Decentralized Identifier Creation via Key Management and Blockchain

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional identity management systems are centralized, leading to security risks, inefficiencies, and user unfriendliness, particularly in managing decentralized identities and credentials, as they require complex blockchain interactions and frequent access to costly network resources.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for decentralized identifier creation, involving a computer-implemented process that receives a request for a decentralized identifier (DID), generates and stores a cryptographic key pair, and creates a blockchain account with associated DID, using a key management system and blockchain transactions to manage identity credentials and verifiable claims, providing a user-friendly and cost-effective online platform for identity management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional centralized identity management systems are used, then identity verification can be performed through centralized authorities, but security risks increase and user control over identities is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoiduser control
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables users to autonomously manage their own identities through self-sovereign identity mechanisms. Users generate and control their own cryptographic key pairs, with private keys stored securely in their wallets and public keys registered on the blockchain. This eliminates the need for centralized authorities to manage user identities, giving users full control while maintaining security through cryptographic verification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The blockchain acts as a decentralized intermediary that enables trustless identity verification. Instead of relying on centralized authorities, the blockchain network validates and stores cryptographic proofs of identity. Smart contracts serve as automated intermediaries that facilitate verification processes without requiring users to trust any single entity, thus improving security while maintaining user control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If blockchain technology is used for decentralized identity management, then user control and security are improved, but system complexity and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and separates critical identity verification functions from the main blockchain network. Lightweight clients perform local cryptographic operations and only interact with the blockchain when necessary for registration or verification. This reduces the complexity burden on end-user devices while maintaining the security benefits of blockchain-based decentralized identity management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The identity management system is segmented into distinct functional components: key generation and management (handled by user wallets), public key registration (handled by lightweight clients interacting with blockchain), and verification (handled by service providers). This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of operation

If frequent blockchain interactions are required for identity management, then decentralized control is maintained, but costs and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedecentralized controlVSAvoidresource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-registering public keys and identity credentials on the blockchain during initial setup. Once registered, these credentials can be used for multiple verification operations without requiring additional blockchain interactions. This reduces the frequency of costly blockchain transactions while maintaining decentralized control, as the pre-registered credentials serve as reusable proofs of identity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses cryptographic copies of identity credentials (such as signed verification statements and credential proofs) that can be replicated and transmitted offline without requiring continuous blockchain connectivity. These cryptographic copies contain all necessary verification information, allowing identity verification to occur without frequent blockchain interactions, thus reducing resource consumption while maintaining decentralized verification capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3721603B1System and method for creating decentralized identifiers
Publication Date: 2021.12.08 ADVANCED NEW TECHNOLOGIES CO LTD
  • EP3721603B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3721603B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3721603B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for decentralized-identifier creation. One of the methods includes: receiving a request for obtaining a decentralized identifier (DID), wherein the request comprises an account identifier; obtaining, in response to receiving the request, a public key of a cryptographic key pair; obtaining the DID based on the public key; and storing a mapping relationship between the account identifier and the obtained DID.