notary endorsement 210 may be first generated as a preview, as indicated by 205. The preview 205 of the completed notary endorsement 210 may be displayed on a mobile device screen (e.g., a cellphone screen) on which the notarization program operates, as an example. The preview 205 of the completed notary endorsement 210 may serve as an indicator that certain information, like the notary's license ID (‘556289’) 221 and the notary's name (‘Alvaro Bautista’) 223, has been accurately (or inaccurately) captured, as an example. Should the information populated into the notary endorsement 210 not be accurately captured, for example, the notary may correct the inaccuracy by manually typing into the appropriate field(s) (e.g., 213, 214, etc.) via the notarization program operating on the mobile device. More than one notary may utilize the same mobile device, for example, such that to utilize the notarization program, which will be discussed in greater detail later. As such, the preview 205 may enable each such notary to confirm their respective information.
Again, the notary endorsement may include the notary's license number 311, the date of notarization 312, the name of the notary 313 and the document number 314, as shown as an example, according to the requirements by the State Notary Commission. As an example, the notary endorsement may also include a unique proprietary barcode, in substitution of or in addition to, one or more of the above-listed information. An example of such a barcode is shown in
It should be understood that the sticker 320 can be uniquely/selectively configured to meet each state's respective requirement for approved use. On the other hand, the label/sticker 320 can also be used internally at a notary's place of work as a marker, for example, to be used in states that do not adopt the disclosed notarization application. As such, the secure notarization application can be used alongside/cooperatively with a notary's process, who may continue using traditional notary stamps (e.g., ink stamps).
As shown, the notarization device 440 may be a relatively small, handheld device that may be used by the notary. Thus, an advantage is that the notarization device may be lightweight and easy to carry around, providing the notary with free mobility during use, and thus easy retrieval for use during the notarization process. As an example, the notarization device 440 may function as an input and output means for the notarization program, which may operate on a mobile device, as will be described in detail when referring to
The notarization device 440 may further comprise a power button 446 and a small Bluetooth® chip (not shown) or wireless receiver/transmitter (not shown) for wirelessly pairing the notarization device 440 to another wireless compatible device (e.g., smartphone) via pairing button 443, as an example. As an example, the notarization device 440 may be battery operated, such that the device comprises a disposable battery or a rechargeable battery associated with an external charging cable (not shown), for example. As shown, the notarization device 440 may be provided with a compact design, allowing for multiple functionalities on a single device. Thus, an advantage is that the notary may accomplish multiple tasks in accordance with the notarization process using a single, compact device. It should be understood that the notarization device 440 shown in
As mentioned previously above, the notarization device 540 may be paired with the notarization program via a mobile device (e.g., cellphone, tablet) 545. The pairing of the notarization device 540 and the mobile device 545 form a system for auto-notarization in accordance with an aspect of the current invention. The notarization app may be run and operated on the mobile device 545, such that the notary operates both the notarization device 540 and the mobile device 545 simultaneously, as shown. As shown in
It should be understood that because of the wireless capabilities of the notarization device 540, the device may be paired with other wirelessly compatible devices, such as smart televisions, smart watches, laptops, or desktops, for example. Thus, an advantage is the ease of incorporation of the notarization device and notarization program with existing wireless devices, which may thus reduce operational costs.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method of notarizing a document is provided. The method, which will be described hereafter, may be provided with the auto-notarizing system described above, particularly the notarization device and the notarization program operating on the mobile device, as an example. The method may comprise steps of using the notarization device and may also comprise the process steps taken automatically by the notarization program, which will be discussed in further detail when referring to
Referring to
As an example, an e-log (“e-log,” “electronic log,” “electronic journal”) (not shown) may also be provided in the application to allow the notary a means of keeping a written record of the notary's official acts. As such, the e-log may function as an equivalent to, and thus a replacement of, the notary's physical journal, as is typically used by notaries. The e-log may utilize Blockchain Technology, depending on the rules and regulations of each jurisdiction, for example, to amalgamate and thus secure the data kept in the e-log. As mentioned above, it should be understood that the notarization application may incorporate the mobile device's camera (e.g., cellphone camera), such that to scan the identification card presented. As such, the notary may selectively use either the card reader of the notarization device or the device's built-in camera. In either case, the notarization program will digitally scan and verify the signer's identification in real time. For simplicity, it may be preferred to scan the identification card using the built-in camera, as opposed to the card reader of the notarization device.
