Cross-Network Ledger Immutability via Attester Node Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centralized databases face issues such as single points of failure, dependency on network connectivity, limited access, and lack of data redundancy, which can lead to data loss and slow transaction speeds, while permissioned ledgers like Hyperledger Fabric are vulnerable to history rewriting if participants collude.
Innovation Solution
A system that connects and collaboratively couples source and target blockchain networks to store hashes of blocks, ensuring immutability by requiring previous hashes to be stored before new ones are added, thus preventing tampering and ensuring trust through a decentralized, permissioned network collaboration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a centralized database is used to store data, then data management and control are simplified, but the system has a single point of failure and lacks data redundancy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized database into multiple distributed nodes across different networks. Each node maintains a copy of the ledger, eliminating the single point of failure while preserving centralized control through consensus mechanisms. The ledger is divided into blocks that are distributed across nodes, ensuring both ease of management and system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a consensus mechanism as an intermediary that coordinates between distributed nodes. This mediator ensures that all nodes agree on the state of the ledger, maintaining centralized control principles while operating in a distributed environment. The consensus protocol acts as the intermediary that reconciles the needs for simplicity and reliability.
2Reliability
If a permissioned blockchain network is used to store ledger data, then data immutability is enhanced, but participants can still collude to rewrite history
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a cross-network verification dimension to the ledger storage system. Instead of relying solely on single-network consensus, the system verifies ledger entries across multiple independent blockchain networks. This additional dimension makes history rewriting practically impossible because colluding participants would need to coordinate across multiple independent networks simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary verification of ledger entries before they are committed to the blockchain. By pre-validating entries against multiple network consensus standards and storing verification proofs in advance, the system prevents future rewriting attempts. The preliminary actions of cross-validation and proof-of-verification storage create barriers against history rewriting.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple devices access the same data simultaneously in a centralized database, then data accessibility is improved, but conflicts and data overwriting risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the data access capabilities of multiple devices with the integrity protection of blockchain technology. By combining distributed access points with cryptographic verification and consensus mechanisms, the system enables simultaneous access while preventing conflicts. The merged approach allows multiple devices to read and write data without the overwriting risks inherent in centralized systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An example operation may include one or more of connecting, by an attester node, to a source blockchain network configured to store hashes of source blocks, collaboratively coupling, by the attester node, the source blockchain network with a target blockchain network configured to store hashes of target blocks, receiving, by the attester node, a request from the source blockchain network to store the hash of the source block on the target blockchain network, confirming, by the attester node, that the source network has a previously stored hash of the target block, in response to the confirmation that the source blockchain network has a previously stored hash of the target block, allowing, by the attester node, to store the hash of the source block on the target blockchain network, and continuing, by the attester node, a collaboration between the source blockchain network and the target blockchain network.