Digital Wallet Access Tokens for Decentralized Entry Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customer loyalty programs face challenges in enforcing access to physical or virtual locations due to human-intensive centralized identity credentialing and authentication processes.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing blockchain-embedded cryptocurrency tokens to verify user access status, eliminating the need for centralized authority and enabling real-time, tamper-resistant access control through decentralized verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If centralized identity credentialing and human authentication are used, then access control can be enforced, but the process becomes human intensive and causes operational bottlenecks
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service authentication where customers present their digital wallets with loyalty tokens at access points, and the system automatically verifies eligibility without human intervention. The access control system reads the blockchain-embedded credentials and autonomously determines access rights, eliminating the need for manual verification by staff.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual human authentication mechanisms with automated digital verification systems. Blockchain technology provides automated, tamper-proof credential storage and verification, substituting the mechanical process of manual ID checking and human decision-making with automated cryptographic validation that occurs instantly when a customer presents their digital wallet.
2Reliability
If centralized identity credentialing is used, then access management can be controlled, but the system becomes complex and requires centralized authority
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments access control functionality across multiple independent components: customers hold their own credentials in digital wallets, access points independently read and verify tokens, and the blockchain provides distributed verification. This eliminates the need for a single centralized authority while maintaining control through cryptographic protocols and distributed validation.
Solution Approach 2:
The blockchain serves as an intermediary layer between the access control system and customers. Instead of requiring direct communication with a centralized database, the system uses blockchain as a trusted intermediary that stores credentials and enables peer-to-peer verification. This intermediary abstracts the complexity from users while maintaining secure access management.
3Reliability
If traditional access control systems are used, then access can be managed, but they are vulnerable to identity theft and data breaches
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the fundamental parameters of data storage and verification by moving from centralized databases to blockchain technology. Credentials are stored as immutable, encrypted entries on the blockchain rather than in vulnerable central databases. The cryptographic nature of blockchain parameters ensures that even if the system is compromised, individual customer credentials cannot be stolen or altered without detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potential harm of centralized data storage (vulnerability to breaches) into a benefit by using blockchain's immutable and transparent characteristics. The distributed, tamper-proof nature of blockchain actually enhances security by eliminating single points of failure and making credential theft impossible, as credentials are encrypted and distributed across the network rather than stored centrally.
Data Source
AI summary
A system having a processor configured to process, based on signals received from a digital wallet of a user, a digital currency unit comprising an indication of an access status associated with the digital currency unit, wherein the access status is recorded on a blockchain of the digital currency unit, process, based on signals received from the digital wallet of the user, a request to access a location controlled by the system, verify, based on the digital currency unit, the user is allowed to access the location and, when it is verified the user is allowed to access the location, generate a signal to grant the user access to the location.