Decentralized Contact Proximity Network for Exposure Risk Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies lack effective methods to determine and communicate user interactions with other users, particularly in providing information about network-theoretic distance from exposure risks to a virus.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that transmit vicinity information from electronic communication devices to a server, creating a contact proximity network based on user interactions, and providing user notifications about network-based proximity to users with specified status signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If contact tracing information is collected and analyzed to determine network-based proximity to exposure risks, then users can receive early warning notifications to take precautionary measures, but the system complexity and data processing requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The contact tracing system is segmented into multiple independent components: individual mobile devices collect and store their own proximity data locally, intermediate servers aggregate and process data in distributed fashion, and the contact proximity network is built incrementally from individual device contributions. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high reliability through distributed verification while managing complexity by breaking down the overall system into manageable, independently operable units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate servers and decentralized infrastructure as mediators between individual devices and the final contact tracing output. These intermediaries aggregate proximity data from multiple devices, perform network analysis to determine contact proximity relationships, and generate exposure risk assessments. This intermediary layer simplifies the complexity by centralizing complex computational tasks while allowing individual devices to remain relatively simple data collection and display units.
2Measurement precision
If detailed vicinity information and contact proximity network data are transmitted and processed, then accurate network-based proximity measurements can be provided, but data transmission volume and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously collecting and storing proximity data in the background before exposure events occur. Mobile devices maintain local records of encountered devices and their proximity information, and servers pre-compute portions of the contact proximity network structure. When an exposure risk is identified, the system can quickly query pre-computed network data rather than performing complete real-time analysis, significantly reducing the time needed to provide accurate proximity measurements while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential proximity information needed for contact tracing from the full set of available device data. Instead of transmitting and processing all possible device parameters, the system focuses on extracting key elements such as device identifiers, proximity metrics, and temporal information. This selective extraction reduces data transmission volumes and processing requirements while maintaining the precision needed for accurate network-based proximity measurements.
3Reliability
If a decentralized infrastructure is used to store and process contact proximity network information, then system reliability and user privacy are improved, but system coordination and data consistency become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The decentralized infrastructure uses universal data structures and communication protocols that allow any participating device or server to perform multiple functions: data collection, local processing, network aggregation, and query response. This multi-functionality reduces coordination complexity by eliminating the need for specialized roles and centralized control, while maintaining high reliability through distributed redundancy. Any node in the decentralized network can independently verify and process contact proximity data using the same universal protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods include the following. Information about a first electronic communication device is transmitted to at least one server and/or decentralized infrastructure. The information includes vicinity information. A status signal associated with a first user of the first electronic communication device is optionally transmitted. Contact proximity network information about a contact proximity network is received. The contact proximity network is based on the information from a plurality of electronic communication devices and information about the association between users and electronic communication devices. The contact proximity network information includes status signal information and interconnected nodes corresponding to different users and pairwise connections between users based upon their relative physical space and time proximity. A notification indicating a network-based proximity of a first user to a second user is provided, indicating a minimum number of connections between the first user and the second user during a specified time frame.