FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to digital custody transactions. In particular, the invention relates to a method of initiating an asset send transaction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern digital transaction systems rely on blockchain technology to facilitate digital transactions. This technology is used increasingly in real world transactions to ensure independently verified secure transactions. Use of blockchain technology leads to the need for curation of blockchain assets by independent third parties.

The most significant growth in blockchain transactions has been in the market of smaller entities, which implies reduced unit value/increased volume transactions.

The adoption of blockchain assets has been in all goods and services markets such as legal firms, accounting firms, luxury goods market, exclusive art and the like.

However, as any blockchain asset is singular, the custody thereof is of critical importance and a combination of software and hardware custody systems are often preferred. The inventor therefore identified a need to provide a method to facilitate a blockchain transaction on a combination hardware/software custody system that is safe and secure, not vulnerable to attacks from hackers, only accessible by authorized parties and which provides adequate backup in event of failure.

It is to be appreciated that this specification is for a method of initiating an asset send transaction. However, to assist in the understanding of the specification, definitions are provided for the software/hardware on which the method is implemented. Generic terms used in the field of blockchain technology will not be explained as it is assumed that the addressee of the patent is a person skilled in the art of blockchain technology. Such generic terms should be given their ordinary meaning in this relevant field of technology.

A blockchain custody system is a software/hardwaresystem on which Blockchain transactions can be stored and accessed. Known access control methods are implemented to ensure blockchain transactions are only accessible by authorized users of the blockchain custody system.

The blockchain custody system includes a system on which is stored any one or more of: a plurality of organizations being listed for operation and access by authorized users; each organization has stored under it a number of accounts being listed for operation and access by authorized users; each account has stored under it a number of wallets being listed for operation and access by authorized users; each wallet has stored under it a number of assets being listed for operation and access by authorized users; and each asset has stored under it a plurality of private and public keys/addresses representing a balance stored on a blockchain.

Users are defined as any one of: a remote initiator; a remote authorizer; an asset owner is a person or entity which owns the asset of which the balance is stored on the blockchain.

Policy rules are predefined rules or criteria that each type of transaction have to conform to.

A biometrically enabled security device is a device comprising: a biometric reader operable to generate a seed of a secure random number in the form of an asymmetric cryptographic key pair known as Public/Private keys, the seed being generated from a biometric feature vector of a person; and a security controller operable to generate at least one secure random number from the seed generated by the biometric reader.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, in a blockchain custody system, there is provided a method of initiating an asset send transaction, which includes receiving an encrypted initiate send transaction message from a remote initiator, the remote initiator being the holder of a biometrically enabled security device; receiving an encrypted authorize/verify send transaction message from a remote authorizer; executing a sent transaction in accordance with the encrypted initiate send transaction message; and completing the send transaction on the blockchain custody system.

The method may include prior to receiving an encrypted initiate send transaction message from a remote initiator the step, by a remote initiator, of initiating the asset send transaction.

The step of initiating the asset send transaction by a remote initiator may include the following sequential steps: a remote initiator logs into a custody system; a remote initiator selects an organization from a list of organizations to which the remote initiator has access; a remote initiator selects an account from a list of accounts to which the remote initiator has access of the selected organization; a remote initiator selects a wallet from a list of wallets to which the remote initiator has access of the selected accounts to which the remote initiator has access; a remote initiator selects an asset from a list of assets to which the remote initiator has access of the selected wallets to which the remote initiator has access; a remote initiator is presented with a balance and any other relevant information of the selected asset; a remote initiator enters all relevant information required to which the selected asset should be transferred including, such as a destination address and an amount/value; and a remote initiator confirms/authorizes the asset send transaction.

The step of initiating the asset send transaction may include the step of displaying customizable fields to a remote initiator.

The step of entering a destination address to which the selected asset should be transferred may include any one of: entering the destination address manually; scanning the destination address which is presented in the form of a unique visual code, such as a QR code; selecting the destination address from a pre-populated list of destination addresses.

