Storage of tree data structures

An apparatus for storing Merkle tree data in a random access memory circuit comprised of memory cells associated with corresponding memory addresses, wherein the Merkle tree data comprises uncle node data, first nephew node data and second nephew node data, the apparatus comprising:

• a data bus configured for exchanging data with the random-access memory circuit;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• determine a first nephew node memory address by calculating, using a Merkle tree memory assignment function, a first nephew node memory address indicator based on a first node position vector for a first nephew node that is associated with the first nephew node data;
• determine a second nephew node memory address by calculating, using the Merkle tree memory assignment function, a second nephew node memory address indicator based on a second node position vector for a second nephew node that is associated with the second nephew node data;
• store, through the data bus, the uncle node data at an uncle node memory address in the random access memory circuit;
• store, through the data bus, the first nephew node data at the first nephew node memory address in the random access memory circuit;
• and
• store, through the data bus, the second nephew node data at the second nephew node memory address in the random access memory circuit.

An apparatus for storing Merkle tree data in a random access memory circuit, wherein the Merkle tree data comprises uncle node data, first nephew node data and second nephew node data, the apparatus comprising:

• a processor configured to store data in the random access memory circuit;
• a memory;
• means, stored in the memory for execution by the processor, for determining a first nephew node memory address by calculating, using a Merkle tree memory assignment function, a first nephew node memory address indicator based on a first node position vector for a first nephew node that is associated with the first nephew node data;
• means, stored in the memory for execution by the processor, for determining a second nephew node memory address by calculating, using the Merkle tree memory assignment function, a second nephew node memory address indicator based on a second node position vector for a second nephew node that is associated with the second nephew node data;
• means, stored in the memory for execution by the processor, for storing the uncle node data at an uncle node memory address;
• means, stored in the memory for execution by the processor, for storing the first nephew node data at the first nephew node memory address;
• and
• means, stored in the memory for execution by the processor, for storing the second nephew node data at the second nephew node memory address.