Description:5 DESCRIPTION
Technical Field
[001] This disclosure relates generally to data management, and more
particularly to a method and a system for managing anonymized data across computing
devices in a blockchain network.
10 Background
[002] Data is the new oil, and every enterprise continue to use its data,
particularly its consumer intelligence, for strategic purposes to expand their
commercial portential. For this, many enterprises have started realizing that knowledge
(or information) they possess about their consumer is incomplete and not sufficient. In
15 particular, currently, the information about the consumer that any enterprise has is
bound to a domain in which the enterprise operates. For instance, a retail major would
understand the consumer's fashion sense, a Consumer Packaged Goods (CPGs) major
would understand the consumer's taste, and a bank would understand the consumer's
risk tolerance.
20 [003] However, with rapid advancement in technology, enterprises
understand that, to provide holistic experience to their end consumers, exchange of the
information about the consumer is unavoidable. In today’s world, exchange of
consumer’s information among enterprises is achieved through clean room (or safe
room) cloud solutions in which an enterprise forms partnerships with other enterprises
25 and each partner brings the customer information they possess, to a common restricted
environment. In that environment, the enterprise identify overlapping customers from
other partner enterprises and create’s a holistic profile based on the information of the
overlapping customers obtained from partner enterprises in order to engage customer’s
effectively. The creation of this environment, results in a highly constrained hub and
30 spoke model. Further, building this highly constrained hub and spoke model requires a
large operational overhead and is not scalable. There is, therefore, a need in the present
state of art, for techniques to address the problem of exchanging consumer’s
information among enterprises.
35 SUMMARY
[004] In one embodiment, a method of managing anonymized data across
computing devices in a blockchain network is disclosed. In one example, the method
may include generating the blockchain network including a blockchain ledger based on
a dataset associated with each of a plurality of end users. The dataset associated with
40 each of the plurality of end users is associated with a first computing device. The
2
5 method of generating the blockchain network may include constructing the blockchain
ledger corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users
based on a set of customization settings and one or more criteria. The one or more
criteria may be defined by the first computing device. The method of generating the
blockchain network may include generating a unique ledger key corresponding to the
10 dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users. The method of generating the
blockchain network may include storing the dataset associated with each of the
plurality of end users in the blockchain ledger based on the unique ledger key. Further,
the method may include communicating a joining request to a second computing device
for joining the blockchain network. Further, the method may include granting access
15 to the second computing device to the dataset associated with the plurality of end users.
[005] In one embodiment, a system for managing anonymized data across
computing devices in a blockchain network is disclosed. In one example, the system
may include a processor and a computer-readable medium communicatively coupled
to the processor. The computer-readable medium may store processor-executable
20 instructions, which, on execution, may cause the processor to generate the blockchain
network including a blockchain ledger based on a dataset associated with each of a
plurality of end users. The dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users
may be associated with a first computing device. To generate the blockchain network,
the processor-executable instructions, on execution, may further cause the processor to
25 construct the blockchain ledger corresponding to the dataset associated with each of
the plurality of end users based on a set of customization settings and one or more
criteria. The one or more criteria may be defined by the first computing device. To
generate the blockchain network, the processor-executable instructions, on execution,
may further cause the processor to generate a unique ledger key corresponding to the
30 dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users. To generate the blockchain
network, the processor-executable instructions, on execution, may further cause the
processor to store the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users in the
blockchain ledger based on the unique ledger key. The processor-executable
instructions, on execution, may further cause the processor to communicate a joining
35 request to a second computing device for joining the blockchain network. The
processor-executable instructions, on execution, may further cause the processor to
grant access to the second computing device to the dataset associated with the plurality
of end users.
[006] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and
40 the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not
restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[007] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute
a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the
45 description, explain the disclosed principles.
3
[008] FIG. 1 illustrates 5 a block diagram of an environment for managing
anonymized data across computing devices in a blockchain network, in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[009] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a system for managing
anonymized data across computing devices in a blockchain network, in accordance
10 with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[010] FIG. 3 illustrates a data managing platform configured for enabling
intelligent exchange of anonymized data by customizing a blockchain network, in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[011] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary control logic depicting intelligent
15 exchange of anonymized data across computing devices in a blockchain network, in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[012] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary process for
managing anonymized data across computing devices in a blockchain network, in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
20 [013] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary process of
onboarding a user of a first computing device, in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[014] FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary process for enabling
access of a dataset associated with an end user to a second computing device, in
25 accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[015] FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary process of
generating and updating a unique ledger key of a dataset associated with an end user,
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[016] FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate diagrams depicting joining of an entity C
30 to an exemplary blockchain network, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[017] FIGS. 10A – 10C illustrate a diagram depicting two exemplary
blockchain networks, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.
35
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[018] Exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the
accompanying drawings. Wherever convenient, the same reference numbers are used
throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. While examples and features
40 of disclosed principles are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other
implementations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the
disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the following detailed description be
considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the
following claims.
4
5 [019] FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates an environment 100 for managing
anonymized data across computing devices in a blockchain network, in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[020] The environment 100 may include a server 102, a first computing
device 104, and a second computing device 106. The server 102, the first computing
10 device 104, and the second computing device 106 are configured to communicate with
each other via a communication network 108. Examples of the communication
network 108 may include, but are not limited to, a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network, a
light fidelity (Li-Fi) network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN),
a metropolitan area network (MAN), a satellite network, the Internet, a fiber optic
15 network, a coaxial cable network, an infrared (IR) network, a radio frequency (RF)
network, and a combination thereof.
[021] The communication network 108 may facilitate data exchange
between the first computing device 104 to the second computing device 106 through
the server 102. In an embodiment, the first computing device 104 may include a
20 primary application associated with a first entity. Further, the second computing device
106 may include a secondary application associated with a second entity. It should be
noted that an entity (i.e., the first entity and the second entity) may correspond to a
business enterprise. Further, the primary application and the secondary application may
correspond to an enterprise managed application, i.e., a digital application (e.g., web
25 application, or mobile application, website, etc.). Examples of the enterprise managed
application may include, but are not limited to, a shopping application, a food
application, a travel application, an educational application, a music application, an
entertainment application, a medical application, and the like.
[022] Initially, the server 102 may receive a first request from the first
30 computing device 104, over the communication network 108. In particular, a user of
the first entity may send the first request using the first computing device 104 to the
server 102. The first request may correspond to a registering request. The user may
correspond to a person responsible for managing the primary application of the first
entity. In some embodiment, the user of the first entity may be referred as a network
35 administrator or a network admin. By way of an example, when the first entity is a
shopping business enterprise, then the primary application associated with the first
entity may be the shopping application. Upon receiving the first request, the server 102
may be configured to onboard the first entity in order to register the first entity. In an
embodiment, in order to onboard the first entity, the user may sign-up using his
40 personal details with the server 102. Further, during sign-up, the user may be required
to define an authentication credentials. Upon defining the authentication credentials, a
user, i.e., a platform admin of the server 102 may onboard the user of the first entity.
[023] Once the authentication credentials are defined and the first entity of
the first computing device 104 is onboarded, then the user of the first entity may be
45 able to access the server 102 using the authentication credentials. In an embodiment,
the authentication credentials may include one of a username and a password, a digital
token, and a digital certificate. As will be appreciated, the authentication credentials
5
are not limited to one mentioned 5 above and may include any credentials that may be
used to verify identity of the user of the first entity. By way of an example, in order to
access the server 102, the user of the first entity may sign-in in the server 102 using the
authentication credentials.
[024] Upon sign-in, the user of the first entity may be able to generate a
10 blockchain network using the first computing device 104 through the server 102. The
blockchain network may include a blockchain ledger. Further, the blockchain network
including the blockchain ledger is generated based on a dataset associated with each of
a plurality of end users. In an embodiment, an end user of the plurality of end users
may be a consumer (or customer) of the first entity. In other words, the end user may
15 be a person that may consume goods and services provided by the first entity. By way
of an example, when the first entity is the shopping enterprise and the primary
application associated with the first entity is the shopping application, then the end user
may be the person who may purchase goods (for example: cloths) using the shopping
application of the shopping enterprise.
