# US 11,444,787 B2 · Method and system for efficient distribution of configuration data utilizing permissioned blockchain technology > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,444,787 B2 - Document ID: US11444787B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/946,859 - Filed: 2020-07-09 - Published: 2020-10-29 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2016-05-27 - Assignees: Mastercard International Incorporated - Applicants: Mastercard International Incorporated - Inventors: Simon R. Dix; Steven C. Davis - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11444787B2 ## CPC - H04L 9/3265: {using certificate chains, trees or paths; Hierarchical trust model} - H04L 9/3239: {involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD} - H04L 9/3247: {involving digital signatures} - H04L 41/0803: Configuration setting - H04L 9/50: {using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees} - H04L 2209/56: Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method for propagating configuration data using a blockchain includes: storing a blockchain comprised of a plurality of blocks, each being comprised of a block header having a timestamp and one or more configuration transactions; receiving one or more configuration data items; generating a new configuration transaction for each configuration data item; hashing a most recent block identified based on the timestamp included in the respective block header to generate a previous block hash value; hashing a combination of the new configuration transactions and/or data associated therewith to generate a current block hash value; generating a new block header, the new block header including a current timestamp, the previous block hash value, the current block hash value, and a digital signature; generating a new block comprised of the new block header and each new configuration transaction; and updating the blockchain by appending the new block. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for updating configuration data using a blockchain, comprising: storing, in a memory of a computing device, a plurality of configuration rules; receiving, by a receiving device of the computing device, a blockchain, wherein the blockchain is comprised of a plurality of blocks including at least one update block, and wherein the update block is comprised of at least a block header and one or more configuration transactions, the block header being comprised of at least a timestamp, block hash value, and a digital signature and each of the one or more configuration transactions being comprised of at least configuration data; verifying, by a verification module of the computing device, the digital signature included in the block header included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain; and executing, by a querying module of the computing device, a query on the memory to update the plurality of configuration rules based on the configuration data included in each of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain, wherein updating the plurality of configuration rules includes at least one of: (i) adding new configuration rules to the plurality of configuration rules and (ii) removing a configuration rule from the plurality of configuration rules. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: each of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain further includes at least a value field and a hash value; and updating the plurality of configuration rules based on the configuration data included in a configuration transaction includes (i) adding a new configuration rule corresponding to the configuration data if the hash value is a zero hash reference or other predetermined hash value and (ii) removing a configuration rule associated with the hash value if the value field is a first predetermined value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the hash value corresponds to a hash of a previous configuration transaction included in one of the plurality of blocks comprising the blockchain. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain further includes a lock time or release time, and one or more configuration rules of the plurality of configuration rules updated based on the configuration data included in the at least one of the one or more configuration transactions that includes a lock time or release time are configured to take effect at the lock time or stop effect at the release time. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein verifying the digital signature includes: electronically transmitting, by a transmitting device of the computing device, the digital signature or data associated with the digital signature to a trusted certificate entity associated with the blockchain; and receiving, by the receiving device of the computing device, an indication of positive verification from the trusted certificate entity. ### Claim 6 A system for updating configuration data using a blockchain, comprising: a memory of a computing device configured to store a plurality of configuration rules; a receiving device of the computing device configured to receive a blockchain, wherein the blockchain is comprised of a plurality of blocks including at least one update block, and wherein the update block is comprised of at least a block header and one or more configuration transactions, the block header being comprised of at least a timestamp, block hash value, and a digital signature and each of the one or more configuration transactions being comprised of at least configuration data; a verification module of the computing device configured to verify the digital signature included in the block header included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain; and a querying module of the computing device configured to execute a query on the memory to update the plurality of configuration rules based on the configuration data included in each of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain, wherein updating the plurality of configuration rules includes at least one of: (i) adding a new configuration rules to the plurality of configuration rules and (ii) removing a configuration rule from the plurality of configuration rules. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain further includes at least a value field and a hash value, and updating the plurality of configuration rules based on the configuration data included in a configuration transaction includes (i) adding a new configuration rule corresponding to the configuration data if the hash value is a zero hash reference or other predetermined hash value and (ii) removing a configuration rule associated with the hash value if the value field is a first predetermined value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the hash value corresponds to a hash of a previous configuration transaction included in one of the plurality of blocks comprising the blockchain. