Abstract: An implementation of the present application provides a computer-implemented method to increase the security of a blockchain-implemented transaction, the transaction including participation from a plurality of participating nodes, each participating node participating as a message originator, selector, and propagator. The method, implemented at a participating node, includes: receiving ciphertext from a prior node and determining whether the participating node is a selector node for said ciphertext received from the prior node. When the participating node is the selector node for said ciphertext, the method includes selecting a subset of said ciphertext, decrypting the selected subset of said ciphertext to provide opted ciphertext and transmitting said opted ciphertext to the next node. When the participating node is other than the selector node for said ciphertext, the method includes decrypting said ciphertext received from the prior node and transmitting the decrypted ciphertext to the next node.

Abstract: Methods and system of recording work history of a mining node on a blockchain in a blockchain network. The methods may include mining a first block containing a registration generation transaction that includes, within a registration information field, a miner identifier for the mining node; and mining two or more additional blocks in an order, each additional block containing a generation transaction that includes an information field containing the miner identifier, a reference to the generation transaction of the preceding additional block in the order, wherein the registration generation transaction is a first block in the order. Work history may be verified by tracing the recorded work history and validating the miner identifier. Recorded work history may serve as the basis for a reputation score for the miner, which reflects contributed work evidenced by the proof-of-work secured work history.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for granting permission to a requestor to join a first network. The first network comprises a set of bridging nodes and a set of devices controllable by one or more of the set of bridging nodes. Each bridging node is also a respective node of a blockchain network. The method is performed by a registration authority and comprises generating a first blockchain transaction. The first blockchain transaction comprises an input comprising a signature linked to a first public key of the registration authority. The first blockchain transaction also comprises a first output comprising a first certificate, the first certificate comprising an identifier assigned to the requestor. The method further comprises transmitting the first blockchain transaction to the blockchain network for inclusion in the blockchain.

Abstract: The invention provides a system for searching a blockchain (e.g. Bitcoin) for data/content stored in one or more blockchain transactions, and accessing that data/content. It may be used in conjunction with a protocol for searching the blockchain. An embodiment of the invention can be arranged to enable a user to search for, access, view, write and/or retrieve a portion of data provided in at least one blockchain transaction (Tx), and also arranged to identify the at least one transaction (Tx) based on a transaction index (TXindex) comprising a transaction ID and a public key associated with the transaction (Tx). The system may comprise a search facility which is either provided within the blockchain search system; or arranged to interface and/or communicate with the blockchain search system. It may also comprise at least one cryptocurrency wallet.

Abstract: In one aspect, the present disclosure proposes methods, devices and systems for partitioning a request associated with a digital asset into an arbitrary number of transactions. The partitioning is based on knowing or obtaining a maximum number of outputs allowed for a request and an arbitrarily selection of a possible integer partition of an arbitrarily selected integer. The randomly selected integer partition then forms the basis for determining the number of transactions and UTXOs, so that a digital asset value can be arbitrarily split across the determined UTXOs before being stored on a public blockchain. In another aspect, the present disclosure proposes methods, devices and systems for arbitrarily distributing a digital asset value associated with a request across an arbitrarily determined number of transactions. This is based on an arbitrarily selected number of transactions, and a maximum number of outputs allowed for each request.

Abstract: A method performed by a node of a blockchain network, comprising: accessing the locking script from a first transaction on the blockchain; receiving a second transaction not yet on-chain, the second transaction comprising an unlocking script; extracting from the first transaction or another transaction on the blockchain, a portion of code formulated in a second language other than a first language used for the locking and unlocking scripts; running the extracted portion of code in the second language, wherein as a result thereof the code generates at least one value; writing this value to a storage location readable by the locking script; and running the locking script together with the unlocking script in order to validate the second transaction, wherein the unlocking script is configured to read the first value from said storage location, and a condition for validation according to the locking script is dependent on the first value.

Abstract: Methods and devices for propagating transactions in a network of nodes, each node having one or more connections to other nodes. The method includes determining that one of the nodes is a bottleneck for propagation of transactions; receiving, over a first time period, a plurality of new transactions from one or more first nodes in the network of nodes; combining the plurality of new transactions using network coding and a local encoding vector to generate a message; and sending the message and a global encoding vector to one or more second nodes in the network of nodes instead of sending the plurality of new transactions to the one or more second nodes. The network may be a blockchain network.

Abstract: Disclosed example welding power supplies comprise: power conversion circuitry configured to convert input power to welding power; an input device configured to receive a plurality of instances of an input; and control circuitry configured to: calculate a frequency of the plurality of instances of the input; and control the power conversion circuitry to output the welding power as a series of pulses having a pulse frequency determined based on the calculated frequency.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for controlling one or more devices of a first network. The first network comprises a set of bridging nodes and a set of devices controllable by one or more of the set of bridging nodes. Each bridging node is also a node of a blockchain network, and each device has a respective device identifier. The method is performed by a first one of the bridging nodes and comprises generating a first blockchain transaction. The first blockchain transaction comprises a first input comprising a signature linked to a first public key of the first node, and a first output comprising command data. The command data comprises a respective identifier of a first one of the devices controlled by a second one of the bridging nodes, and a command message for controlling the first device.

Abstract: Techniques are presented to control the performance of a process conducted via a blockchain. The method comprises the steps of deriving a public-key-private key cryptographic pair for a portion of data related to a smart contract associated with an asset, wherein the smart contract is stored in a computer-based resource that is separate to the blockchain; deriving a signature for the portion of data using the public key-private key cryptographic pair; and codifying the portion of data to generate codified metadata for the data, wherein the codified metadata is arranged to reference or provide access to the smart contract; transmitting the codified metadata to the blockchain; and receiving a signature and a script from at least one user to enable access to embedded data, wherein the script comprises a public key of a signatory.

