Hierarchical Item Verification Using Blockchain Custodial Chains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for tracking items in a supply chain are limited as they require scanning each tag at each new location, making it inefficient to verify the authenticity and provenance of individual items or groups, and lack granular-level verification capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A method using a distributed ledger, such as a blockchain, to record custodial chains and verify item authenticity by assigning unique identifiers to items and aggregating them at various packaging levels, allowing for tracking and verification across the supply chain while minimizing tampering risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If each individual item tag is scanned at each new location, then accurate tracking of individual items is achieved, but the verification process becomes inefficient and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the tracking approach by creating hierarchical levels: individual item tags, cluster IDs for groups of items, and container IDs for bulk shipments. This allows verification at different granularities - individual items can be tracked when needed, while groups can be verified collectively, resolving the contradiction between precise tracking and efficient verification
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple item tags are merged into cluster groups with shared cluster IDs. When verifying a group of items, the system combines their verification through the cluster ID rather than requiring separate scanning of each tag, thereby improving verification efficiency while maintaining the ability to trace individual items when necessary
2Productivity
If Cluster IDs are used to track groups of items, then verification efficiency is improved, but granular-level verification of individual items becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The hierarchical ID structure segments verification into two levels: cluster-level verification for efficiency and individual-item verification for granularity. The system maintains both cluster IDs and individual item tags, allowing users to choose the appropriate verification level based on their needs
Solution Approach 2:
Individual item tags are nested within cluster groups, which are in turn nested within container groups. This nested structure allows verification at any level - from the outer container down to individual items - enabling both efficient group verification and detailed individual verification as required
3Device complexity
If traditional centralized databases are used to store item information, then system complexity is reduced, but security against tampering and data integrity become compromised
Solution Approach 1:
A blockchain intermediary layer is introduced between the item tracking system and the database. This blockchain acts as a decentralized mediator that records and verifies all transactions, providing cryptographic proof of data integrity without requiring a complex centralized authority, thus balancing reliability with manageable complexity
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple custodians handle items through the supply chain, then distribution capability is improved, but tracking accuracy and authenticity verification become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The blockchain creates a continuous, unbroken chain of custody records that follows items through multiple custodians. Each transfer is cryptographically linked to the previous one, maintaining continuous verification capability across the entire supply chain regardless of how many custodians are involved, thus preserving tracking accuracy while enabling flexible distribution
Data Source
AI summary
A method for recording a custodial chain and identifying anomalies in the chain; said method comprisingdefining or identifying a first element and assigning a first element identifier to it;associating the first element identifier physically with the first element;defining or identifying at least a second element and assigning a second element identifier to it;associating the second element identifier physically with the second element;aggregating the at least first element and second element physically as an aggregated element and assigning an aggregated element identifier to it;defining an aggregated element record which includes the aggregated element identifier and the at least first element identifier and the at least second element identifier;recording the identifiers as records in a database.