Combined Ledger Receipts for Lower Proof Size and Bandwidth

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Solution Overview

Problem

Distributed ledger systems face challenges in efficiently managing and transmitting large numbers of transaction receipts due to memory and network bandwidth requirements, as each receipt typically requires significant storage and transmission resources.

Innovation Solution

The generation of combined receipts that condense multiple transactions into a single receipt, using compressed path information and replica signatures, reduces the storage and transmission needs while maintaining proof of transaction validity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If individual receipts are generated for each transaction, then transaction verification completeness is improved, but memory and network bandwidth requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction verification completenessVSAvoidmemory and network bandwidth requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple individual transaction receipts into a single aggregated receipt that contains verification information for multiple transactions. This merging approach maintains the ability to verify transaction completeness while reducing the total quantity of data stored and transmitted, directly resolving the contradiction between verification completeness and resource requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The aggregated receipt serves multiple functions simultaneously: it verifies multiple transactions, provides batch proof of execution, and reduces data overhead. This multi-functionality allows a single data structure to replace multiple individual receipts, achieving both complete verification and reduced resource consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Quantity of substance

If multiple levels of Merkle tree branches are stored (Merkle pollards), then proof size for multiple values is reduced, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproof sizeVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-computes and stores multiple levels of Merkle tree branches (Merkle pollards) in advance, rather than computing them on-demand. This preliminary action enables faster generation of aggregated receipts with smaller proof sizes, as the hierarchical branch structure is already prepared and can be efficiently combined with transaction hashes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to the Merkle tree structure by storing multiple levels of branches. This transforms the traditional single-level Merkle tree into a multi-level structure, allowing proofs to be constructed more efficiently by combining transaction hashes with pre-stored branch levels, thereby reducing overall proof size.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP4288891B1Receipts of a distributed ledger
Publication Date: 2026.03.11 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP4288891B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4288891B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

Systems and methods are provided for generating a combined receipt in a distributed ledger system implemented by replicas of a network. The replicas maintain a distributed ledger comprising a plurality of executed transactions authenticated using a hash tree having a hash root. Some or all of the replicas cryptographically sign the hash root. A combined receipt for a first transaction and second transaction of a plurality of executed transactions is generated by determining path information comprising a minimum set of values required to generate the hash root from either the first transaction or the second transaction given the first transaction and the second transaction. The combined receipt for the first and second transactions comprises: i) the determined path information; and ii) signatures of one or more of the replicas which signed the hash root.