20 [025] As will be appreciated, the dataset associated with each of the plurality
of end users may be associated with the first computing device 104. Further, each of
the plurality of end users may be consumer of the first entity (e.g., the shopping
enterprise). In addition, the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users
may collected during their purchase of goods and services from the primary application
25 associated with the first entity. In an embodiment, the dataset associated with each of
the plurality of end users may be retrieved by the first computing device 104 from a
plurality of data sources. Examples of the plurality of data sources may include, but are
not limited to, point of sale (POS) data source, demographic data source, web activity,
social media activity, and online surveys. As will be appreciated, the dataset associated
30 with each of the plurality of end users may be retrieved by the first entity from either
one or more of the plurality of data sources. By way of an example, when each of the
plurality of end users may be customer (or consumer) of the first entity (e.g., the
shopping enterprise), then the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users
may collected during their purchase of goods (e.g., cloths, home furnishing products,
35 etc.) from the primary application associated with the first entity. For example, the
dataset associated with the end user may include details with respect to price range of
products being purchased, types of products often purchased, etc.
[026] Further, in order to generate the blockchain network, the user of the
first entity may construct the blockchain ledger corresponding to the dataset associated
40 with each of the plurality of end users using the first computing device 104 through the
server 102. In an embodiment, the blockchain ledger may be constructed based on a set
of customization settings and one or more criteria. In other words, the server 102 may
enable the user of the first entity to use the set of customization settings provided by
the server 102 to construct the blockchain ledger for the dataset associated with the
45 plurality of end users. In order to construct the blockchain network, the user of the first
entity may be able to structure the blockchain network based on the set of customization
settings and the one or more criteria. In other words, the user of the first entity may
6
generate the 5 blockchain network based on his requirements using the set of
customization settings provided by the server 102. In addition to the set of
customization settings, the user of the first entity may be able to define the one or more
criteria for generating the blockchain network that includes the blockchain ledger.
[027] In an embodiment, the set of customization settings may include, but
10 is not limited to, a first customization setting to configure the blockchain ledger, a
second customization setting to configure bootstrapping process, a third customization
setting to initiate bootstrapping process, a fourth customization setting to configure the
unique ledger key based on a set of pre-set attributes, a fifth customization setting to
rotate the unique ledger key, a sixth customization setting to rebuild the blockchain
15 network, a seventh customization setting to capture subset from the dataset
corresponding to one or more blockchain ledgers, an eighth customization settings to
combine two or more blockchain ledgers, a ninth customization setting to retrieve one
or more subset from the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users from
the blockchain ledger, and a tenth customization setting to customize application logic.
20 The set of customization settings and the one or more criteria provided by the server
102 for generating the blockchain network is further explained in detail in conjunction
with FIG. 3.
[028] Once the blockchain ledger is generated, then the user of the first entity
may generate a unique ledger key for the dataset associated with each of the plurality
25 of end users using the first computing device 104 through the server 102. In order to
generate the unique ledger key, the user of the first entity may define ledger key criteria
for generating the unique ledger key through the server 102. Once the ledger key
criteria are defined for generating the ledger key, the unique ledger key may be
generated for the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users through the
30 server 102.
[029] Further, upon generating the unique ledger key, the dataset associated
with each of the plurality of end users may be stored in the blockchain ledger
constructed by the first entity, based on the unique ledger key. In some embodiment,
the unique key associated with each of the plurality of end users may be updated by a
35 new ledger key generated based on the ledger key criteria defined by the user of the
first entity.
[030] Once the blockchain network including the blockchain ledger is
generated by the user of the first entity, then a joining request may be communicated
by the user of the first entity to the second entity of the second computing device 106
40 over the communication network 108. In particular, the first entity may send the joining
request to the second entity to join the generated blockchain network via the server
102. It should be noted that the user of the first entity may send the joining request to
more than one second entity based on his requirement. For example, in some
embodiment, the user of the first entity corresponding to the primary application may
45 send the joining request to join the generated blockchain network, upon determining
number of overlapping customers between the first entity and the one or more second
entities. As will be appreciated, the first entity may send the joining request to one or
7
more second 5 entities to enable exchange of the dataset associated with the plurality of
end users.
[031] Upon communicating the joining request to the second entity of the
second computing device 102, a user of the second entity may accept or reject the
joining request based on his requirement. In an embodiment, once the user of the
10 second entity accepts the joining request, then access to the dataset associated with
each of the plurality of end users may be granted to the second entity of the second
computing device 106. In other words, when the user of the second entity accepts the
blockchain network joining request received form the first entity, then the second entity
may be able to access the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users
15 through the server 102. A method of granting access to the dataset associated with each
of the plurality of end users by the second entity is further explained in detail in
conjunction with FIG. 5.
[032] It should be noted that, the user of the first entity may generate one or
more blockchain networks based on his requirement using above mentioned technique.
20 Further, the joining request corresponding to the one or more blockchain network may
be sent by the first entity of the first computing device 104 to the one or more second
entities of one or more second computing devices (same as the second computing
device 106) based on his requirement.
[033] FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates a system 200 for managing
25 anonymized data across computing devices in a blockchain network, in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is explained in
conjunction with elements from FIG. 1.
[034] The server 102 may include a processing circuitry 202 and a memory
204 communicatively coupled to the processing circuitry 202 via a communication bus
30 206. The memory 202 may store processor instructions. The processor instructions,
when executed by the processing circuitry 202, may cause the processing circuitry 202
to implement one or more embodiments of the present disclosure such as, but not
limited to, generating the blockchain network, communicating the joining request to
the second computing device for joining the blockchain network, and granting access
35 to the second computing device 102. The memory 204 may include a data managing
platform 208.
[035] The data managing platform 208 may enable management of
anonymized data (i.e., the dataset associated with the plurality of end users) across
computing devices in the blockchain network through the processing circuitry 202. The
40 computing devices may correspond to the first computing device 104 and the second
computing device 106. In an embodiment, the first computing device 104 may include
the primary application associated with the first entity. Further, the second computing
device 106 may include the secondary application associated with the second entity. It
should be noted that an entity (i.e., the first entity and the second entity) may
45 correspond to a business enterprise. Further, the primary application and the secondary
application may correspond to an enterprise managed application, i.e., the digital
application, e.g., web application, or mobile application, website, etc. Examples of the
8
enterprise managed application may include, 5 but are not limited to, a shopping
application, a food application, a travel application, an educational application, a music
application, an entertainment application, a medical application, and the like.
[036] Initially, the data managing platform 208 may receive a first request
from the first computing device 104. In an embodiment, the first request received from
10 the first computing device 104 may correspond to a registering request. In particular, a
user of the first entity may send the first request using the first computing device 104
to the data managing platform 208. The user of the first entity may correspond to a
person responsible for managing the primary application of the first entity via the first
computing device 104. In an embodiment, the user of the first entity may be the
15 network administrator or the network admin of the blockchain network.
[037] Upon receiving the first request, the data managing platform 208 may
be configured to onboard the first entity of the first computing device 104. In other
words, in order to use the data managing platform 208, initially, the user of the first
entity may sign-up with the data managing platform 208 by providing his personal
20 details during registering process. Examples of personal details may include, but are
not limited to, ‘entity name’, ‘username’, ‘date of birth’, ‘email’, and the like. Further,
during the registering process, the data managing platform 208 may request the user of
the first entity to define an authentication credentials. Once the user of the first entity
completes the registration process and the authentication credentials are defined, then
25 the user of the first entity may be onboarded by the platform admin of the data
managing platform 208. Once the user of the first entity is onboarded by the platform
admin, then the user of the first entity may be able to access the data managing platform
208 based on the authentication credentials. In an embodiment, the authentication
credentials may include one of a username and a password, a digital token, and a digital
30 certificate. By way of an example, the user of the first entity may access the data
managing platform 208 by signing-in in the data managing platform using the
authentication credentials.
[038] The user of the first entity may access the data managing platform 208
to generate a blockchain network. In an embodiment, the blockchain network may be
35 generated to exchange the dataset associated with the plurality of end users. In an
embodiment, an end user of the plurality of end users may be a customer (or consumer)
of the first entity. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of end users may be
associated with the primary application of the first entity. In particular, the end user
may be a person that may consume goods and services provided by the first entity. By
40 way of an example, when the first entity is the food enterprise and the primary
application associated with the first entity is the food application, then the end user may
be the person who may purchase food or beverages using the food application of the
food enterprise.
