Blockchain-enabled method and system

Abstract

To provide a system for controlling use of a resource (parking meter) implemented via a distributed ledger (blockchain) and / or access to the resource.SOLUTION: A system generates a blockchain transaction (TX) indicative of a condition on use of resources, the blockchain transaction comprising a multi-signature script; provides a first subset of a plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to generate a partially signed signature script; and according to the condition on the use of the resource being satisfied, provides a second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to fully complete the blockchain transaction. The condition on the use of the resource may be the use of a discrete amount of the resource and the second subset of the plurality of signatures is provided according to the discrete amount of the resource being used.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to distributed ledger technology (DLT), and more particularly to the use of blockchain to control resource usage. Aspects of the present invention also relate to the Internet of Things (IoT). The present invention may be suitable for controlling IoT devices. [Background technology]

[0002] For convenience and ease of reference, the term "blockchain" will be used in this document as it is the most widely known term currently in this context. In this disclosure, this term is used to include all forms of electronic, computer-based distributed ledgers, including consensus-based blockchains, alternative chains, sidechains, and transaction chain technologies, private and public ledgers, permissioned and permissionless ledgers, shared ledgers, and variations thereof.

[0003] A blockchain is a computer-based, decentralized, distributed ledger implemented as a system composed of blocks, each of which consists of transactions. Each transaction contains at least one input and at least one output. Each block contains a hash of the previous block, and blocks are chained together to create a permanent, immutable record of all transactions written to the blockchain, from its inception. Transactions contain small programs, known as scripts, embedded in their inputs and outputs that specify how the transaction's outputs can be accessed and by whom. In the Bitcoin platform, these scripts are written using a stack-based scripting language.

[0004] For a transaction to be written to the blockchain, it must i) be verified by the first node that receives it – and if the transaction is verified, this node relays the transaction to other nodes in the network – ii) be added to a new block built by miners, and iii) be mined, i.e., added to the public ledger of past transactions.

[0005] Although other blockchain implementations have been proposed and developed, the most widely known application of blockchain technology is the Bitcoin ledger. In this disclosure, Bitcoin may be referenced for convenience and illustrative purposes, but it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to use with the Bitcoin blockchain, and alternative blockchain implementations are within the scope of the present invention.

[0006] Blockchain technology is most widely known for its use in implementing cryptocurrencies, however, more recently digital entrepreneurs have begun to explore the use of both the cryptographic security system that Bitcoin is based on and the data that can be stored on the blockchain to implement new systems.

[0007] One area of ​​current interest and research is the use of blockchain to implement "smart contracts." A smart contract is a computer program designed to automate the execution of the terms of a contract or agreement. Unlike traditional contracts, which may be written in natural language, a smart contract is a machine-executable program that contains rules that can process inputs to produce an outcome and then cause actions to be taken depending on that outcome. Another area of ​​interest related to blockchain is the use of "tokens" (or "colored coins") to represent and transfer real-world entities via the blockchain. Potentially sensitive or secret items can be represented by tokens that have no discernible meaning or value. Thus, the token acts as an identifier that allows the real-world item to be referenced. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention also relates to the use of blockchain-enabled mechanisms to control access to resources. The resources can be physical resources such as "Internet of Things (IoT)" devices. The IoT is described in Wikipedia as "a network of physical devices, vehicles, buildings, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity that enable them to collect and exchange data... The IoT allows objects to be sensed and controlled remotely through existing network infrastructure." In other embodiments, the resource can be a non-physical resource such as a network or software, a piece of cryptocurrency, or any other form of asset.

[0009] The invention is defined in the claims.

[0010] The present invention provides computer-implemented methods and corresponding systems. The present invention may provide a blockchain-enabled control method. The method may be configured to authorize, influence, manage, or control resource use and / or access. The resource may be an Internet-enabled resource. The resource may be an Internet of Things (IoT) resource. The resource may be a physical resource, such as a device or apparatus, or a process. The resource may be a computer-based resource, such as a network or software.

