Inter-Ledger Graph Structures for Supply Chain Traceability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions lack efficiency in implementing supply chain traceability due to concerns over data privacy and managing inter-actor cooperation in supply chains.
Innovation Solution
A method is devised to establish relationships among different ledgers using pointers stored in the ledgers, generating graph structures that depict interrelationships among participant nodes and data stored in the ledgers, ensuring immutability and reliability of the pointers and data blocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If distributed ledger technology is used to ensure data immutability and reliability, then data trustworthiness is improved, but system complexity and difficulty of managing inter-actor cooperation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monolithic distributed ledger into multiple independent ledgers, each managed by different sets of participant nodes. This allows the system to maintain reliability through cryptographic hashing and consensus mechanisms while reducing complexity by enabling independent operation and scaling of individual ledgers without requiring all nodes to interact with the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces graph structures as intermediaries that connect multiple ledgers. These graph structures serve as mediators that establish relationships between ledgers without requiring direct complex interactions between all participant nodes, thereby maintaining data trustworthiness while simplifying inter-actor cooperation management.
2Loss of information
If all supply chain data is stored in a single distributed ledger to ensure complete traceability, then traceability completeness is improved, but data privacy and security worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides supply chain data across multiple independent ledgers, with different sets of participant nodes managing different ledgers. This segmentation enables complete traceability through graph structure connections while protecting data privacy by allowing selective data sharing and keeping sensitive information confined to specific ledgers accessible only to authorized participants.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different ledgers to have different access permissions and data visibility characteristics. Sensitive data can be stored in ledgers with restricted access while public traceability information is stored in ledgers with broader access, enabling both complete traceability and data privacy protection simultaneously.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple independent ledgers are used to protect data privacy, then data confidentiality is improved, but the ability to establish inter-relationships and generate graph structures worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces graph structures as intermediaries that simplify the management of inter-ledger relationships. The graph structures provide a unified view and management interface for establishing relationships between multiple independent ledgers, reducing the complexity of inter-ledger relationship management while maintaining data confidentiality through selective pointer exposure and access control.
4Loss of information
If pointers are stored in data blocks to create relationships among ledgers, then inter-ledger traceability is improved, but the risk of pointer manipulation and data integrity issues worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical pointer storage with cryptographic hashing mechanisms. Instead of storing direct pointers that can be manipulated, the system uses hash values of data blocks from other ledgers, making pointer manipulation computationally infeasible and ensuring pointer integrity while maintaining inter-ledger traceability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method (502; 514; 530) is provided for managing, under the control of a computing system, a plurality of ledgers (Lk). Each ledger comprises a corresponding persistent sequence of data blocks (DB), each ledger (Lk) being participated by a corresponding set of participant nodes (PNi) of the computing system, the method comprising: —for at least one of said sets of participant nodes (PNi), said at least one participant node (PNi) of said set appends (512), to a ledger (Lk) corresponding to said set of participant nodes (PNi), at least one data block (DB) each one comprising a pointer (p(k′)) pointing to a different ledger (Lk′); —in response to a ledger relationship request by a requesting node (RE) about a selected ledger (Lk) and at least one selected pointer (p(k′)) comprised in the selected ledger (Lk), generating (518; 534) a graph structure (GS), comprising a set of graph nodes each one labelled with an identifier of a corresponding ledger (Lk), by: —adding a root graph node labelled with an identifier of the selected ledger (Lk), and —performing a recursive procedure for an iterative pointer initialized to each of the selected pointers (p(k′)), the recursive procedure comprising: a) adding a child graph node, labelled with an identifier of a ledger pointed by the iterative pointer, depending on a graph node of the graph structure labelled with an identifier of the ledger comprising the iterative pointer, and b) iterating the recursive procedure for the iterative pointer set to each pointer of a set of the pointers comprised in the ledger pointed by the iterative pointer; —providing (520; 536) an indication of the generated graph structure to the requesting node (RE)—providing (520; 536) to the requesting node (RE) at least one of: —pointers (p(k′)) comprised in the ledgers (Lk) identified by identifiers labelling the graph nodes of the graph structure (GS), and a proof that said pointers (p(k′)) have been included in data blocks (DB) of said ledgers.