[039] Further, the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users
45 may collected during their purchase of goods and services from the primary application
associated with the first entity. In an embodiment, the dataset associated with each of
the plurality of end users may be retrieved by the first entity from the plurality of data
9
sources. Examples of the plurality of data sources may include, 5 but are not limited to,
point of sale (POS) data source, demographic data source, web activity, social media
activity, and online surveys. As will be appreciated, the dataset associated with each of
the plurality of end users may be retrieved by the first entity from either one or more
of the plurality of data sources. For example, the dataset associated with an end user
10 may include details with respect to frequently ordered ‘food item’, ‘type of food’, ‘type
of beverages’, etc.
[040] Once the user of the first entity signs-in with the data managing
platform 208 using the authentication credentials, then the user of the first entity may
generate the blockchain network. It should be noted that, for ease of explanation,
15 generation of one blockchain network by the user of one entity (i.e., the first entity) is
explained in conjunction with present FIG. 1. However, based on user requirement, the
user of the first entity may generate one or more blockchain networks using the data
managing platform 208 to exchange the dataset associated with the plurality of end
users.
20 [041] To generate the blockchain network, initially, the user of the first
entity may construct the blockchain ledger using the data managing platform 208. In
an embodiment, the blockchain ledger may be constructed corresponding to the dataset
associated with each of the plurality of end users. Further, the blockchain ledger may
be constructed based on the set of customization settings and the one or more criteria.
25 In other words, the user of the first entity may be able to access the set of customization
settings provided by the data managing platform 208 to construct the blockchain ledger.
In other words, the user of the first entity may utilize the set of customization settings
provided by the data managing platform 208 to construct the blockchain ledger.
Further, the user of the first entity may be able to define the one or more criteria for
30 constructing the blockchain ledger. In an embodiment, the set of customization settings
may include, but is not limited to, a first customization setting to configure the
blockchain ledger, a second customization setting to configure bootstrapping process,
a third customization setting to initiate bootstrapping process, a fourth customization
setting to configure the unique ledger key based on a set of pre-set attributes, a fifth
35 customization setting to rotate the unique ledger key, a sixth customization setting to
rebuild the blockchain network, a seventh customization setting to capture subset from
the dataset corresponding to one or more blockchain ledgers, an eighth customization
settings to combine two or more blockchain ledgers, a ninth customization setting to
retrieve one or more subset from the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end
40 users from the blockchain ledger, and a tenth customization setting to customize
application logic. Further, the one or more criteria defined by the first entity may be a
pre-defined data structure for the blockchain ledger, a pre-defined database
configurations associated with the dataset of each of the plurality of end users, the
ledger key criteria, and the like. Each of the set of customization settings provided by
45 the data managing platform 208 for constructing the blockchain ledger is further
depicted and explained in greater detail in conjunction with FIG. 3.
10
5 [042] Once the blockchain ledger is constructed using the set of
customization settings and the one or more criteria, then the user of the first entity may
generate the unique ledger key corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the
plurality of end users using the data managing platform 208. Further, upon generating
the unique ledger key for the dataset of each of the plurality of end users, the dataset of
10 each of the plurality of end users may be stored with the blockchain ledger using a
corresponding unique ledger key generated for the dataset. In particular, the blockchain
ledger may store the dataset associated with the plurality of end users based on the
corresponding unique leger key. In an embodiment, the blockchain ledger may
correspond to a digital database. The digital database may be distributed among the
15 computing devices (such as the first computing device 104 and the second computing
device 106) that are part of the blockchain network generated by the user of the first
entity. In other words, each computing device that joins the blockchain network created
by the user of the first entity may be able to access the dataset associated with each of
the plurality of end users using the corresponding unique ledger key.
20 [043] Once the blockchain leger is constructed and the dataset is stored in
the blockchain ledger using the corresponding unique ledger key, then the user of the
first entity may communicate the joining request to the second entity of the second
computing device 106. It should be noted that, for ease of explanation, the
communication of the joining request to one second entity is explained in present FIG.
25 However, the user of the first entity may request any number of second entities to join
the generated blockchain network using the data managing platform 208. Upon sending
the joining request to the second entity, the user of the second entity may accept or
reject the joining request received from the first entity via the data managing platform
208 based on his requirement. In an embodiment, once the user of the second entity
30 accepts the joining request, then access to the dataset associated with each of the
plurality of end users may be granted to the second entity via the second computing
device 106.
[044] In particular, once the user of the second entity accepts the joining
request, then the second entity may be able to access the dataset associated with the
35 end user of the plurality of end users stored within the blockchain ledger by retrieving
the corresponding unique ledger key. In an embodiment, the unique ledger key of the
dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users may get updated with the new
ledger key based on the ledger key criteria defined by the user of the first entity while
constructing the blockchain ledger. The second entity may access the dataset
40 associated with each of the plurality of end users to notify the plurality of end users
about one or more products or services offered by the second entity and offers with the
respect to one or more products or services. This may enable intelligent exchange of
data among genuine entities without compromising data present within the dataset of
the plurality of end users, with fraud entities. A method of enabling access of the dataset
45 associated with the plurality of end users to one or more second entity is depicted and
further explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 4. Further, the data managing
platform 208 used for constructing the blockchain network for managing intelligent
11
exchange of 5 data among entities is further depicted and explained in greater detail in
conjunction with FIG. 3.
[045] It should be noted that the aforementioned data managing platform
208 may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules.
Further, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the data managing platform
10 208 may reside, in whole or in parts, on one device or multiple devices in
communication with each other. In some embodiments, the data managing platform
208 may be implemented as dedicated hardware circuit comprising custom applicationspecific
integrated circuit (ASIC) or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as
logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. The data managing platform 208
15 may also be implemented in a programmable hardware device such as a field
programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable array logic, programmable logic
device, and so forth. Alternatively, the data managing platform 208 may be
implemented in software for execution by various types of processors (e.g., the
processing circuitry 202). An identified module of executable code may, for instance,
20 include one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which may,
for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, function, or other construct.
Nevertheless, the executables of an identified module or component need not be
physically located together, but may include disparate instructions stored in different
locations which, when joined logically together, include the module and achieve the
25 stated purpose of the module. Indeed, a module of executable code could be a single
instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different
code segments, among different applications, and across several memory devices.
[046] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, a variety of processes
may be employed for managing anonymized data across computing devices in the
30 blockchain network. For example, the exemplary server 102 may exchange the dataset
associated with the plurality of end users by the processes discussed herein. In
particular, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, control logic
and/or automated routines for performing the techniques and steps described herein
may be implemented by the server 102 either by hardware, software, or combinations
35 of hardware and software. For example, suitable code may be accessed and executed
by the one or more processors on the server 102 to perform some or all of the techniques
described herein. Similarly, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) configured
to perform some, or all of the processes described herein may be included in the one or
more processors on the server 102.
40 [047] FIG. 3 is a diagram that illustrates a data managing platform 300
configured for enabling intelligent exchange of anonymized data by customizing a
blockchain network, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure. FIG. 3 is explained in conjunction with elements from FIGS. 1 and 2.
[048] The data managing platform 300 (same as the data managing platform
45 208) may be hosted on the server 102. Further, the data managing server 300 may
enable the user of the first entity to utilize the data managing platform 300 for
generating the blockchain network. The first entity may include the primary
12
application. Further, 5 the user of the first entity may access the data managing platform
300 via the first computing device 104. In an embodiment, the user of the first entity
may access the data managing platform 300 upon onboarding, using the authentication
credentials.
[049] In other words, once the user of the first entity completes the
10 registration process with the data managing platform 300, then upon registering the
user of the first entity may be able to access the data managing platform 300. In an
embodiment, any entity (i.e., the business enterprises) may be able to generate one or
more associated blockchain networks to enable intelligent exchange of data (present
within the dataset) associated with their customers (i.e., end users) with other entities
15 by requesting the other entities to join the one or more associated blockchain network.
As will be appreciated, the first entity may be onboarded by the platform administrator
(also referred as the platform admin) of the data managing platform 300 to enable the
first entity to use the data managing platform 300 for generating the blockchain
network. Further, once the first entity is onboarded, the user (i.e., the network admin)
20 of the first entity may generate the blockchain network using the data managing
platform 300.
[050] Once the first entity is onboarded, the user of the first entity may be
able to access the data managing platform 300 based on the authentication credentials
provided to the user, during the onboarding. As depicted via the present FIG. 3, the
25 data managing platform 300 may include applications 302. The applications 302 may
enable the user of the first entity to perform one or more tasks to generate the
blockchain network. In particular, the data managing platform 300 may be a foundation
on which the applications 302 may run. Further, the data managing platform 300 may
provide a User Interface (UI) 304 that may enable the user of the first entity to interact
30 with the data managing platform 300 to generate the blockchain network. In particular,
the UI 304 may enable the user to generate the blockchain network by constructing the
blockchain ledger for the dataset associated with the plurality of end users based on the
set of customization settings and the one or more criteria.
