IP Library Granted Patent US 11,295,296
Granted Patent B2
US 11,295,296 · App. 16/116,969 · Granted Apr 5, 2022

Digital contracts in blockchain environments

Inventor: Paul Snow (Austin, TX)
Assignee: Inveniam Capital Partners, Inc.
G06Q20/367G06Q20/065G06Q20/0658G06Q20/12G06Q20/3674G06Q20/3829G06Q20/401H04L9/0637G06F16/29G06F21/53G06F21/645H04L9/0618H04L9/0643H04L9/3236H04L9/3239H04L67/12H04L2209/38H04L2209/56
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,295,296
App. No.
16/116,969
Granted
Apr 5, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Digital or “smart” contracts execute in a blockchain environment. Any entity (whether public or private) may specify a digital contract via a contract identifier in a blockchain. Because there may be many digital contracts offered as virtual services, the contract identifier uniquely identifies a particular digital contract offered by a virtual machine, vendor or supplier. The blockchain is thus not burdened with the programming code that is required to execute the digital contract. The blockchain need only include or specify the contract identifier (and perhaps one or more contractual parameters), thus greatly simplifying the blockchain and reducing its size (in bytes) and processing requirements.

Claims (41)

1. A method performed by a server that cryptographically proves an outsource execution of a digital contract, the method comprising:

receiving, by the server, a private blockchain;

conducting, by the server, a cryptocoinage transaction via a network in exchange for read accessing the private blockchain by using an application programming interface (API) associated with a read access permission;

after the conducting of the cryptocoinage transaction, reading, by the server, a contract identifier specified by the private blockchain;

in response to the reading of the contract identifier, determining, by the server, that the outsource execution of the digital contract is required;

identifying, by the server, a virtual machine by querying an electronic database that associates the contract identifier to the virtual machine;

identifying, by the server, a contract parameter specified by the private blockchain for the outsource execution of the digital contract;

outsourcing, by the server, the digital contract by sending an execution request to the virtual machine, the execution request specifying the contract identifier and the contract parameter and requesting the outsource execution of the digital contract;

receiving, by the server, a response from the virtual machine;

in response to the receiving of the response from the virtual machine, generating, by the server, a cryptographic proof of the outsource execution by hashing a cryptographic address associated with the virtual machine using an electronic representation of a hashing algorithm; and

publishing, by the server, the cryptographic proof.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating, by the server, a transaction record that documents the cryptographic proof.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising publicly publishing, by the server, the transaction record that documents the cryptographic proof.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating, by the server, a transaction record that documents the cryptocoinage transaction.

5. A server that cryptographically proves an outsource execution of a digital contract, comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a memory device storing instructions that when executed by the hardware processor perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a private blockchain;

conducting a cryptocoinage transaction via a network in exchange for read accessing the private blockchain by using an application programming interface (API) associated with a read access permission;

after the conducting of the cryptocoinage transaction, reading a contract identifier specified by the private blockchain;

in response to the reading of the contract identifier, determining that the outsource execution of the digital contract is required;

identifying a virtual machine by querying an electronic database that associates the contract identifier to the virtual machine;

identifying a contract parameter specified by the private blockchain;

outsourcing the digital contract by sending an execution request to the virtual machine, the execution request specifying the contract identifier and the contract parameter and requesting the outsource execution of the digital contract;

receiving a response from the virtual machine;

in response to the receiving of the response from the virtual machine, generating a cryptographic proof of the outsource execution by hashing a cryptographic address associated with the virtual machine using an electronic representation of a hashing algorithm; and

publishing the cryptographic proof.

6. The server of claim 5 , wherein the operations further comprise generating a transaction record that documents the cryptographic proof.

7. The server of claim 6 , wherein the operations further comprise publicly publishing the transaction record that documents the cryptographic proof.

8. The server of claim 5 , wherein the operations further comprise generating a transaction record that documents the cryptocoinage transaction.

9. A non-transitory computer readable memory device storing instructions that when executed by a hardware processor perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a private blockchain;

conducting a cryptocoinage transaction via a network in exchange for read accessing the private blockchain using an application programming interface (API) associated with a read access permission;

after the conducting of the cryptocoinage transaction, reading via the API a contract identifier specified by the private blockchain;

in response to the reading of the contract identifier, determining that an outsource execution of the digital contract is required;

identifying a virtual machine by querying an electronic database that associates the contract identifier to the virtual machine;

identifying a contract parameter specified by the private blockchain for the outsource execution of the digital contract;

outsourcing the digital contract by sending an outsource execution request to the virtual machine, the outsource execution request specifying the contract identifier and the contract parameter and requesting the outsource execution of the digital contract;

receiving a response generated by the virtual machine;

in response to the receiving of the response generated by the virtual machine, generating a cryptographic proof of the outsource execution by hashing a cryptographic address associated with the virtual machine using an electronic representation of a hashing algorithm; and

publishing the cryptographic proof.

Assignments (4)
AMENDMENT AND JOINDER TO SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 29, 2025
From: INVENIAM CAPITAL PARTNERS INC
To: 1221 INVENIAM LLC; 1221 INVENIAM II LLC
Reel/Frame 070741/0157 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 27, 2024
From: INVENIAM CAPITAL PARTNERS, INC.
To: 1221 INVENIAM LLC
Reel/Frame 067932/0074 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 28, 2021
From: FACTOM, INC.
To: INVENIAM CAPITAL PARTNERS, INC.
Reel/Frame 056692/0318 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 28, 2018
From: SNOW, PAUL
To: FACTOM, INC.
Reel/Frame 047604/0565 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62714909 · Aug 6, 2018
Related Publication 20200042983A1 · Feb 6, 2020
Cited By (10)
US 12,192,371 US 12,225,107 US 12,231,535 US 12,231,566 US 12,341,906 US 12,511,314 US 12,519,848 US 12,580,782 US 12,597,066 US 12,647,291