Symmetric Encryption for Private Smart Contracts with Partial Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing distributed ledger systems, like Bitcoin, are not suitable for private peer-to-peer networks where transaction details need to be protected, as they lack mechanisms for secure encryption and privacy among multiple parties.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a master encryption key shared among participants, with symmetric encryption ensuring that smart contracts can only be read and modified by those with the appropriate keys, using internal and master keys for encryption and decryption, and consensus servers for validation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a public distributed ledger system like Bitcoin is used, then transaction verification and trust are ensured, but transaction privacy and confidentiality are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ledger into public portions (metadata, transaction hashes, block headers) that can be verified by all nodes, and private portions (detailed transaction data, smart contract terms) that are encrypted and accessible only to authorized parties. This segmentation allows simultaneous achievement of public verification and private confidentiality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested encryption where inner encryption keys are encrypted by outer keys, creating layers of access control. The metadata is encrypted with a first key, while the payload is encrypted with a second key that is itself encrypted by the first key, enabling progressive decryption and verification while maintaining privacy.
2Loss of information
If symmetric encryption with master keys is implemented for privacy, then transaction confidentiality is improved, but system complexity and key management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The master encryption key serves multiple functions: it encrypts inner encryption keys, verifies digital signatures, and enables decryption of metadata. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate key management systems for different operations, thereby reducing overall system complexity despite the use of symmetric encryption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables nodes to autonomously manage their own key pairs and encryption/decryption operations without requiring centralized key management. Each node generates its own master key, encrypts its inner keys, and manages its own access control, reducing key management overhead across the network.
3Reliability
If full decryption and verification of all ledger entries is performed, then complete validation is ensured, but computational resources and processing time are excessively consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial verification where nodes only decrypt and validate the metadata portion of ledger entries using their master keys, rather than decrypting and validating the entire encrypted payload. This partial action approach ensures sufficient validation for network consensus while dramatically reducing computational resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the verification-critical metadata from the full transaction data, encrypting it separately with accessible keys. Nodes extract and verify only this essential metadata portion, leaving the detailed payload encrypted and accessible only to authorized parties, thereby reducing validation overhead while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Features for providing a secure method of symmetric encryption for private smart contacts among multiple parties in a private peer-to-peer network. The features include a master key representing a unique blockchain ledger. The master key may be shared among multiple participants in a private peer-to-peer network. Sharing of the master key may include communicating the master key in an encrypted message (e.g., email) using public key infrastructure (PKI). In some implementations, more complex distribution features may be includes such as quantum entanglement. The features support instantiation of a smart contract using a specific master key. The request may be submitted as an entry to the ledger with appropriate metadata and/or payload information for identifying and processing the request.