Computer-implemented system and method for propagation and communication of data in a network such as a blockchain network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11245757-B2
Application number	US-201816767559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2018
Priority date	Nov 27, 2017
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A method of propagating data packets in a network of nodes is disclosed. The method, implemented at one of the nodes, includes: generating at least one data packet of a first type; collecting a set of data packets of the first type during a first time period, the set including the at least one generated data packet and at least one data packet of the first type received from one or more first nodes in the network; and for each data packet in the set: randomly select two or more neighbouring nodes connected to said one of the nodes; transmit, to each of the two or more selected neighbouring nodes: the data packet, wherein the two or more selected neighbouring nodes are configured to relay the data packet to one or more second nodes in the network using a mode of data propagation that is arbitrarily selected for that neighbouring node. The invention is particularly suited for implementation on a blockchain network such as, for example, the Bitcoin blockchain.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A node to propagate data packets in a network of nodes, each node in the network having one or more connections to other nodes, the node comprising:
a processor;
a network interface to provide network connectivity; and
memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
generate at least one data packet of a first type;
collect a set of data packets of the first type during a first time period, the set including the at least one generated data packet and at least one data packet of the first type received from one or more first nodes in the network; and
for each data packet in the set:
arbitrarily select two or more neighbouring nodes connected to the node; and
transmit the data packet to each of the two or more selected neighbouring nodes,

wherein the two or more selected neighbouring nodes are configured to relay the data packet to one or more second nodes in the network using a mode of data propagation that is randomly selected for that neighbouring node.

2. The node claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first time period has a predefined length.

3. The node claimed in claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to perform the transmitting in response to determining that a triggering condition has been met.

4. The node claimed in claim 3 , wherein the triggering condition comprises expiry of a predetermined duration since a time of generation of the at least one data packet of the first type by the node.

5. The node claimed in claim 3 , wherein the triggering condition comprises expiry of a predetermined duration since a time of receipt of a first of the at least one data packet of the first type from the one or more first nodes.

6. The node claimed in claim 3 , wherein the triggering condition comprises a number of data packets collected during the first time period reaching a threshold number.

7. The node according to claim 1 , wherein the mode of data propagation for a neighbouring node is arbitrarily selected between a first mode and a second mode, wherein:
in the first mode, the data packet is relayed to an arbitrarily selected subset of nodes that are connected to the neighbouring node; and
in the second mode, the data packet is relayed to all nodes connected to the neighbouring node.

8. The node according to claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, prevent the processor from transmitting any data packets of the first type during the first time period.

9. A computer-implemented method of propagating data packets in a network of nodes, each node in the network having one or more connections to other nodes, the method, implemented at one of the nodes, comprising:
generating at least one data packet of a first type;
collecting a set of data packets of the first type during a first time period, the set including the at least one generated data packet and at least one data packet of the first type received from one or more first nodes in the network; and
for each data packet in the set:
arbitrarily select two or more neighbouring nodes connected to said one of the nodes; and
transmit the data packet to each of the two or more selected neighbouring nodes,
wherein the two or more selected neighbouring nodes are configured to relay the data packet to one or more second nodes in the network using a mode of data propagation that is randomly selected for that neighbouring node.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the transmitting is performed in response to determining that a triggering condition has been met.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the triggering condition comprises expiry of a predetermined duration since the time of generation of the at least one data packet of the first type by said one of the nodes.

12. A processor-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions to participate in a process for propagating data packets in a network of nodes, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor in one of the participating nodes, cause the processor to carry out the method claimed in claim 11 .

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the triggering condition comprises expiry of a predetermined duration since the time of receipt of a first of the at least one data packet of the first type from the one or more first nodes.

14. A processor-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions to participate in a process for propagating data packets in a network of nodes, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor in one of the participating nodes, cause the processor to carry out the method claimed in claim 13 .

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the triggering condition comprises the number of data packets collected during the first time period reaching a threshold number.

16. A processor-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions to participate in a process for propagating data packets in a network of nodes, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor in one of the participating nodes, cause the processor to carry out the method claimed in claim 15 .

17. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions to participate in a process for propagating data packets in a network of nodes, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor in one of the participating nodes, cause the processor to carry out the method claimed in claim 10 .

18. The method of claim 9 , further comprising preventing transmission of any data packets of the first type during the first time period.

19. A processor-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions to participate in a process for propagating data packets in a network of nodes, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor in one of the participating nodes, cause the processor to carry out the method claimed in claim 18 .

20. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions to participate in a process for propagating data packets in a network of nodes, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor in one of the participating nodes, cause the processor to carry out the method claimed in claim 9 .

Assignees

• Nchain Licensing Ag

Inventors

• Bartolucci Silvia
• Joseph Daniel
• Madeo Simone

Classifications

• G06Q20/065

  using e-cash · CPC title

• H04L45/16

  Multipoint routing · CPC title

• H04L9/40

  Network security protocols · CPC title

• H04L9/50

  using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees · CPC title

• H04L9/3297

  involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps · CPC title