Blockchain World State Digital Tree Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing blockchain systems face challenges in efficiently processing and storing large amounts of world state data due to the incremental nature of content-addressed state trees, leading to high computational and storage burdens on each node.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a method that uses a plurality of smart contracts and digital trees to manage world state information, where each smart contract is associated with a corresponding blockchain network, and digital trees are used to store state data, allowing for efficient storage and processing of world state data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If content-addressed state trees are used to store world state data, then data integrity and immutability are improved, but storage space requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata integrityVSAvoidstorage space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the world state data into multiple separate data structures including a historical state database storing past world states and a current state database storing only the latest state. This segmentation allows nodes to store only necessary portions of the data rather than the entire incremental history, reducing storage requirements while maintaining data integrity through cryptographic hashing across segments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If every node stores an entire copy of the world state, then data consistency across the network is improved, but computational burden on each node increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidcomputational burden
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements local quality by allowing different nodes to store different portions of the world state data based on their role and requirements. Full nodes store complete data for validation, while light clients store only essential current state information. This differentiated storage approach maintains network-wide data consistency through cryptographic proofs while reducing the computational burden on individual nodes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Productivity

If incremental updates are applied to state trees, then processing efficiency is improved, but the size of the data structure grows continuously

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing efficiencyVSAvoiddata structure size
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by implementing a hybrid storage system that dynamically manages data between incremental state trees and snapshot databases. When the state tree reaches a certain size threshold, the system snapshots the current state to the historical database and resets the incremental tree, preventing unbounded growth while maintaining the efficiency of incremental updates for recent changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4066190B1Blockchain system having efficient world state data structures
Publication Date: 2025.04.16 ALIPAY (HANGZHOU) INFORMATION TECH CO LTD
  • EP4066190B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4066190B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4066190B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for processing world state information associated with a blockchain. One of the systems includes: a blockchain database configured to store a blockchain that is managed by a blockchain network, in which blockchain data are stored on the blockchain through consensus of blockchain nodes of the blockchain network, and the blockchain includes one or more blocks that store transaction data associated with user accounts associated with the blockchain; a world state database configured to store a world state data structure comprising a plurality of digital trees, in which the world state stores information about states of the user accounts; a smart contract database storing a plurality of smart contracts associated with the blockchain, in which a first smart contract among the plurality of smart contracts comprises first code that identifies first state data and a first digital tree among the plurality of digital trees for storing the first state data; and a virtual machine associated with the blockchain corresponding to the first smart contract, in which the virtual machine is configured to execute the first smart contract to cause the first state data to be stored in the first digital tree.