[0011] This method is generating a blockchain transaction (TxA) indicating the terms and conditions for the use of the resource, where the blockchain transaction may include a multi-signature script that requires multiple (digital) signatures for the completion of the blockchain transaction; and / or providing a first subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to generate a partially signed signature script and partially complete the blockchain transaction; and / or In response to the condition regarding the use of the resource being satisfied, providing a second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to fully complete the blockchain transaction (TxA). may include:

[0012] Providing such a method has the advantage that resource usage / access can be performed securely and immutably recorded. For readability, in the following the term "and / or resource access" will not be repeated and may be referred to simply as "resource usage".

[0013] The condition on usage of the resource may be usage of a discrete amount of the resource, and a second subset of the plurality of signatures may be provided in response to the discrete amount of the resource being used. The condition on usage of the resource may be specified or prescribed in a smart contract. The smart contract may be stored outside the blockchain but may be referenced from the blockchain, for example, using metadata provided in the transaction.

[0014] This has the advantage that resources can be used or consumed incrementally.

[0015] If the conditions for use / access to the resource are not met: access to and / or use of the resource may be prohibited or modified or restricted; and / or an alert or notification may be sent to the recipient.

[0016] Multiple transactions may be generated. These may be partially signed transactions. These may be multi-signature transactions. The final step of providing a second subset of the multiple signatures to the blockchain transaction (TxA) to complete the blockchain transaction (TxA) may include selecting the blockchain transaction (TxA) from the multiple transactions. Each of the multiple transactions may be configured to use the same output of a previous transaction (Tx1) (where "previous" means that the transaction including the output precedes the multiple transactions in the blockchain). Thus, once a condition is determined to be satisfied, the blockchain transaction (TxA) may be selected from the multiple partially signed transactions and completed. The transaction selection and / or completion may include providing an agent's cryptographic key and may be performed by an agent. The agent may be an appropriately programmed automated resource. The agent may send the selected blockchain transaction (TxA) to the blockchain network. Validating the transaction on the blockchain may transfer assets, such as a portion of cryptocurrency, from one party to another using the transaction output on the blockchain (TX1 output).

[0017] Each of the multiple transactions may indicate a different condition regarding the use of the resource. Thus, the multiple transactions may realize multiple conditions (or scenarios) regarding the use of the resource. By selecting the transaction to complete and send, the present invention controls how the output of transaction (Tx1) is used and how the cryptocurrency associated with the output is transferred.

[0018] Satisfaction of one or more conditions may be determined by the agent using an input or signal to evaluate the condition. This input or signal may be generated by the agent or received from another source. This input or signal may be, for example, a detection of a physical or electronic condition, a time point, or any other input.

[0019] Generating blockchain transactions indicating conditions regarding use of the resource may include generating blockchain transactions corresponding to each integer multiple of a discrete amount of the resource, and a second subset of the plurality of signatures may be provided for use of each increased integer multiple of the resource. This has the advantage of providing different usage options, thereby increasing the versatility of the method, for example portions or amounts of network usage, or the length of time that resources such as parking spaces, devices, etc. are used.

[0020] The maximum limit of the integer multiple may be predefined. This has the advantage of allowing consequences for over-utilization of resources to be implied and enforced.

[0021] Exceeding the maximum limit may trigger off-block actions. The term "off-block" may be interpreted to mean "not via the blockchain." This has the advantage of providing consequences for over-utilization of resources.

[0022] The first subset of the plurality of signatures may include signatures from an agent, which may be a computing-based resource. This has the advantage of increasing the security of the method.

[0023] A first subset of the plurality of signatures may include signatures from issuers or owners or administrators of the resource. A second subset of the plurality of signatures may include signatures from the agent. A second subset of the plurality of signatures may include signatures from users of the resource. This has the advantage of preventing issuers or users from misusing the method.

[0024] A condition for the use of a resource may be that the resource is not in use. This has the advantage of defining the conditions under which a refund will be made.

[0025] Blockchain transactions may have a non-zero lock time. This has the advantage of preventing users from abusing this method.

