IP Library Granted Patent US 12,259,876
Granted Patent B2
US 12,259,876 · App. 18/473,345 · Granted Mar 25, 2025

System and method for a hybrid contract execution environment

Inventors: Peter Geoffrey Lerato Hunn (Dallas, TX); Daniel Charles Selman (Winchester, GB); Jerome Simeon (New York, NY); Matthew Roberts (Seattle, WA)
Assignee: Docusign, Inc.
G06F16/2379G06F16/27H04L9/50
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,259,876
App. No.
18/473,345
Granted
Mar 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method for managing an electronic contract for hybrid runtime execution, which includes a contract execution service that comprises an internal runtime environment and a set of integrations to external resources with at least one integration to an on-chain runtime, wherein the contract execution service comprises configuration to: establish the electronic contract, wherein the electronic contract comprises a set of executable programmable components and a set of natural language components; change the state of the electronic contract and generate a contract event; and in response to the contract event: extend execution of the electronic contract to an on-chain environment, when the contract event includes an associated on-chain integration; and extend execution of the electronic contract to an external application resource, when the contract event includes an associated external service integration.

Claims (34)

1. A system comprising one or more processors and non-transitory storage media storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

determine a generation of a contract event for an electronic contract, the electronic contract comprising a set of executable programmable components;

based on a determination that the contract event for the electronic contract is associated with an on-chain integration, cause execution of the electronic contract with an on-chain environment; and

based on a determination that the contract event for the electronic contract is associated with an external service integration, cause execution of the electronic contract with an external application resource.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the contract event for the electronic contract is associated with the on-chain integration, and wherein to cause execution of the electronic contract with the on-chain environment, the instructions cause the one or more processors to:

store, to a blockchain, data relating to the contract event,

wherein the blockchain stores on-chain code configured to execute the electronic contract.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to generate the contract event.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein to generate the contract event, the instructions cause the one or more processors to generate the contract event on a private server; or wherein to generate the contract event, the instructions cause the one or more processors to generate the contract event on the on-chain environment.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

change a state of the electronic contract, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to generate the contract event based on the changed state of the electronic contract.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to change the state of the electronic contract when the electronic contract is modified.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the electronic contract further comprises a contract stipulation; and

wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to change the state of the electronic contract based on a determination that the contract stipulation is met.

8. The system of claim 3 , wherein to generate the contract event, the instructions cause the one or more processors to append the contract event to an audit log of the electronic contract.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein to append the contract event to the audit log of the electronic contract, the instructions cause the one or more processors to store the audit log on a blockchain.

10. The system of claim 3 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to change a state of the electronic contract and to generate the contract event with the on-chain environment; or

wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to change the state of the electronic contract and to generate the contract event with both the on-chain environment and an off-chain environment.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to establish the electronic contract, wherein the electronic contract further comprises a set of natural language components.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the on-chain environment comprises at least one of a blockchain environment or a distributed ledger environment.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein to cause execution of the electronic contract with the on-chain environment, the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform an operation on a blockchain.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein to perform the operation on a blockchain, the instructions cause the one or more processors to initiate a transaction on the blockchain.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the external application resource comprises a public blockchain, a distributed ledger network, or a private server.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to cause execution of the electronic contract with the external application resource using an application programming interface.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein to cause execution of the electronic contract with the external application resource, the instructions cause the one or more processors to map the contract event to the external application resource.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein to map the contract event to the external application resource, the instructions cause the one or more processors to map the contract event to the external application resource prior to an execution of the electronic contract.

19. A method comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, a generation of a contract event for an electronic contract, the electronic contract comprising a set of executable programmable components;

based on determining that the contract event for the electronic contract is associated with an on-chain integration, causing, by the one or more processors, execution of the electronic contract with an on-chain environment; and

based on determining that the contract event for the electronic contract is associated with an external service integration, causing, by the one or more processors, execution of the electronic contract with an external application resource.

20. Non-transitory storage media storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:

determine a generation of a contract event for an electronic contract, the electronic contract comprising a set of executable programmable components;

based on a determination that the contract event for the electronic contract is associated with an on-chain integration, cause execution of a portion of the electronic contract with an on-chain environment; and

based on a determination that the contract event for the electronic contract is associated with an external service integration, cause execution of the electronic contract with an external application resource.

Assignments (2)
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded May 23, 2025
From: DOCUSIGN, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 071337/0240 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 25, 2023
From: HUNN, PETER GEOFFREY LERATO; SELMAN, DANIEL CHARLES; SIMEON, JEROME; ROBERTS, MATTHEW
To: DOCUSIGN, INC.
Reel/Frame 065004/0929 →