Digital Item Blockchain Hash Location Indicator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for providing and verifying the hash of digital items on a blockchain face challenges such as requiring out-of-band hash provision, potential hash changes due to included location, and infeasibility for devices with limited computational power and bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an indicator or pointer to the blockchain location within the digital item, allowing devices to estimate a likely future location and generate a hash that includes this indicator, reducing the computational and network resources needed for verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hash is provided out of band at a different location, then the hash can be stored on the blockchain, but the customer needs to independently determine and search for the location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the hash and its location indicator into a single integrated structure by embedding the location indicator directly within the digital item. This merging eliminates the need for separate hash storage and independent location discovery, allowing the hash to be found directly through the digital item itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a location indicator as an intermediary element that bridges the digital item and the hash on the blockchain. This intermediary contains sufficient information (such as blockchain address and hash value) to directly locate the hash without requiring separate search operations.
2Reliability
If the location of the hash is included in the digital item, then the hash can be directly linked to the digital item, but the hash calculation changes and may result in a never-ending loop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the hash verification process into two distinct parts: the digital item contains a location indicator, and the actual hash is stored separately on the blockchain. This segmentation allows the hash calculation to remain based on the original digital item content without including the location indicator, preventing the infinite loop while maintaining direct linkage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the location indicator from the hash calculation process itself. The location indicator is treated as a separate metadata element that guides hash retrieval but is not included in the hash computation, thereby preventing circular dependencies while maintaining the association between digital item and hash.
3Ease of operation
If the hash is searched through the blockchain using a device with limited computational power, then the hash can be discovered, but it may be infeasible due to limited resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and embedding the location indicator in the digital item before hash retrieval. This preliminary inclusion of location information eliminates the need for resource-intensive blockchain scanning operations, allowing devices with limited computational power to efficiently locate hashes using only the provided location data.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method is presented for storing a location on a blockchain of a hash, such as a cryptographic hash, digital fingerprint, or digest, of a digital item, such as a document, file, sound clip, or computer code, within the digital item itself. The blockchain may be used for providing a provenance of the digital item by generating the hash of the digital item and submitting it within a transaction to the blockchain. The system and method presented allow the location of the hash within the blockchain to be embedded within the digital item before said hash is generated and submitted, providing a clear link between a record of the hash and the digital item in question, and reducing the computational and network resources required to verify the provenance of the digital item.