Blockchains (smart contracts, distributed ledgers) and rights management broadly construed are the themes of today's Spotlight Patents. Assigned to Alipay (CN), the first patent addresses techniques for blockchain-based trustable guarantees. Assigned to NHN (KR), the second patent addresses techniques for constructing sub blockchain in blockchain system comprising distributed network of plurality of nodes.
11,200,570, "Blockchain-based trustable guarantees," assigned to Alipay (Hangzhou) Information Technology Co., Ltd. (CN)
Abstract
A method includes receiving a cyphertext of a digital document specifying a guarantee and one or more zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) related to a value associated with the guarantee; verifying the one or more ZKPs; upon successfully verifying the one or more ZKPs, storing the cyphertext to a blockchain based on performing a consensus algorithm; receiving a first message from a first computing device associated with the beneficiary or a representative of the beneficiary indicating there is no outstanding claim for the guarantee; sending a second message to a second computing device associated with a guarantor to confirm that the guarantor is discharged from undertaking payment under the guarantee; receiving a third message from the second computing device associated with the guarantor requesting the status of the guarantee to be changed to expired; and updating the status of the guarantee stored in the blockchain to indicate that the guarantee has expired.
11,200,225, "Method and blockchain for constructing sub blockchain in blockchain system comprising distributed network of plurality of nodes," assigned to NHN Corporation (KR)
Abstract
A method for constructing a sub-blockchain in a blockchain system comprising a distributed network of nodes comprises generating and propagating, by one of the nodes, a candidate sub-block comprised in a sub-blockchain to be connected to one of main blocks included in a main blockchain; validating the candidate sub-block and storing and propagating the validated candidate sub-block by one of the nodes; validating a content block received from a node which generated the candidate sub-block corresponding to content queried by a user and storing and propagating an end block connected to the content block by one of the nodes; and if the number of the same end blocks received from other nodes is larger than a preconfigured value, generating an approved sub-block, and propagating the approved sub-block by one of the nodes while updating the approved sub-block to a local copy of a blockchain.