The step of initiating the asset send transaction may include the additional step of displaying a transaction fee and any other fees after the remote initiator entered an amount of the selected asset that should be transferred.

The step of initiating the asset send transaction may include the additional step of entering custom field values.

The method may include, prior to receiving an encrypted authorize/verify send transaction message from a remote authorizer the step, by at least one remote authorizer, of authorizing the asset send transaction.

The step of authorizing the asset send transaction may include the following sequential steps: a remote authorizer logs into a custody system; a remote authorizer selects an organization from a list of organizations to which the remote authorizer has access; a remote authorizer selects a pending send transaction from a list of pending send transactions; a remote authorizer views details of the selected pending send transaction; a remote authorizer then confirms/authorizes the send transaction.

The step of authorizing the asset send transaction may include the additional step of displaying custom field values to the remote authorizer. The step of authorizing the asset send transaction may then also include the step of entering custom field values.

The step of executing a sent transaction in accordance with the encrypted initiate send transaction message may include the following sequential steps: the blockchain custody system receives the encrypted initiate send transaction; the blockchain custody system receives the encrypted authorize verify send transaction messages; the blockchain custody system checks the send transaction against policy rules and predefined values; the blockchain custody system then sends the encrypted messages to an asset owner's biometrically enabled security device (being hosted on a security module in the blockchain custody system); the blockchain custody system receives the signed blockchain transaction from the asset owner's biometrically enabled security device; the blockchain custody system sends the signed blockchain transaction to remote processors to be mined.

The step of executing a send transaction may include the intermediary steps, between the sending of the encrypted messages to the initiator's biometrically enabled security device and the receiving of the signed blockchain transaction from the asset owner's biometrically enabled security device, of the owner's biometrically enabled security device authenticates and validates the initiator's encrypted message and other encrypted messages and checks the send transaction against policy rules and predefined values; and the owner's biometrically enabled security device signing the blockchain transaction using the encrypted messages.

The step of completing the send transaction on the blockchain custody system in the method of initiating an asset send transaction may include the following sequential steps: monitoring the blockchain transaction being sent for mining until the required threshold number of transaction confirmations have been met; marking the send transaction as complete once the required number of transaction confirmations has been met.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following figures.

FIGURE(S)

In the figures:

Figure 1 shows a high-level schematic flow diagram of a method of initiating an asset send transaction;

Figure 2 shows a more detailed schematic flow diagram of the method of initiating an asset send transaction of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows the steps of initiating the asset send transaction by a remote initiator in the method of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows the steps of authorizing the asset send transaction in the method of Figure 2;

Figure 5 shows the steps of executing a sent transaction in the method of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 shows the steps of completing the send transaction in the method of

Figure 2. In the figures, like reference numerals denote like parts of the invention unless otherwise indicated.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In Figure 1 a schematic flow diagram of a method of initiating an asset send transaction (10) is shown.

In the method of initiating an asset send transaction (10), which is implemented in a blockchain custody system, the method is initiated by receiving an encrypted initiate send transaction message at (12.1) from a remote initiator, the remote initiator being the holder of a biometrically enabled security device.

The method then receives an encrypted authorize/verify send transaction message from at least one remote authorizer at (14.1 ), then executes a sent transaction in accordance with the encrypted initiate send transaction message at (16), and terminates by completing the send transaction on the blockchain custody system at (18).

In Figure 2 illustrates a more detailed flow diagram of the method of initiating an asset send transaction, as shown in Figure 1.

The method that initiates at (12.1) with receiving an encrypted initiate send transaction message includes the step of initiating the asset send transaction at (12.0). The method may include, prior to receiving an encrypted authorize/verify send transaction message from the at least one remote authorizer at (14.1 ) the step, by at least one remote authorizer, of authorizing the asset send transaction at (14.0).

