Systems and methods for blockchain interlinking and relationships
This disclosure describes systems and methods for interlinking multiple independent and separately-scalable blockchains to provide transactional provenance. The disclosed systems and methods leverage a combination of blockchain and graph data structures to interoperate between blockchains without requiring a single data structure while still providing a single chain of custody and provenance for a particular set of actions.
1. A system for an N-dimensional, interlinked blockchain structure, the system comprising:
a processor coupled to memory, wherein the processor is configured to record in the memory a plurality of interlinked blockchains comprising:
A first-level blockchain linked to a plurality of second-level blockchains, each second-level blockchain comprising a header block linked to a linking block on the first-level blockchain, wherein the header block of each second level blockchain in the plurality of second-level blockchains immediately follows a genesis block; and
a plurality of third-level blockchains, each third-level blockchain linked to at least one of the plurality of second-level blockchains,
wherein the plurality of second-level blockchains record entity information and linking information,
wherein the plurality of third-level blockchains record information about interactions between one or more entities recorded on the plurality of second-level blockchains, and
wherein the first-level blockchain is agnostic to the blockchain implementations of the second- and third-level blockchains; and
a graph database recording links between the plurality of second-level blockchains and the plurality of third-level blockchains as edges in the graph database; and
wherein the processor is further configured to:
record, on a second-level blockchain of the plurality of second-level blockchains, a first set of rules describing behavior of a first third-level blockchain and a second set of rules describing behavior of a second third-level blockchain, wherein the first set of rules and the second set of rules are immutable, the first set of rules differ from the second set of rules, and the blockchain implementation of the first third-level blockchain differs from the blockchain implementation of the second third-level blockchain.
2. The system of claim 1 , the processor further configured to:
receive a request for information;
gather the information by querying the graph database to determine a particular third-level blockchain in the plurality of third-level blockchains to traverse; and
traverse the particular third-level blockchain to satisfy the request for information.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first set of rules further provides a scaling algorithm comprising decision criteria for determining relationships in the graph database.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first set of rules further provides a manner of determining a constraint violation.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the graph database records the one or more entities as nodes in the graph database.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the links between the plurality of second-level blockchains and the plurality of third-level blockchains represent relationships between the one or more entities recorded on the plurality of second-level blockchains.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein each third-level blockchain of the plurality of third-level blockchains includes comprises a header block linked to a second-level blockchain in the plurality of second-level blockchains.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
add an additional second-level blockchain to the plurality of second-level blockchains.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the graph database further comprises a node describing data that does not reside on a blockchain.
10. A computer-implemented method for creating an N-dimensional, interlinked blockchain structure, the method comprising:
Creating a plurality of interlinked blockchains comprising:
A first-level blockchain linked to a plurality of second-level blockchains, each second-level blockchain comprising a header block linked to a linking block on the first level blockchain, wherein the header block of each second-level blockchain in the plurality of second-level blockchains immediately follows a genesis block; and
a plurality of third-level blockchains, each third-level blockchain linked to at least one of the plurality of second-level blockchains, wherein the plurality of second-level blockchains record entity information and linking information, wherein the plurality of third-level blockchains record information about interactions between one or more entities recorded on the plurality of second-level blockchains, wherein the first-level blockchain is agnostic to the blockchain implementations of the second- and third-level blockchains;
maintaining a graph database;
recording links between the plurality of second-level blockchains and the plurality of third-level blockchains as edges in the graph database;
recording, on a second-level blockchain in the plurality of second-level blockchains, a first set of rules describing behavior of a first third-level blockchain and a second set of rules describing behavior of a second third-level blockchain, wherein the first set of rules and the second set of rules are immutable, wherein the first set of rules differ from the second set of rules, and the blockchain implementation of the first third-level blockchain differs from the blockchain implementation of the second third-level blockchain.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving a request for information;
gathering the information by querying the graph database to determine a particular third-level blockchain in the plurality of third-level blockchains to traverse; and
traversing the particular third-level blockchain to satisfy the request for information.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first set of rules further provides a scaling algorithm comprising decision criteria for determining relationships in the graph database.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first set of rules further provides a manner of determining a constraint violation.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the graph database records the one or more entities as nodes in the graph database.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the links between the plurality of second-level blockchains and the plurality of third-level blockchains represent relationships between the one or more entities recorded on the plurality of second-level blockchains.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein each third-level blockchain of the plurality of third-level blockchains comprises a header block linked to a second-level blockchain in the plurality of second-level blockchains.
17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
adding an additional second-level blockchain to the plurality of second-level blockchains.
18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the graph database further comprises a node describing data that does not reside on a blockchain.