Blockchain Document Registration for Customs Clearance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current custom clearance systems face challenges with data inconsistency, tampering, and fraud due to the randomness and variability of data sources, leading to high regulatory costs and difficulties in detecting fraudulent claims, especially in international transactions.

Innovation Solution

A blockchain-based platform for custom clearance services that encrypts data, uses smart contracts to ensure data integrity and privacy, and implements a rules database for processing customs clearance data according to country-specific regulations, allowing for transparent, immutable, and verifiable record-keeping.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional custom clearance systems are used with data from multiple sources, then data processing can be performed, but data inconsistency and tampering occur leading to high regulatory costs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata integrityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple data sources (customs data, logistics data, payment data) into a single blockchain-based unified platform. This merging eliminates data inconsistency and tampering by storing all data in an immutable distributed ledger, resolving the contradiction between improving data reliability and managing system complexity through centralized coordination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The blockchain network acts as an intermediary between multiple data sources and customs authorities. By introducing this trusted mediator with consensus mechanisms, the system ensures data integrity without requiring complex point-to-point verification between all participants, thus improving reliability while controlling complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If data is stored in traditional centralized systems, then access and processing is efficient, but fraud detection is difficult and data privacy is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefraud detection capabilityVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The blockchain system provides real-time feedback through its immutable ledger and consensus mechanisms. Every data modification is recorded and verified by multiple nodes, creating immediate feedback loops that detect fraudulent activities as they occur rather than requiring lengthy post-processing analysis, thus improving fraud detection without significant time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary verification through consensus mechanisms before data is finalized on the blockchain. This preliminary action prevents fraudulent data from being accepted in the first place, eliminating the need for time-consuming fraud detection processes later in the workflow.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Object-affected harmful factors

If encryption is applied to protect data privacy, then data security is improved, but data processing and verification become more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata privacy protectionVSAvoidencryption management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts sensitive personal information from the main blockchain data structure and stores it separately with enhanced protection measures. This extraction allows the main customs clearance data to remain accessible and processable on the blockchain while protecting privacy-critical information, reducing encryption management complexity for the core system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Different levels of encryption and privacy protection are applied to different types of data based on their sensitivity. Critical personal information receives stronger protection while less sensitive customs data remains more accessible. This local quality approach optimizes privacy protection while minimizing processing complexity for non-sensitive data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3844654B1Blockchain-based document registration for custom clearance
Publication Date: 2023.05.17 ALIPAY LABS (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD
  • EP3844654B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3844654B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3844654B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for document registration. One of the methods includes: at a service platform, receiving first information related to an order, wherein the first information is provided, or to be provided, to a service authority for clearance of the order; at the service platform, encrypting at least a portion of the first information to generate encrypted first data; and sending the encrypted first data to a blockchain network to store the encrypted first data on a blockchain managed by the blockchain network, wherein the encrypted first data are stored on the blockchain through consensus of blockchain nodes of the blockchain network.