Secure decentralized system utilizing smart contracts, a blockchain, and/or a distributed file system

• US 10,095,888 B1
• Filed: 06/04/2018
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jonathan, Frensch, Steve, Greig, Ethan, Nalepa, Anna-Maria, Jian, Zheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Dada, Beemnet W
• Application Number:
  US15/997,271
• Time in Patent Office: 127 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0637 Modes of operation, e.g. cipher block chaining [CBC], electronic codebook [ECB] or Galois/counter mode [GCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A node associated with an organization may receive a storage identifier for new credit data associated with an individual. A distributed ledger and distributed data sources may be used to share the new credit data with a network of nodes. The node may update a smart contract with the storage identifier for the new credit data. The node may receive, from a particular device associated with the organization, a request for the new credit data. The node may obtain the storage identifier for the new credit data from the smart contract. The node may obtain the new credit data by using the storage identifier to search the distributed data sources. The node may provide the new credit data to the particular device. The node may perform actions to obtain additional new credit data from the distributed data sources or provide the additional new credit data to the distributed data sources.

Claims

1. A first node, comprising:

one or more memories; and

one or more processors, communicatively connected to the one or more memories, to;

receive new credit data of an individual that has credit with a first organization,

wherein a distributed ledger and a set of distributed data sources are to be used to share the new credit data with a network of nodes that are associated with a group of organizations that are permitted to access the new credit data;

generate a storage identifier for the new credit data by executing a mapping function,

wherein the storage identifier is to identify a storage location at which the new credit data is to be stored within the set of distributed data sources;

provide the storage identifier for the new credit data to a smart contract associated with the individual,

wherein the smart contract is supported by the distributed ledger;

provide the new credit data and the storage identifier to the set of distributed data sources,

wherein the new credit data is stored in association with the storage identifier;

broadcast the storage identifier for the new credit data to the network of nodes to cause a second node, of the network of nodes, to provide the storage identifier for the new credit data to a copy of the smart contract that is accessible to the second node,

wherein broadcasting the storage identifier permits the second node, based on a request from a device associated with a second organization, to obtain the new credit data, obtain the storage identifier for the new credit data from the copy of the smart contract, use the storage identifier to obtain the new credit data from the set of distributed data sources, provide the new credit data to the device associated with the second organization, and provide digital currency associated with the second organization to an account associated with the first organization; and

perform a group of actions associated with obtaining additional new credit data from the set of distributed data sources or providing the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources.

2. The first node of claim 1, wherein the smart contract is used exclusively for the individual, and includes at least one of:

data identifying the group of organizations that are permitted to access the new credit data,

a set of storage identifiers identifying a set of storage locations associated with historical credit data of the individual,

a first function associated with adding the new credit data to the set of distributed data sources,

a second function associated with obtaining the new credit data from the set of distributed data sources, or

a third function associated with providing incentives to the group of organizations to use the network of nodes to interact with the smart contract to execute the first function and the second function.

3. The first node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, when generating the storage identifier for the new credit data, are to:

generate, using a content addressing technique, a cryptographic hash value identifying the storage location at which the new credit data is to be stored within the set of distributed data sources,

wherein the cryptographic hash value is to be used as the storage identifier for the new credit data.

4. The first node of claim 1, wherein the device associated with the first organization is only permitted to access the new credit data if an organization identifier for the first organization is stored by a data structure associated with the smart contract;

and wherein the organization identifier for the first organization is stored by the data structure only after a particular amount of the digital currency associated with the first organization is provided to an account associated with the individual.

5. The first node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, when performing the group of actions, are to:

obtain the additional new credit data from the set of distributed data sources,

wherein another node in the network of nodes provided the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources,

wherein the other node is associated with a particular organization, and

wherein obtaining the additional new credit data causes the digital currency to be provided to an account associated with the particular organization.

6. The first node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, when performing the group of actions, are to:

provide the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources to cause nodes associated with other organizations to obtain the additional new credit data in exchange for a particular amount of the digital currency.

