Method for paying cost of IoT device based on blockchain and Merkle tree structure related thereto, and server, service providing terminal, and digital wallet using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11244295-B2
Application number	US-201815975714-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2018
Priority date	May 10, 2017
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A method of a payment for an Internet of Things (IoT) device is provided. The method includes steps of: a payment supporting server (a) on condition that the payment supporting server has registered certificates of the IoT device, a service providing device, and a digital wallet in a first blockchain, manages their transaction IDs, has registered a representative hash value in a second blockchain, manages their transaction IDs, and manages link information between the IoT device and the digital wallet, confirming validity of a billing transaction, and (b) acquiring identification information on the digital wallet; and (c) paying the billing detail using the digital wallet, registering its payment result in the first blockchain, registering in the second blockchain, if one anchoring condition is satisfied, a first representative hash value, and transmitting the payment result to the service providing device, the IoT device, and the digital wallet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of a payment for an Internet of Things (IoT) device, comprising steps of:
(a1) (i) receiving, by a payment supporting server, (i) a certificate of the IoT device, a certificate of a service providing device, and a certificate of a digital wallet of a user from each of the IoT device, the service providing device, and the digital wallet of the user;
(ii) registering, by the payment supporting server, the certificate of the IoT device, the certificate of the service providing device, and the certificate of the digital wallet of the user in a first blockchain database;
(iii) assigning and managing, by the payment supporting server, their corresponding first, second, and third blockchain transaction IDs of the certificate of the IoT device, the certificate of the service providing device, and the certificate of a digital wallet of the user in the first blockchain database;
(iv) determining that one of anchoring conditions for registering a hash value in a second blockchain database is satisfied, then applying a hash function to each of the certificates to acquire specific hash values, and calculating, by the payment supporting server, each of representative hash values by using (iv-1) the specific hash values and (iv-2) at least one neighboring hash value, which is at least one hash value of at least one other transaction registered in the first blockchain database in one of the anchoring conditions, corresponding to each of the specific hash values;
(v) registering, by the payment supporting server, each of the representative hash values in a second blockchain database;
(vi) assigning and managing, by the payment supporting server, their corresponding fourth, fifth, and sixth blockchain transaction IDs of the representative hash values for each of the certificates;
(a2) (i) acquiring, by the payment supporting server, a link-connection requesting transaction from the digital wallet corresponding to a link-connection instructing signal for the link from the user device by using the identification information on the IoT device obtained from the IoT device by referring to a link-connection requesting signal from the user device, wherein the link-connection requesting transaction includes the identification information on the digital wallet, the identification information on the IoT device, and a signature value for connection acquired by signing the identification information on the IoT device with the certificate of the digital wallet;
(ii) determining the IoT device as valid, then registering, by the payment supporting server, the link information in the first blockchain database;
(iii) assigning and managing, by the payment supporting server, its corresponding first link-info blockchain ID;
(iv) determining that one of the anchoring conditions is satisfied, then apply the hash function to the link information to acquire a fourth specific hash value, calculating and registering, by the payment supporting server, a fourth representative hash value by using (iv-1) the fourth specific hash value and (iv-2) its corresponding at least one neighboring hash value;
(v) managing, by the payment supporting server, its corresponding second link-info blockchain transaction ID; and
(vi) transmitting the link information to at least one of the IoT device and the digital wallets;

(a3) acquiring, by the payment supporting server, a billing transaction which refers to information on the payer from the service providing device, and confirming, by the payment supporting server, validity of the billing transaction,
wherein the billing transaction includes identification information of the service providing device, identification information of the IoT device, a billing detail, and a signature value for billing which is acquired from the service providing device by signing the billing detail with the certificate of the service providing device, and
wherein the information on the payer includes the identification information on the IoT device, and is received from the IoT device in response to a request for the information on the payer from the service providing device;
(b) acquiring, by the payment supporting server, identification information on the digital wallet corresponding to the identification information on the IoT device included in the billing transaction from the first blockchain database by referring to the link information; and
(c) (i) paying, by the payment supporting server, a bill corresponding to the billing detail by using the digital wallet corresponding to the identification information on the digital wallet acquired from the first blockchain database,
(ii) registering, by the payment supporting server, a payment result including a payment detail corresponding to the billing detail in the first blockchain database and managing its corresponding first blockchain transaction ID of the payment result,
(iii) determining that one of the anchoring conditions is satisfied, then applying the hash function to the payment result to acquire a first specific hash value, calculating, by the payment supporting server, a first representative hash value calculated by using (iii-1) the first specific hash value and (iii-2) its corresponding at least one neighboring hash value which is at least one hash value of at least one other transaction registered in the first blockchain database in one of the anchoring conditions, and assigning and managing its corresponding second blockchain transaction ID of the payment result, and
(iv) transmitting, by the payment supporting server, the payment result to at least one of the service providing device, the IoT device, and the digital wallet,

wherein, the anchoring conditions include at least one of (i) a condition that one or more transactions related to the payment for the IoT device are created a certain number of times, (ii) a condition that a certain amount of time is elapsed, (iii) a condition that a block is created in the first blockchain database, and (iv) a condition that has at least one of characteristics of services.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, at the step of (c):
(i) creating, by the payment supporting server, at least one Merkle tree whose at least one leaf node includes the first specific hash value; and
(ii) determining that one of the anchoring conditions is satisfied, then registering, by the payment supporting server, the first representative hash value calculated by using (ii-1) the first specific hash value of a specific leaf node and (ii-2) a hash value allocated to at least one of other leaf nodes corresponding to the specific leaf node, in the second blockchain database.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein, if the Merkle tree is a first tree among two or more Merkle trees linked in chains, a hash value of a message data which includes text, numbers or symbols is allocated to a first leaf node of the Merkle tree.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein, determining that one of the anchoring conditions is satisfied, then:
(x1) calculating, by the payment supporting server, an intermediate value by using (i) the first specific hash value and (ii) a hash value allocated to a sibling node of a specific leaf node where the first specific hash value is allocated, and then allocates or supports another device to allocate a hash value of the intermediate value to a parent node of the specific leaf node;
determining whether the parent node is a root node of the Merkle tree;
(x2) determining that the parent node being a root node of the Merkle tree, then registering, by the payment supporting server, the hash value of the intermediate value allocated to the parent node in the second blockchain database as the first representative hash value, and
(x3) determining that the parent node not being the root node, then repeating, by the payment supporting serv

Assignees

• Coinplug Inc

Inventors

• Uhr Joon Sun
• Hong Jay Wu

Classifications

• G06F16/27

  Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor · CPC title

• G06Q20/3825

  Use of electronic signatures · CPC title

• G06Q20/382

  insuring higher security of transaction · CPC title

• G06Q2220/00

  Business processing using cryptography · CPC title

• G06Q20/145

  Payments according to the detected use or quantity · CPC title