IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,500,740
Granted Patent B2
US 12,500,740 · App. 18/416,842 · Granted Dec 16, 2025

Blockchain-implemented method and system

Inventors: Stephane Vincent (Luxembourg, LU); Craig Steven Wright (London, GB)
Assignee: NCHAIN LICENSING AG
H04L9/0637G06Q20/065G06Q20/127G06Q20/3825H04L9/0643H04L9/0825H04L9/3247G06Q2220/00H04L9/50H04L2209/56
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,500,740
App. No.
18/416,842
Granted
Dec 16, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques are presented for a blockchain-implemented method and system of controlling use of or access to a parking space. The method comprises generating a blockchain transaction indicative of a condition on use of, or access to, the parking space, the blockchain transaction comprising a multi-signature script requiring a plurality of signatures for completion of the blockchain transaction; providing a first subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to generate a partially signed signature script to partially complete the blockchain transaction; and responsive to the condition on use of or access to the parking space being satisfied, providing a second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to fully complete the blockchain transaction.

Claims (38)

1 . A blockchain-implemented method of controlling use of and/or access to a parking space, the method comprising:

generating a blockchain transaction (TxA) indicative of a condition on use of, or access to, the parking space, the blockchain transaction comprising a multi-signature script requiring a plurality of signatures for completion of the blockchain transaction;

providing a first subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction (TxA) to generate a partially signed signature script to partially complete the blockchain transaction; and

responsive to the condition on use of or access to the parking space being satisfied, providing a second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to fully complete the blockchain transaction.

2 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein providing the second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction (TxA) further comprises:

selecting the transaction (TxA) from a plurality of partially signed, multi-signature transactions.

3 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the condition on the use of the parking space is the use of a discrete amount of time at the parking space and the second subset of the plurality of signatures is provided responsive to the discrete amount of time at the parking space being used.

4 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 3 , wherein generating a blockchain transaction indicative of a condition on use of or access to the parking space comprises generating a blockchain transaction corresponding to each integer multiple of the discrete amount of time at the parking space and the second subset of the plurality of signatures is provided for use of each increasing integer multiple of the time at the parking space.

5 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 4 , wherein a maximum limit on the integer multiple is pre-defined.

6 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 5 , wherein, responsive to exceedance of the maximum limit, an off-block action is generated.

7 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of signatures comprises a signature from an agent.

8 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of signatures comprises a signature from an issuer of the parking space.

9 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 8 , wherein the second subset of the plurality of signatures comprises a signature from an agent.

10 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 7 , wherein the second subset of the plurality of signatures comprises a signature from a user of the parking space.

11 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the condition on use of the parking space is that a zero amount of time at the parking space has been used.

12 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the blockchain transaction has a non-zero locking time.

13 . The blockchain-implemented method according to claim 1 , and further comprising:

submitting the fully completed transaction to the blockchain to spend an output associated with a previous transaction (Tx 1 ).

14 . A system comprising:

a car parking space;

a blockchain IOT device (BID);

an IOT device;

an agent; and

a blockchain server operative to provide access to a peer-to-peer network that underpins the blockchain, the agent that is operative to monitor the blockchain, and is in communication with the IoT device and the BID,

the system configured to carry out a method of controlling use of and/or access to the parking space, the method comprising:

generating a blockchain transaction (TxA) indicative of a condition on use of, or access to, the parking space, the blockchain transaction comprising a multi-signature script requiring a plurality of signatures for completion of the blockchain transaction;

providing a first subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction (TxA) to generate a partially signed signature script to partially complete the blockchain transaction; and

responsive to the condition on use of or access to the parking space being satisfied, providing a second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction to fully complete the blockchain transaction.

15 . The system according to claim 14 , wherein providing the second subset of the plurality of signatures to the blockchain transaction (TxA) further comprises:

selecting the transaction (TxA) from a plurality of partially signed, multi-signature transactions.

16 . The system according to claim 14 , wherein the condition on the use of the parking space is the use of a discrete amount of time at the parking space and the second subset of the plurality of signatures is provided responsive to the discrete amount of time at the parking space being used,

wherein generating a blockchain transaction indicative of a condition on use of or access to the parking space comprises generating a blockchain transaction corresponding to each integer multiple of the discrete amount of time at the parking space and the second subset of the plurality of signatures is provided for use of each increasing integer multiple of the time at the parking space,

wherein a maximum limit on the integer multiple is pre-defined, and

wherein, responsive to exceedance of the maximum limit, an off-block action is generated.