As shown in
Following the recordation of the signer's photograph and fingerprint scan 732, the notarization application must then digitally verify the signer's identity (shown by 774 in
As mentioned above, the notarization program may extract the signer's information to auto-populate the notary's e-log, for example, which may be edited as needed (as shown by 657). Once the signer's personal information and contact information have been obtained, as described above, the notary may proceed to notarizing the document, as indicated by 777 in
Referring now to
As shown in
Finally, as shown in
As mentioned previously above when referring to 7J, the scanned notarized document 735 may be incorporated into a final document 730, a copy of which was securely electronically sent to the signer. As shown in
Finally, as shown in
It should be understood that, as described previously above, the notarization application may be configured to digitally generate and print notary endorsement stickers with or without a particular state's seal. As shown in
Thus, an advantage of the disclosed method is that notarized documents and notary logs may be securely archived and remain available for later access. Another advantage is that a document may be securely and efficiently notarized and digitally saved in a single secured database, ensuring notarization information remains memorialized. An additional advantage is the reduction in cases of notary fraud due to improved, instant third-party verification of notary and signer identities. Because the notarization program automatically generates the notary endorsement and the notarization certification, another advantage is the addition of fail safes to the overall notarization process. An additional advantage is that, because the final document is provided as a flattened secured image, no alterations may be done to the final document after the notarization is completed, which may prevent the forging of notarized documents.
The notarization program, for example, may allow multiple page documents to be notarized, not just single page documents, within a single transaction. The application may also include a timer/time-out function, for example, that limits the duration of a notarization session. As such, the timer function may begin tracking/timing the notarization process after notary verification (i.e., the first step of the process) and may automatically log off the session after a certain amount of time has transpired. The time period may be preset and/or edited within the application to accommodate longer notarization sessions (e.g., notarization of multiple page documents), as an example.
It should be understood that the above-listed and described steps may be taken or occur interchangeably, particularly with reference to the verification of the signer's identity and recordation of the signer's fingerprint, for example and/or acceptance of payment. It should also be understood that the provided notarization system may be adapted into a single standalone device. As an example, the standalone notarization device may comprise the notarization program, along with the power button, card/chip reader, printer, and display screen with a scanner camera. It should also be understood that the standalone notarization device may need to be larger in size and appearance to provide room for the necessary electrical hardware and additional components. It should also be understood that the notarization device may print the notary endorsement directly onto the signed document, rather than using a label, as shown as an example in
It should be understood that the notarization mobile application described herein above may be programmed and designed as a web-based, IOS-based, and/or Google-based mobile application. It should also be understood that the notarization mobile application may include visuals and written descriptions/steps to intuitively guide the notary in using the application and successfully completing the notarization process. It should be noted that the disclosed notarization mobile application may be designed to be HIPAA compliant, such that user access, and data security adheres to all required HIPAA protection protocols. For example, the notarization mobile application will not allow any form of screen recording (e.g., screenshot) of any recorded information during the notarization process. It should also be noted, as an example, that the authenticity of the signer's identification card may be established by a third-party authenticator using a global database, for example.
It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.
Further, as used in this application, “plurality” means two or more. A “set” of items may include one or more of such items. Whether in the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of,” respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims.
As used throughout this disclosure above and as recited in the claims, the phrase “mobile device” and its alternatives and/or derivatives are to be understood as meaning any piece of portable electronic equipment that can connect to the internet and wirelessly to other pieces electronic equipment, especially a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer.
If present, use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. These terms are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. As used in this application, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.
Throughout this description, the aspects, embodiments or examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus or procedures disclosed or claimed. Although some of the examples may involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives.
Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with one aspect, embodiment or example are not intended to be excluded from a similar role(s) in other aspects, embodiments or examples.
Aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention may be described as processes, which are usually depicted using a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may depict the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. With regard to flowcharts, it should be understood that additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps as shown may be combined or further refined to achieve the described methods.
If means-plus-function limitations are recited in the claims, the means are not intended to be limited to the means disclosed in this application for performing the recited function, but are intended to cover in scope any equivalent means, known now or later developed, for performing the recited function.
Claim limitations should be construed as means-plus-function limitations only if the claim recites the term “means” in association with a recited function.
If any presented, the claims directed to a method and/or process should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Although aspects, embodiments and/or examples have been illustrated and described herein, someone of ordinary skills in the art will easily detect alternate of the same and/or equivalent variations, which may be capable of achieving the same results, and which may be substituted for the aspects, embodiments and/or examples illustrated and described herein, without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of this application is intended to cover such alternate aspects, embodiments and/or examples. Hence, the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents. Further, each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into the specification.
This application is a divisional of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 17/166,620, filed Feb. 3, 2021, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/021,857, filed May 8, 2020, which are hereby incorporated by reference, to the extent that they are not conflicting with the present application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63021857 | May 2020 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17166620 | Feb 2021 | US |
| Child | 18186002 | US |
