Tracking assets with a blockchain

• US 10,275,739 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2017
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hanis, Thomas T., Hyre, Bruce H., Snyder, Jessica G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayles, Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US15/399,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20180189528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 705 28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud

Abstract

A blockchain of transactions may be referenced for various purposes and may be later accessed by interested parties for ledger verification. One example method of operation may include reading a tag affixed to an asset, transmitting a request to update an asset status of the asset in a blockchain, receiving validation confirmation based on content of the request, and updating the asset status of the asset in the blockchain.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

reading, via a reader in communication with a blockchain, and from a tag affixed to an asset, a tag identifier associated with the asset, and a nonce value associated with a current location of the asset, wherein the tag identifier and the nonce value are stored in the tag and in locations in the blockchain;

generating, via the reader, a new nonce value associated with a transfer of the asset to a new location, the new nonce value to be stored in a location in the blockchain;

transmitting, via the reader, a request, including the tag identifier, the nonce value, and a new nonce value, to update an asset status, of the asset, stored in the blockchain;

receiving, via the reader, and from the blockchain, a validation confirmation based on the request; and

dynamically updating, via the reader, the tag with an updated asset status from the blockchain and the new nonce value from the blockchain in response to the validation confirmation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the validation confirmation is received responsive to transmitting the tag identifier and the nonce value as the request content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) component and a memory.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the memory stores the tag identifier and the nonce value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein an initial value of the nonce value stored in the memory is blank prior to any update to the asset status in the blockchain.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein after the asset status of the asset is updated in the blockchain, updating the memory to store the new nonce value.

7. A wireless tag reader in communication with a blockchain, the wireless tag reader comprising:

a processor configured to;

read, from a tag affixed to an asset, a tag identifier associated with the asset, and a nonce value associated with a current location of the asset, wherein the tag identifier and the nonce value are stored in the tag and in locations in the blockchain;

generating, via the reader, a new nonce value associated with a transfer of the asset to a new location, the new nonce value to be stored in a location in the blockchain;

transmit a request, including the tag identifier, the nonce value, and a new nonce value, to update an asset status of the asset in the blockchain; and

dynamically update the tag with an updated asset status from the blockchain and the new nonce value from the blockchain in response to the validation confirmation.

8. The wireless tag reader of claim 7, wherein the validation confirmation is received responsive to transmitting the tag identifier and the nonce value as the request content.

9. The wireless tag reader of claim 7, wherein the tag comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) component and a memory.

10. The wireless tag reader of claim 9, wherein the memory stores the tag identifier and the nonce value.

11. The wireless tag reader of claim 10, wherein an initial value of the nonce value stored in the memory is blank prior to any update to the asset status in the blockchain.

12. The wireless tag reader of claim 10, wherein after the asset status of the asset is updated in the blockchain, updating the memory to store the new nonce value.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store at least one instruction that when executed by a processor, of a wireless tag reader in communication with a blockchain, causes the processor to perform:

reading, from a tag affixed to an asset, a tag identifier associated with the asset, and a nonce value associated with a current location of the asset, wherein the tag identifier and the nonce value are stored in the tag and in locations in the blockchain;

generating, via the reader, a new nonce value associated with a transfer of the asset to a new location, the new nonce value to be stored in a location in the blockchain;

transmitting, via the reader, a request, including the tag identifier, the nonce value, and a new nonce value, to update an asset status, of the asset, stored in the blockchain;

receiving, via the reader, and from the blockchain, a validation confirmation based on the request; and

dynamically updating, via the reader, the tag with an updated asset status from the blockchain and the new nonce value from the blockchain in response to the validation confirmation.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the validation confirmation is received responsive to transmitting the tag identifier and the nonce value as the request content.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the tag comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) component and a memory.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the memory stores the tag identifier and the nonce value.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein an initial value of the nonce value stored in the memory is blank prior to any update to the asset status in the blockchain, and wherein after the asset status of the asset is updated in the blockchain, updating the memory to store the new nonce value.