E-Sign Architecture & Specs
A cyber-physical legal backend featuring WebHID hardware integration, biometric vector capture, and strict AAMVA Driver's License parsing algorithms.
System & Hardware Metrics
Signature Fidelity
Up to 1024 pressure levels captured natively
Bridge Latency
Near-instant via a secure local connection — no cloud round-trip
ID Parsing Speed
Instant decoding of PDF417 barcode data
Audit Immutability
Tamper-evident cryptographic PDF sealing
1. The Aeion Bridge Hardware Integration
Standard web applications are severely restricted from accessing local USB hardware due to browser security models. Aeion E-Sign overcomes this limitation gracefully. - Local Hardware Bridge: The system communicates with the Aeion Bridge — a lightweight desktop companion app. The Bridge talks directly to connected signature pads, barcode scanners, and cameras over USB and automatically recognizes supported Wacom and Topaz hardware. - Progressive Enhancement Design: The platform assumes hardware is absent by default. The moment the Bridge detects a connected signature pad, the UI dynamically replaces the "Draw with Mouse" canvas with a "Please Sign on Pad" overlay, capturing the full stroke and pressure data from the device to render a mathematically flawless SVG path.
2. Identity Verification & Cryptography
A signature without verified intent and identity is legally vulnerable. - AAMVA ID Parsing: When a 2D barcode scanner hits a US or Canadian Driver's License, it reads the standard AAMVA PDF417 barcode format and extracts First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, Address, ID Number, and Expiration Date, attaching the parsed identity fields to the signing record for the audit trail. - Tamper-Evident Audit Trails: Upon completion, the biometric signature data, the parsed ID data, the IP address, and the exact timestamp are merged into the document's audit trail. Every signature event is linked into a SHA-256 hash chain — each entry commits to the hash of the one before it — so any insertion, deletion, reordering, or edit anywhere in the document's history becomes mathematically detectable. The final PDF is sealed with a SHA-256 content hash, and the embedded Certificate of Completion carries every signer, timestamp, and the chain's integrity proof. Re-verifying the stored PDF at any later date recomputes the hash and flags any post-seal change. This record-integrity model satisfies the ESIGN Act / UETA integrity requirements.
Technical FAQ
Wacom STU and Topaz USB signature pads are auto-recognized over USB, alongside standard HID barcode scanners (for AAMVA PDF417 ID reads) and USB document cameras / webcams (for witness and ID photo capture). The Bridge is the local companion app that brokers all three device classes to the browser over a secure local connection.
Progressive enhancement. The UI defaults to a browser-based canvas (typed or mouse-drawn signature), so remote signers are never blocked. The moment the Bridge reports a connected pad, the interface swaps to a "Please Sign on Pad" overlay and begins capturing full stroke and pressure data — up to 1024 pressure levels — to render a vector SVG path.
The AAMVA PDF417 barcode printed on US and Canadian driver's licenses. It extracts First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, Address, ID Number, and Expiration Date, then attaches those identity fields to the signing record for the audit trail — no manual transcription.
Each signature event is committed into a SHA-256 hash chain, and the completed PDF is sealed with a SHA-256 content hash. The Certificate of Completion embeds every signer, timestamp, IP address, and the chain's integrity proof. Re-verifying the stored PDF later detects any modification made after the seal.
In the tenant's own S3 / R2 / Azure bucket — your storage, your data sovereignty. The sealed PDF and its audit chain travel together so the integrity proof can be re-verified independently of Aeion.