Abstract: A method of executing a transaction of a blockchain. The transaction comprises at least one output comprising a locking script, and the locking script comprises an instance of a first opcode and one or more instances of a second opcode. Each instance of the second opcode separates portions of the locking script. Upon calling the instance of the first opcode, a first data element is read from at least one stack, the first data element being generated during execution of the locking script with an unlocking script of a different transaction. A first part of the locking script that follows an instance of the second opcode corresponding to the first data element is output.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and systems for distributed and/or parallel processing of data records, and in particular validation of blockchain transactions in a blockchain block. In a preferred embodiment, a distributed validation node is disclosed in which one or more transactions are allocated to a validating resource in a plurality of validating resources. The one or more transactions relates to a portion of a Merkle tree for the block, so that each validation resource is able to operate independently on verification of a subset of the block's transactions, each subset being based on a segment of the Merkle tree. The disclosure includes advantageous techniques for at least: allocation of tree segments to different validation resources, load balancing, download of the transactions to be validated, distributed UTXO pools, indexing schemes and prevention of double spend events.

Abstract: Techniques and computer-implemented methods are presented to be implemented on a distributed mempool network (DMP) implementing a distributed hash table (DHT). The method includes: receiving, at a mempool node of a DMP, a request to update routing information of the mempool node; initializing a set of random walks within a key space of the DHT, the set of random walks used for generating a set of key-value records; selecting a particular iteration of a long-distance table of a set of long-distance tables; selecting, from the particular iteration of the long-distance table, a pointer within a range between identification information and a key; and transmitting a query to another mempool node associated with the pointer, wherein the other mempool node maintains a set of weight associated connections to a set of mempool nodes, wherein the weight is proportional to the level of trust in the connection.

Abstract: Techniques are presented for fault-resistant multi-node communication among a plurality of participating nodes, providing such cryptographic techniques for ensuring and controlling security in respect of blockchains. Techniques include adding, by a node, a first string to a set of-strings, wherein a first string is a pseudorandom string; shuffling, by the node, the order of the-strings in the set; sending the set to a next node; receiving, by the node, a further shuffled set of strings from another of the participating nodes, the further shuffled set of strings including the first string; replacing the first string in the further shuffled set of strings with a first output address, the first output address being the respective output address of the node; and forwarding the further shuffled set of strings containing the first output address to a subsequent node.

Abstract: Techniques are presented of embedding data in a blockchain transaction. The method comprises the steps deriving a public-key-private-key cryptographic pair for a digital asset; deriving a signature for the data using the public key-private-key cryptographic pair; and codifying the data to generate codified metadata for the digital asset.

Abstract: Disclosed example welding-type power supplies include: a first DC/DC converter configured to convert a first voltage from a first energy storage device to an intermediate voltage, and to output the intermediate voltage to an intermediate bus; a second DC/DC converter configured to convert a second voltage from a second energy storage device to the intermediate voltage, and to output the intermediate voltage to the intermediate bus; power conversion circuitry configured to convert the intermediate voltage to a welding-type output; and control circuitry configured to: control the first DC/DC converter based on the first voltage and the intermediate voltage; control the second DC/DC converter based on the second voltage and the intermediate voltage; and control the power conversion circuitry.

Abstract: Disclosed example welding-type power supplies include: two or more power converters configured to receive at least two different sources of input power, and to convert the at least two different sources of input power to welding-type power; and control circuitry configured to: determine a type of source of each of the sources of input power; and control the two or more power converters based on the type of source.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and associated methods for improving the performance of blockchain-implemented or related operations, and for providing novel architectures for blockchain networks. In particular, the system is suited for distributing blockchain-related operations across multiple processing resources. These include operations such as block and/or transaction validation, mining tasks such as Proof-of-Work calculations, identification and searching of blockchain-related data, and efficient load balancing across the multiple resources used for performance of such operations. In some embodiments, tasks relating to a given type of blockchain operation e.g. validation or mining are outsourced or delegated to one or more dedicated resources. In a preferred embodiment, the individual blockchain functionalities are separated out and performed by different resources which can be located anywhere in the world and/or controlled by non-related, trustless entities.

Abstract: The invention provides a blockchain-implemented control method and corresponding system(s). The invention may control access to an internet-enabled resource such as an IoT device that is provided with computing capabilities enabling it to communicate with other computer-based resources and interact with a distributed ledger such as a blockchain. In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for controlling the use of an internet-enabled resource comprising providing a first blockchain transaction comprising at least one output which is redeemable only by provision of at least: i) a secret value selected by a user; and ii) a signature associated with a resource provider; sending use-related information to the resource; generating a second blockchain transaction requesting at least the secret value; and modifying the second blockchain transaction to include the secret value.

Abstract: Contributions to a work by contributors having respective levels in a defined hierarchy are recorded in one or more blockchain transactions. One or more lower-level contributors provide, to a higher-level contributor, one or more lower-level contributions respectively, and the higher-level contributor provides a higher-level contribution responsive to the one or more lower-level contributions. A higher-level contributor transaction comprises one or more inputs, which in turn comprise: one or more pointers to one or more spendable outputs of one or more lower-level contributor transactions and one or more transaction signatures. The transactions contain contributions commitments which, together with the one or more pointers, represent the relationship between the higher-level contributor and the lower-level contributors within the defined hierarchy. The one or more transaction signatures prove that relationship.