Data Repository Point-in-Time Retrieval Blockchain
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Solution Overview
Problem
In a digital environment, there is a challenge in authenticating digital content to differentiate between first-order authentic and second-order copies, as digital documents lack physical attributes like signatures and witnessing, making it difficult to ensure authenticity, especially with the increasing pressure to go paperless and the complexity of content transformation on Web 2.0 and the Semantic Web.
Innovation Solution
A data repository is configured to store original and modified content, with a log detailing actions and versioning, including a version identifier for point-in-time retrieval, providing comprehensive provenance to establish the chain of custody and authenticity of digital records.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If digital documents are used to replace physical paper records, then efficiency and accessibility are improved, but authenticity and legal weight are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by creating cryptographic hashes of the original digital content and storing them in a blockchain ledger before any modifications occur. This establishes a tamper-evident baseline that proves the content's authenticity from its creation point, enabling future verification without needing physical signatures or witnesses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cryptographic hashes and blockchain technology as intermediary elements between the original content and its copies. These intermediaries serve as mathematical proofs of authenticity, replacing the need for physical intermediaries like notaries or witnesses while maintaining the same level of trust and legal weight.
2Ease of operation
If digital content is copied and distributed electronically, then accessibility and efficiency are improved, but differentiation between original and copies becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies a mathematical transformation to the content that creates a unique cryptographic fingerprint (hash) for the original. This fingerprint acts like a distinctive marker that can be easily verified, allowing any copy to be immediately identified as such by comparing its hash against the stored original hash in the blockchain.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses cryptographic copying where the original content's essential authentication properties (its hash) are copied and stored immutably in the blockchain. This allows efficient electronic distribution of content while the blockchain-stored hash serves as an unforgeable reference that enables instant verification of any copy's authenticity.
3Reliability
If version control is implemented to track modifications, then content integrity is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical version control systems with cryptographic hashing. Instead of tracking every modification detail through complex metadata and version histories, the system simply computes a hash of the current content state and compares it with the previous hash. This mathematical approach provides robust integrity verification with minimal system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A data repository configured for storing original content and modified content which are addressable for point-in-time retrieval thereof. The data repository comprising one or more digital files which are associated with the original content. A log is provided which records actions implemented on the one or more of the digital files. A versioned repository is generated after an action is implemented on the one or more digital files. The versioned repository comprising one or more modified digital files which are associated with the modified content. A version identifier is associated with the versioned repository for facilitating point in time retrieval thereof.