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-11861573-B2
Application number	US-202117535136-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2021
Priority date	May 10, 2017
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

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:
(a) acquiring, by a service providing device, information on a payer, including identification information on the IoT device, from the IoT device, on condition that a payment supporting server (i) has registered a certificate of the IoT device, a certificate of a service providing device and a certificate of a digital wallet of a user in a first blockchain database, (ii) has managed 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 the digital wallet registered in the first blockchain database, (iii) has registered each of representative hash values calculated by using (iii-1) each of specific hash values acquired by applying a hash function to each of the certificates and (iii-2) each of at least one neighboring hash values which is each of at least one hash values of each of at least one other transactions registered in the first blockchain database in one of anchoring conditions, in a second blockchain database, (iv) has managed their corresponding fourth, fifth and sixth blockchain transaction IDs of the representative hash values for each of the certificates registered in the second blockchain database, and (v) has managed link information on a link between information on the IoT device and information on the digital wallet as the payer therefor; and
(b) transmitting, by the service providing device, in response to the acquired the information on the payer, a billing transaction including the identification information on the service providing device, the identification information on the IoT device, a billing detail and a signature value for billing acquired by signing the billing detail with the certificate of the service providing device to the payment supporting server, to thereby instruct the payment supporting server to (i) acquire the identification information on the digital wallet, corresponding to the identification information on the IoT device included in the billing transaction by referring to the link information, from the first blockchain database when the billing transaction is determined as valid, (ii) transmit a payment for the billing detail by using the digital wallet corresponding to the identification information on the digital wallet acquired from the first blockchain database, and (iii) register a payment result including a payment detail corresponding to the billing detail in the first blockchain database and manage its corresponding blockchain transaction ID of the payment result, or (iv) register in the second blockchain database, when one of the anchoring conditions is satisfied, a first representative hash value calculated by using (iv-1) a first specific hash value acquired by applying the hash function to the payment result and (iv-2) its corresponding at least one neighboring hash value, and manage its corresponding second blockchain transaction ID of the payment result registered in the first blockchain database, and (v) transmit 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 (b), the service providing device, when the billing detail includes multiple billers for a service provided to the IoT device wherein the multiple billers have associated service providing devices related to the service providing device, transmits the billing transaction, which allows the billing detail to include details on billing to be paid for the associated service providing devices, to the payment supporting server to thereby instruct the payment supporting server to (i) transmit amount of the billing detail to the service providing device and the associated service providing devices by using the digital wallet corresponding to the identification information on the digital wallet acquired from the first blockchain database, and (ii) transmit the payment result to at least one of the service providing device, the associated service providing devices, the IoT device and the digital wallet.

3. A service providing device for a payment for an Internet of Things (IoT) device, comprising:
a transceiver configured to acquire information on a payer, including identification information on the IoT device, from the IoT device, on condition that a payment supporting server (i) has registered a certificate of the IoT device, a certificate of a service providing device and a certificate of a digital wallet of a user in a first blockchain database, (ii) has managed 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 the digital wallet registered in the first blockchain database, (iii) has registered each of representative hash values calculated by using (iii-1) each of specific hash values acquired by applying a hash function to each of the certificates and (iii-2) each of at least one neighboring hash values which is each of at least one hash values of each of at least one other transactions registered in the first blockchain database in one of anchoring conditions, in a second blockchain database, (iv) has managed their corresponding fourth, fifth, and sixth blockchain transaction IDs of the representative hash values for each of the certificates registered in the second blockchain database, and (v) has managed link information on a link between information on the IoT device and information on the digital wallet as the payer therefor; and
a processor configured to transmit, in response to the acquired information on the payer, a billing transaction including the identification information on the service providing device, the identification information on the IoT device, a billing detail and a signature value for billing acquired by signing the billing detail with the certificate of the service providing device to the payment supporting server, to thereby instruct the payment supporting server to (i) acquire the identification information on the digital wallet, corresponding to the identification information on the IoT device included in the billing transaction by referring to the link information, from the first blockchain database when the billing transaction is determined as valid, (ii) transmit a payment for the billing detail by using the digital wallet corresponding to the identification information on the digital wallet acquired from the first blockchain database, and (iii) register a payment result including a payment detail corresponding to the billing detail in the first blockchain database and manage its corresponding blockchain transaction ID of the payment result, or (iv) register in the second blockchain database, when one of the anchoring conditions is satisfied, a first representative hash value calculated by using (iv-1) a first specific hash value acquired by applying the hash function to the payment result and (iv-2) its corresponding at least one neighboring hash value, and manage its corresponding second blockchain transaction ID of the payment result registered in the first blockchain database, and (v) transmit 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 t

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

• G06Q20/102 Primary

  Bill distribution or payments · CPC title

• G06F16/2246

  Trees, e.g. B+trees · CPC title

• G06Q20/14 Primary

  specially adapted for billing systems · CPC title

• G06Q20/145

  Payments according to the detected use or quantity · CPC title