Secure Access Node for Policy-Based Distributed Ledger Privacy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing distributed ledger systems lack the ability to provide differentiated access levels to data, compromising security and privacy, especially when handling sensitive information.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a Secure Access Node that maintains a restricted access ledger alongside the main distributed ledger, allowing for selective access control through a secure access smart contract, which provides unrestricted or restricted access based on predefined policies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a distributed ledger provides decentralized and secure storage of data, then data integrity and security are improved, but the ability to provide differentiated access levels to data is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata securityVSAvoidaccess control capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the distributed ledger into two distinct ledgers: a public distributed ledger for transparent operations and a private restricted access ledger for sensitive data. This segmentation allows different access control mechanisms to apply to different data types, resolving the contradiction between maintaining security through decentralization and enabling differentiated access levels.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a secure access node as an intermediary between users and the distributed ledger. This node maintains a restricted access ledger and controls access to sensitive information, acting as a mediator that preserves the decentralized security of the main ledger while enabling selective access control for specific data portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If all nodes maintain local copies of the distributed ledger, then decentralization and fault tolerance are improved, but data privacy and confidentiality are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovedecentralizationVSAvoiddata exposure

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the ledger data into public and private segments. While all nodes maintain copies of the public distributed ledger for decentralization and fault tolerance, only authorized nodes maintain copies of the private restricted access ledger. This segmentation allows decentralization benefits to be preserved for public data while protecting private data from widespread exposure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different access control qualities to different portions of the ledger. Public ledger data is accessible to all nodes with equal quality, while restricted ledger data is accessible only to specific nodes with appropriate authorization. This local quality differentiation ensures that decentralization does not uniformly expose all data, allowing privacy protection for sensitive information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Stability of the object's composition

If the distributed ledger maintains immutable recorded data, then data integrity is improved, but the ability to control access to specific data is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata immutabilityVSAvoidselective access control

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the immutable ledger structure into public and private components. Both ledgers maintain immutability for their respective data types, but the private restricted access ledger implements additional access control layers. This segmentation allows immutability to be preserved for data integrity while enabling selective access control through the restricted ledger's authorization mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12481780B2Systems and methods for policy-based access to distributed ledger via secure access node

Publication Date: 2025.11.25 VERIZON PATENT & LICENSING INC

AI summary

A system described herein may maintain a local copy of a distributed ledger, including a first set of records that each include payload information. The system may maintain a restricted access ledger based on the distributed ledger, including a second set of records that include modified payload information included in the first set of records of the distributed ledger. The system may receive a request to access the distributed ledger, including one or more attributes, and may determine, based on the one or more attributes of the request, whether to grant access to the distributed ledger or to the restricted access ledger. When determining to grant access to the distributed ledger, the system may provide payload information from the distributed ledger in response to the request, and when determining to grant restricted access to the restricted access ledger, the system may provide payload information from the restricted access ledger.