Nchain Licensing Ag

Nchain Holdings Limited

John Fletcher

Thomas Trevethan

Marco Bardoscia

Silvia Bartolucci

Martin Sewell

Craig Steven Wright

Alexander Tennyson Mackay

Techniques are presented to instantiate an event chain with a first block, wherein the first block is timestamped with an instantiation time; monitor for an event associated with a monitoring request; signal to other nodes in a plurality of nodes based on the monitoring by providing a commitment to a plurality of nodes in the plurality of nodes, wherein based on occurrence of the event providing either a dummy signal or an indicator comprising an encryption private key share held by the node, wherein the commitment is provided to the other nodes in the plurality of nodes; monitor for commitments from the other nodes in the plurality of nodes, wherein each commitment comprises a dummy signal or an encryption key share; process the commitments received from the other nodes to obtain an encryption private key share; and identify the encryption private key based on the analysis of the commitments.

Controlled cryptographic private key release

A method of digitally signing a message is disclosed. The method comprises distributing first shares of a first secret value among a plurality of participants, wherein the first secret value is a private key accessible by means of a first threshold number of the first shares, and is inaccessible to less than the first threshold number of the first shares; distributing second shares of a second secret value among the participants, wherein the second secret value is an ephemeral key, wherein said ephemeral key is inaccessible to less than said first threshold number of said second shares; and distributing third shares of a third secret value among the participants, wherein each third share is adapted to be applied to a message to generate a respective fourth share of a fourth secret value, wherein the fourth secret value is the message signed with the private key and using the ephemeral key.

Computer-implemented method and system for transferring access to a digital asset

There may be provided a computer-implemented method. The computer-implemented method includes: i) after a proof-of-stake token is transferred to an address of a determined type on a proof-of-stake blockchain, adding a record of the transfer of the proof-of-stake token to the proof-of-work blockchain; ii) identifying a node, from a group of nodes, to participate in adding a block to the proof-of-stake blockchain, the identifying based on the proof-of-work blockchain; and iii) including a block submitted by the identified node in the proof-of-stake blockchain.

Computer-implemented systems and methods relating to a binary blockchain comprising a pair of coupled blockchains

The invention relates to distributed ledger technologies such as consensus-based blockchains. Computer-implemented methods for smart contract outcome determination are described. The invention is implemented using a blockchain network, which may be, for example, a Bitcoin blockchain. A set of conditions is determined between counterparties, with the set of conditions having a plurality of possible outcomes that includes a first possible outcome associated with a first distribution of a digital asset and a second possible outcome associated with a second distribution, different from the first distribution, of the digital asset. A counterparty transaction is created that includes, as output, the set of conditions encoded into computer-executable instructions and the digital asset. An outcome is received from a third party, with the outcome corresponding to the first possible outcome or the second possible outcome. An outcome transaction is created to transfer control of the digital asset of the counterparty transaction, the outcome transaction including the outcome as input. As a result of validating the outcome transaction at a node in a blockchain network, the digital asset is distributed, based at least in part on the outcome, to the counterparties in accordance with the first possible outcome or the second possible outcome.

Smart contract execution using distributed coordination

Techniques are presented to enable recovery of one or more digital assets held on a blockchain after a private key is lost. The computer implemented method comprises setting access for the one or more digital assets held on the blockchain under the public key Pk and accessible using the corresponding private key Sk of the user such that the one or more digital assets are also accessible using a private key x shared by a congress on the blockchain network, each member of the congress having a private key share xto be used in a threshold signature scheme used to generate a valid signature. As a result of the private key Sk being lost, the congress accesses the one or more digital assets on behalf of the user in response to the user proving their identity to the congress by providing a recovery password.

Computer-implemented system and method providing a decentralised protocol for the recovery of cryptographic assets

There may be provided a computer-implemented method. It may be implemented using a blockchain such as, for example, the Bitcoin blockchain. The computer-implemented method includes: i) joining a congress by transferring, by a node operating in a proof-of-work blockchain network, one or more digital assets to a congress pool having one or more other digital assets associated with other members of a congress; ii) detecting, by the node, a special transaction of digital assets on the proof-of-work blockchain network to an address associated with the congress pool, the special transaction satisfying determined criteria; and iii) minting, by the node, one or more digital assets on a proof-of-stake blockchain network in response to detecting the special transaction.

