Pipe Component Blockchain Tracking for Supply Chain Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to provide accurate product authentication and tracking for pipe components during transportation, leading to the risk of delivering incorrect or unsatisfactory products due to the involvement of multiple entities in the supply chain.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing blockchain technology with digital pipe certificates stored in a distributed ledger, enabling authentication and tracking of pipe components through machine-readable tags, inspections, and smart contracts to ensure compliance with specifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple entities handle pipe components in the supply chain, then productivity and distribution efficiency are improved, but reliability and product authentication accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple supply chain entities into a unified blockchain network where all participants (manufacturers, distributors, inspectors, installers) share a common distributed ledger. This allows maintaining high supply chain efficiency through multiple handlers while ensuring reliability through unified authentication standards and transparent tracking across all entities.
Solution Approach 2:
The blockchain network acts as an intermediary layer between multiple supply chain entities, providing a trusted mechanism for product authentication without requiring direct trust between individual parties. The distributed ledger and smart contracts mediate the verification process, ensuring that pipe components are properly authenticated even when handled by multiple untrusted entities.
2Device complexity
If manual tracking and authentication methods are used for pipe components, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and tracking accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual tracking and authentication methods with automated electronic systems including machine-readable tags (RFID, barcodes), digital certificates, and blockchain-based verification. This substitution significantly improves tracking accuracy and authentication precision while the modular architecture and standardized protocols prevent excessive complexity from undermining system simplicity.
3Reliability
If comprehensive inspection and verification processes are implemented, then reliability and product quality are improved, but loss of time and processing duration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary authentication by embedding machine-readable tags and digital certificates with pipe components during manufacturing, and pre-registering them in the blockchain network. This allows rapid verification at later stages (distribution, inspection, installation) without requiring time-consuming manual inspections, thus maintaining high product quality assurance while minimizing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The blockchain system enables self-service authentication where pipe components automatically present their digital certificates and verification is performed autonomously by scanning the machine-readable tags. This eliminates the need for lengthy manual inspection processes while maintaining comprehensive verification, significantly reducing inspection time without compromising reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system may include a user device and various blockchain nodes coupled over a network. The system may further include a server coupled to the user device and the blockchain nodes over the network. The server may obtain pipe data in response to a scan of a machine-readable tag associated with a received pipe component. The server may further perform a comparison of the received pipe component and a pipe component using the blockchain nodes, the pipe data, and a digital pipe certificate that is disposed in a distributed ledger. The server may further determine whether the received pipe component matches the pipe component based on the comparison of the received pipe component and the pipe component. The server may further transmit, in response to the received pipe component not matching the pipe component, a command that sends the received pipe component to a predetermined return location.