[0026] The present invention may also provide a system including a computer-based resource configured to perform a method according to any embodiment of the method described herein. Any one or more features mentioned in connection with one aspect or embodiment of the present invention may also apply to any other aspect or embodiment. Any one or more features mentioned in connection with a method may also apply to a system of the present invention, and vice versa. Embodiments of the present invention may be configured substantially as described below.

[0027] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described in this disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings, in which: [Figure 1a] 1 is a schematic diagram of a system according to an embodiment. [Figure 1b] 1 is a flowchart illustrating how a customer may use the system to set up a series of blockchain transactions to pay for parking. [Figure 2] Diagram of a transaction in which Alice pays for parking for an initial period. [Figure 3] A diagram of a transaction generated by an agent and sent to Bob for his signature before being signed by the agent when a parking space is used for a period of 10 minutes. [Figure 4a] Schematic illustration of a scenario for parking space usage. [Figure 4b] Schematic diagram of different scenarios for the use of parking spaces. [Figure 5] Diagram of an agent-generated transaction signed by the agent and sent to Alice when overtime is not used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] overview The present invention provides novel techniques for authorizing use of and / or access to a controlled resource or for managing access to / usage of a resource. This is accomplished by using multiple blockchain transactions that enable different use / access scenarios for use of or access to the resource. For example, one transaction relates to use of the resource for a specified time period and another transaction relates to use of the resource for a different time period.

[0030] A user (i.e., a person accessing or using a resource) intentionally attempts a "double spend" on the blockchain. As known in the art, a "double spend" occurs when a user attempts to spend the same cryptocurrency portion, e.g., Bitcoin, twice. Clearly, double spend is undesirable in a traditional context because at least one party is disadvantaged by not receiving funds that they expected or were lawfully paid. The Bitcoin protocol protects against double spend through its validation mechanisms. Thus, the present invention takes a traditionally undesirable process and effectively uses it for authorization purposes.

[0031] According to the present invention, a resource user provides assets to a resource manager. The assets may be a portion of a cryptocurrency known for convenience as Bitcoin, although other cryptocurrencies may also be used. The amount of Bitcoin is determined by a set of conditional rules typically specified within a smart contract. A smart contract is a machine-executable document implemented by a blockchain that may be stored off-chain but may be referenced via a blockchain transaction (Tx). The conditional rules may include various rules, criteria, parameters, etc. that govern or define the permitted legitimate use / access of / to the resource. In a preferred embodiment, these conditional rules are evaluated by an independent party, i.e., a party other than the resource user or manager.

[0032] Thus, advantageously, the resource administrator has confidence that conditions will be satisfied without needing to know the details of the conditions being satisfied, since they will be determined and enforced by an independent party. This may be an automated agent, which may be called an oracle. The oracle determines whether a condition is satisfied based on an evaluation. This may be when use / release / access to / of the resource is permitted, at a predetermined time, or when a trigger event is detected. This evaluation allows the oracle to select one of the proposed blockchain transactions to proceed to completion. This is achieved by providing the oracle's cryptographic signature to the selected transaction. Thus, there is an external oracle that evaluates one or more conditions provided by the smart contract and determines which of multiple proposed transactions (Txs) will be completed based on usage / access parameters, such as how long the resource has been used. This then automatically invalidates one or more other proposed transactions.

[0033] If the oracle or agent determines that one or more conditions are not met, response steps may be taken by the oracle and / or resource administrator, such as denying use / access to the resource, applying or configuring a locking mechanism, or sending a communication such as an alert to the recipient and / or sending a refund transaction to the blockchain network.

[0034] Exemplary Use Cases A system according to an exemplary embodiment is described using the example of a parking space where a fee is charged for parking in the parking space. The participating parking space owner (a parking space operator or small business, or an individual with an available and desirable parking space) installs an IoT device 104 at the parking location. However, the present invention is not limited to use with parking meters. Other types of controlled Internet-enabled resources may instead be the subject of the present invention.

[0035] An IoT device 104 can detect the presence of a parked car (as is already commonplace), and the device can be part of or be a blockchain IoT device 106. A programmable "Blockchain IoT Device (BID)" is an internet-enabled device that can monitor, interact with, and even publish to a blockchain network.

