METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE LIMITATION OF THE MINING OF BLOCKS ON A BLOCK CHAIN

摘要

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are described wherein a block chain or block chain network can be created and the mining of new blocks can be limited to certain actors holding a specific set of private keys and verified by the corresponding public keys accessible to consumers interested in validating the block chain. These keys are stored in software or on specific hardware devices designed to not reveal the private key. Only blocks mined using those keys are acceptable on the block chain. The signing of the blocks in the particular block chain is integrated in such a fashion as to be integral to the proof of work for the block chain.

主权项

1. A method of providing proof of work for a block chain, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving in a signing device from a bookkeeping device a block, the signing device having a public/private key pair where a private key of the public/private key pair is known only by the signing device, and a public key of the public/private key pair is known by the bookkeeping device; (b) updating by the signing device a nonce field of the block; (c) creating by the signing device a digital signature for the block; (d) updating by the signing device afield in the block for storing the digital signature; (e) performing by the signing device a fitness function on the block to determine a fitness for the block to become a next block for the block chain; and (f) if the block passes the fitness function in step (e), returning by the signing device to the bookkeeping device the block as the next block in the block chain.