Verifiable Parcel Tracking via Distributed Ledger and Smart Contracts
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional technologies fail to provide an adequate solution for associating digital transactions with physical assets and locations, particularly in parcel shipping and tracking, leading to a lack of verifiable parcel shipping and tracking visibility across multiple carriers.
Innovation Solution
A distributed ledger system, such as a blockchain, is used to track physical assets by generating unique digital tokens linked to physical assets, allowing for the verification and recording of transfers across multiple nodes, enabling enhanced parcel tracking and visibility while minimizing costs through smart contracts that automate value transfers based on location and condition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional tracking systems are used, then implementation is simple, but verifiable parcel tracking and shipping visibility cannot be provided across multiple carriers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a distributed ledger system as an intermediary layer between physical parcel transfers and digital transaction records. This mediator captures location parameters from multiple sources (GPS, cell towers, Wi-Fi) and uses cryptographic hashing to create immutable verification records, enabling trusted tracking across multiple carriers without requiring direct integration between carrier systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional centralized database mechanisms with a distributed ledger system using cryptographic hashing and consensus validation. Instead of relying on a central authority to verify parcel locations, the system uses distributed network nodes that independently validate and record location data through cryptographic proofs, substituting mechanical verification with cryptographic verification.
2Measurement precision
If manual verification of parcel transfers is performed, then system complexity is low, but tracking accuracy and verification reliability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the distributed ledger system continuously receives location parameters from multiple independent sources (transferor device, transferee device, carrier system), validates them through cryptographic hashing, and provides verification feedback to all participants. This multi-source feedback loop ensures high measurement precision by cross-validating location data from different perspectives.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a cryptographic verification dimension to traditional location tracking. Instead of merely recording GPS coordinates, the system creates cryptographic hashes of location parameters and validates them through a distributed network, adding a layer of mathematical verification that dramatically improves measurement precision and trustworthiness of location data.
3Reliability
If centralized tracking systems are used, then data storage is simple, but data security and immutability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized database into multiple distributed ledger nodes, each storing copies of the verification records. Instead of a single central repository vulnerable to tampering, the tracking data is fragmented and distributed across multiple independent nodes in the network, with each node maintaining an immutable copy of the verification history through cryptographic linking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite data structure combining physical parcel information, digital transaction records, and cryptographic verification data into a unified immutable ledger entry. This composite structure integrates multiple data types (location parameters, timestamps, cryptographic hashes, carrier identifiers) into a single verifiable record that cannot be altered without detection, providing both security and immutability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple carriers are involved in parcel transport, then shipping flexibility is improved, but tracking visibility and verification become unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal tracking standard that functions across multiple carrier systems. The distributed ledger system accepts location parameters from any carrier's system and any device type, processing them through a common cryptographic verification framework. This universal interface enables seamless multi-carrier shipping while maintaining consistent verification reliability, as all carriers operate under the same verification rules regardless of their individual systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are provided for tracking physical transfers of tokenized physical assets. A transferor request to transfer a digital token from a first address associated with the first computing device to a second address associated with a second computing device may be received by a first computing device, where the digital token corresponds to a unique identifier associated with a physical asset. The first computing device communicates the received transferor request including at least a first location parameter, determined by the first computing device based on signals received at a physical location thereof, to at least one node of a distributed ledger network. The first computing device receives a confirmation that the transfer of the digital token is approved based on a determination that a transferee request from the second computing device includes at least a second location parameter corresponding to the physical location of the first computing device.