Blockchain Trace History Verification via Hash Intermediaries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current asset pedigree tracking systems face challenges in maintaining transparency and authenticity while protecting proprietary information within the supply chain, and are prone to data inaccuracies due to the involvement of multiple participants.
Innovation Solution
A blockchain-assisted method for generating and verifying trace history documents, where intermediate participants in the custody chain receive and verify trace history requests, generate documents, and record hashes on a blockchain, ensuring authenticity without revealing proprietary identities and maintaining data integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If participant identities are revealed to ensure transparency and verify authenticity of trace documents, then transparency and authenticity are improved, but proprietary information is exposed and data accuracy may be compromised due to unwanted opportunities for mutation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces hash functions as an intermediary mechanism that allows verification of trace document authenticity without exposing participant identities. Hashes serve as mediators between the need for transparency and the need for confidentiality, enabling participants to verify document integrity while keeping proprietary information protected.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms participant identities into hash values, changing the parameter from readable text to cryptographic representation. This transformation maintains the verification capability while eliminating the exposure of proprietary information, as hashes cannot be reverse-engineered to reveal original identities.
2Loss of information
If trace history requests are processed through multiple participants in the supply chain, then complete trace information is obtained, but data accuracy deteriorates due to unwanted opportunities for mutation at each participant level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous verification through hash validation at each participant level in the supply chain. This ensures that trace information maintains its integrity as it passes through multiple participants, preventing mutation while preserving the completeness of the trace history.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where each participant verifies incoming trace documents against their own records using hash comparison. This feedback loop detects and prevents data mutation, ensuring accuracy is maintained throughout the multi-participant processing chain.
3Reliability
If trace history verification requires cooperation from all participants in the custody chain, then authenticity can be verified, but processing time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary hashing of trace documents at each participant level during the normal transaction process. This preliminary action prepares verification data in advance, so that when trace verification is needed, the process is significantly faster as the heavy computational work has already been done during routine operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A trace history generation method includes receiving from an originating participant in a custody chain of transactions of an asset, by an intermediate participant, a trace history request for the asset. The request has an identification of an owner, data identifying the asset and a parent transaction identification in association with another of the participants, and a hash of the data. Thereafter, an identifier is assigned for the request and the request verified by interrogating a blockchain with the hash. Upon verification, a trace history document is generated including the data identifying the asset, an identifier of the intermediate participant, and a disposition of the asset including an identifier of a next nearest participant. A hash is computed for the trace history and a blockchain transaction performed recording and storing the hash in connection with the assigned identifier. Finally, the document is transmitted to the originating participant.