NFT Health Data Encryption via IPFS Blockchain Key Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable devices have limited ability to store and process patient-generated health data, and existing systems fail to effectively monetize or utilize this data for broader analytics, lacking in provenance, security, and privacy.
Innovation Solution
A decentralized marketplace mechanism using an interplanetary file system (IPFS) and blockchain for secure storage, encryption, and ownership transfer of patient-generated health data, facilitated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs), ensuring data privacy and provenance while allowing secure sharing and monetization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If patient-generated health data is stored on wearable devices, then data collection is enabled, but storage capacity and processing ability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the storage function from wearable devices by implementing a decentralized storage system using IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) and blockchain technology. The health data generated by wearables is transferred to and stored on the distributed network, relieving the storage burden from the limited-capacity wearable devices while maintaining data accessibility and integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer consisting of smart contracts and decentralized storage protocols between the wearable devices and the final data repository. This intermediary system manages data transmission, storage, and retrieval operations, enabling seamless integration between resource-constrained wearables and the robust decentralized storage infrastructure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If health data is made available for monetization and analytics, then data utility increases, but data security and privacy are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments health data into multiple encrypted partitions and distributes them across the decentralized network. Each data fragment is encrypted with unique keys, and no single node possesses the complete unencrypted data. This segmentation approach enables data to be utilized for analytics through controlled access while maintaining security through cryptographic protection and distributed storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements differential privacy techniques that add localized noise or perturbation to specific data elements before making them available for analytics. This allows aggregate statistical analysis while protecting individual patient identities and sensitive information, enabling data utility for population-level insights while maintaining individual-level privacy and security.
3Ease of operation
If data ownership is transferred to enable monetization, then patient control increases, but provenance tracking becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service mechanisms through smart contracts that automatically manage data ownership transfer, licensing, and monetization terms. Patients can directly control their data through user-friendly interfaces that interact with the blockchain, setting preferences for data sharing, selecting beneficiaries, and defining compensation terms without requiring complex manual intervention or third-party intermediaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback loops through the blockchain system that automatically track and record all ownership transfers, data access events, and monetization transactions. This creates an immutable provenance trail that provides real-time feedback to patients about their data's journey, who has accessed it, and how it has been utilized, simplifying ownership management through automated transparency and accountability.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for providing a decentralized marketplace for patient-generated health data are provided. The systems and methods can store medical records on an interplanetary file system (IPFS) and blockchain, with the ability to encrypt and decrypt data on the IPFS and blockchain. This can securely associate and/or dissociate users from their “owned” property, securely transfer the ownership of records, securely share the records to other users, facilitate payment for nonfungible token (NFT) records, and/or facilitate transfers to aggregators of health records.