Patents by Inventor Stephen John Buttolph

Stephen John Buttolph has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20260149735
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for enhancing liveness in a blockchain. Various aspects may include running a first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include detecting a liveness attack in the first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include suspending, when the liveness attack is detected, acceptance of new blocks in the first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include broadcasting a preferred block and identifying a highest accepted block in the set of nodes from running the first consensus protocol based on the preferred block. Aspects may also include transitioning from the first consensus protocol to the second consensus protocol and running the second consensus protocol until a consensus value or a new accepted block is decided. Aspects may also include reinstating and resuming running the first consensus protocol based on the new accepted block.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2026
    Publication date: May 28, 2026
    Inventors: Stephen John Buttolph, Kevin Sekniqi
  • Patent number: 12640946
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for generating a heterogeneous network of blockchains. The method includes generating a platform blockchain having a single replicated state machine. The method includes generating at least one subnet based in part on the platform blockchain, the subnet including at least one blockchain, the generating causing bonding or burning of a base asset of the platform blockchain. The method includes specifying validators for the at least one subnet. The platform blockchain includes a source of truth for transactions across the subnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2026
    Assignee: Ava Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Sekniqi, Emin Gün Sirer, Stephen John Buttolph
  • Publication number: 20260111878
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine -readable media for proposing blocks to be added to a blockchain. Various aspects may include performing adding block headers to a first blockchain, wherein the block headers reference a set of validators. Aspects may also include adding a temporal parameter to each block header. Aspects may also include determining, based on a block signature from a block header and from the set of validators, a proposer of candidate blocks for addition to the blockchain. Aspects may also include sampling, based on a temporal parameter, a subset of validators of the set of validators. Aspects may include increasing the proposer to a plurality of proposers from the subset of validators by an incremental quantity based on a comparison of the temporal parameter to a threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2025
    Publication date: April 23, 2026
    Inventors: Stephen John Buttolph, Patrick Robert O'Grady, Kevin Sekniqi, Emin Gün Sirer
  • Patent number: 12603770
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and technology for secure data dissemination in a network that reduces false positives. A method can include: initializing a bloom filter, generating a cryptographic seed value, generating salted data based on combinations of the cryptographic seed value and each data value in a set of local data values, injecting the salted data into the bloom filter to generate a salted bloom filter, selecting a random peer node in a network, transmitting the salted bloom filter and the cryptographic seed value to the selected random peer node, receiving, from the selected random peer node, at least one other data value that was identified by the selected random peer node as not being included in the salted bloom filter, and adding the at least one other data value to the set of local data values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2025
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2026
    Assignee: Ava Labs, Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen John Buttolph
  • Patent number: 12591566
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for implementing a compaction-less database structure. Various aspects may include identifying nodes in a most recent revision of a database structure stored on disk corresponding to locations of node changes in a current proposal. Aspects may also include persisting node addresses for nodes that have changed from the most recent revision in the current proposal to a future-delete list (also kept on disk). Aspects may also include writing only the new nodes including a root node to disk. Aspects may also include updating a root address on disk based on the root node. Aspects may also include committing the proposal as a new revision of the database structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2025
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2026
    Assignee: Ava Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald Dana Kuris, Daniel Laine, Stephen John Buttolph, Patrick Robert O'Grady
  • Patent number: 12586063
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for executing transactions in a blockchain network. Various aspects may include receiving one or more transactions issued from an account, the account comprising a bond balance. Aspects may also include partitioning the transactions into a set of validators. Aspects may also include producing, at the set of validators, chunks including the transactions. Aspects may also include replicating the chunks to nodes in the blockchain network. Aspects may also include generating, based on receiving at least a threshold of stake signatures from the nodes, blocks that reference the replicated chunks. Aspects may include distributing, from the bond balance, funds to the nodes for including the replicated chunks in the blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2025
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2026
    Assignee: Ava Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Robert O′Grady, Stephen John Buttolph
  • Publication number: 20260067078
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and technology for secure data dissemination in a network that reduces false positives. A method can include: initializing a bloom filter, generating a cryptographic seed value, generating salted data based on combinations of the cryptographic seed value and each data value in a set of local data values, injecting the salted data into the bloom filter to generate a salted bloom filter, selecting a random peer node in a network, transmitting the salted bloom filter and the cryptographic seed value to the selected random peer node, receiving, from the selected random peer node, at least one other data value that was identified by the selected random peer node as not being included in the salted bloom filter, and adding the at least one other data value to the set of local data values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2025