The step of initiating the asset send transaction (12.0) by a remote initiator includes the following sequential steps, that are shown in Figure 3:

At (12.2) a remote initiator logs into a custody system; At (12.3) the remote initiator selects an organization from a list of organizations to which the remote initiator has access;

At (12.4) the remote initiator selects an account from a list of accounts to which the remote initiator has access of the selected organization;

At (12.5) the remote initiator selects a wallet from a list of wallets to which the remote initiator has access of the selected accounts to which the remote initiator has access;

At (12.6) the remote initiator selects an asset from a list of assets to which the remote initiator has access of the selected wallets to which the remote initiator has access;

At (12.7) the remote initiator is presented with a balance and any other relevant information of the selected asset;

At (12.8) and (12.9) the remote initiator enters all relevant information required to which the selected asset should be transferred such as a destination address and an amount/value a destination address to which the selected asset should be transferred; and

At (12.10) the remote initiator confirms/authorizes the asset send transaction.

As can be seen, at (12.12), the step of initiating the asset send transaction includes displaying customizable fields to a remote initiator.

The step (12.8) of entering a destination address to which the selected asset should be transferred can include any one of: entering the destination address manually, scanning the destination address which is presented in the form of a unique visual code, such as a QR code, selecting the destination address from a prepopulated list of destination addresses.

As can be seen there is provided for the additional step at (12.13) of displaying a transaction fee and any other fees after the remote initiator entered an amount of the selected asset that should be transferred.

Furthermore, at (12.14) there is provided the additional step of entering custom field values. The step of authorizing the asset send transaction (14.0) includes the following sequential steps, that are shown in Figure 4:

At (14.2) a remote authorizer logs into a custody system;

At (14,3) a remote authorizer selects an organization from a list of organizations to which the remote authorizer has access;

At (14,4) a remote authorizer selects a pending send transaction from a list of pending send transactions;

At (14.5) a remote authorizer view details of the selected pending send transaction;

At (14.6) a remote authorizer then confirms/authorizes the send transaction.

At (14.7), the step of authorizing the asset send transaction includes the additional step of displaying custom field values to the remote authorizer. At (14.8) the step of authorizing the asset send transaction then also includes the step of entering custom field values.

It is to be appreciated, if multiple authorizers are to authorize a transaction, step (14.0) may be repeated multiple times.

Figure 5 shows the step of executing a sent transaction (16) in accordance with the method (10) in more detail.

The step of executing a sent transaction (16) in accordance with the encrypted send transaction message includes the following sequential steps:

At (16.1 ) the blockchain custody system receives the encrypted initiate send transaction;

At (16.2) the blockchain custody system receives the encrypted authorize verify send transaction messages;

At (16.3) the blockchain custody system checks the send transaction against policy rules and predefined values; At (16.4) the blockchain custody system then sends the encrypted messages to the asset owner's biometrically enabled security device (being hosted on a security module in the blockchain custody system);

At (16.5) the asset owner's biometrically enabled security device authenticates and validates the initiator's encrypted message and other encrypted messages and checks the send transaction against policy rules and predefined values;

At (16.6) the asset owner's biometrically enabled security device signs the blockchain transaction using the encrypted messages;

At (16.7) the blockchain custody system receives the signed blockchain transaction from the asset owner's biometrically enabled security device;

At (16.8) the blockchain custody system sends the signed blockchain transaction to remote processors to be mined.

As shown in Figure 6, the step of completing the send transaction (18) on the blockchain custody system in the method (10) of initiating an asset send transaction includes the following sequential steps:

At (18.1 ) the blockchain transaction being sent for mining is monitored until the required threshold number of transaction confirmations have been met;

At (18.2) the send transaction is marked as complete once the required number of transaction confirmations has been met.

The inventor believes that the invention provides a novel method of initiating an asset send transaction which will be of particular use in a method to facilitate a blockchain transaction on a combination hardware/software custody system that is safe and secure, not vulnerable to attacks from hackers, only accessible by authorized parties and which provides adequate backup in event of failure.