Smart contracts, blockchains (distributed ledgers), and rights management broadly construed are the themes of today's Spotlight Patents. Assigned to eBay, the first patent addresses techniques for system level function based access control for smart contract execution on a blockchain. Assigned to Alipay (CN), the second patent addresses techniques for consensus in blockchains.
11,263,315, "System level function based access control for smart contract execution on a blockchain," assigned to eBay.
Abstract
Technologies are shown for system level function based access control for smart contract execution on a blockchain. Access control rules control function calls at a system level by utilizing function boundary detection instrumentation in a kernel that executes smart contracts. The detection instrumentation generates a call stack that represents a chain of function calls in the kernel for execution of a smart contract. The access control rules are applied to the function call stack to allow or prohibit specific functions or function call chains. Access control rules can also define allowed or prohibited parameter data in the function call chain. If the function call chain or parameters do not meet the requirements defined in the access control rules, then the function call can be blocked from executing or completing execution. The access control rules can produce sophisticated access control policies based on complex function call chains.
11,265,173, "Methods and systems for consensus in blockchains," assigned to Alipay (Hangzhou) Information Technology Co., Ltd.
AbstractThis specification discloses a method and a system. The method includes: obtaining a Merkle root of one or more proposals initiated by one or more nodes associated with a blockchain; signing the Merkle root of the one or more proposals to obtain a digital signature of the one or more proposals; transmitting the digital signature of the one or more proposals to one or more nodes associated with the blockchain; receiving one or more digital signatures of the one or more proposals from one or more nodes associated with the blockchain respectively; determining that a quantity of the received one or more digital signatures is at least 2 f+1, wherein f is a maximum quantity of abnormal nodes permitted by the blockchain; and generating a proof of consensus for the one or more proposals based on the received one or more digital signatures.