[0036] The car driver downloads a smartphone application (or "smart car" application - i.e., an application designed to run on the vehicle computer) that is compatible with the parking BID 106. This application allows the driver to pay for the vehicle space via the blockchain using cryptocurrency or tokenized cryptocurrency.

[0037] A parking service may be expressed using a smart contract, which is a machine-readable and executable document. The terms in the smart contract are referenced using metadata in transactions (Txs) that point to the location of the smart contract file on the DHT. In other embodiments, the smart contract may be stored in any other form of database or storage device. The terms set out in the smart contract may include: Vehicle ID (e.g. license plate) Parking start time Expiration time Vehicle space identifier (e.g., precise GPS location or residential address or address + sequence number (this can also be painted on the actual space or otherwise indicated at the physical location of the space) Rate (which may be expressed, for example, in satoshis / minute or $ / minute) Other complex conditions such as: -The first 2 hours (or any other period) are free -Costs are in partial time units (e.g., "0.01 BTC per hour or fraction thereof")

[0038] In some embodiments, the BID 106 can identify the vehicle through one of several methods. For example, the BID 106 may include a built-in camera aimed at the general area of ​​the vehicle license plate. In another example, the BID 106 detects a unique signal ID emitted by the vehicle. In another example, a dedicated vehicle tag RFID is attached to the vehicle. In some embodiments, the BID 106 cannot identify the vehicle (e.g., for privacy purposes), and instead, a parking attendant can verify that the correct vehicle has been parked by visually checking the vehicle license plate against the license plate registered in the payment transaction.

[0039] Applications may enable a variety of functions, such as: Drivers can reserve parking spaces for future periods -Reservations may (or may not) require upfront payment in Bitcoin Drivers can configure the application to automatically pay when the payment time expires and defer for another period (adjustable) The application may allow for scheduled parking (e.g., reservations for weekdays)

[0040] As shown in FIG. 1a, the system 100 includes a parking space 102, an internet-enabled (Internet of Things or "IoT") device 104, a blockchain Internet of Things Device (BID) 106, a blockchain server 108 that operates to provide access to the peer-to-peer network that supports the blockchain, and an agent 110 that operates to monitor the blockchain and communicates with the IoT device 104 and the BID 106.

[0041] The use of a parking space using system 100 is described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 1b. Alice has a smartphone application that shows the location of available vehicle spaces by querying the blockchain. In step S100, Alice finds a convenient location and parks her car. The application shows the conditions for this space, which may be on a residential driveway in a dense urban area, such as London or Los Angeles.

[0042] In step S102, Alice uses the application to pay for the space in Bitcoin for the required time after accepting the terms and selecting the given options. Since Alice is not 100% sure that she will return in time, she also selects the option offered by the application to automatically extend the parking period by 10 minutes up to three times and pay for each 10 minutes that passes (Alice thinks the premium for this service is a bit high, but she is willing to pay it to avoid fines and reputational damage if she returns after the expiration date).

[0043] Of course, Alice knows that the smartphone application offers the ability to simply extend the period remotely if the expiration time is imminent, but she cannot be sure that she will get that opportunity because she will be attending a meeting. Alice then returns before the expiration time. The smartphone application allows Alice to cancel unnecessary postponements, but Alice knows that in this case she does not need to do so, because the operator of this BID 106 has a setting that allows Alice to simply launch, and the BID 106 will detect that Alice is not taking advantage of the postponement and therefore automatically cancel the postponement for Alice (as per the contract).

[0044] So, suppose Alice pays 5 BTC to rent a parking space for 1 hour, and the cost of each additional hour is 1 BTC / 10 minutes.

[0045] The first transaction, which credits Bob with 5 BTC, is a P2PKH payment for the first hour. This is a standard Bitcoin transaction.