[051] Further, the data managing platform 300 may include a set of platform
35 Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) 306 that is built as part of the data
managing platform 300. The data managing platform 300 may include a user
management component 308. The user management component 308 may enable the
user of the first entity to manage his user account. By way of an example, the user of
the first entity may change his authentication credentials, such as ‘the username’ and
40 ‘password’ used for logging- in the data managing platform 300, using the user
management component 308. The data managing platform 300 may further include a
network management component 310. The network management component 310 may
enable the user of the first entity to manage the generated blockchain network. In
addition, the network management component 310 may enable the user of the first
45 entity to manage the blockchain network that includes one or more blockchain
networks.
13
5 [052] Further, the data managing platform 300 may include a set of
customization components 312. The set of customization components 312 may enable
the network admin to generate the blockchain network by constructing the blockchain
ledger. The blockchain ledger may be constructed by customizing one or more of the
set of customization settings using the set of customization components 312 to
10 construct the blockchain ledger based on his requirements. Further, in order to construct
the blockchain ledger, the user of the first entity may be able to define the one or more
criteria required for constructing the blockchain network.
[053] In an embodiment, the set of customization settings may include a first
customization setting to configure the blockchain ledger, a second customization
15 setting to configure bootstrapping process, a third customization setting to initiate
bootstrapping process, a fourth customization setting to configure the unique ledger
key based on a set of pre-set attributes, a fifth customization setting to rotate the unique
ledger key, a sixth customization setting to rebuild the blockchain network, a seventh
customization setting to capture subset from the dataset corresponding to one or more
20 blockchain ledgers, an eighth customization settings to combine two or more
blockchain ledgers, a ninth customization setting to retrieve one or more subset from
the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users from the blockchain ledger,
and a tenth customization setting to customize application logic.
[054] Further, as depicted via the data managing platform 300, the set of
25 customization components 312 used for defining the set of customization settings may
include a configure blockchain (BC) Ledger component 312-1, a configure bootstrap
component 312-2, an initiate bootstrap component 312-3, a configure blockchain (BC)
key resolver component 312-4, a rotate ledger keys component 312-5, a rebuild
blockchain component 312-6, an add blockchain (BC) transactions component 312-7,
30 a join blockchain (BC) transactions component 312-8, and a fetch blockchain (BC)
transactions component 312-9.
[055] The configure BC ledger component 312-1 may enable the network
admin (i.e., the user of the first entity) to construct the blockchain ledger (i.e., a custom
blockchain ledger) based on a user-defined data structure. In an embodiment, the
35 configure BC ledger component 312-1 may provide the first customization setting to
configure the blockchain ledger. In other words, the configure BC ledger component
312-1 may enable the network admin to construct the blockchain ledger based on the
data structure defined by him. In an embodiment, the user-defined data structure may
correspond to a criterion of the one or more criteria defined by the network admin for
40 constructing the blockchain ledger. In particular, the network admin may design a
ledger schema to define the data structure of the blockchain ledger using the configure
BC ledger component 312-1.
[056] The configure bootstrap component 312-2 may enable the network
admin to associate the blockchain ledger with a user-defined database (e.g., relational
45 database management system (RDBMS), or structured query language (SQL)). In other
words, the configure bootstrap component 312-2 may enable the network admin to
perform bootstrapping process. In particular, the configure bootstrap component 312-
14
2 may enable the network admin to 5 link the blockchain ledger with the dataset
associated with the plurality of end users that are stored in the user-defined database.
By way of an example, in order to link the blockchain ledger with the dataset, the
dataset associated with the plurality of end users that is stored in a pre-defined format
in the user-defined database may be converted based on the data structure defined for
10 the blockchain ledger. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of end users may be
associated with the first entity. In other words, each of the plurality of end users may
be customers of the first entity. Further, the dataset of each of the plurality of end users
may correspond to data gathered based on purchases (of goods and services) done by
each of the plurality of end users using the primary application associated with first
15 entity. As will be appreciated, the goods and the services may be associated with the
first entity.
[057] The initiate bootstrap component 312-3 may enable the network admin
to initiate bootstrapping process. In other words, the initiate bootstrap component 312-
3 may be configured to enable the user of first entity to initiate bootstrapping process.
20 In an embodiment, by clicking of the initiate bootstrap component 312-3, the network
admin may be able to start the bootstrapping process for the blockchain ledger from
the user-defined database. In particular, by clicking on the initiate bootstrap component
312-3, the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users may start moving
from the user-defined database to the blockchain ledger.
25 [058] Further, the configure blockchain (BC) key resolver component 312-
4 may be used to configure the unique ledger key based on a set of pre-set attributes
(i.e., ledger key attributes) and the ledger key criteria (i.e., duplication rules) defined
by the network admin. In an embodiment, the unique ledger key may be generated
corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users to
30 anonymize the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users using the
unique ledger key. In other words, the configure BC key resolver component 312-4
may enable the network admin to generate the unique ledger key based on
configurations (i.e., the set of pre-set attributes and the ledger key criteria) defined by
the network admin. In particular, the network admin may be able to define the
35 configurations for generating the unique ledger key using the configure BC key
resolver component 312-4. In an embodiment, the ledger key attributes may be used to
customize the unique ledger key. Further, example of the ledger key criteria defined by
the network admin using the configure BC key resolver component 312-4 to generate
the unique ledger key may be ‘generate the new ledger key based on an update in the
40 dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users’, or ‘generate the new ledger
key for the unique ledger key after every 24 hours’, and the like. Further, the configure
BC key resolver component 312-4 may enable the network admin to create the unique
ledger key corresponding to the dataset of the plurality of end users by invoking an
external program.
45 [059] The rotate ledger keys component 312-5 may be configured to provide
access to the fifth customization setting, i.e., to rotate the unique ledger key generated
for the dataset of each of the plurality of end users in the blockchain network. In other
15
5 words, the rotate ledger keys component 312-5 may generate the new ledger key
corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users based on
the ledger key criteria defined for the unique ledger key while generating the unique
ledger key. By way of an example, when the ledger key criteria defined for generating
the new ledger key was to ‘generate the new ledger key based on the update in the
10 dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users’. Then, in this case, when the
rotate ledger keys component 312-5 may notice an update in the dataset of an end user,
then the rotate ledger keys component 312-5 may generate the new ledger key for an
updated dataset of the end user. In some embodiment, the unique ledger key may be
generated on demand of the network admin. In other words, the unique ledger key
15 corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users may be
generated based on an input received corresponding to the demand (or ledger key
generation requirement) of the network admin. Further, the rotate ledger keys
component 312-5 may update the unique ledger key previously generated for the
dataset of the end user with the new ledger key generated corresponding to the updated
20 dataset of the end user, or the input received from the network admin corresponding to
the ledger key criteria. In an embodiment, the rotate ledger keys component 312-5 may
update the unique ledger key generated for the dataset of each of the plurality of end
users with the new ledger key to ensure data privacy and security compliance.
[060] The rebuild blockchain component 312-6 may be configured to
25 provide access to the sixth customization setting to rebuild the blockchain network. In
other words, the network admin may be able to rebuild the blockchain network using
the rebuilt blockchain component 312-6 based on his requirement. In other words, the
network admin may have ownership of the blockchain network and with the help of
the rebuild blockchain component 312-6, the network admin may be able to rebuild the
30 blockchain network from scratch upon determining any compromise with the
blockchain network. In other words, if the network admin may notice that any second
entity having access to the blockchain ledger that is not part of the blockchain network,
then in this case the network admin will be able to rebuild the blockchain based on his
requirements from the start using the rebuild blockchain component 312-6.
35 [061] The add blockchain (BC) transactions component 312-7 may be
configured to provide access to the seventh customization setting to capture subset from
the dataset of the plurality of end users stored in one or more blockchain ledgers. In
particular, the add BC transactions component 312-7 may be configured to capture
transactions (i.e., the subset from the dataset) corresponding to one or more blockchain
40 networks through a single interface. In some embodiment, in order to capture
transactions, the add BC transactions component 312-7 may employ an Artificial
learning (AI) or a Machine Learning (ML) technique to identify a correct blockchain
network to retrieve the subset from the dataset stored in the blockchain ledger of the
correct blockchain network. In addition, the add BC transactions component 312-7 may
45 enable the network admin to add transactions (i.e., the subset) to the blockchain ledger
of the blockchain network that was either self-created, or add transactions to the
16
blockchain ledger 5 of the blockchain network that it is an approved participant of (i.e.,
the second entity that may have joined the generated blockchain network).
