Whois Record Blockchain Provenance Linking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing Domain Name System (DNS) and domain registration systems face challenges in managing and identifying new generic Top-Level Domains, as they are restricted by traditional Whois servers, which cannot accommodate the unique requirements of new domain types such as .MICROSOFT or .ART, lacking the ability to link domain names with specific objects or roles and provide provenance information.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that expand the Whois record with additional fields to link domain names with objects or roles, including provenance information and metadata, and store these records in a blockchain system for immutability and transparency, allowing for the creation of unique identifiers and authentication within the DNS registry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional Whois servers are used to manage domain names, then the system maintains simplicity and ease of operation, but the system lacks the capability to link domain names with specific objects or roles and cannot provide provenance information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the traditional Whois server functionality with blockchain technology to create a unified system. The Whois server continues to manage domain name registrations while the blockchain simultaneously stores and provides provenance information and object linkages, combining two systems into one integrated solution that achieves both simplicity and enhanced capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces blockchain as an intermediary layer between the Whois server and the domain name system. This intermediary stores additional metadata and provenance information without replacing the existing Whois infrastructure, allowing the system to gain object-linking capabilities while maintaining the original server's simplicity.
2Reliability
If blockchain technology is integrated to store Whois records, then the system provides immutability and transparency, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a duplicate copy of the Whois record and stores it on the blockchain. This copying approach allows the system to leverage blockchain's immutability and transparency features without completely replacing the existing Whois server infrastructure, thereby reducing the increase in system complexity while still achieving enhanced reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the blockchain system serve multiple functions: it acts as a backup storage for Whois records, provides immutable provenance tracking, enables object linkage, and maintains transparency. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering multiple benefits from a single integration.
3Loss of information
If additional fields are added to Whois records to include provenance information, then the system provides enhanced authentication and object identification, but the data structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds provenance information and object linkage data as a new dimension to the traditional Whois record structure. Instead of complicating the existing flat data structure, the solution extends it vertically by incorporating blockchain-stored metadata that complements the original registration information, thereby preserving information without oversimplifying the structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing and managing a top-level domain includes: (a) receiving a first domain name associated with a first object; (b) generating a “Whois” record associated with the received first domain name, the “Whois” record including a plurality of fields associated with the first domain name, the plurality of fields consisting of registration data required for creating the first domain name; (c) expanding the “Whois” record by adding one or more new fields associated with the first object to the “Whois” record, thereby linking the first domain name with the first object, wherein the one or more new fields comprises provenance information and metadata regarding the first object associated with the first domain name; and (d) creating a duplicate record of the “Whois” record in a blockchain system that is linked to the “Whois” record, wherein any changes in the “Whois” record is synced to the duplicate record.