Decentralized Identity Store Failover for Continuous Data Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Centralized identity management systems are vulnerable to single-point failures and lack robust failover mechanisms in decentralized identity systems, leading to potential data unavailability and reliability issues.

Innovation Solution

Implementing failover mechanisms between decentralized identity stores, where changes to a primary store are reflected across multiple secondary stores, ensuring data availability and reliability by promoting a new primary store in case of a failover event.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a centralized identity management system is used, then security and professional maintenance are improved, but single-point failure risk and lack of decentralization are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesecurityVSAvoiddecentralization

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the centralized identity management system into multiple decentralized identity stores distributed across a network. Each identity store contains a subset of identity data, and the system uses distributed ledger technology to coordinate between these segmented stores, eliminating the single-point failure risk while maintaining security through cryptographic verification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a single-dimensional centralized architecture to a multi-dimensional decentralized architecture by introducing spatial distribution across multiple nodes and temporal redundancy through distributed ledger history. This dimensional change allows the system to maintain security while achieving decentralization through geographic and architectural distribution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Adaptability or versatility

If decentralized identity stores are implemented, then decentralization and data distribution are improved, but failover capability and system reliability are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovedecentralizationVSAvoidfailover capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent establishes primary and secondary relationships between decentralized identity stores in advance, with secondary stores pre-configured to take over if the primary store fails. The distributed ledger maintains records of these relationships and automatically triggers failover procedures when needed, ensuring rapid recovery without requiring complex real-time decision-making.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses distributed ledger technology to continuously monitor the health and availability of primary identity stores. When a failure is detected, the feedback mechanism automatically triggers the promotion of a secondary store to primary status, ensuring the system self-corrects and maintains reliability without human intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If multiple decentralized identity stores are used, then data availability and redundancy are improved, but system complexity and coordination overhead are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata availabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a distributed ledger as an intermediary layer that coordinates between multiple decentralized identity stores. This intermediary automatically manages data synchronization, primary-secondary relationships, and failover procedures through smart contracts and consensus mechanisms, reducing the coordination overhead that would otherwise require complex direct communication between all stores.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Reliability

If primary identity store changes are replicated to secondary stores, then data consistency and reliability are improved, but synchronization time and system latency are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidsynchronization time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements selective replication where only critical identity data and essential changes are immediately synchronized to secondary stores, while less critical data updates can be batched or delayed. This partial replication approach maintains data consistency for essential operations while reducing the overall synchronization time and latency impact on system performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3957043B1Failover between decentralized identity stores

Publication Date: 2025.11.19 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

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AI summary

Failover between decentralized identity stores in the context of there being multiple decentralized identity stores that are each under the control of a single decentralized identity to store data belonging to or regarding the decentralized identity. Third parties can use the decentralized identity to at least conditionally access the data of the primary decentralized identity store. However, in response to detecting a failover event, one of the remaining decentralized identity stores is promoted as the new primary decentralized identity store. As part of this promotion, the new primary decentralized identity store replaces the old primary decentralized identity store as being the decentralized identity store that is accessed using the decentralized identity.