METHOD AND DEVICE FOR OPERATING A DISTRIBUTED APPLICATION

Abstract

A method for operating an application distributed between a first system, a second system, and a third system on a transaction channel shared by the systems. In the method, the third system consents to a state transition of the application under particular conditions, the first system and the second system initiate by mutual agreement the state transition via the transaction channel, and the application carries out the state transition automatically if the conditions are present.

Claims

1. A method for operating an application distributed between a first system, a second system, and a third system on a transaction channel shared by the first, second, and third systems, the method comprising the following steps: consenting, by the third system, to a state transition of the application under particular conditions; initiating, by the first system and the second system, by mutual agreement the state transition via the transaction channel; and carrying out, by the application, the state transition automatically when the conditions are present.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transaction channel is anchored in a blockchain.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the first system, the second system, and the third system use a shared script language, and the presence of the conditions is checked in the script language.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the conditions relate to a shared oracle, and the check includes a call-up of the oracle.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, the state transition marks a financial transaction in a shared cryptocurrency, and the blockchain serves the first, second, and third systems as a distributed ledger of the cryptocurrency.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein: the first system and the second system are identical, and/or the first system and the third system are identical, and/or the second system and the third system are identical.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable memory medium on which is stored a computer program for operating an application distributed between a first system, a second system, and a third system on a transaction channel shared by the first, second, and third systems, the computer program, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform the following steps: consenting, by the third system, to a state transition of the application under particular conditions; initiating, by the first system and the second system, by mutual agreement the state transition via the transaction channel; and carrying out, by the application, the state transition automatically when the conditions are present.

8. A device configured to operate an application distributed between a first system, a second system, and a third system on a transaction channel shared by the first, second, and third systems, the device configured to: consent, by the third system, to a state transition of the application under particular conditions; initiate, by the first system and the second system, by mutual agreement the state transition via the transaction channel; and carry out, by the application, the state transition automatically when the conditions are present.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are represented in the figures and explained in greater detail in the description below.

[0013] FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a method according to one first specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 2 schematically shows a control unit according to one second specific embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates the basic sequence of a method 10 according to the present invention, which is now explained based on the following application example: a complex dApp is provided distributed between five systems A through E, within the scope of which a sequence of moves generates currency transactions or other state transitions, which affect only systems A and B. It is further assumed that systems C, D, and E—in a form previously agreed upon between all systems—would have consented to all state transitions of the application not affecting them (process 11).

[0016] In this initial scenario, A and B, for example, now initiate via the shared transaction channel a transition of the dApp (process 12), which each relates solely to their individual state, but not to the state of systems C through E. In this case, the transition completed and countersigned solely by A and B represents a valid transition, which is also able to be proven unequivocally in the blockchain (on-chain), since in the present case the condition would have been met.

[0017] This method 10 may be implemented in software or in hardware or in a mixed form of software and hardware, for example, in a control unit 20, as illustrated by the schematic representation of FIG. 2.

[0018] Example embodiments of the present invention are set forth in the following numbered paragraphs.

[0019] Paragraph 1. A method (10) for operating an application distributed between a first system, a second system, and a third system on a transaction channel shared by the systems, characterized by the following features: [0020] the third system consents (11) to a state transition of the application under particular conditions, [0021] the first system and the second system initiate (12) by mutual agreement the state transition via the transaction channel and [0022] the application carries out the state transition automatically (13) if the conditions are present.

[0023] Paragraph 2. The method (10) as recited in Paragraph 1, characterized by the following feature: [0024] the transaction channel is anchored in a blockchain.

[0025] Paragraph 3. The method (10) as recited in Paragraph 2, characterized by the following features: [0026] the first system, the second system and the third system use a shared script language and [0027] the presence of the conditions is checked in the script language.

[0028] Paragraph 4. The method (10) as recited in Paragraph 3, characterized by the following features: [0029] the conditions relate to a shared oracle and [0030] the check includes a call-up of the oracle.

[0031] Paragraph 5. The method (10) as recited in one of Paragraphs 2 through 4, characterized by the following features: [0032] the state transition marks a financial transaction in a shared cryptocurrency and [0033] the blockchain serves the systems as a distributed ledger of the cryptocurrency.

[0034] Paragraph 6. The method (10) as recited in one of paragraphs 1 through 5, characterized by at least one of the following features: [0035] the first system and the second system are identical, [0036] the first system and the third system are identical, or [0037] the second system and the third system are identical.

[0038] Paragraph 7. A computer program, which is configured to carry out the method (10) as recited in one of Paragraphs 1 through 6.

[0039] Paragraph 8. A machine-readable memory medium, on which the computer program as recited in Paragraph 7 is stored.

[0040] Paragraph 9. A device, which is configured to carry out the method (10) as recited in one of Paragraphs 1 through 6.