    Publication date: March 5, 2026
    Inventor: Stephen John Buttolph
  • Patent number: 12549594
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for enhancing liveness in a blockchain. Various aspects may include running a first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include detecting a liveness attack in the first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include suspending, when the liveness attack is detected, acceptance of new blocks in the first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include broadcasting a preferred block and identifying a highest accepted block in the set of nodes from running the first consensus protocol based on the preferred block. Aspects may also include transitioning from the first consensus protocol to the second consensus protocol and running the second consensus protocol until a consensus value or a new accepted block is decided. Aspects may also include reinstating and resuming running the first consensus protocol based on the new accepted block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2025
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2026
    Assignee: Ava Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen John Buttolph, Kevin Sekniqi
  • Patent number: 12530678
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for proposing blocks to be added to a blockchain. Various aspects may include performing adding block headers to a first blockchain, wherein the block headers reference a set of validators. Aspects may also include adding a temporal parameter to each block header. Aspects may also include determining, based on a block signature from a block header and from the set of validators, a proposer of candidate blocks for addition to the blockchain. Aspects may also include sampling, based on a temporal parameter, a subset of validators of the set of validators. Aspects may include increasing the proposer to a plurality of proposers from the subset of validators by an incremental quantity based on a comparison of the temporal parameter to a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2026
    Assignee: Ava Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen John Buttolph, Patrick Robert O'Grady, Kevin Sekniqi, Emin Gün Sirer
  • Publication number: 20250363095
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for implementing a compaction-less database structure. Various aspects may include identifying nodes in a most recent revision of a database structure stored on disk corresponding to locations of node changes in a current proposal. Aspects may also include persisting node addresses for nodes that have changed from the most recent revision in the current proposal to a future-delete list (also kept on disk). Aspects may also include writing only the new nodes including a root node to disk. Aspects may also include updating a root address on disk based on the root node. Aspects may also include committing the proposal as a new revision of the database structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2025
    Publication date: November 27, 2025
    Inventors: Ronald Dana Kuris, Daniel Laine, Stephen John Buttolph, Patrick Robert O'Grady
  • Publication number: 20250330340
    Abstract: A method for storing blockchain data includes receiving a first batch command, the first batch command comprising one or more write operations, and adding one or more entries to a new log file by performing the one or more write operations. The method further includes identifying one or more active entries from one or more previous log files, appending the identified one or more active entries to the new log file, and, based on a determination that the one or more previous log files do not comprise any other active entries, deleting the one or more previous log files.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2025
    Publication date: October 23, 2025
    Inventors: Stephen John Buttolph, Patrick Robert O’Grady
  • Patent number: 12450332
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for providing an application trusted execution environment. Various aspects may include performing attestation of each application enclave of a plurality of application enclaves for a plurality of applications. Aspects may also include receiving a request from a client. Aspects may also include selecting a load balancer to forward the request to the application enclaves. Aspects may also include determining a sensitivity level of the request that is associated with a secured environment parameter. Aspects may include routing, by an enclave server of the load balancer, the request to an application enclave according to the sensitivity level for execution of an application of the plurality of applications in the application trusted execution environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2025
    Assignee: Ava Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Kaplan, Bernard Wong, Nicholas John Mussallem, Stephen John Buttolph, Patrick Robert O'Grady, Kevin Sekniqi, Ted Yin
  • Publication number: 20250317311
    Abstract: A method determines a current preference value, the current preference value being one of two possible values. The method receives k preference values, each being one of the possible values. The method defines alpha1, alpha2, and beta2, with alpha1>than k/2 and alpha2?alpha1. Responsive to a determination that at least alpha1 of the k preference values are different than the current preference value, the method changes the current preference value. Responsive to a determination that fewer than alpha2 of the k preference values are equal to the current preference value, the method sets a counter to zero. Responsive to a third determination that at least alpha2 of the k preference values are equal to the current preference value, the method increases the counter by 1. Responsive to a determination that the counter is equal to beta2, the method provides the current preference value as a finalized output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2025
    Publication date: October 9, 2025
    Inventors: Aaron Buchwald, Stephen John Buttolph, Andrew Lewis-Pye, Patrick Robert O’Grady, Kevin Sekniqi
  • Publication number: 20250274486