[0046] T extra is defined as the time that Alice's car remains in the parking space after the standard time period, i.e., after the first hour that has already been paid for. T extra is a multiple of 10 and takes on values ​​0, 10, 20, and 30. At times T=60, 70, 80, and 90 minutes, BID 106 checks whether the car is still parked in the parking space. If not, BID 106 sends a message to Alice, Bob, the parking space owner, and a third party or "agent." The message is a multiple of 10 and takes on values ​​T extra For example, if Alice returns to the parking space at time 65 minutes, T extra= 10, and Bob should request 1 BTC from Alice. However, Alice does not trust Bob, and she wants to transfer the funds using an independent service, and this transfer should be conditional on the agent server's signature. The agent can then issue a signature, e.g., "is T extra =10?”, evaluates such requests, and generates output. The agent receives such information from the IoT device 104.

[0047] Alice and Bob agree on a rule script and send it to the agent server (O1). The rule script might look like this: If (T extra ==10) return Sign TxA else if (T extra ==20) return Sign TxB else if (T extra ==30) Return Sign TxC else return False

[0048] If O1 judges the rule script positively, i.e., if one of the above conditions regarding the use of the parking space is met, O1 signs and broadcasts either TxA, TxB, or TxC (but not all of them).

[0049] In step S104, the agent generates a new public key. In step S106, the agent obtains public keys from Alice and Bob. Then, in step S108, the agent generates a 2-of-3 multi-signature address.

[0050] In step S110, Alice creates a new transaction Tx1 that sends 3 BTC to the multi-signature address, signs Tx1, and broadcasts it over the Bitcoin network. This transaction is shown in Figure 2.

[0051] In step S112, the agent validates Tx1 and generates three transactions that use the UTXO of Tx1. The three transactions may be denoted as TxA, TxB, and TxC. In step S112, the agent also generates a fourth transaction, TxR. TxA is shown in Figure 3. TxB and TxC are similar but contain different amounts of Bitcoin, as shown below.

[0052] As can be seen from Figure 3, TxA sends 1 BTC to Bob and 2 BTC to Alice, extra = 10. TxB sends 2 BTC to Bob and 1 BTC to Alice, and T extra = 20. TxC sends 3 BTC to Bob, and T extra =30.

[0053] Each of TxA, TxB, and TxC requires two signatures, one from Bob and one from the agent. In step S114, the agent sends TxA, TxB, and TxC to Bob. Then, in step S116, Bob signs each of TxA, TxB, and TxC and returns them to the agent as pending blockchain transactions.

[0054] TxR is a refund transaction that sends 3 BTC back to Alice. It has a non-zero lock time corresponding to a predetermined moment in the future. TxR requires two signatures, one from Alice and one from the agent. That is, if Alice does not use the parking space for longer than the period paid for in Tx1, a refund will be automatically issued. TxR is signed by the agent upon its creation in step S112. TxR is shown in Figure 5.

[0055] Now consider the case where Alice parks in a parking space for up to 10 minutes beyond the one hour she paid for with Tx1. extra = 10. This is illustrated with reference to Figure 4a.

[0056] In step S200, the IoT device 104 detects that Alice's car has been parked in the parking space for 10 minutes beyond the one hour paid for in Tx1. Then, in step S202, the BID 106 detects that the car has been parked in the parking space for an additional 10 minutes, i.e., T extra = 10, i.e. one of the conditions in the script above was evaluated as true by the agent.

[0057] Then, in step 204, the agent signs TxA to complete the transaction. TxA can then be broadcast to the blockchain in step 206. Completion of TxA results in 1 BTC being paid to Bob and 2 BTC being paid to Alice. TxB and TxC can be completed in a similar manner.

[0058] Then, Alice leaves the parking space on time and T extraConsider an example where ∑ = 0. This is explained with reference to FIG. 4b. In step S300, the IoT device 104 detects that Alice has moved her car out of the parking space before the overtime occurs. In step S302, the IoT device 104 communicates to the agent that Alice left the parking space on time. In step S304, the IoT device 104 sends TxR to Alice, who signs TxR to complete transaction TxR. Completion of transaction TxR means that 3 BTC has been returned to Alice. TxR has a non-zero lock time, which means it cannot be mined and added to the blockchain until the lock time has passed. This means that once Alice provides a signature, the TxR will be broadcast at some point in the future, rather than immediately.

[0059] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are illustrative rather than limiting of the present invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The use of words such as "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim or the specification as a whole. As used herein, "comprising" means "including or consisting of." The singular form of an element does not exclude the plural form of such elements, and vice versa. The invention can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain means are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these means cannot be used to advantage.