17 . The system according to claim 14 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of signatures comprises a signature from an agent.

18 . The system according to claim 14 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of signatures comprises a signature from an issuer of the parking space.

19 . The system according to claim 14 , wherein the condition on use of the parking space is that a zero amount of time at the parking space has been used.

20 . The system according to claim 14 , wherein the blockchain transaction has a non-zero locking time.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 18, 2024
From: VINCENT, STEPHANE; WRIGHT, CRAIG STEVEN
To: NCHAIN HOLDINGS LTD.
Reel/Frame 066173/0489 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 18, 2024
From: NCHAIN HOLDINGS LTD
To: NCHAIN LICENSING AG
Reel/Frame 066353/0162 →
Priority Claims (1)
GB 1613144 · Jul 29, 2016 · national
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17722367 · Apr 17, 2022
Continuation 16320969
Related Publication 20240235813A1 · Jul 11, 2024
References Cited (34)
US 7953671B2 · Bishop et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 10050779B2 · Alness et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 11475442B1 · James et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20020128983A1 · Wrona et al. · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 20090216680A1 · McCown et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20130246280A1 · Kirsch · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20150244690A1 · Mossbarger · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20150324789A1 · Dvorak et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20150332224A1 · Melika et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20160283941A1 · Andrade · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20170091397A1 · Shah · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170206532A1 · Choi · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20180025166A1 · Daniel et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20180205555A1 · Watanabe et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
JP 2006262184A · 2006 [cited by applicant]
JP 2009271631A · 2009 [cited by applicant]
JP 2011513839A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
WO 2016128491A1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
Blockchain-Based Publishing Layer for the Keyless Signing Infrastructure, Jamthagen et al, Jul. 2016 (Year: 2016). [cited by examiner]
Anonymous, “Internet of Things,” Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia, page created 2007 (last edited May 18, 2021) [retrieved May 18, 2021], https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things, 42 pges. [cited by applicant]
Antonopoulos, “Mastering Bitcoin—Unlocking Digital Cryptocurrencies,” O'Reilly Media, Inc., Dec. 20, 2014, 282 pages. [cited by applicant]
Bitcoinj, “Partial signing,” bitcoinj, retreived Jan. 24, 2017, https://bitcoinj.github.io/working-with-contracts#partial-signing, 3 pages. [cited by applicant]
Christidis et al., “Blockchains and Smart Contracts for the Internet of Things,” IEEE Access 4(1):2292-2303, May 10, 2016. [cited by applicant]
Drwasho, “Decentralized Reputation in OpenBazaar,” Openbazzar, Oct. 8, 2015, https://blog.openbazaar.org/decentralized-reputation-in-openbazaar/, 24 pages. [cited by applicant]
Hillbom et al., “Applications of smart-contracts and smart-property utilizing blockchains,” Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Master of Scienc… [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion mailed Oct. 12, 2017, Patent Application No. PCT/IB2017/054429, 10 pages. [cited by applicant]
Jämthagen et al., “Blockchain-Based Publishing Layer for the Keyless Signing Infrastructure,” IEEE Conference on Ubiquitous Intelligence & Computing, Jul. 18, 2016, 8 pages. [cited by applicant]
Nakamoto, “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System,” Bitcoin, Oct. 31, 2008, https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf, 9 pages. [cited by applicant]
Pureswaran, “Empowering the edge: Practical insights on a decentralized Internet of Things,” IBM Institute for Business Value, 2015, 24 pages. [cited by applicant]
Satoshi et al., “Connection Limits,” Bitcoin Forum, Aug. 9, 2010, https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=741.0; prev_next=prev, 2 pages. [cited by applicant]
Tschorsch et al., “Bitcoin and beyond: A technical survey on decentralized digital currencies,” IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials 18(3):2084-123, Mar. 2, 2016. [cited by applicant]
UK Commercial Search Report mailed Nov. 24, 2016, Patent Application No. GB1613144.3, 5 pages. [cited by applicant]
UK IPO Search Report mailed Feb. 6, 2017, Patent Application No. GB1613144.3, 5 pages. [cited by applicant]
CN Office Action for corresponding CN Patent Application No. 202210376411.5, dated Aug. 19, 2025, 10 pages. [cited by applicant]