Secure Hash Queueing for High-Demand Item Request Allocation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional systems face performance degradation and computational overload during traffic spikes from high-demand item listings, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to unprocessed locked item requests and resource exhaustion.

Innovation Solution

Employing secure hashes generated from item request data using cryptographic algorithms to quickly record and manage item requests, decoupling processing from generation, and adjusting queue delays based on traffic conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional systems process item requests sequentially during high traffic, then request processing accuracy is maintained, but system performance degrades and computational overload occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem performanceVSAvoidrequest processing accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the item request processing into two independent parts: (1) secure hash generation and storage in the secure hash ring, and (2) queued item request processing. This segmentation allows the system to handle high traffic by processing secure hashes in parallel while maintaining reliable item request processing through the queue mechanism, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces secure hashes as an intermediary between item requests and the processing system. Instead of processing raw item requests directly, the system generates secure hashes that represent the requests, stores them in the secure hash ring, and then processes queued item requests based on these hashes. This intermediary mechanism enables high-performance handling while maintaining processing accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the system locks item requests for processing, then request integrity is maintained, but resource exhaustion occurs during traffic spikes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverequest integrityVSAvoidsystem resources
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the locking mechanism from the main processing flow and replaces it with secure hash generation and queue-based processing. By taking out the explicit locking operation and substituting it with cryptographic hash functions and queued processing, the system maintains request integrity without the resource overhead of traditional locking during traffic spikes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical locking system with a cryptographic substitution approach. Instead of using mutex locks or semaphore-based mechanisms that consume system resources, the system uses secure hash functions to represent and track item requests, eliminating the need for resource-intensive locking while preserving request integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Ease of operation

If the system processes all item requests immediately, then customer satisfaction is improved, but computational overload and performance degradation occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecustomer satisfactionVSAvoidsystem capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces dynamic processing through the queued item request mechanism. Instead of rigid immediate processing or complete batching, the system dynamically processes item requests from the queue based on system capacity and traffic conditions. This dynamic approach maintains customer satisfaction by processing requests promptly when possible while preventing computational overload through queue-based flow control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4664379A1Automatic detection and management of item demand
Publication Date: 2025.12.17 EBAY INC
  • EP4664379A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4664379A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4664379A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Item request management employing secure hashes to queue item requests for processing is leveraged with an online platform supporting item listings. In one or more implementations, item request data associated with an item request for a listed item is received. The item request data includes information such as a recipient for the item and/or an item procurement quantity associated with the item request. A secure hash is generated from the item request data, with the secure hash storable in a secure hash ring to represent the item request data in the secure hash ring. A queued item request is generated in an item request processing queue from the secure hash, and the queued item request is processed to allocate an amount of the item equal to the procurement quantity to the recipient.