# US 2021/0279723 A1 · Systems and methods for industry reporting via blockchain

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- Number: US 2021/0279723 A1
- Document ID: US20210279723A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/877,108
- Filed: 2018-01-22
- Published: 2021-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2017-01-25
- Assignees: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
- Applicants: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
- Inventors: Melinda Teresa Magerkurth; Eric Bellas; Jaime Skaggs; Shawn M. Call; Eric R. Moore; Vicki King; Burton J. Floyd; David Turrentine; Steven T. Olson; Timothy Caleb Wells; Corin Rebekah Chapman; Edward W. Breitweiser; Robert Gomez; Shelia Cummings Smith
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210279723A1

## CPC

- G06F 21/6209: {to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself}
- G06F 21/602: {Providing cryptographic facilities or services}
- G06F 21/604: {Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems}
- G06F 21/6245: {Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes}
- G06F 21/64: Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
- G06Q 20/10: specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
- G06Q 20/102: {Bill distribution or payments}
- G06Q 20/3825: {Use of electronic signatures}
- G06Q 20/3827: {Use of message hashing}
- G06Q 20/3829: {involving key management}
- G06Q 20/401: {Transaction verification}
- G06Q 20/4014: {Identity check for transactions}
- G06Q 40/08: Insurance
- H04L 9/0825: {using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates}
- H04L 9/0861: {Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords}
- H04L 9/0894: {Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage}
- H04L 9/14: using a plurality of keys or algorithms
- H04L 9/30: Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
- H04L 9/3236: {using cryptographic hash functions}
- 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 63/0428: {wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload}
- H04L 63/0442: {wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30)}
- H04L 63/061: {for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838)}
- H04L 63/10: {for controlling access to devices or network resources}
- H04L 63/102: {Entity profiles}
- H04L 63/126: {the source of the received data}
- H04L 63/18: {using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215)}
- H04L 67/104: Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
- G06Q 10/10: Office automation; Time management
- G06Q 20/223: {based on the use of peer-to-peer networks}
- G06Q 2220/00: Business processing using cryptography
- G06Q 2220/10: Usage protection of distributed data files
- H04L 9/50: {using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees}
- H04L 63/105: {Multiple levels of security}
- H04L 2209/56: Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

Methods and systems for processing a blockchain comprising a plurality of immutable insurance policy records corresponding to industry reports are provided. According to certain aspects, a transaction request indicating an industry report issued by an entity may be received at a first node. A block including a reporting record indicating the industry report may be added to a blockchain and transmitted to another node for validation. The first node may add the block to a copy of the blockchain, where the block may be identified by a hash value that references a previous block in the blockchain that includes at least one additional industry report.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method of processing a blockchain comprising a plurality of immutable reporting records corresponding to industry reports issued by an entity, the blockchain maintained by a plurality of nodes connected via a network, each of the plurality of nodes maintaining a respective copy of the blockchain, the method comprising:
receiving, at a processor of a first node of the plurality of nodes, a transaction request initiated by a source and indicating an industry report issued by the entity, the transaction request including a digital signature associated with the source;
validating the transaction by (i) ensuring the industry report data of the transaction request is consistent with industry report data stored in the blockchain and (ii) verifying the transaction request by verifying an identity of the source by decrypting the digital signature using a public key of the source;
in response to validating the transaction, generating, by the processor of the first node, a block to add to the blockchain, the block including a reporting record indicating the industry report issued by the entity;
transmitting, via the network by the processor of the first node, the block to at least a second node of the plurality of nodes;
receiving, at the processor of the first node, an indication that the block is validated by one of the plurality of nodes using a cryptographic computation; and
adding, by the processor of the first node, the block to a copy of the blockchain maintained by the first node, the block identified by a hash value that references a previous block in the blockchain, the previous block including at least one additional reporting record indicating at least one additional industry report issued by the entity.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein verifying the transaction request comprises:
accessing a consensus rule associated with the transaction request and shared by the plurality of nodes, the consensus rule indicating a set of authorized sources; and
verifying the transaction request based on determining that the source is included in the set of authorized sources.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein verifying the transaction request comprises:
determining, by the processor, that an existing block of the copy of the blockchain maintained by the first node indicates the identity of the source.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein verifying the transaction request comprises:
receiving, via the network from at least a portion of the plurality of nodes, an indication that the transaction request is verified.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein verifying the transaction request comprises:
verifying that the source is in good standing with the entity.

### Claim 6

(canceled)

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first node has a permission level, and wherein verifying the transaction request comprises:
determining, based on the permission level, that the first node has sufficient permission to submit the transaction request.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein verifying the transaction request comprises:
adding the transaction request to a queue of pending transactions; and
detecting that at least one of the nodes of the plurality of nodes verified the identity of the source.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the block to at least the second node of the plurality of nodes comprises:
transmitting, via the network, the block to at least the second node, wherein the second node transmits the block to at least a third node of the plurality of nodes.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating, by the processor of the first node, a public key for the first node and a private key for the first node.

### Claim 11

A system for processing a blockchain comprising a plurality of reporting records corresponding to industry reports issued by an entity, the blockchain maintained by a plurality of nodes connected via a network, the system comprising:
a first node of the plurality of nodes, the first node configured to maintain a first copy of the blockchain;
a second node of the plurality of nodes, the second node connected to the first node via the network and configured to maintain a second copy of the blockchain;
a first processor implemented in the first node and configured to:
receive a transaction request initiated by a source and indicating an industry report issued by the entity, the transaction request including a digital signature associated with the source
validate the transaction by (i) ensuring the industry report data of the transaction request is consistent with industry report data stored in the blockchain and (ii) verifying the transaction request by verifying an identity of the source by decrypting the digital signature using a public key of the source,
in response to validating the transaction, generate a block to add to the blockchain, the block including a reporting record indicating the industry report issued by the entity, and
transmit, via the network, the block to at least the second node; and
a second processor implemented in the first node and configured to:
receive, via the network, the block from the first node,
validate the block using a cryptographic computation,
transmit, to the first node via the network, an indication that the block is validated, and
add the block to the second copy of the blockchain, the block identified by a hash value that references a previous block in the blockchain, the previous block including at least one additional reporting record indicating at least one additional industry report issued by the entity.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein to verify the transaction request, the first processor is configured to:
access a consensus rule associated with the transaction request and shared by the plurality of nodes, the consensus rule indicating a set of authorized sources, and
verify the transaction request based on determining that the source is included in the set of authorized sources.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein to verify the transaction request, the first processor is configured to:
determine that an existing block of the copy of the blockchain maintained by the first node indicates the identity of the source.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein to verify the transaction request, the first processor is configured to:
receive, via the network from at least a portion of the plurality of nodes, an indication that the transaction request is verified.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein to verify the transaction request, the processor is configured to:
verify that the source is in good standing with the entity.

### Claim 16

(canceled)

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the first node has a permission level, and wherein to verify the transaction request, the first processor is configured to:
determine, based on the permission level, that the first node has sufficient permission to submit the transaction request.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein to verify the transaction request, the first processor is configured to:
add the transaction request to a queue of pending transactions, and
detect that at least one of the nodes of the plurality of nodes verified the identity of the source.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein to transmit the block to at least the second node of the plurality of nodes, the first processor is configured to:
transmit, via the network, the block to at least the second node, wherein the second node transmits the block to at least a third node of the plurality of nodes.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the first processor is further configured to:
generate a public key for the first node and a private key for the first node.