Share this article
Apple Patent Filing Hints at Blockchain Use
In a new application released by the USPTO, Apple describes how it might use a blockchain-based platform to generate and secure timestamps.
By Nikhilesh De
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 7:14 a.m. Published Dec 7, 2017, 5:35 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
A new patent application from U.S. electronics giant Apple points to the potential use of blockchain within a prospective system for creating and verifying timestamps.
In an application released by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday, Apple details a program able to certify timestamps by combining aspects of blockchain technology with Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) tools.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The use case in question involves tying a piece of information to a particular transaction on a blockchain, establishing the state of that data at a particular point in time. Should that information be changed, additional transactions can be created that detail changes to the data.
Apple's application describes three possible methods for establishing timestamps, with one of these scenarios centering around a blockchain platform.
The program would generate a block containing a timestamp, with every subsequent block being added as miners verify each transaction conducted on the chain. This system is part of what Apple is calling a "multi-check architecture," meaning that another system would confirm the timestamp after the block is generated but before it is added to the chain.
According to the application, Apple would consider using a blockchain due to the decentralized security features it offers.
As the document notes:
“If any party attempts to alter a node some time earlier in the blockchain, each hash puzzle solution for block subsequent to the altered block becomes broken or incorrect. Each participant can see that such a broken blockchain does not agree with their own copy of the blockchain. The broken blockchain is thus not recognized by the nodes.”
The benefit of using a decentralized ledger to store timestamps is two-fold, according to the application. Not only can the proper time be maintained permanently, it states, but the network is also protected from corruption if a single node is compromised by malicious actors.
Image Credit: View Apart / Shutterstock.com
More For You
Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.
What to know:
Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.
The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.
More For You
Ethereum’s ERC-8004 aims to put identity and trust behind AI agents
A new Ethereum standard seeks to give AI agents portable identities and reputations, letting them interact across companies and chains without relying on centralized gatekeepers.
What to know:
- Ethereum developers are set to roll out ERC-8004, a new standard that gives AI software agents persistent on-chain identities and a shared framework for establishing credibility.
- The standard defines three registries—identity, reputation and validation—that let agents register themselves, collect reusable feedback and publish independent checks of their work on Ethereum or layer-2 networks.
- Framed as neutral infrastructure rather than a marketplace, ERC-8004 aims to enable interoperable, gatekeeper-free AI services on Ethereum, even as ether trades just above $3,000 after a recent price gain.
Top Stories