[062] The join blockchain (BC) transactions component 312-8 may be
configured to provide access to the eighth customization setting to combine two or
more blockchain ledgers associated with different blockchain networks. In particular,
10 the join BC transactions component 312-8 may enable the network admin to combine
the two blockchain ledgers of the two different blockchain networks. In an
embodiment, the network admin may combine the two blockchain ledgers based on the
unique ledger key associated with the dataset of each of the plurality of end users stored
in a corresponding blockchain ledger of the two blockchain ledger. By way of an
15 example, when the dataset stored for the plurality of end users in a first blockchain
ledger is determined to be same as the dataset stored for the plurality of end users in a
second blockchain ledge based on comparison of the unique ledger key, then in this
case, the network admin may be able to combine the first blockchain ledger with the
second blockchain ledger.
20 [063] The fetch blockchain (BC) transactions component 312-9 may be
configured to provide access to the ninth customization setting to retrieve one or more
subsets from the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users, from the
blockchain ledger. In other words, the network admin may be able to retrieve the
transactions from the one or more blockchain ledgers of the associated blockchain
25 network using the fetch BC transactions component 312-9. The network admin may
retrieve the transactions from the one or more blockchain legers of the associated
blockchain network that were created by the network admin himself, or from the one
or more blockchain ledger of the associated blockchain network that the first entity is
the approved participant of.
30 [064] In addition, the data managing platform 300 may further include a
smart contract (Etherium) – Solidity component 314. The smart contract (Etherium) –
Solidity component 314 may enable the network admin to customize application logic
(i.e., the tenth customization setting). In should be noted that, the smart contracts may
be defined as programs that exist on a blockchain (i.e., the Etherium blockchain).
35 [065] The data managing platform 300 may further include a chain code
component 316. The chain code component 316 may be used to write the application
logic. In some embodiment, the application logic may be written in a ‘go’ programming
language. Further, the data managing platform 300 may be a Hyperledger fabric
platform. The data managing platform 300 may further include a blockchain networks
40 and blockchain ledgers managing component 318. The blockchain ledgers managing
component 318 may be used to write the application logic. The blockchain networks
and blockchain ledgers managing component 318 may be used by network admins to
manage one or more blockchain ledgers and one or more blockchain networks. In
addition, by using the blockchain networks and blockchain ledgers managing
45 component 318, the network admins may be able to manage a collection of blockchain
networks that includes the one or more blockchain ledger.
17
5 [066] FIG. 4 is a diagram that illustrates an exemplary control logic 400
depicting intelligent exchange of anonymized data across computing devices in a
blockchain network, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure. FIG. 4 is explained in conjunction with elements from FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.
[067] A data collection platform 402 of an entity 404 (e.g., a business
10 enterprise) is depicted via present FIG. 4. As will be appreciated, the data managing
platform 402 may be an enterprise managed platform that is used for collecting data
from a digital application 404A (i.e., the enterprise managed platform) of the entity
404. The entity 404 may correspond to the first entity associated with the first
computing device 104. Initially, the entity 404 may collect customer data 402-2 (i.e.,
15 the dataset) associated with the plurality of end users from a plurality of data sources
402-1 using the data collection platform 402. As depicted via the plurality of data
sources 402-1, may include a point of sales (POS) data source, a demographic data
source, a web activity data source, and other, such as, social media activity, online
surveys, and the like. It should be noted that each of the plurality of end users may
20 correspond to a customer of the entity 404.
[068] Once the customer data 402-2 is collected via the data collection
platform 402, a user (i.e., a person responsible for managing digital applications of the
business enterprise) of the entity 404 may use an Enumerate Harmonize function 402-
3 to categories the plurality of end users based on their preference of goods and services
25 using the customer’s data 402-2. The user of the first entity may correspond to the
network admin. Further, upon categorizing each of the plurality of end users, the
network admin of the entity 404 may determine taste (i.e., the preferences) of each of
the plurality of end users using an infer customer taste 402-4 via the data collection
platform 402.
30 [069] Once the taste of each of the plurality of end users is determined and
the dataset for each of the plurality of end users is generated, then the network admin
may log-in a data managing platform 406 (same as the data managing platform 300) to
generate the blockchain network. In an embodiment, the user may login using the
authentication credential provided by the platform admin at the time of onboarding the
35 entity 404. Upon login, the network admin may generate a blockchain network 406A
using the data managing platform 406. The blockchain network may include two
blockchain ledgers, i.e., a profile blockchain ledger 406-1 and a context blockchain
ledger 406-2. In an embodiment, the profile blockchain ledger 406-1 may include
personal information, such as, ‘name’, ‘age’, ‘location’, ‘email’ and the like, related to
40 each of the plurality of end users. Further, the context blockchain ledger 406-2 may
include purchasing behavior of each of the plurality of end users, likelihood towards
certain product, etc.
[070] Once the profile blockchain ledger 406-1 and the context blockchain
ledger 406-2 is generated by the network admin, then the network admin may
45 communicate the joining request to one or more second entities. Each of the one or
more second entities may include an associated secondary application. As depicted via
the present FIG. 4, two second entities, i.e., an entity 408 and an entity 410 including
18
5 a digital application 408A and a digital application 410A, respectively, are depicted via
the present FIG. 4. Now consider a scenario, where the entity 408 and the entity 410
may have joined the blockchain network 406A created by the network admin of the
entity 404 by accepting the communicated joining request.
[071] Once the entity 408 and the entity 410 joins the blockchain network
10 406A, then the entity 408 and the entity 410 may be able to access the dataset associated
each of the plurality of end users that are stored in the profile blockchain ledger 406-1
and the context blockchain ledger 406-2. In order to access the dataset associated with
an end user from the plurality of end users, whenever the end user may login to the
second application (i.e., the digital application 408A or 410A) of the entity 408 or the
15 entity 410 using personal attributes (i.e., a set of attributes), such as, ‘name’, ‘email’,
etc., then using the personal attributes, the entity 408 or the entity 410 may access the
dataset associated with the end user from the profile blockchain ledger 406-1 and the
context blockchain ledger 406-2. To access the dataset of the end user, an Identity (ID)
Bridge 408-1 or an ID bridge 410-1 of the entity 408 or the entity 410, respectively,
20 may invoke in real time to retrieve the dataset associated with the end user. In order to
retrieve the dataset associated with the end user, the personal attributes received during
login may be shared by the entity 408 or the entity 410 with the data managing platform
406. Further, upon sharing the personal attributes associated with the end user, the
entity 408 or entity 410 may be able to retrieve the unique ledger key associated with
25 the dataset of the end user via the ID bridge 408-1 and the ID bridge 410-1 through a
resolve consumer 412. In other words, the ID bridge 408-1 or the ID bridge 410-1
associated with the entity 408 or the entity 410, respectively, may invoke the resolve
consumer 412 to retrieve the unique ledger key associated with the dataset of the end
user. Upon retrieving the unique ledger key, the entity 408 or the entity 410 may be
30 able to retrieve the dataset associated with the end user from the profile blockchain
ledger 406-1 or the context blockchain ledger 406-2.
[072] Further, upon retrieving the dataset of the end user, the entity 408 and
the entity 410 may be able to use the dataset of the end user for their business
opportunities. By way of an example, upon retrieving the dataset of the end user, the
35 entity 408 or the entity 410 may access the dataset of the end user to show an
advertisement, such as, discount of ‘Rs 500’ on their first purchase using the digital
application 408A or 410A of the entity 408 or the entity 410. As will be appreciated,
upon accessing the dataset of the end user, the entity 408 or the entity 410 may be able
to know interest of the end user with respect to their purchase, based on which the
40 entity 408 or the entity 410 may be able to provide relevant advertisement to the end
user and in turn increase their business.
