Ordered Append-Only Blockchain Data Logging via Segmented Transactions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current blockchain systems lack efficient methods for implementing ordered, append-only data storage and traversal, particularly in high-volume data applications, where maintaining a sequence of events and ensuring data integrity is crucial.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves creating a data structure and method that uses a chain of transactions with 'dust' outputs to maintain an immutable sequential record, employing UTXO-based models and OP_RETURN opcodes to store data immutably, and introducing change-in and change-out transactions to overcome the ancestor limit, enabling efficient data storage and traversal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional blockchain storage methods are used for high-volume data applications, then data integrity is maintained through immutability, but data traversal efficiency and scalability deteriorate due to lack of ordered structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the blockchain data structure into distinct components: data items are stored in separate transactions with explicit sequence numbers, while navigation instructions are stored in dedicated transactions. This segmentation allows efficient random access to data items without traversing the entire chain, improving traversal efficiency while maintaining data integrity through the immutable blockchain structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces navigation instructions as an intermediary layer between the raw blockchain data and the user application. These navigation instructions contain pre-computed pointers and sequence information that enable efficient data traversal without requiring full blockchain validation at each step, thus improving productivity while relying on the blockchain's immutability for reliability.
2Reliability
If blockchain is used for ordered data storage, then data sequence integrity is improved, but device complexity increases due to need for specialized data structures and navigation mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-computing and storing navigation instructions alongside the data items during the data insertion phase. These navigation instructions include sequence numbers, pointers to related data, and traversal metadata that are prepared in advance, eliminating the need for complex runtime computation and simplifying the overall system complexity while ensuring sequence integrity.
3Productivity
If more data is stored in each transaction to improve storage efficiency, then the number of transactions is reduced, but the ancestor limit constraint worsens blocking new transactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts navigation and sequencing information from the data items themselves and stores it in separate, dedicated navigation transactions. This extraction allows data items to be stored in a streamlined format while maintaining storage efficiency, and the separate navigation transactions avoid bloating individual data transactions, thereby mitigating the ancestor limit constraint.
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, the present disclosure proposes methods, devices, systems, and data structures for implementing an ordered, append-only data logging system. In particular a method comprises creating a transaction of a first type comprising an input associated with a transaction output from a latest transaction in the set of transactions. Then creating a transaction of a second type. Finally submitting both the transaction of the second type and the transaction of the first type to the blockchain.