Blockchain Document Provenance via Hash Registry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods fail to effectively manage the custody and provenance of digital documents, as digital documents can be easily edited and copied, making it difficult to determine the original version and its location.
Innovation Solution
A method involving electronic storage of documents, calculation of hash values, generation of descriptive identifiers, and secure entry into a shared registry using blockchain techniques to establish and verify the integrity and ownership of digital documents, allowing for secure tracking of document provenance, ownership transfer, access management, and storage location changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If digital documents are stored electronically, then accessibility and ease of operation are improved, but document integrity and reliability deteriorate due to easy editing and copying
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by calculating hash values of documents before storage and recording these hash values in a blockchain registry. This preliminary hashing enables later verification of document integrity without requiring the original document to be physically present, thus maintaining reliability while preserving digital accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces hash values as an intermediary element between the original document and the verification process. The hash value serves as a digital fingerprint that mediates the verification of document integrity, allowing parties to confirm document authenticity without directly accessing or potentially modifying the original digital file.
2Ease of operation
If multiple copies of digital documents are created, then document distribution and accessibility are improved, but determining the original copy and its location becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a cryptographic copy of the document's essential identity through hash values. While multiple physical copies of the document can exist, each copy produces the same hash value, which is recorded in the blockchain. This allows verification of any copy's authenticity without needing to identify which physical copy is the 'original,' as all valid copies are equally authentic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of tracking physical document locations and original copies with a cryptographic system. Instead of physically tracking which copy is original, the system uses hash values and blockchain technology to verify document authenticity, eliminating the need to distinguish between original and copy in the traditional sense.
3Reliability
If blockchain technology is used to secure registry entries, then document provenance and reliability are improved, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complexity by separating the document storage function from the verification function. Documents are stored in conventional, simple storage systems, while only their hash values are stored in the blockchain. This segmentation allows the system to benefit from blockchain's reliability for provenance verification while keeping the overall system complexity manageable by using simple storage for the actual documents.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of ensuring that the ownership, location, and provenance of a digital asset. The method utilizing a hash value and block chain technology to validate the ownership and provenance. The hash value derived from the digital asset itself. The methods comprising a registry and predetermined formula for generating a hash value from the digital asset, ownership information, storage location, and a description of the asset.