Smart Contract State Space Prediction for Violation Alerts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Smart contracts typically detect violations only after they occur, leading to wasteful computing resource usage due to invalid transactions and the need to re-execute transactions to restore the correct state, especially in blockchains requiring proof of work.

Innovation Solution

A smart contract agent generates a state space tree based on control flow graphs to predict violations before they occur, sending alerts to blockchain participants when predefined violation requirements are met, thereby avoiding unnecessary mining and conserving computing resources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If smart contracts are implemented as static code to ensure transaction verification, then transaction credibility is improved, but violation detection capability deteriorates because violations can only be detected after they occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction credibilityVSAvoidviolation detection capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent generates control flow graphs and state space trees in advance to predict potential violations before they occur. By analyzing all possible execution paths beforehand and comparing them against smart contract requirements, the system can identify violations proactively rather than reactively, resolving the contradiction between maintaining static code reliability and improving violation detection capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If proof of work is required for contenders to add blocks to the blockchain, then blockchain security is improved, but computing resource waste deteriorates when invalid transactions are processed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblockchain securityVSAvoidcomputing resource waste

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary analysis by generating control flow graphs and state space trees before transactions are executed on the blockchain. By predicting violations in advance and alerting contenders, the system prevents invalid transactions from being included in blocks, thereby avoiding the waste of computing resources on proof of work for invalid transactions while maintaining blockchain security

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where violation predictions are communicated back to contenders before they invest computing resources in proof of work. This feedback loop allows contenders to avoid processing transactions that would result in violations, reducing energy waste while preserving the security incentives of the proof of work system

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If multiple smart contracts are executed with multiple contenders contending to add blocks, then blockchain throughput is improved, but violation detection complexity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblockchain throughputVSAvoidviolation detection complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the violation detection problem by generating separate control flow graphs for each smart contract and analyzing them independently through state space trees. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple contracts by multiple contenders, maintaining high throughput while managing complexity through modular, contract-specific analysis rather than attempting to analyze all contracts simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Ease of manufacture

If violations are detected only after occurrence, then smart contract implementation simplicity is improved, but state restoration overhead deteriorates due to need to re-execute transactions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesmart contract implementation simplicityVSAvoidstate restoration overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By generating control flow graphs and state space trees in advance, the system identifies potential violations before they occur. This preliminary action eliminates the need for post-violation state restoration by preventing invalid transactions from being executed, thereby reducing time loss while maintaining the simplicity of smart contract implementation through automated prediction rather than manual monitoring

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12475471B2Method and system for prediction of smart contract violation using dynamic state space creation

Publication Date: 2025.11.18 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

AI summary

A method implemented by a network device to predict smart contract violations, where the network device is communicatively coupled to one or more computing nodes that execute one or more smart contracts that are configured to perform transactions on a blockchain. The method includes generating a control flow graph for each of the one or more smart contracts, retrieving, from the blockchain, a current state of a variable utilized by the one or more smart contracts following execution of a transaction that updates the variable, generating or updating a state space tree based on the current state of the variable and the control flow graphs generated for the one or more smart contracts, determining whether the state space tree meets a predefined violation requirement, and sending an alert to the one or more computing nodes in response to determining that the state space tree meets the violation requirement.