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for enhancing liveness in a blockchain. Various aspects may include running a first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include detecting a liveness attack in the first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include suspending, when the liveness attack is detected, acceptance of new blocks in the first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include broadcasting a preferred block and identifying a highest accepted block in the set of nodes from running the first consensus protocol based on the preferred block. Aspects may also include transitioning from the first consensus protocol to the second consensus protocol and running the second consensus protocol until a consensus value or a new accepted block is decided. Aspects may also include reinstating and resuming running the first consensus protocol based on the new accepted block.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2025
    Publication date: August 28, 2025
    Inventors: Stephen John Buttolph, Kevin Sekniqi
  • Publication number: 20250245650
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for executing transactions in a blockchain network. Various aspects may include receiving one or more transactions issued from an account, the account comprising a bond balance. Aspects may also include partitioning the transactions into a set of validators. Aspects may also include producing, at the set of validators, chunks including the transactions. Aspects may also include replicating the chunks to nodes in the blockchain network. Aspects may also include generating, based on receiving at least a threshold of stake signatures from the nodes, blocks that reference the replicated chunks. Aspects may include distributing, from the bond balance, funds to the nodes for including the replicated chunks in the blocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2025
    Publication date: July 31, 2025
    Inventors: Patrick Robert O'Grady, Stephen John Buttolph
  • Patent number: 12335304
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for enhancing liveness in a blockchain. Various aspects may include running a first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include detecting a liveness attack in the first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include suspending, when the liveness attack is detected, acceptance of new blocks in the first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include broadcasting a preferred block and identifying a highest accepted block in the set of nodes from running the first consensus protocol based on the preferred block. Aspects may also include transitioning from the first consensus protocol to the second consensus protocol and running the second consensus protocol until a consensus value or a new accepted block is decided. Aspects may also include reinstating and resuming running the first consensus protocol based on the new accepted block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2024
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2025
    Assignee: Ava Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen John Buttolph, Kevin Sekniqi
  • Publication number: 20250112797
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for implementing consensus protocols comprising separate preference selection and decision detection mechanisms to enhance the protocol. Various aspects may include executing a first mechanism configured to determine a preference, from one or more choices, for nodes in a blockchain network based on a first threshold value of the nodes agreeing on a selection of one of the choices. Aspects may also include executing a second mechanism configured to detect the blockchain network has decided on the selection based on a probabilistic analysis of node preferences and finalize a consensus decision of the blockchain network based on the node preferences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2024
    Publication date: April 3, 2025
    Inventor: Stephen John Buttolph
  • Publication number: 20250036449
    Abstract: A method for operating virtual machines in a blockchain network is provided. The method includes requesting, by an agent, a recent block hash to use for transaction construction and a target complexity to mine, constructing, by the agent, a transaction comprising at least a public key and/or a virtual machine transaction, and periodically creating, by a block producer, a block comprising a set of transactions that surpass a minimum complexity. A system including a memory storing instructions and a processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to perform the above method is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2022
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: Ava Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen John BUTTOLPH, Patrick Robert O'GRADY
  • Publication number: 20240314159
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for enhancing liveness in a blockchain. Various aspects may include running a first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include detecting a liveness attack in the first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include suspending, when the liveness attack is detected, acceptance of new blocks in the first consensus protocol. Aspects may also include broadcasting a preferred block and identifying a highest accepted block in the set of nodes from running the first consensus protocol based on the preferred block. Aspects may also include transitioning from the first consensus protocol to the second consensus protocol and running the second consensus protocol until a consensus value or a new accepted block is decided. Aspects may also include reinstating and resuming running the first consensus protocol based on the new accepted block.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2024
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Inventors: Stephen John Buttolph, Kevin Sekniqi
  • Publication number: 20240086903
    Abstract: Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for proposing blocks to be added to a blockchain. Various aspects may include performing adding block headers to a first blockchain, wherein the block headers reference a set of validators. Aspects may also include adding a temporal parameter to each block header. Aspects may also include determining, based on a block signature from a block header and from the set of validators, a proposer of candidate blocks for addition to the blockchain. Aspects may also include sampling, based on a temporal parameter, a subset of validators of the set of validators. Aspects may include increasing the proposer to a plurality of proposers from the subset of validators by an incremental quantity based on a comparison of the temporal parameter to a threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Stephen John Buttolph, Patrick Robert O'Grady, Kevin Sekniqi, Emin Gün Sirer