[073] It should be noted that, the unique ledger key associated with the
dataset of the end user may keep on updating based on the ledger key criteria defined
by the network admin associated with the entity 404 while generating the blockchain
45 network using the data managing platform 406. Further, based on updating the unique
ledger key with the new ledger key for the dataset of the end user, each time the entity
408 or the entity 410 may want access to the dataset of the end user, the entity 408 and
19
the entity 410 may require 5 the new ledger key. The new ledger key corresponding to
the dataset of the end user may be obtained based on above mentioned technique, i.e.,
by using the personal attributes. This is done to maintain secure access to the dataset
of the end user and to ensure that any data gathered with respect to the end user is not
misused or compromised.
10 [074] Further, in some embodiment, the digital application 408A and the
digital application 410A of the entity 408 and the entity 410 respectively may invoke
a cognize master 414 to retrieve additional information with respect to the end user.
Further, the cognize master 414 may be a placeholder that may temporarily store
additional information of the end user. As will be appreciated, the cognize master 414
15 may be additional components and may not be mandatorily required, as access to the
dataset of the end user may be done using the data managing platform 406.
[075] FIG. 5 is a diagram that illustrates an exemplary process 500 for
managing anonymized data across computing devices in a blockchain network, in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is
20 explained in conjunction with elements from FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4. In an embodiment,
the process 500 may be implemented by the server 102.
[076] In order to manage anonymized data across computing devices (e.g.,
the first computing device 104 and the second computing device 106), initially, at step
502, the blockchain network including a blockchain ledger may be generated. The
25 blockchain network may be created based on a dataset associated with each of a
plurality of end users. It should be noted that, the dataset associated with each of the
plurality of end users may correspond to the anonymized data. In an embodiment, the
blockchain network may be generated by the first computing device 104 via the server
102. In particular, the blockchain network may be generated by the first computing
30 device 104 using the data managing platform. As will be appreciated, the first
computing device 104 may correspond to an electronic device used by an entity (for
example: the first entity). Examples of the electronic device may include but are not
limited to, a laptop, a desktop, a smartphone, and the like. As will be appreciated, the
data managing platform 208 may be integrated with the server 102 and is configured
35 to manage the anonymized data. Further, the first computing device 104 may retrieve
the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users from a plurality of data
sources. Examples of the plurality of data sources may include, at least one of point of
sale (POS) data source, demographic data source, web activity, social media activity,
and online surveys.
40 [077] Further, the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users
is associated with the first computing device 104. In other words, the plurality of end
users may be end-users (or customers) of the first entity. For example, an end user of
the first entity may be a person using goods and service of the entity 404, in his daily
life. In order to generate the blockchain network, at step 504, the blockchain ledger
45 corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users may be
constructed by the first computing device 104. In an embodiment, the blockchain ledger
for the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users may be generated based
20
on a set of customization 5 settings and one or more criteria. The one or more criteria
may be defined by the user of the first computing device 102. In an embodiment, the
generation of the blockchain ledger may require structuring of the blockchain ledger
based on the set of customization settings and the one or more criteria.
[078] In an embodiment, the set of customization settings may include a first
10 customization setting to configure the blockchain ledger, a second customization
setting to configure bootstrapping process, a third customization setting to initiate
bootstrapping process, a fourth customization setting to configure the unique ledger
key based on a set of pre-set attributes, a fifth customization setting to rotate the unique
ledger key, a sixth customization setting to rebuild the blockchain network, a seventh
15 customization setting to capture subset from the dataset corresponding to one or more
blockchain ledgers, an eighth customization settings to combine two or more
blockchain ledgers, a ninth customization setting to retrieve one or more subset from
the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users from the blockchain ledger,
and a tenth customization setting to customize application logic.
20 [079] Further, the one or more criteria defined by the first computing device
104 may be a pre-defined data structure, a pre-defined database configurations, ledger
key criteria, and the like. By way of an example, when the first computing device 104
corresponds to the electronic device of the enterprise, then a user (i.e., the network
admin) of that electronic device may defined the one or more criteria for generating the
25 blockchain ledger via the server 102. In an embodiment, the blockchain ledger may be
a distributed ledger (or a digital ledger) that is configured to store the dataset associated
with the plurality of end users and all transactions data that happens in the blockchain
network. In other words, the blockchain ledger keeps a record of all data sharing that
happens within the blockchain network.
30 [080] Once the blockchain ledger is generated, then, at step 506, a unique
ledger key corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end
users may be generated. In an embodiment, the unique ledger key may be generated
based on ledger key criteria defined by the first computing device 102 via the server
104. Further, the unique ledger key generated for the dataset of an end user from the
35 plurality of end users may be required for accessing the dataset associated with the end
user in the blockchain network.
[081] Further, at step 508, the dataset associated with each of the plurality
of end users may be stored in the blockchain ledger, based on the unique ledger key.
Once the blockchain network is generated based on the dataset of the plurality of end40
users, then at step 510, a joining request may be communicated by the first computing
device 104 to a second computing device (same as the second computing device 106)
for joining the blockchain network. By way of an example, the first entity may send
the joining request via the electronic device to an electronic device (i.e., the second
computing device 106) of other entities (e.g., the second entity of the second computing
45 device 106) for joining the generated blockchain network.
[082] Further, based on the communicated joining request, at step 512,
access may be granted to the second computing device 106. In other words, once the
21
second 5 computing device 106 (i.e., the second entity) accepts the joining request
received from the first computing device 102 (i.e., the first entity), then the second
computing device 106 may be able to access the dataset associated with the plurality
of end users. A method of granting the access of the dataset associated with an end user
from the plurality of end users is further explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 6.
10 [083] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram that illustrates an exemplary process 600 for
onboarding a user of a first computing device, in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is explained in conjunction with FIGS.
1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
[084] In order to generate the blockchain network as mentioned, via step
15 502, initially, at step 602, a first request may be communicated. In an embodiment, the
first computing device 104 may communicate the first request to the server 102. In
other words, the user (i.e., the network admin) of the first entity may send the first
request to the server 102 using the first computing device 104. The first request may
be sent for registering the first computing device 104 with the server 102. In other
20 words, the user of the first computing device 104 may send the first request to the server
104 for enabling access of the data managing platform 208 integrated with the server
102, to the user of the first computing device 104 .
[085] Once the first request is communicated, at step 604, an authentication
credentials may be received by the first computing device 104 from the server 102. In
25 an embodiment, the authentication credentials may be received based on onboarding
the first computing device 104 in response to the first request received from the first
computing device 104. In other words, the user of the first computing device 104 may
receive the authentication credentials from the server 102, once the server 102 provides
the access of the data managing platform to the user of the first computing device 104.
30 In an embodiment, the authentication credentials may include one of a username and a
password, a digital token, and a digital certificate. It should be noted that the
authentication credentials are not limited to these and may include any form of unique
details (such as, biometric, facial recognition, etc.) associated with the user of the first
computing device 104 that is used to verify identity of the user.
35 [086] Upon receiving the authentication credentials, at step 606, the first
computing device 104 may be able to access the server 102 based on the received
authentication credentials. By way of an example, once the user of first computing
device 104 receives the authentication credentials (for example: a username and a
password), then the user may login into the data managing platform 208 integrated with
40 the server 102 based on the authentication credentials received while onboarding. For
example, in order to access the data managing platform 208, the user may sign-in with
the data managing platform 208 via the first computing device 104 using associated
details such as, name, date of birth, email ID, and the like.
[087] In order to sign-in, the user using his first computing device 104 may
45 register himself with the data managing platform 208. Further, during the sign-in
process, the data managing platform 208 may request the user of the first computing
device 104 to generate the username and the password for accessing the data managing
22
platform 208. 5 Once the user signs-in with the data managing platform 208, the user
may be able to access the data managing platform 208 via the first computing device
104 using the authentication credentials.
[088] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram that illustrates an exemplary process 700 for
enabling access of a dataset associated with an end user to a second computing device,
10 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is
explained in conjunction with elements from FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. In an
embodiment, the process 600 may be implemented by the server 102 and the second
computing device 106.
[089] In order to grant the access to the second computing device 106 as
15 mentioned via step 512, initially, at step 702, a set of attributes associated with an end
user from the plurality of end users may be received. The set of attributes associated
with the end user may be received by the server 102 from the second computing device
106. In an embodiment, the access of the dataset associated with the end user may be
provided to the second computing device 106, once the second computing device 106
20 joins the blockchain network generated by the first computing device 104.