Secure transfer between blockchains

Rapid distributed consensus on blockchain

A method in accordance with the invention includes: providing to a hub, from an enclave associated with a TEE at a node, an enclave public key; establishing a channel with the hub by broadcasting to a blockchain network a funding transaction which encumbers a digital asset with a first public key, a second public key and a third public key such that the encumbrance of the digital asset may be removed by: 1) both a first signature generated from a first private key corresponding to the first public key and a second signature generated from a second private key corresponding to the second public key; or 2) a third signature, valid for the third public key, the third public key associated with a group; receiving a commitment transaction encrypted with the enclave public key; detecting a failure; issuing a failsafe activation request to the group using data from the enclave.

Systems and methods for addressing security-related vulnerabilities arising in relation to off-blockchain channels in the event of failures in a network

This invention relates to distributed systems, and more particularly to methods and systems for event-locked operations in transactions using a blockchain network. The method includes: detecting, by a first node that is a member of a congress comprising a plurality of nodes, malicious activity by a malicious node that is also a member of the congress; providing, by the first node, a partial signature on a confiscation transaction to transfer portion of digital asset(s) deposited by the malicious node to an unspendable address, wherein the digital asset(s) deposited by the malicious node; determining, by a threshold number of members of the congress, that the digital assets of the malicious node should be confiscated, and then confiscating the at least portion of digital asset(s) of the malicious node by generating a valid signature for the confiscation transaction and suspending the malicious node from further participation in the congress.

Methods and systems for blockchain-implemented event-lock encryption

There may be provided a computer-implemented method for use with a blockchain. The computer-implemented method includes: broadcasting a first deposit transaction configured to allow a first digital asset to be unlocked after a defined period of time through generation of a signature which is valid for a first public key and unlocked at any time through generation of a signature which is valid for a second public key; before expiration of the defined period of time, broadcasting a first funding transaction which encumbers a second digital asset with the first public key, the second public key and a third public key; and after expiration of the defined period of time, broadcasting a transaction unlocking the first digital asset with a signature which is valid for the first public key.

Systems and methods for avoiding or reducing cryptographically stranded resources on a blockchain network

There may be provided a computer-implemented method that includes: broadcasting, by a node in a blockchain network, a transaction to transfer one or more digital assets to a public group address associated with a congress public key, the public group being associated with one or more other digital assets associated with other members of a congress; generating a private key share to be used in a threshold signature scheme in which at least a threshold of private key shares must be used to generate a valid signature through combination of partial signatures on behalf of the congress, wherein other holders of the private key shares are the other members of the congress who have joined the congress by transfer of respective digital assets to the public group address; and using the private key share to cooperatively generate a valid signature for a transaction from the public group address.

Secure re-use of private key for dynamic group of nodes

A method in accordance with the invention includes: providing to a hub, from an enclave associated with a TEE at a node, an enclave public key; establishing a channel with the hub by broadcasting to a blockchain network a funding transaction which encumbers a digital asset with a first public key, a second public key and a third public key such that the encumbrance of the digital asset may be removed by: 1) both a first signature generated from a first private key corresponding to the first public key and a second signature generated from a second private key corresponding to the second public key; or 2) a third signature, valid for the third public key, the third public key associated with a group; receiving a commitment transaction encrypted with the enclave public key; detecting a failure; and issuing a failsafe activation request to the group using data from the enclave.

Computer implemented method and system for transferring access to a digital asset

Embodiments of the present disclosure provides protocols, methods and systems which provides advantages such as the resistance of centralisation of mining on a blockchain network, preferably a Proof-of-Work blockchain. A method in accordance with an embodiment may comprise generating a plurality of non-parallelisable challenges (or 'puzzles') and allocating one of said plurality of challenges to each miner on the network. The miner uses an inherently sequential (non-parallelisable) algorithm to find a solution to his allocated challenge. The challenges are generated by a committee of nodes, and a new set of challenges is generated for each block.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, United Kingdom

John Fletcher