Blockchain Block Propagation via Append-Only Lists

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Solution Overview

Problem

In proof-of-work blockchain systems, the increasing size of blocks leads to delays in block propagation, exacerbating temporary forks and orphan blocks, which are costly to miners and the system, and current methods do not effectively reduce bandwidth consumption or improve propagation speed.

Innovation Solution

The method involves building and storing append-only lists of transactions at miner nodes, using compressed transaction identifiers, and transmitting these lists to other nodes, along with synchronization data to update and validate blocks efficiently, reducing the need for full block data transmission and minimizing bandwidth usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If full block data is transmitted to propagate blocks, then all miners receive complete block information, but bandwidth consumption increases and propagation speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblock propagation completenessVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and transmits only the essential block header information containing the Merkle root, rather than transmitting the entire block data. This allows receiving miners to validate the block without receiving all transaction details, significantly reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining propagation reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The block propagation process is segmented into two phases: first transmitting the compact block header with Merkle root for validation, then separately transmitting the full transaction list only when needed. This segmentation allows the critical validation step to proceed with minimal data while deferring the bandwidth-intensive transaction transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If full block data is transmitted to propagate blocks, then all miners receive complete block information, but propagation speed decreases due to larger data size

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblock propagation completenessVSAvoidblock propagation speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary transmission of the block header and Merkle root before the full block data is ready. This allows receiving miners to begin validation early, and the full transaction list can be transmitted in a subsequent step, thereby increasing overall propagation speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If block size increases to include more transactions, then more transactions are confirmed per block, but propagation delay increases exacerbating forks and orphan blocks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransactions per blockVSAvoidblock propagation delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments block propagation into two distinct phases: first transmitting the compact block header with Merkle root for validation, then separately transmitting the full transaction list only when needed. This segmentation allows the critical validation step to proceed with minimal data while deferring the bandwidth-intensive transaction transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Loss of energy

If compressed transaction identifiers are used instead of full transaction data, then bandwidth consumption decreases, but the system must maintain append-only lists for reconstruction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth consumptionVSAvoiddata structure management

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates compact copies of transaction references using compressed identifiers (such as transaction hashes or selective byte representations) instead of transmitting full transaction data. These compressed identifiers serve as efficient proxies that allow validation and reconstruction when needed, reducing bandwidth while managing complexity through standardized compression formats.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS20240031128A1Methods and systems for synchronizing a streamed template to a solved block

Publication Date: 2024.01.25 NCHAIN LICENSING AG

AI summary

Candidate block data is pre-propagated using append messages such that each miner builds append only lists representing the candidate blocks being worked on by those other miners. The append only lists can end up out-of-sync with earlier versions of a candidate block being worked on by mining units at a miner. A block finalize message may be received providing a block solution for a final candidate block and including synchronization data. The synchronization data details one or more transactions appended to the append only list associated with the winning miner are not included in the final candidate block for which the block solution was found, enabling the receiving miner to remove those one or more transactions from the append only list associated with the winning miner to produce a final append only list and construct and validate a solved block from the final append only list.