Decentralized autonomous edge compute coordinated by smart contract on a blockchain

• US 10,346,406 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Booz, David A., Dye, Jonathan D., Dye, Michael J., Ford, Egan F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Obeid, Mamon
• Application Number:
  US15/082,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20170279774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24568 Data stream processing; Continuous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0655 e-cash managed centrally
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0658 e-cash managed locally
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/223 based on the use of peer-to-peer networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity

Abstract

The systems, apparatus, methods, and computer program products described herein provide the capability for an entity to identify and autonomously contract via a blockchain database with an unknown and anonymous host device for access rights to a high volume raw data stream generated by a sensor of the host device. The systems, apparatus, methods, and computer program products further provide the capability for the entity to push or upload a software module to the host device to allow the entity to process the high volume raw data stream into a low volume data stream directly on the host device, i.e., at the source of the high volume raw data stream.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

joining, by a host device, a blockchain managed by one or more devices on a decentralized network, the blockchain including one or more smart contracts that specify transactions among entities, the host device including a sensor configured to generate a real-time high volume data stream;

creating on the blockchain, by the host device, a smart contract specifying terms for providing an entity access to the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor;

receiving, by the host device, from an entity device, a software module in response the created smart contract, the software module configured to process the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor into a real-time low volume data stream for transmission to the entity device;

in response to receiving the software module, executing, by the host device, the software module, execution of the software module processing the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor into a real-time low volume data stream; and

transmitting, to the entity device, by the host device, the real-time low volume data stream generated by the software module.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the host device from the entity device, a proposal to access the data stream generated by the sensor according to the terms of the created smart contract, the proposal specifying the software module to be uploaded to and executed on at least a portion of the host device; and

in response to receipt of the proposal, transmitting, by the host device, to the entity device, acceptance of the proposal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the host device is configured to autonomously accept the proposal if the proposal meets the terms of the created smart contract.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the blockchain includes a device registry, the method further comprising:

publishing on the device registry of the blockchain, by the host device, registry information of the host device, the published registry information including a link to the smart contract created by the host device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the registry information includes attributes of the host device, the attributes including an identification of a kind of data stream that the sensor of the host device is capable of producing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the terms of the created smart contract include a term specifying a maximum transmission rate for the real-time low volume data stream generated by the software module.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the terms of the created smart contract include a term specifying that any software module to be executed under the created smart contract must be verified by a reputable third party.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the software module is created at least in part by a manufacturer of the host device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time low volume data stream generated by the software module is transmitted to the entity device via a peer-to-peer file sharing program.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the host device, a confirmation of payment from the blockchain in response to the transmission of the real-time low volume data stream generated by the software module to the entity device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the blockchain includes attributes of the host device, the attributes including an identification of a kind of data stream that the sensor of the host device is capable of generating, wherein a kind of data stream is specified as part of the query by the entity device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time low volume data stream generated by the software module is received from the host device via a peer-to-peer file sharing program.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring, by the entity device, a payment according to the terms of the smart contract to an escrow account stored on the blockchain in response to receiving an indication that the software module has been executed by the host device from the host device.

11. A method comprising:

querying, by an entity device, a blockchain managed by one or more devices on a decentralized network to identify a host device including a sensor configured to generate a real-time high volume data stream;

receiving in response to the query, by the entity device, a link to a smart contract associated with the host device, the smart contract stored on the blockchain and specifying terms for providing an entity access to the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor;

submitting, by the entity device, to the host device, a proposal to access the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor according to the terms of the smart contract, the proposal specifying a software module to be uploaded to and executed on at least a portion of the host device, the software module configured to process the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor into a real-time low volume data stream for transmission to the entity device;

receiving, by the entity device, an acceptance of the proposal;

in response to receiving an acceptance of the proposal, transmitting, by the entity device, to the host device the software module;

receiving, by the entity device, the real-time low volume data stream generated by the software module from the host device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the terms of the smart contract include a term specifying a maximum transmission rate for the real-time low volume data stream generated by the software module.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the terms of the smart contract include a term specifying that any software module to be executed under the smart contract must be verified by a reputable third party.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting the software module to a reputable third party for verification; and

receiving from the reputable third party verification information indicating that the software module has been verified by the reputable third party, wherein the proposal includes the verification information received from the reputable third party.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the software module is created at least in part by a manufacturer of the host device.

19. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a sensor communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the sensor configured to generate a real-time high volume data stream;

memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, configure the apparatus to;

join a blockchain managed by one or more devices on a decentralized network, the blockchain including one or more smart contracts that specify transactions among entities,

create on the blockchain a smart contract specifying terms for providing an entity access to the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor;

receive from an entity device, a software module in response the created smart contract, the software module configured to process the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor into a real-time low volume data stream for transmission to the entity device;

in response to receiving the software module, execute the software module, execution of the software module processing the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor into a real-time low volume data stream; and

transmit, to the entity device, the real-time low volume data stream generated by the software module.

20. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, configure the apparatus to;

query a blockchain managed by one or more devices on a decentralized network to identify a host device including a sensor configured to generate a real-time high volume data stream;

receive in response to the query a link to a smart contract associated with the host device, the smart contract stored on the blockchain and specifying terms for providing an entity access to the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor;

submit to the host device a proposal to access the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor according to the terms of the smart contract, the proposal specifying a software module to be uploaded to and executed on at least a portion of the host device, the software module configured to process the real-time high volume data stream generated by the sensor into a real-time low volume data stream for transmission to the entity device;

receive an acceptance of the proposal;

in response to receiving an acceptance of the proposal, transmit to the host device the software module; and

receive the real-time low volume data stream generated by the software module from the host device.