[0060] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows. (1) A blockchain-enabled method for controlling resource use and / or access, comprising: generating a blockchain transaction indicating conditions regarding the use of and / or access to the resource, the blockchain transaction including a multi-signature script requiring multiple signatures for completion of the blockchain transaction; providing a first subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to generate a partially signed signature script and partially complete the blockchain transaction; In response to the conditions regarding the use and / or access to the resource being satisfied, providing a second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to fully complete the blockchain transaction; A method comprising: (2) The method of (1), wherein providing a second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction includes selecting the blockchain transaction from a plurality of partially signed multi-signature transactions. (3) The method of (1) or (2), wherein the condition regarding the use of the resource is the use of a discrete amount of the resource, and the second subset of the plurality of signatures is provided in response to the resource being used in the discrete amount. (4) The method of (3), wherein generating blockchain transactions indicating conditions regarding use of and / or access to the resource includes generating blockchain transactions corresponding to each integer multiple of the discrete amount of the resource, and wherein the second subset of the plurality of signatures is provided for use of each increased integer multiple of the resource. (5) The method according to (4), wherein the maximum limit of the integer multiple is predetermined. (6) The method of (5), wherein an off-block action is triggered in response to exceeding the maximum limit. (7) The method of any one of (1) to (6), wherein the first subset of the plurality of signatures includes a signature from an agent. (8) The method of any one of (1) to (6), wherein the first subset of the plurality of signatures includes a signature from an issuer of the resource. (9) The method of (8), wherein the second subset of the plurality of signatures includes a signature from an agent. (10) The method of (7), wherein the second subset of the plurality of signatures includes signatures from users of the resource. (11) A method according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein the condition regarding the use of the resource is that the resource is not in use. (12) The method of any one of (1) to (11), wherein the blockchain transaction has a non-zero lock time. (13) sending said fully completed blockchain transaction to the blockchain to use the output associated with the previous transaction; The method according to any one of (1) to (12), comprising: (14) A system including computer resources configured to execute the method described in any one of (1) to (13).

Claims

1. a resource coupled to an Internet of Things (IoT) device, the IoT device comprising a Blockchain IoT Device (BID); a blockchain server operative to provide access to a peer-to-peer network supporting the blockchain network; an agent operative to monitor the blockchain network and communicating with the IoT device and the BID; A system comprising: the system is configured to implement a method for controlling resource usage and / or access to resources, The method comprises: generating a blockchain transaction (TxA) indicating conditions regarding the use of and / or access to the resource, the blockchain transaction including a multi-signature script requiring multiple signatures for completion of the blockchain transaction; providing a first subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction (TxA) to generate a partially signed signature script and partially complete the blockchain transaction; In response to the conditions regarding the use and / or access to the resource being satisfied, providing a second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to fully complete the blockchain transaction; Including, the system.

2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein providing the second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction (TxA) further comprises selecting the blockchain transaction (TxA) from a plurality of partially signed multi-signature transactions.

3. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the condition regarding the usage of the resource is the usage of a discrete amount of the resource, and the second subset of the plurality of signatures is provided in response to the resource being used in the discrete amount.

4. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein generating blockchain transactions indicating conditions regarding use of and / or access to the resource includes generating blockchain transactions corresponding to each integer multiple of the discrete amount of the resource, and wherein the second subset of the plurality of signatures is provided for use of each increased integer multiple of the resource.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the maximum limit of the integer multiple is predetermined.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein an off-block action is triggered in response to exceeding the maximum limit.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of signatures includes signatures from an agent.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of signatures includes a signature from a publisher of the resource.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the second subset of the plurality of signatures includes signatures from an agent.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the second subset of the plurality of signatures includes signatures from users of the resource.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the condition for the use of the resource is that the resource is not in use.

12. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the blockchain transaction has a non-zero lock time.

13. Sending the fully completed transaction to the blockchain to use the output associated with the previous transaction (Tx1).

13. The system of claim 1, comprising:

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