Documenting timestamps within a blockchain

A method for providing a further timestamp transaction, comprising:

• receiving a hash of a dataset via an interface;
• determining, via a computation unit, a time by querying a time server;
• determining, via the computation unit, a further verification time based on the time, the further verification time being determined such that the further timestamp transaction can be inserted into a number of data blocks of a distributed ledger and the number of data blocks can be created before a current time is later in time than the further verification time, and the further verification time being later than the time;
• determining the further timestamp transaction via the computation unit, the further timestamp transaction including at least the hash of the dataset and the further verification time;
• and
• providing the further timestamp transaction via the interface.

A method for including a further data block into a distributed ledger, the method comprising:

• receiving the further data block via an interface, the further data block including a further timestamp transaction;
• receiving the distributed ledger via the interface;
• determining, via a computation unit, a time by querying a time server;
• verifying, via the computation unit, the further data block based on at least the time and a further verification time to verify that the further data block can be included in the distributed ledger;
• and
• including, via the computation unit, the further data block into the distributed ledger in response to the verifying of the further data block indicating that the further data block can be included in the distributed ledger.

A block creation system for determining a further data block, the block creation system comprising:

• a first interface, the first interface being configured to
• receive a further timestamp transaction, the further timestamp transaction including a hash of a dataset and a further verification time, and
• receive a distributed ledger, the distributed ledger including data blocks;
• and
• a first computation unit, the first computation unit being configured to
• determine a first time by querying a time server,
• perform a first check based on the first time and the further verification time to verify that the further data block can be created, and
• determine the further data block based on the distributed ledger in response to the first check indicating that the further data block can be created, the further data block including the further timestamp transaction.

A transaction creation system for providing a further timestamp transaction, the transaction creation system comprising:

• an interface, the interface configured to
• receive a hash of a dataset, and
• provide the further timestamp transaction;
• and
• a computation unit, the computation unit configured to
• determine a time by querying a time server,
• determine a further verification time based on the time, the further verification time being determined such that the further timestamp transaction can be inserted into a number of data blocks of a distributed ledger and the number of data blocks can be created before a current time is later in time than the further verification time, and the further verification time being later than the time, and
• determine the further timestamp transaction, the further timestamp transaction including at least the hash of the dataset and the further verification time.