Cryptography-based time relationships in and between verifiable persistent ledger structures

Abstract

A method for timing data blocks is provided. The method comprises:—storing a first data structure (110(A)) containing a first persistent sequence of first ones (DA(n)) of the data blocks by appending each of the first data blocks (DA(n)) to a last one of the first data blocks of the first persistent sequence;—storing a second data structure (110(B)) containing a second persistent sequence of second ones (DB(k)) of the data blocks by appending each of the second data blocks (DB(k)) to a last one of the second data blocks of the second persistent sequence, wherein, for a pair of a selected one of the first data blocks (DA(n)) and a selected one of the second data blocks (DB(k)), the method comprises:—generating (510) the selected second data block (DB(k)) including a second data content;—generating (538) the selected first data block (DA(n)) by including (544) a first data content and a digest (H(DB(k))) of the selected one of the second data blocks (DB(k)), and—appending (546) the selected first data block (DA(n)) thereby defining a time order relationship in which the generation of the second data blocks (DB(0), DB(1), . . . , DB(k)) up the selected second data block (DB(k)) temporally precedes the generation of the selected first data block (DA(n)). The method further comprises, for a further selected one of the second data blocks (DB(k+1)) following the selected second data block (DB(k)) in the second persistent sequence: generating (555) the further selected second data block (DB(k+1)) by including (564) a third data content and a further digest (H(DA(n))) of the selected first data block (DA(n)), and appending (566) the further selected second data block (DB(k+1)) thereby defining a further time order relationship in which the generation of the second data blocks (DB(k+1), DB(k+2), . . . ) starting from the further selected second data block (DB(k+1)) temporally follows the generation of the selected first data block (DA(n)).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.