[090] Further, in order to access the dataset associated with the end user,
initially, the end user may sign-up with the second computing device 106 using the set
of attributes. In particular, the end user may login in the secondary application of the
second entity. Examples of the set of attributes may include ‘name’, ‘phone number’,
25 ‘email’, ‘date of birth’, and the like. Once the second computing device 106 receives
the set of attributes associated with the end user from the end user, then the second
computing device 106 may send the set of attributes associated with the end user to the
server 102. In other words, the second computing device 102 may send the set of
attributes associated with the end user to the data managing platform 208 integrated
30 with the server 102.
[091] Upon receiving the set of attributes associated with the end user, at
step 704, the unique ledger key associated with the end user may be communicated by
the server 102 to the secondary computing device 106. The unique ledger key may be
required by the second computing device 106 to access the dataset associated with the
35 end user. Further, at step 706, access to the dataset associated with the end user may be
granted by the server 102 to the second computing device 106 based on the unique
ledger key. In other words, the second computing device 106 may retrieve the dataset
associated with the end user based on the unique ledger key received from the server
102.
40 [092] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram that illustrates an exemplary process 800 of
generating and updating a unique ledger key of a dataset associated with an end user,
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is
explained in conjunction with elements from FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. In an
embodiment, the process 800 may be implemented by the server 102.
45 [093] In order to generate the unique ledger key for the dataset associated
with each of the plurality of end users as mentioned via the step 506, initially, the user
of the first computing device 104 may define ledger key criteria for generating the
23
unique ledger key for each of the plurality 5 of end users via the server 102. In other
words, the user may define the ledger key criteria for generating the unique ledger key
using the data managing platform 208. Further, in one embodiment, based on the ledger
key criteria defined by the first computing device 104, at step 802, a new ledger key
may be generated. In an embodiment, the new ledger key may be generated
10 corresponding to the unique ledger key associated with the dataset of each of the
plurality of end users. By way of an example, suppose the ledger key criteria defined
by the first computing device 104 may be ‘generate the new ledger key after a predefined
time period, e.g., ‘after 24 hours’. In this case, the server 102 may generate the
new ledger key for the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users after
15 every 24 hours.
[094] By way of another example, suppose the ledger key criteria defined by
the first computing device 104 may be ‘generate the new ledger key based on an update
in the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users’. In this case, the server
102 may generate the new ledger key for the dataset associated with each of the
20 plurality of end users based on the update in the dataset of a corresponding end user of
the plurality of end users. In another embodiment, at step 804, a new ledger key
corresponding to the unique ledger key may be generated on demand of a user (i.e., the
network admin) of the first computing device 104. In other words, the new ledger key
corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users may be
25 generated based on an input received from the user corresponding to the demand (or
ledger key generation requirement) of the user. Once the new ledger key is generated
by the server 102, then at step 806, the unique ledger key of the dataset associated with
each of the plurality of end users may be updated with the new ledger key. In an
embodiment, the unique ledger key may be updated with the new ledger key by the
30 server 102.
[095] FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams that illustrate joining an entity 3 to an
exemplary existing blockchain network 902, in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9A and 9B are explained in conjunction
with elements from FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
35 [096] In present FIG. 9A, the existing blockchain network 902 is depicted.
As depicted, the existing blockchain network 902 includes two entities, i.e., an entity 1
and an entity 2. Now suppose, the entity 1 is the first entity that may have generated
the existing blockchain network 902 using the data managing platform 208. Further,
the entity 2 is the second entity that may have joined the existing blockchain network
40 902 generated by the entity 1, upon receiving the joining request from the entity 1 via
the data managing platform 208. Once the entity 2 has joined the existing blockchain
network 902, then the entity 2 may be able to access the dataset associated with the
plurality of end users of the entity 1 stored in the blockchain ledger of the exemplary
blockchain network 902.
45 [097] Now suppose, a user of the entity 3 may be interested in joining the
blockchain network 902 generated by the entity 1. In this case, the user (e.g., a client
user) of the entity 3 may send a request for joining the existing blockchain network 902
24
of the entity 1 via the data managing platform 208. The user of 5 the entity 3 may send
the request for joining the blockchain network 902 to access the dataset associated with
the plurality of end users of the entity 1 that is stored in the blockchain ledger of the
existing blockchain network 902.
[098] Upon receiving the request for joining the blockchain network 902,
10 the user (i.e., the network admin) of the entity 1 may be able to accept or reject the
request received form the entity C, based on his requirement via the data managing
platform 208. In an embodiment, when the entity 1 has accepted the joining request
received from the entity 3, then entity 3 may become part of the existing blockchain
network 902 as depicted via FIG. 9B. Once the entity 3 is the part of the existing
15 blockchain network 902, then the entity 3 may be able to access the dataset associated
with the plurality of end users stored in the blockchain ledger using the unique ledger
key corresponding to the dataset.
[099] FIGS. 10A – 10C is a diagram that illustrates two exemplary
blockchain network 1002A and 1002B, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment
20 of the present disclosure. FIGS. 10A -10C are explained in conjunction with elements
from FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
[0100] In FIG. 10A, the exemplary blockchain network 1002A is depicted.
As depicted via FIG. 10A, the blockchain network 1002A may include six entities, i.e.,
entity 1, entity 2, entity 3, entity 4, entity 5, entity 6. Further, each of the six entities
25 may be part of the blockchain network 1002A as depicted via solid lines. Now suppose,
the blockchain network 1002A may be generated by a user of the entity 1. The user of
the entity 1 may be a network admin of the blockchain network 1002A. With reference
to FIG. 1, the entity 1 may correspond to first entity of the first computing device 104.
Once the blockchain network 1002A is generated by the entity 1, remaining 5 entities,
30 i.e., entity 2, entity 3, entity 4, entity 5, and entity 6 may be able to access the dataset
associated with the plurality of end users that is stored in the blockchain ledger of the
blockchain network 1002A. In order to access the dataset of an end user of the plurality
of end users, each entity may require access of the unique ledger key associated with
the dataset of the end user. In addition to accessing the dataset, in some embodiment,
35 each of the six entities may be able to alter (i.e., update or change) the dataset of each
of the plurality of end users based on information they receive for a corresponding end
user while the end user may access a digital application associated with that entity.
[0101] Further, the user of the entity 1, being the network admin may be able
to perform one or more functionalities, such as, define the ledger key criteria for
40 generating the unique ledger key for the dataset associated with each of the plurality of
end users, accepts or rejects the joining request received from a user of other entities
(i.e., the one or more second entities), request the user of the other entities to join the
generated blockchain network 1002A, and restrict visibility of the generated
blockchain network to the user of other entities.
45 [0102] Further, in FIG. 10B, the exemplary blockchain network 1002B is
depicted. As depicted via FIG. 10B, the blockchain network 1002B may include three
entities, i.e., entity 3, entity 6, entity 7. Further, each of the three entities may be part
25
of 5 the blockchain network 1002B as depicted via dashed lines. In an embodiment,
suppose the blockchain network 1002B may be generated by a user of the entity 7. In
this case, the user of the entity 7 may be a network admin of the blockchain network
1002B. With reference to FIG. 1, the entity 7 may correspond to the first entity of the
first computing device 104.
10 [0103] Further, as depicted via FIG. 10C, the entity 3 and the entity 6 are the
part of both blockchain networks, i.e., the blockchain network 1002A and the
blockchain network 1002B. In other words, each entity may be part of any number of
blockchain networks as depicted via 1002C. However, each of the two blockchain
networks may be individually managed, using the data managing platform 208. In other
15 words, the blockchain network 1002A may be managed by the user of the entity 1,
whereas the blockchain network 1002B may be managed by the entity 7.
[0104] Further, in some embodiment, consider a scenario, where the user of
the entity 1 may request the user of the entity 7 to join the blockchain network 1002B
of the entity 7 with the blockchain network 1002A via the data managing platform 208.
20 In this case, the user of the entity 1 may send (i.e., communicate) a network joining
request, i.e., a request for combining the two blockchain networks, to the user of the
entity 7 via the data managing platform 208. With reference to FIG. 1, the user of the
entity 1 may send the joining request to the user of the entity 7 through the server 102
over the network 108. Further, the user of the entity 7 may accept or reject the network
25 joining request received from the entity 1.
[0105] As will be also appreciated, the above-described techniques may take
the form of computer or controller implemented processes and apparatuses for
practicing those processes. The disclosure can also be embodied in the form of
computer program code containing instructions embodied in tangible media, such as
30 floppy diskettes, solid state drives, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other computerreadable
storage medium, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and
executed by a computer or controller, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing
the invention. The disclosure may also be embodied in the form of computer program
code or signal, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or
35 executed by a computer or controller, or transmitted over some transmission medium,
such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic
radiation, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a
computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When
implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer program code
40 segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.
