Blockchain Transaction Confirmation via Subbatch Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Blockchain platforms face a challenge in reducing transaction confirmation delay without compromising throughput, which affects user experience and platform performance.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a mechanism where consensus is initiated in batches, and transaction execution results are summarized in subbatches, allowing for parallel persistence and execution, thereby reducing wait times and concealing persistence overheads to maintain high throughput.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If consensus is initiated in batches with subbatch summarization, then transaction confirmation delay is reduced, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction confirmation delayVSAvoidconsensus mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the consensus process into batches and further divides transactions within batches into subbatches. Each subbatch can be summarized and confirmed independently, allowing parallel processing and reducing overall confirmation delay. This segmentation transforms a monolithic consensus process into multiple smaller, manageable units that can be handled concurrently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary summarization of transaction execution results into subbatch-level confirmations before full batch consensus is complete. This preliminary action allows users to receive confirmation information earlier, reducing perceived wait time while the full batch consensus continues in the background.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Speed

If small batch consensus is used to reduce confirmation delay, then transaction confirmation speed improves, but throughput (TPS) decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction confirmation speedVSAvoidthroughput
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting transactions into subbatches within larger batches, the system can process and confirm subbatches in parallel. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high throughput by keeping multiple processing pipelines active simultaneously, while each individual subbatch experiences reduced confirmation delay.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent ensures continuous processing by overlapping batch formation, consensus, and execution phases. While one batch is being confirmed, the system continuously prepares and processes the next batch, eliminating idle time and maintaining high throughput despite using smaller batch sizes for confirmation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentEP3961415B1Transaction confirmation methods and apparatuses in blockchain network
Publication Date: 2023.09.13 ALIPAY (HANGZHOU) INFORMATION TECH CO LTD
  • EP3961415B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3961415B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3961415B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Embodiments of this specification provide a transaction confirmation method and apparatus in a blockchain network. Any first node keeps a persistent consensus list, a flow execution list, and a largest confirmation list. The method includes: when detecting a first event, reading a currently confirmed largest subbatch from the largest confirmation list, where the first event is an event causing the persistent consensus list or the flow execution list to change; next, sequentially using a subbatch following the current largest subbatch as a target subbatch, determining, based on the flow execution list, a first quantity of nodes that generate consistent execution results for the target subbatch, and determining, based on the persistent consensus list, a second quantity of nodes that complete persistent storing for a target batch to which the target subbatch belongs; and if the first quantity and the second quantity both meet a consensus fault tolerance quantity, determining transactions in the target subbatch as confirmable transactions.