Gateway Mediator for Distributed Data Circulation Network

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Solution Overview

Problem

In distributed data storage systems, there is no centralized manager to oversee multiple sites, making data management insufficient for conforming to access policies and ensuring data authenticity, which complicates user access to shared data.

Innovation Solution

A communication method within a data circulation network where node devices manage metadata and data transfer, using gateways to register, acquire, and verify metadata and data while ensuring data security through hash values and consortium blockchain techniques.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If data is stored in multiple distributed sites without a centralized manager, then data availability and accessibility are improved, but data management capability and security control deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata accessibilityVSAvoiddata management capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary component that mediates between distributed data storage sites and users. The gateway receives data from terminals, manages metadata registration, handles data acquisition requests, and coordinates with multiple node devices. This intermediary structure enables distributed data storage to maintain centralized management capabilities, resolving the contradiction between data accessibility and management capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If no centralized manager oversees distributed sites, then system complexity is reduced, but ability to enforce access policies and guarantee data authenticity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem structureVSAvoidaccess policy enforcement
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The gateway acts as a mediator that enforces access policies and guarantees data authenticity in the distributed system. It verifies user permissions, manages metadata with access control information, and coordinates data transfer while ensuring policy compliance. This intermediary approach maintains policy enforcement capability without requiring a complex centralized management structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the gateway continuously monitors and verifies data access operations. It receives requests, checks against stored metadata and access policies, and provides feedback by approving or denying access. This feedback loop ensures access policies are enforced and data authenticity is maintained throughout the distributed system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If metadata is transferred to multiple node devices, then data searchability is improved, but network communication overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata searchabilityVSAvoidnetwork communication overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments metadata into distinct components and distributes them across multiple node devices in the network. Each node device stores specific metadata related to data it holds, enabling localized search operations. This segmentation improves data searchability by allowing users to query nearby nodes first, reducing the need for extensive network communication and lowering overall communication overhead.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3537684B1Apparatus, method, and program for managing data
Publication Date: 2020.10.28 FUJITSU LTD
  • EP3537684B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3537684B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3537684B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3C

AI summary

A method of communication for a plurality of node devices included in a data circulation network to execute, the method includes when receiving a request to register metadata including attribute information on data of a terminal connected to one of the node devices, transferring the metadata to the plurality of node devices and when receiving a request to obtain data based on the metadata, obtaining the data from the terminal and transferring the data to a requestor of the data.