1. An apparatus for recording information, comprising:
a capture device for capturing the information;
a local verification device for indelibly marking the captured information with a representation of the date and time of the capture of the information, and a representation of the location information defining the location of said capture device at the time of capture of the information, such that said representation of the date, time and location information becomes a portion of the captured information as bound captured information;
an associating device for placing the bound captured information in combination with owner information identifying the creator and owner of the bound captured information in a predefined secure transmission file formatted to be uniquely recognized by a secure storage facility;
a transmitter for transmitting the secure transmission file to the secure storage facility, wherein the secure storage facility is operable to store bound captured information in association with the creator and owner of the bound captured information in such a manner that the transmitted secure transmission file is searchable at the secure storage facility by predetermined search parameters; and
the secure storage facility generating an acknowledgment of the receipt of the transmitted secure transmission file to the secure storage facility, wherein the acknowledgment has associated therewith at least a portion of the information contained within the transmitted secure transmission file.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the captured information comprises a captured image and where said capture device is a digital camera.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the captured information comprises a captured image and where said capture device is a video camera.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 where said local verification device comprises a geographical position and time-of-day determination (GPS) receiver.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a certifier for transmitting a representation of the locally verified captured information to a Certification Authority (CA) as a trusted third party for certification thereof and return of a certificate of authority, which is merged with and becomes a part of said captured information.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an encryption device for encrypting the bound captured information prior to transmission thereof with a first level of encryption to provided an encrypted file, which first level of encryption constitutes a symmetrical encryption algorithm that has a secret key available only to the owner and wherein the encrypted file is placed in combination with the owner information in the predefined secure transmission file, wherein the secure storage facility is operable to store only the encrypted file in association with the owner.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first level of encryption comprises a hash of a unique ID associated with said capture device to create a private key with no associated public key, wherein the owner has possession of the private key.
8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said encryption device is operable to wrap the encrypted file with a second layer of encryption that is comprised of an asymmetrical encryption layer that has a public and private key owned by the owner, such that the owner is the only one that can encrypt the encrypted file with the second layer of encryption, and wherein encrypted file wrapped with the second layer of encryption is placed in combination with the owner data in the predefined secure transmission file, such that the secure storage facility can recognize the owner and then determine the associated public key to unwrap the second layer of encryption and store the encrypted file.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the encrypted file is passed through a message authentication algorithm by said encryption device to provide a hash of the encrypted file, the hash of the encryption file then combined with the encrypted file and place in combination with the owner information in the secure transmission file and wherein the secure storage facility is operable to store only the combination of the encrypted file and the hashed encrypted file in association with the owner and, wherein the secure storage facility is operable to pass the received encrypted file through the same message authentication algorithm that created the received hash of the received encrypted file to provide a new hash of the received encrypted file and then compare the newly created hash with the received hash and, if they compare true, store at least the received encrypted file in association with the owner.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the encrypted file after wrapping with the second layer of encryption by said encryption device is wrapped with a third encryption layer that is comprised of an asymmetrical encryption layer that has a public and private key owned by the secure storage facility, such that the secure storage facility is the only one that can decrypt the third layer of encryption to expose the encrypted file wrapped with the second layer of encryption.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the secure transmission file is created and transmitted at substantially the same time as the time of capture.
12. An apparatus for recording images for secure transmission to a secure storage facility, comprising:
a capture device for capturing an image and said capture device is owned and controlled by an owner;
a local verification device for indelibly marking the captured image with the a representation of the date and time of the capture of the information, and a representation of the location of said capture device at the approximate time of capture of the image, such that said representation of the date, time and location information becomes an integral portion of the captured image as a bound image file;
an associating device for placing the bound image file in combination with owner data identifying the creator and owner of the bound image file in a predefined secure transmission file formatted to be uniquely recognized by a secure storage facility;
an encryption device for encrypting the bound image file with a first level of encryption to provided an encrypted file, which first level of encryption constitutes a symmetrical encryption algorithm that has a secret key available only to the owner and wherein the encrypted file is placed in combination with owner information identifying the creator and owner of the bound image file in a predefined secure transmission file formatted to be uniquely recognized by a secure storage facility, wherein the secure storage facility is operable to store only the encrypted file in association with the owner;
a transmitter for transmitting the secure transmission file to the secure storage facility, wherein the secure storage facility is operable to store bound captured information in association with the owner; and
the secure facility generating an acknowledgment of the receipt of the transmitted secure transmission file to the secure storage facility, wherein the acknowledgment has associated therewith at least a portion of the information contained within the transmitted secure transmission file.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, and further comprising a certifier for transmitting a representation of the locally verified captured native image to a Certification Authority (CA) as a trusted third party for certification thereof and return of a certificate of authority, which is merged with and becomes a part of said locally verified captured native image.
14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first level of encryption comprises a hash of a unique ID associated with said capture device to create a private key with no associated public key, wherein the owner has possession of the private key.
15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said encryption device is operable to wrap the encrypted file with a second layer of encryption that is comprised of an asymmetrical encryption layer that has a public and private key owned by the owner, such that the owner is the only one that can encrypt the encrypted file with the second layer of encryption, and wherein encrypted file wrapped with the second layer of encryption is placed in combination with the owner data in the predefined secure transmission file, such that the secure storage facility can recognize the owner and then determine the associated public key to unwrap the second layer of encryption and store the encrypted file.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the encrypted file is passed through a message authentication algorithm to provide a hash of the encrypted file, the hash of the encryption file then combined with the encrypted file and placed in combination with the owner information in the secure transmission file and wherein the secure storage facility is operable to store only the combination of the encrypted file and the hashed encrypted file in association with the owner and, wherein the secure storage facility is operable to pass the received encrypted file through the same message authentication algorithm that created the received hash of the received encrypted file to provide a new hash of the received encrypted file and then compare the newly created hash with the received hash and, if they compare true, store at least the received encrypted file in association with the owner.
