Zero knowledge third party guarantee of service on decentralized computing platform

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11037118-B2
Application number	US-201715499975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2017
Priority date	Apr 28, 2017
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A service running on a server, for example as a cloud server, that services with a guarantee from a guarantor. The service includes receiving, from a user using a zero-knowledge protocol to ensure privacy of the user, a request for a service with an associated quality level for a fee. Next, the request for service received requires a guarantee of the service requiring additional assurances based on a rating quantity available by a guarantor of the service is identified. At least a portion of the rating quantity available by the guarantor of the service is received. A notification from the user that the service is unacceptable is received. In response to the notification and a verification that the associated quality level was not met, refunding at least a portion of the fee to the user from the guarantor of the service.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-based method for providing at least one service with a guarantee from a guarantor using a combination of indirection, cryptographic communications and verifiable computing to ensure privacy of a user, the method comprising:
receiving, at a zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, personal identifiable information with a private key from a user;
generating, using the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, a unique token associated with the user and generating a first proof in which a signature is validated without revealing which user it is associated, the first proof is based on trusted computing or secure boot attestation;
sending from the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform the unique token that has been generated with the first proof to the user;
receiving, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, from the user the unique token indicative of a user reputation score, using a zero-knowledge protocol to ensure privacy of the user, a request for a service from a user with an associated quality level for a fee, wherein the associated quality level is comparative assessment of a performance of the service relative to other providers of the service;
confirming, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, that a signature of the unique token is valid;
identifying, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, a minimum reputation score required by a content owner for content to be delivered as part of the service and that the request for service provided by a service provider requires additional reputation score available to a guarantor of the service;
receiving, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, from the guarantor of the service at least a portion of the guarantor of service reputation score available to the guarantor of the service, wherein the user, the service provider and the guarantor of the service are separate parties;
generating a second proof based on the zero-knowledge protocol;
sending, using the zero-knowledge protocol to ensure privacy of the user, content from the service provider to a content media player application on a user device along with the second proof;
receiving, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, a notification from the user device that the service is unacceptable, the notification is a response to at least a portion of the content media player application not executing on the user device;
in response to the notification and a verification that the associated quality level was not met, refunding, by the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, at least a portion of the fee to the user from the guarantor of the service; and
in response to the guarantor of the service not refunding at least a portion of the fee to the user based on the associated quality level was not met, reducing, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, a service provider reputation score available to the service provider of the service.

2. The computer-based method of claim 1 , wherein the notification is a response to at least a portion of a content media player application not executing on the user device, the content media player application using a zero-knowledge protocol to ensure privacy of the user, and the content media player application including digital right management technology using zero-knowledge verifiable computing to enforce usage conditions on multimedia content.

3. The computer-based method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting the guarantor of the service from two or more guarantors of the service, based on the request for the service received with the associated quality level.

4. The computer-based method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, the unique token associated with the user and a reputation score of the user and adjusting the fee paid by the user based on the user reputation score and escrow money of the user, wherein the unique token is a digital certificate signed by a trusted certificate authority or private key of DNS domain registered with a certificate authority, in which the signature can be validated without revealing which user it is associated.

5. The computer-based method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a complexity of the service requested by the user and adjusting the fee paid by the user based on the complexity of the service.

6. The computer-based method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending an advertisement to a user device and adjusting the fee paid by the user based on whether the advertisement is displayed.

7. The computer-based method of claim 1 , further comprising:
adjusting the fee paid by the user based on whether an advertisement is displayed.

8. The computer-based method of claim 1 , wherein the fee is a cryptocurrency as payment.

9. The computer-based method of claim 1 , wherein the providing at least the portion of the service to the user including providing the service with zero-knowledge verifiable computing.

10. The computer-based method of claim 9 , wherein the zero-knowledge verifiable computing is one of
succinct computational integrity and privacy (SCIP) technique,
zero-knowledge Succinct non-interactive argument of knowledge (zk-snark) technique, and
zero-knowledge verifiable computing is probabilistically checkable proof (PCP) technique.

11. A system for providing at least one service with a guarantee from a guarantor using a combination of indirection, cryptographic communications and verifiable computing to ensure privacy of a user, comprising:
a memory;
a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, where the processor is configured to perform:
receiving, at a zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, personal identifiable information with a private key from a user;
generating, using the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, a unique token associated with the user and generating a first proof in which a signature is validated without revealing which user it is associated, the first proof is based on trusted computing or secure boot attestation;
sending from the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform the unique token that has been generated with the first proof to the user;
receiving, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, from the user the unique token indicative of a user reputation score, using a zero-knowledge protocol to ensure privacy of the user, a request for a service from a user with an associated quality level for a fee, wherein the associated quality level is comparative assessment of a performance of the service relative to other providers of the service;
confirming, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, that a signature of the unique token is valid;
identifying, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, a minimum reputation score required by a content owner for content to be delivered as part of the service and that the request for service provided by a service provider requires additional reputation score available to a guarantor of the service;
receiving, at the zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform, from the guarantor of the service at least a portion of the guarantor of service reputation score available to the guarantor of the service, wherein the user, the service provider and the guarantor of the service are separate parties;
generating a second proof based on the zero-knowledge protocol;
sending, using the zero-knowledge protocol to ensure privacy of the user, content from the service provider to a content media player application on a user device along with the second proof;
receiving, at the zero-knowledge

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Kraemer James R
• Linton Jeb R

Classifications

• G06N5/013

  Automatic theorem proving · CPC title

• G06Q30/0619

  Neutral agent · CPC title

• G06Q30/0277

  Online advertisement · CPC title

• G06Q20/065 Primary

  using e-cash · CPC title

• G06Q30/0609

  Qualifying participants for shopping transactions (payment transaction verification G06Q20/401) · CPC title