[0106] Thus, the disclosed method and system try to overcome the technical
problem of managing anonymized data across computing devices in a blockchain
network. The disclosed method and system may generate a blockchain network
including a blockchain ledger based on a dataset associated with each of a plurality of
45 end users. The dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users may be
associated with a first computing device (i.e., the first computing device 104). To
generate the blockchain network, the disclosed method and the system may construct
26
the blockchain ledger 5 corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality
of end users based on a set of customization settings and one or more criteria. The one
or more criteria may be defined by the first computing device. Further, to generate the
blockchain network, the disclosed method and the system may generate a unique ledger
key corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users, and
10 store the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users in the blockchain
ledger based on the unique ledger key. Further, the method and system may
communicate a joining request to a second computing device for joining the blockchain
network. Further, the method and system may grant access to the second computing
device to the dataset associated with the plurality of end users.
15 [0107] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the techniques
described in the various embodiments discussed above are not routine, or conventional,
or well understood in art. The techniques discussed above provide managing intelligent
exchange of anonymized data (i.e., the dataset of the end user) across multiple
computing devices of different entities. The above discussed techniques may enable
20 entities to generate their own blockchain network to perform intelligent exchange of
end users’ data (i.e., customer data) with other entities. Further, the technique may
enable entities to provide accurate relevant product recommendations to end users by
adhering to consumer privacy across all digital touchpoints (i.e., different digital
applications). The discussed techniques may provide exclusive experience to
25 customers across all digital touchpoints by respecting consumer privacy across all
digital touchpoints. In addition, the techniques may enable creation of consortiums
(i.e., via blockchain networks) on fly with minimal operational overhead that will allow
partners (i.e., one or more second entities) to collaborate and build newer services and
products that are relevant for the customer.
30 [0108] In light of the above-mentioned advantages and the technical
advancements provided by the disclosed method and system, the claimed steps as
discussed above are not routine, conventional, or well understood in the art, as the
claimed steps enable the following solutions to the existing problems in conventional
technologies. Further, the claimed steps clearly bring an improvement in the
35 functioning of the device itself as the claimed steps provide a technical solution to a
technical problem.
[0109] The specification has described a method and system for managing
anonymized data across computing devices in the blockchain network. The illustrated
steps are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be
40 anticipated that ongoing technological development will change the manner in which
particular functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes
of illustration, and not limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building
blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description.
Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and
45 relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents,
extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to
27
persons skilled 5 in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such
alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments.
[0110] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be
utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A
computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which
10 information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable
storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors,
including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent
with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should
be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals,
15 i.e., be non-transitory. Examples include random access memory (RAM), read-only
memory (ROM), volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs,
DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.
[0111] It is intended that the disclosure and examples be considered as
exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of disclosed embodiments being indicated
20 by the following claims. , Claims:CLAIMS
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A method (500) of managing anonymized data across computing devices in a
blockchain network, the method (500) comprising:
10 generating (502), by a first computing device (104) via a server (102), the
blockchain network comprising a blockchain ledger based on a dataset associated with
each of a plurality of end users, wherein the dataset associated with each of the plurality
of end users is associated with the first computing device (104), and wherein generating
(502) the blockchain network comprises:
15 constructing (504), by the first computing device (104), the blockchain
ledger corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end
users based on a set of customization settings and one or more criteria, wherein
the one or more criteria are defined by the first computing device (104);
generating (506), by the first computing device (104), a unique ledger
20 key corresponding to the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end
users; and
storing (508), by the first computing device (104), the dataset
associated with each of the plurality of end users in the blockchain ledger based
on the unique ledger key;
25 communicating (510), by the first computing device (104) via the server (102),
a joining request to a second computing device (106) for joining the blockchain
network; and
granting (512), by the first computing device (104) via the server (102), access
to the second computing device (106) to the dataset associated with the plurality of end
30 users.
2. The method (500) of claim 1, further comprising:
communicating (602), by the first computing device (104) to the server (102),
a first request for registering the first computing device (104);
35 receiving (604), by the first computing device (104) from the server (102), an
authentication credentials based on onboarding the first computing device (104) in
response to the first request, wherein the authentication credentials include one of a
username and a password, a digital token, and a digital certificate; and
accessing (606), by the first computing device (104), the server (102) based on
40 the authentication credentials.
3. The method (500) of claim 1, wherein the dataset corresponding to the plurality of
end users is retrieved by the first computing device (104) from a plurality of data
sources, and wherein the plurality of data sources comprises at least one of point of
29
sale (5 POS) data source, demographic data source, web activity, social media activity,
and online surveys.
4. The method (500) of claim 1, further comprising:
structuring, by the first computing device (104), the blockchain ledger based on
10 the set of customization settings and the one or more criteria, and wherein the set of
customization settings comprise a first customization setting to configure the
blockchain ledger, a second customization setting to configure bootstrapping process,
a third customization setting to initiate bootstrapping process, a fourth customization
setting to configure the unique ledger key based on a set of pre-set attributes, a fifth
15 customization setting to rotate the unique ledger key, a sixth customization setting to
rebuild the blockchain network, a seventh customization setting to capture subset from
the dataset corresponding to one or more blockchain ledgers, an eighth customization
settings to combine two or more blockchain ledgers, a ninth customization setting to
retrieve one or more subset from the dataset associated with each of the plurality of end
20 users from the blockchain ledger, and a tenth customization setting to customize
application logic.
5. The method (500) of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving (702), by the server (102), a set of attributes associated with an end
25 user from the plurality of end users;
communicating (704), by the server (102), the unique ledger key associated
with the end user in response to receiving the set of attributes; and
granting (706), by the server (102), access to the dataset associated with the end
user based on the unique ledger key.
30
6. The method (500) of claim 1, further comprising:
generating (802), by the server (102), a new ledger key based on ledger key
criteria defined by the first computing device (104); and
updating (806), by the server (102), the unique ledger key of the dataset
35 associated with each of the plurality of end users, with the new ledger key.
7. A system (200) for managing anonymized data across computing devices in a
blockchain network, the system (200) comprising:
a processing circuitry (202); and
40 a memory (204) communicatively coupled to the processing circuitry (202),
wherein the memory (204) stores processor instructions, which when executed by the
processing circuitry (202), cause the processing circuitry (202) to:
generate (502) the blockchain network comprising a blockchain ledger
based on a dataset associated with each of a plurality of end users, wherein the
45 dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users is associated with a
first computing device (104), and wherein, to generate (502) the blockchain
30
5 network, the processor instructions, on execution, further causes the processing
circuitry (202) to:
construct (504) the blockchain ledger corresponding to the
dataset associated with each of the plurality of end users based on a set
of customization settings and one or more criteria, wherein the one or
10 more criteria are defined by the first computing device (104);
generate (506) a unique ledger key corresponding to the dataset
associated with each of the plurality of end users; and
store (508) the dataset associated with each of the plurality of
end users in the blockchain ledger based on the unique ledger key;
15 communicate (510) a joining request to a second computing device
(106) for joining the blockchain network; and
grant (512) access to the second computing device (106) to the dataset
associated with the plurality of end users.
20 8. The system (200) of claim 7, wherein the processor instructions, on execution,
further cause the processing circuitry (202) to:
communicate (602) a first request for registering the first computing device
(104);
receive (604) an authentication credentials based on onboarding the first
25 computing device (104) in response to the first request, wherein the authentication
credentials include one of a username and a password, a digital token, and a digital
certificate; and
access (604) the server (102) based on the authentication credentials.
30 9. The system (200) of claim 7, wherein the processor instructions, on execution,
further cause the processing circuitry (202) to:
receive (702) a set of attributes associated with an end user from the plurality
of end users;
communicate (704) the unique ledger key associated with the end user in
35 response to receiving the set of attributes; and
grant (706) access to the dataset associated with the end user based on the
unique ledger key.
10. The system (200) of claim 7, wherein the processor instructions, on execution,
40 further cause the processing circuitry (202) to:
generate (802) a new ledger key based on ledger key criteria defined by the first
computing device (104); and
update (804) the unique ledger key of the dataset associated with each of the
plurality of end users, with the new ledger key.