17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the encrypted file after wrapping with the second layer of encryption by said encryption device is wrapped with a third encryption layer that is comprised of an asymmetrical encryption layer that has a public and private key owned by the secure storage facility, such that the secure storage facility is the only one that can decrypt the third layer of encryption to expose the encrypted file wrapped with the second layer of encryption.
18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the secure transmission file is created and transmitted at substantially the same time as the time of capture.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A process for preparing a water-soluble polymer comprising:
(A) azeotropic esterification of acrylic acid and at least one alkylpolyalkylene glycol(s),
wherein said acrylic acid and said at least one alkylpolyallcylene glycol are present in a molar ratio ranging from 2 to 3:1; and
wherein said azeotropic esterification takes place in the presence of at least 85% by weight (based on the weight of the alkylpolyalkylene glycol) of an organic solvent which forms an azeotrope with water; thus obtaining an esterification mixture; and
(B) free-radical polymerization in an aqueous medium of the mixture obtained during esterification, wherein the organic solvent is distilled off azeotropic ally from the polymerization reaction mixture, and the water that is removed by distillation is returned to the mixture or replaced by a feed of fresh water.
2. The process of claim 1, wherein said acrylic acid and said at least one alkylpolyallcylene glycol are present in a molar ratio ranging from 2.5 to 3:1.
3. The process of claim 1, wherein, in addition to the acrylic acid, up to 0.5 mol of another monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid derivative is used for the esterification.
4. The process of claim 1, wherein the esterification takes place in the absence of other monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives.
5. The process of claim 1, wherein the esterification continues until the conversion achieved is 85% by weight (based on the weight of the alkylpolyalkylene glycol).
6. The process of claim 1, wherein the esterification continues until the conversion achieved is at least 90% by weight (based on the weight of the alkylpolyalkylene glycol).
7. The process of claim 1, wherein said alkylpolyalkylene glycol has the following formula:
R1\u2014(O\u2014CHR2\u2014CHR3)n\u2014OH,
wherein
R1 is C1-C50 alkyl or C1-C18alkylphenyl,
R2 and R3 are, independently, hydrogen, methyl or ethyl, and
n is an integer from 5 to 90.
8. The process of claim 1, wherein said alkylpolyalkylene glycol has the following formula:
R1\u2014(O\u2014CHR2\u2014CH2\u2014CH2\u2014CH2)n\u2014OH,
wherein
R1 is C1-C50 alkyl or C1-C18 alkylphenyl, and
n is an integer from 5 to 90.
9. The process of claim 1, wherein the weight average molecular weight of the alkylpolyalkylene glycol(s) ranges from 350 to 4,000.
10. The process of claim 1, wherein the weight average molecular weight of the alkylpolyalkylene glycol(s) ranges from 500 to 2,000.
11. The process of claim 1, wherein the weight average molecular weight of the alkylpolyalkylene glycol(s) ranges from 750 to 1,500.
12. A The process of claim 1, wherein said polyalkylene glycol(s) contain units of propylene oxide andor butylene oxide combined with units of ethylene oxide, wherein the units may be arranged in blocks or at random.
13. The process of claim 1, wherein an acidic catalyst is used during esterification.
14. The process of claim 1, wherein a catalyst selected from the group consisting of p-toluenesulfonic acid and methanesulfonic acid is used during esterification.
15. The process of claim 1, wherein an aliphatic, cycloaliphatic aliphatic-aromatic or aromatic hydrocarbon solvent having a boiling point ranging from 70 to 150\xb0 C. is used during esterification.
16. The process of claim 1, wherein cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, toluene, a xylene mixture, or o-xylene is used as a solvent during esterification.
17. The process of claim 1, wherein the boiling point of the azeotrope ranges from 70 to 130\xb0 C.
18. The process of claim 1, wherein a reducing agent is added during the esterification.
19. The process of claim 1, wherein hydrogen peroxide, or a peroxidisulfate of sodium, potassium or ammonium is used as polymerization initiator.
20. The process of claim 1, wherein a polymerization inhibitor is added to the mixture during esterification.
21. The process of claim 1, wherein a polymerization inhibitor is not added to the mixture during esterification.
22. The process of claim 1, wherein the esterification is undertaken under inert conditions.
23. The process of claim 1, wherein the organic solvent has an equilibrium concentration during polymerization at about 0.01 to 5% by weight (based on the weight of the aqueous polymer solution).
24. The process of claim 1, wherein the amount of water in the reaction mixture during the polymerization remains practically constant and a polymer solution forms which is about 20 to 70% by weight.
25. The process of claim 1, wherein the amount of water in the reaction mixture during the polymerization remains practically constant and a polymer solution forms which is about 30 to 50% by weight.
26. The process of claim 1, wherein a base is added, before, during or after the polymerization to neutralize the polymer.
27. The process of claim 1, wherein the weight average molecular weight of the polymer produced ranges from 5,000 to 50,000.