Sony Applies For 2 Blockchain Patents

Sony Corp., the Japanese conglomerate and technology giant, has applied for two Blockchain patents, according to the filings published by the USPTO (US Patents and Trademarks Office).

Boosting Blockchain Based Ecosystems

These filings indicate that Sony is looking at designing hardware that is targeted specifically at maintaining Blockchain. The two patent applications are called Device and System and Electronic Node and Method for Maintaining a Distributed Ledger. Both the patents focus on descriptions of devices as well as systems to be used to maintain ledgers.

One application (Electronic Node and Method for Maintaining a Distributed Ledger) describes a device that can be used to maintain a distributed ledger. This device would be made up of circuitry that would be configured to perform the mining process that would add blocks to the network. The patent explains how new blocks can be compressed and then can be added to a distributed ledger. According to the patent, smaller blocks being produced by a node could lead to bigger rewards for users.

The second application (Device and System) describes the development of a device that can be used to access a distributed ledger and subsequently using a system of multiple virtual nodes to maintain that ledger. By using virtual nodes, the technology is trying to ensure that the integrity of the Blockchain, especially in cases where the number of devices reduces or are just a few.

Other Patents for Blockchain

This is not the first time that Sony has applied for patents in Blockchain technology.

Last year in November, the Japanese conglomerate had applied for a patent to use Blockchain in the education sector. This patent had been filed in partnership with American technology giant, IBM. The idea was to create a system that could store student information like certificates, education experiences, etc.

Sony had also applied for a patent to create a user login system focused on Blockchain systems. This was a multifactor authentication system (MFA) based on Blockchain, that would use two separate distributed ledgers to set up the login process.

While the earlier patents revolved around developing Blockchain based solutions, these latest patents focus on developing hardware systems for DLT (distributed ledger technology).

Sony is also not the only industry major to be applying for patents focused on Blockchain technology. US retail giant, Walmart also recently applied for a patent to manage smart appliances using Blockchain technology. And last month, in July, Bank of America (BoA) also filed a patent for Blockchain based systems that could conduct validations of data that would offer the tracking of information by confirming resource transfers.