Managing in-flight transfer of parcels using blockchain authentication

• US 10,547,454 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2017
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Beaman, Brian S., Kline, Eric V., Rakshit, Sarbajit K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gergiso, Techane
• Application Number:
  US15/855,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20190199534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/00 Dropping, ejecting, releasing, or receiving articles, liquids, or the like, in flight with respect to weapon sights devices F41G takes precedence, parachutes per se B64D17/00; ejectable seats B64D25/10; ejectable capsules B64D25/12; refuelling during flight B64D39/00; launching apparatus for projecting projectiles or missiles F41F1/00, F41F7/00; rocket or torpedo launchers F41F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• 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 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/35 for the management of goods or merchandise
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

An example operation may include one or more of receiving a request to authorize an in-flight transfer of a parcel between a source unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a target UAV, authenticating, via a blockchain, an identity of the source UAV and an identity of the target UAV based on one or more predefined keys included in the request, and in response to the blockchain authentication being successful, initiating delivery of the parcel from the source UAV to the target UAV while one or more of the source UAV and the target UAV are in-flight.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to authorize an in-flight transfer of a parcel between a source unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a target UAV;

authenticating, via a blockchain, an identity of the source UAV and an identity of the target UAV based on one or more predefined keys included in the request; and

in response to the blockchain authentication being successful, initiating delivery of the parcel from the source UAV to the target UAV while one or more of the source UAV and the target UAV are in-flight.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticating comprises validating, via the blockchain, a private key of the source UAV and a private key of the target UAV based on a contract between a seller and a purchaser of the parcel.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the authenticating further comprises validating, via the blockchain, one or more of a carrying capacity of the target UAV, a travel permission of the target UAV, and a health of the target UAV.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving metadata of one or more of the source UAV and the target UAV during the in-flight transfer of the parcel, and storing the collected metadata in a shared blockchain ledger.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the metadata stored in the shared blockchain ledger comprises one or more of a geographical location of the source UAV and the target UAV during the in-flight transfer, an altitude of the source UAV and the target UAV during the in-flight transfer, and a UAV specification of the source UAV and the target UAV.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the metadata is collected by one or more on-board sensors of the source UAV and the target UAV which are configured to capture one or more of available battery power, rotor condition, and maintenance schedule, during flight.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticating is performed in response to receiving an indication that the source UAV and the target UAV are within a predetermined in-flight distance from each other.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating comprises transmitting an authorization to perform transfer of the parcel to the source UAV and the target UAV while both the source UAV and the target UAV are in-flight.

9. A computing device comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a request to authorize an in-flight transfer of a parcel between a source unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a target UAV; and

a processor configured to authenticate, via a blockchain, an identity of the source UAV and an identity of the target UAV based on one or more predefined keys included in the request,

wherein, in response to the blockchain authentication being successful, the processor is further configured to control the network interface to transmit a message to one or more of the source UAV and the target UAV to initiate delivery of the parcel from the source UAV to the target UAV while one or more of the source UAV and the target UAV are in-flight.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to validate, via the blockchain, a private key of the source UAV and a private key of the target UAV based on a contract between a seller and a purchaser of the parcel.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to validate, via the blockchain, one or more of a carrying capacity of the target UAV, a travel permission of the target UAV, and a health of the target UAV.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the network interface is further configured to receive metadata of one or more of the source UAV and the target UAV during the in-flight transfer of the parcel, and the processor is configured to store the collected metadata in a shared blockchain ledger.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the metadata stored in the shared blockchain ledger comprises one or more of a geographical location of the source UAV and the target UAV during the in-flight transfer, an altitude of the source UAV and the target UAV during the in-flight transfer, and a UAV specification of the source UAV and the target UAV.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the metadata is collected by one or more on-board sensors of the source UAV and the target UAV which are configured to capture one or more of available battery power, rotor condition, and maintenance schedule, during flight.

15. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to perform the authenticating in response to receiving an indication that the source UAV and the target UAV are within a predetermined in-flight distance from each other.

16. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to control the network interface to transmit an authorization to perform transfer of the parcel to the source UAV and the target UAV while both the source UAV and the target UAV are in-flight.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein program instructions that when executed cause a computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving a request to authorize an in-flight transfer of a parcel between a source unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a target UAV;

authenticating, via a blockchain, an identity of the source UAV and an identity of the target UAV based on one or more predefined keys included in the request; and

in response to the blockchain authentication being successful, initiating delivery of the parcel from the source UAV to the target UAV while one or more of the source UAV and the target UAV are in-flight.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the authenticating comprises validating, via the blockchain, a private key of the source UAV and a private key of the target UAV based on a contract between a seller and a purchaser of the parcel.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the authenticating further comprises validating, via the blockchain, one or more of a carrying capacity of the target UAV, a travel permission of the target UAV, and a health of the target UAV.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises receiving metadata of one or more of the source UAV and the target UAV during the in-flight transfer of the parcel, and storing the collected metadata in a shared blockchain ledger.