7. The first node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, when performing the group of actions, are to:

automatically obtain the additional new credit data from the set of distributed data sources based on determining that the account associated with the first organization has a particular amount of the digital currency.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first node that is associated with a first organization, a storage identifier for new credit data associated with an individual,

wherein a distributed ledger and a set of distributed data sources are used to share the new credit data with a network of nodes that are associated with a group of organizations that are permitted to access the new credit data,

wherein the storage identifier is used to identify a storage location at which the new credit data is to be stored within the set of distributed data sources, and

wherein the new credit data has been provided to the set of distributed data sources by a second node associated with a second organization of the group of organizations;

updating, by the first node, a smart contract associated with the individual to include the storage identifier for the new credit data;

receiving, by the first node and from a device associated with the first organization, a request for the new credit data;

obtaining, by the first node, the storage identifier for the new credit data from the smart contract,

wherein obtaining the storage identifier from the smart contract causes the smart contract to provide digital currency associated with the first organization to an account associated with the second organization;

obtaining, by the first node, the new credit data by using the storage identifier to search the set of distributed data sources;

providing, by the first node, the new credit data to the device associated with the first organization; and

performing, by the first node, a group of actions associated with obtaining additional new credit data from the set of distributed data sources or providing the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first organization and the second organization are lending organizations.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the smart contract is exclusive to the individual and includes at least one of:

data identifying the group of organizations that are permitted to access the new credit data,

a set of storage identifiers identifying a set of storage locations associated with historical credit data of the individual,

a first function associated with providing the new credit data to the set of distributed data sources, or

a second function associated with obtaining the new credit data from the set of distributed data sources,

wherein the second function requires that a particular amount of the digital currency be provided to obtain the new credit data.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the new credit data obtained from the set of distributed data sources has been encrypted using a first key associated with the individual;

wherein the method further comprises;

decrypting the new credit data using a second key associated with the individual;

encrypting the new credit data using a first key associated with the first organization; and

wherein providing the new credit data to the device associated with the first organization comprises;

providing the new credit data that has been encrypted using the first key associated with the first organization to permit the device associated with the first organization to decrypt the new credit data using a second key associated with the first organization.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the smart contract provides the digital currency to the account associated with the second organization by executing one or more functions associated with creating incentives for the group of organizations to use the network of nodes to continue to add the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein performing the group of actions comprises:

obtaining the additional new credit data from the set of distributed data sources to cause a particular amount of the digital currency to be provided to an account associated with a third organization that has used a third node to provide the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein performing the group of actions comprises:

providing the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources,

wherein providing the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources permits other organizations to use the network of nodes to obtain the additional new credit data in exchange for a particular amount of the digital currency.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive new credit data of an individual that has credit with a first organization,

wherein a blockchain and a set of distributed data sources are to be used to share the new credit data with a network of nodes that are associated with a group of organizations that are permitted to access the new credit data;

provide a storage identifier for the new credit data to a smart contract associated with the individual,

wherein the smart contract is supported by the blockchain, and

wherein the storage identifier is used to identify a storage location at which the new credit data is to be stored within the set of distributed data sources;

provide the new credit data and the storage identifier to the set of distributed data sources,

wherein the new credit data is stored in association with the storage identifier;

broadcast the storage identifier for the new credit data to the network of nodes to cause a particular node, of the network of nodes, to add the storage identifier for the new credit data to a copy of the smart contract that is accessible to the particular node,

wherein broadcasting the storage identifier permits the particular node to, based on a request for the new credit data by a second organization, obtain the storage identifier for the new credit data from the copy of the smart contract, use the storage identifier to obtain the new credit data from the set of distributed data sources, provide the new credit data to an interface associated with the second organization, and provide digital currency associated with the second organization to an account associated with the first organization; and

perform a group of actions associated with obtaining additional new credit data from the set of distributed data sources and/or providing the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first organization is only permitted to use the network of nodes to access the new credit data if an organization identifier for the first organization is stored by a data structure associated with the smart contract;

and wherein the organization identifier for the first organization is added to the data structure only after a particular amount of the digital currency associated with the first organization is provided to an account associated with the individual.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

generate, after receiving the new credit data, the storage identifier for the new credit data by using a content addressing technique to generate a cryptographic hash value identifying the storage location at which the new credit data is to be stored within the set of distributed data sources,

wherein the cryptographic hash value is to be used as the storage identifier for the new credit data.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the smart contract is used exclusively for the individual.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to perform the group of actions, cause the one or more processors to:

obtain the additional new credit data from the set of distributed data sources to cause a particular amount of the digital currency to be provided to an account associated with a third organization that has added the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to perform the group of actions, cause the one or more processors to:

provide the additional new credit data to the set of distributed data sources to cause nodes associated with other organizations to obtain the additional new credit data in exchange for a particular amount of the digital currency.