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain further includes a lock time or release time, and one or more configuration rules of the plurality of configuration rules updated based on the configuration data included in the at least one of the one or more configuration transactions that includes a lock time or release time are configured to take effect at the lock time or stop effect at the release time. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein verifying the digital signature includes: electronically transmitting, by a transmitting device of the computing device, the digital signature or data associated with the digital signature to a trusted certificate entity associated with the blockchain; and receiving, by the receiving device of the computing device, an indication of positive verification from the trusted certificate entity. ### Claim 11 A method for updating configuration data using a blockchain, comprising: storing, in a memory of a computing device, a plurality of configuration rules; receiving, by a receiving device of the computing device, a blockchain, wherein the blockchain is comprised of a plurality of blocks including at least one update block, and wherein the update block is comprised of at least a block header and one or more configuration transactions, the block header being comprised of at least a timestamp, block hash value, and a digital signature and each of the one or more configuration transactions being comprised of at least configuration data; verifying, by a verification module of the computing device, the digital signature included in the block header included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain; and executing, by a querying module of the computing device, a query on the memory to update the plurality of configuration rules based on the configuration data included in each of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain, wherein updating the plurality of configuration rules includes at least one of: (i) adding new configuration rules to the plurality of configuration rules and (ii) modifying a configuration rule of the plurality of configuration rules. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein: each of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain further includes at least a value field and a hash value; and further comprising: updating the plurality of configuration rules based on the configuration data included in a configuration transaction includes (i) adding a new configuration rule corresponding to the configuration data if the hash value is a zero hash reference or other predetermined hash value and (ii) modifying a configuration rule associated with the hash value if the value field is a second predetermined value, the modification corresponding to the configuration data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the hash value corresponds to a hash of a previous configuration transaction included in one of the plurality of blocks comprising the blockchain. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain further includes a lock time or release time, and one or more configuration rules of the plurality of configuration rules updated based on the configuration data included in the at least one of the one or more configuration transactions that includes a lock time or release time are configured to take effect at the lock time or stop effect at the release time. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein verifying the digital signature includes: electronically transmitting, by a transmitting device of the computing device, the digital signature or data associated with the digital signature to a trusted certificate entity associated with the blockchain; and receiving, by the receiving device of the computing device, an indication of positive verification from the trusted certificate entity. ### Claim 16 A system for updating configuration data using a blockchain, comprising: a memory of a computing device configured to store a plurality of configuration rules; a receiving device of the computing device configured to receive a blockchain, wherein the blockchain is comprised of a plurality of blocks including at least one update block, and wherein the update block is comprised of at least a block header and one or more configuration transactions, the block header being comprised of at least a timestamp, block hash value, and a digital signature and each of the one or more configuration transactions being comprised of at least configuration data; a verification module of the computing device configured to verify the digital signature included in the block header included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain; and a querying module of the computing device configured to execute a query on the memory to update the plurality of configuration rules based on the configuration data included in each of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain, wherein updating the plurality of configuration rules includes at least one of: (i) adding a new configuration rules to the plurality of configuration rules and (ii) modifying a configuration rule of the plurality of configuration rules. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein each of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain further includes at least a value field and a hash value, and updating the plurality of configuration rules based on the configuration data included in a configuration transaction includes (i) adding a new configuration rule corresponding to the configuration data if the hash value is a zero hash reference or other predetermined hash value and (ii) modifying a configuration rule associated with the hash value if the value field is a second predetermined value, the modification corresponding to the configuration data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the hash value corresponds to a hash of a previous configuration transaction included in one of the plurality of blocks comprising the blockchain. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the one or more configuration transactions included in the update block included in the plurality of blocks comprising the received blockchain further includes a lock time or release time, and one or more configuration rules of the plurality of configuration rules updated based on the configuration data included in the at least one of the one or more configuration transactions that includes a lock time or release time are configured to take effect at the lock time or stop effect at the release time. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein verifying the digital signature includes: electronically transmitting, by a transmitting device of the computing device, the digital signature or data associated with the digital signature to a trusted certificate entity associated with the blockchain; and receiving, by the receiving device of the computing device, an indication of positive verification from the trusted certificate entity.