Blockchain Data Exchange Platform with Cloud Storage and Smart Contracts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current blockchain technologies face inefficiencies and security challenges when exchanging large data sets, including high costs, lack of access control, and inability to revoke or delete data once committed, as well as issues with proving ownership and managing access to encrypted files.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that uploads data to cloud servers, commits it to a blockchain network, uses smartcontracts to verify possession, create offers, settle payments, and manage access control lists (ACLs) using all-or-nothing encryption (AONT) to ensure secure, transparent, and private data exchange while maintaining blockchain traceability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is committed to the blockchain network, then data ownership and traceability are ensured, but data privacy and security are compromised due to public accessibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the data from the blockchain network and stores it in encrypted form in external storage systems (cloud storage, distributed file systems). Only cryptographic hashes and metadata are committed to the blockchain, separating the data itself from the immutable ledger while maintaining ownership verification through hash commitments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cryptographic hashes as intermediaries between the data and the blockchain. The hash serves as a verifiable commitment to the data's existence and integrity without exposing the actual data content on the blockchain, enabling ownership proof while preserving privacy.
2Loss of information
If large data sets are transferred on the blockchain, then data exchange transparency is achieved, but network efficiency and cost are significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts large data sets from the blockchain transaction process and stores them in external storage systems. Only essential metadata and cryptographic hashes are transferred on the blockchain, dramatically reducing network load and transaction costs while maintaining transparency through verifiable hash commitments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses cryptographic hashes as lightweight copies or representations of the actual data. These hash copies can be verified on the blockchain without transferring the full data sets, enabling transparency verification while avoiding the inefficiency of moving large amounts of data through the network.
3Adaptability or versatility
If data is made accessible on cloud servers, then data exchangeability is improved, but access control and security management become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the smart contract on the blockchain automatically receives notifications about ACL changes on cloud servers. The smart contract verifies these changes and can revoke access rights if the cloud server's ACL does not match the blockchain's authorized list, creating a self-correcting access control system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces smart contracts as intermediaries between the cloud storage system and the blockchain network. The smart contract acts as a mediator that coordinates access control policies, verifying ACL changes and enforcing authorized access without requiring direct complex management between multiple cloud providers and users.
4Reliability
If smartcontracts continuously verify data possession on cloud servers, then data ownership verification is strengthened, but computational overhead and verification time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic verification instead of continuous verification. The smart contract checks data possession at regular intervals by verifying cryptographic hashes and ACL changes, rather than continuously monitoring. This reduces computational overhead and verification time while maintaining reliable ownership verification through periodic confirmation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for exchanging data using a blockchain network includes uploading the data to a plurality of cloud servers and committing the data to the blockchain network. An offer for the data is created on the blockchain network. Payment is received from a data consumer after the offer has been accepted. Smartcontracts are implemented in the blockchain network to verify possession of the data, to settle the offer against the payment and to change an access control list (ACL) such that the data on the cloud servers is accessible by the data consumer.