IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,494,677
Granted Patent B2
US 11,494,677 · App. 16/122,025 · Granted Nov 8, 2022

Recording inference using a blockchain

Inventor: Michael J. Witbrock (Ossining, NY)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
G06N5/045G06F16/9024
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,494,677
App. No.
16/122,025
Granted
Nov 8, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

An example operation may include one or more of connecting to a blockchain containing chains of reasoning data and related premise data, receiving an inference query, retrieving from the blockchain chain of reasoning data and related premise data corresponding to the inference query, executing inference steps using the retrieved chain of reasoning data and the related premise data to generate conclusion data, tracking the execution of the inference steps, and sending to the blockchain the tracked inference steps and the conclusion data to be entered into the blockchain as transactions.

Claims (37)

1. A method, comprising:

connecting, by an inference engine, to a blockchain ledger of a blockchain network;

receiving, by the inference engine, an inference query;

retrieving, from the blockchain ledger, by the inference engine, chain of reasoning data and related premise data corresponding to the inference query;

executing, by the inference engine, an automated inference process via a neural network based on the retrieved chain of reasoning data and the related premise data to generate conclusion data;

identifying, by the inference engine, a chain of intermediate conclusions output by the neural network via the automated inference process prior to generating the conclusion data and a plurality of timestamps at which the chain of intermediate conclusions are output by the neural network, respectively; and

committing, by the inference engine, a chain of intermediate reasoning of the inference engine including the chain of intermediate conclusions output by the neural network, the plurality of timestamps at which the plurality of intermediate conclusions are output by the neural network, and the conclusion data, to the blockchain ledger.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching the plurality of timestamps to the chain of intermediate conclusions data respectively, to create the chain of intermediate reasoning prior to committing the chain of intermediate reasoning to the blockchain ledger.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising signing the chain of intermediate conclusions output by the neural network with a private key of the inference engine received from a certificate authority of the blockchain ledger.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying the inference query to a knowledge graph to obtain additional premise data.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising retrieving additional chain of reasoning data corresponding to the additional premise data from the blockchain ledger.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising displaying the retrieved additional chain of reasoning data on the knowledge graph.

7. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory on which are stored machine readable instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

connect to a blockchain ledger;

receive an inference query;

retrieve, from the blockchain ledger, chain of reasoning data and related premise data that relates to the inference query;

execute an automated inference process via a neural network based on the retrieved chain of reasoning data and the related premise data to generate conclusion data;

identify a chain of intermediate conclusions output by the neural network via the automated inference process prior to generating the conclusion data and a plurality of timestamps at which the chain of intermediate conclusions are output by the neural network, respectively; and

send commit a chain of intermediate reasoning including the chain of intermediate conclusions output by the neural network, the plurality of timestamps at which the plurality of intermediate conclusions are output by the neural network, and the conclusion data to the blockchain ledger.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to attach the plurality of timestamps to the chain of intermediate conclusions, respectively, to create the chain of intermediate reasoning prior to committing the chain of intermediate reasoning to the blockchain ledger.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to sign the chain of intermediate conclusions output by the neural network with a private key received from a certificate authority of the blockchain ledger.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to apply the inference query to a knowledge graph to obtain additional premise data.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to retrieve additional chain of reasoning data that corresponds to the additional premise data from the blockchain ledger.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to display the retrieved additional chain of reasoning data on the knowledge graph.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause the processor to perform:

connecting to a blockchain ledger;

receiving an inference query;

retrieving, from the blockchain ledger, chain of reasoning data and related premise data corresponding to the inference query;

executing an automated inference process via a neural network based on the retrieved chain of reasoning data and the related premise data to generate conclusion data;

identifying a chain of intermediate conclusions output by the neural network via the automated inference process prior to generating the conclusion data and a plurality of timestamps at which the plurality of intermediate conclusions are output by the neural network, respectively; and

committing a chain of intermediate reasoning including the chain of intermediate conclusions output by the neural network, the plurality of timestamps at which the chain of intermediate conclusions are output by the neural network, and the conclusion data, to the blockchain ledger.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions, that when read by the processor, cause the processor to attach the plurality of timestamps to the chain of intermediate conclusions output by the neural network, respectively, to create the chain of intermediate reasoning prior to committing the chain of intermediate reasoning to the blockchain ledger.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions, that when read by the processor, cause the processor to sign the chain of intermediate conclusions output by the neural network with a private key received from a certificate authority of the blockchain ledger.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions, that when read by the processor, cause the processor to apply the inference query to a knowledge graph to obtain additional premise data.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , further comprising instructions, that when read by the processor, cause the processor to additional chain of reasoning data on the knowledge graph based on the additional premise data.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 5, 2018
From: WITBROCK, MICHAEL J.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 046790/0124 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200074330A1 · Mar 5, 2020