Distributed Authentication Protocol for Asset Sharing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle sharing schemes require centralized management and databases, making it impractical for individual vehicle owners to facilitate shared usage without dedicated staff, and lack efficient mechanisms for tracking usage and generating usage fees.
Innovation Solution
A distributed authentication protocol, such as a blockchain, is used to create a decentralized system where nodes interact to record and manage usage data of physical assets, generating usage fees and facilitating shared ownership without a central administrator, using sensors and smart contracts to track usage and allocate fees among multiple owners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a centralized management system with dedicated staff and physical security protocols is used to administer shared vehicle usage, then authorization and payment management can be ensured, but the complexity and cost of operation increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized server as an intermediary that manages the shared usage scheme. The server maintains a database of authorized users and vehicles, processes reservations, and coordinates authentication between users and vehicles. This intermediary handles the complex management tasks centrally, allowing individual vehicle owners to participate without needing their own management infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized server performs multiple functions: it authenticates users, manages reservations, tracks usage data, processes payments, and coordinates vehicle access. By consolidating these diverse management functions into a single multi-functional system, the patent reduces overall complexity while maintaining reliable authorization and payment management across the entire shared usage network.
2Productivity
If multiple vehicle owners participate in the shared usage scheme without a central administrator, then operational costs are reduced, but the ability to manage contractual arrangements and security protocols becomes impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service through automated authentication and reservation processes. Users can independently reserve vehicles, authenticate themselves to authorized vehicles, and manage their own usage. The centralized server automatically processes these self-service requests, eliminating the need for manual intervention from vehicle owners while maintaining proper contractual and security management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual administrative processes with automated electronic systems. Instead of physical security protocols and paper-based contractual arrangements, the system uses electronic authentication, digital reservations, and automated payment processing managed by the centralized server. This substitution maintains rigorous management controls while dramatically improving operational efficiency and reducing manual effort.
3Reliability
If individual vehicle owners operate their own private management databases, then data security and ownership control are improved, but the scalability and coordination across multiple owners become impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges individual vehicle owner databases into a single centralized database managed by the centralized server. This consolidation maintains data security through centralized control and encryption, while simultaneously enabling scalable coordination across all vehicle owners and users. The centralized database serves as a single source of truth for all authorization, reservation, and usage data, allowing the system to scale efficiently.
Data Source
AI summary
A node is provided that is configured to interact with one or more other nodes to implement a distributed authentication protocol. The node is configured to receive data that is indicative of use of a physical asset, generate a usage fee to be assigned to one or more owners of the physical asset in dependence on the use data and record that usage fee in a data corpus authenticated by the distributed authentication protocol.