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United States Patent 9855785 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent January 02, 2018 Inventor(s) Nagelberg; Alexander B. et al. ## Digitally encoded seal for document verification ### Abstract Techniques are described for generating a seal that is applicable to an object, and scanning the seal to access encoded data to be used for verifying one or more characteristics of the object. The seal may be applied to a tangible document, such as a document printed on paper. The seal may encode data that is particularly associated with the document. For example, the seal may encode a hash of at least a portion of the information (e.g., text) included in the document. In some instances, the seal may encode a digital version and/or metadata of at least a portion of the information in the document. A scan of the seal may retrieve information useable to verify the authorship, provenance, originality, and/or unaltered contents of the documents. In some instances, the seal may encode information that enables the presentation of hidden information and/or metadata associated with the document. Inventors: Nagelberg; Alexander B. (San Antonio, TX), Cairns; Michael Justin (Helotes, TX) Applicant: UIPCO, LLC (San Antonio, TX) Family ID: 60805159 Assignee: UIPCO, LLC (San Antonio, TX) Appl. No.: 15/477969 Filed: April 03, 2017 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 62317923 20160404 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06K5/00 (20060101); B42D25/305 (20140101); G06K1/12 (20060101); G06K7/10 (20060101); G06K19/06 (20060101); G06K7/14 (20060101); G06F17/30 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC B42D25/305 (20141001); G06F17/30011 (20130101); G06F17/30879 (20130101); G06K1/121 (20130101); G06K7/10722 (20130101); G06K7/1413 (20130101); G06K7/1417 (20130101); G06K19/06028 (20130101); G06K19/06037 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06K (7/1408); G06K (7/1417); G06K (7/1426); G06K (7/1439); G06K (1/121); G06K (19/06037); B42D (25/30); B42D (25/305); G06F (21/608); G06F (21/64) ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 7197644 12/2006 Brewington 380/243 H04N 1/32133 7333001 12/2007 Lane 340/10.1 G06K 19/025 9084078 12/2014 Flanagan N/A H04W 4/023 9369287 12/2015 Sarvestani N/A G06F 21/608 2007/0220614 12/2006 Ellis 726/27 G06F 21/6245 2009/0006860 12/2008 Ross 713/189 H04L 63/126 2009/0031135 12/2008 Kothandaraman 713/176 G06F 21/64 2009/0180698 12/2008 Ramani 382/219 G06K 9/2063 2013/0050765 12/2012 Zhan 358/3.01 G06K 9/00463 Primary Examiner: Le; Thien M Assistant Examiner: Taylor; April Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fish & Richardson P.C. ### Background/Summary CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION (1) The present disclosure is related to, and claims priority to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/317,923, titled "Digitally Encoded Seal for Document Verification," which was filed on Apr. 4, 2016, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference into the present disclosure. BACKGROUND (1) Prior to the twentieth century, wax seals were employed to personalize a document, and provide an indication of the document's origin and authenticity. Today, similar physical seals are still used by notaries as proof that a signature was officially witnessed, but otherwise a seal is primarily used as a symbolic or ceremonial decoration. Given the ease of replicating a seal using modern equipment, seals are no longer useful for verifying authorship or authenticity of a document. In the digital world, certificates and encryption keys have, in some ways, taken the place of seals to provide security and/or authenticity for digital documents, pages, programs, and other types of digital media. However, traditional digital certificates and encryption keys are not useable for securing printed documents. SUMMARY (2) Implementations of the present disclosure are generally directed to the generation and use of a seal that encodes information regarding an object. More specifically, implementations are directed to generating, and applying to a tangible document, a seal that encodes information associated with the document, and retrieving the encoded information through a scan of the seal to determine characteristic(s) of the document such as its authorship, originality, provenance, unaltered contents, hidden information, and so forth. (3) Innovative aspects of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that includes actions of: determining data associated with a document; generating a seal that is applicable to a tangible version of the document, the seal encoding the data that is associated with the document; based on a scan of the seal applied to the tangible version of the document, receiving the data that is encoded in the seal; and employing the data to verify at least one characteristic of the tangible version of the document. (4) Implementations can optionally include one or more of the following features: the seal includes a barcode having at least one dimension; scanning the seal includes optically scanning at least a portion of the barcode to determine the data; the seal includes a near field communication (NFC) tag; scanning the seal includes receiving, from the NFC tag, a signal that encodes the data; the NFC tag is configured to remove the data from the NFC tag in response to a first instance of scanning of the NFC tag; the data is employed to verify that the tangible version of the document has not been altered since the seal was applied; the data includes a hash of information in the document; verifying that the tangible version of the document has not been altered since the seal was applied includes determining a current hash of the information in the document and comparing the current hash to the hash encoded in the seal; the data includes an identifier; verifying that the tangible version of the document has not been altered since the seal was applied includes sending the identifier to a back-end service and, in response, receiving a hash of information in the document, determining a current hash of the information in the document, and comparing the current hash to the hash encoded in the seal; the data includes information indicating a source of the tangible version of the document; the data is employed to verify the source; the actions further include employing the data to determine an address on a blockchain network; and/or the actions further include accessing funds stored at the address. (5) Innovative aspects of the subject matter described in this specification can also be embodied in a seal application device that includes: a scanner; an applicator; at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receiving at least one image of a document, the at least one image generated by the scanner; determining, based on the at least one image, data associated with the document; and instructing the applicator to generate a seal that encodes the data associated with the document, the seal being applicable to a tangible version of the document. (6) Implementations can optionally include one or more of the following features: the operations further include instructing the applicator to apply the seal to the tangible version of the document; the seal is a barcode, of at least one dimension, that encodes the data; the seal includes a near field communication (NFC) tag configured to emit a signal that encodes the data; the data encoded in the seal includes a hash of information in the document; the data encoded in the seal includes an identifier of the document; and/or the identifier is received, through a network interface of the seal application device, from an external service. (7) Other implementations of any of the above aspects include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs that are configured to perform the actions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices. The present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium coupled to one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations in accordance with implementations of the methods provided herein. The present disclosure further provides a system for implementing the methods provided herein. The system includes one or more processors, and a computer-readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations in accordance with implementations of the methods provided herein. (8) Implementations of the present disclosure provide one or more of the following advantages. Implementations provide for a seal that may be employed to verify the authenticity, origin, authorship, signature, and/or unaltered contents of a document. Traditional verification systems may employ costlier methods to authenticate a document, such as a more cumbersome analysis of a person's signature, analysis of the material on which the document is printed, chemical analysis of ink, and so forth. Accordingly, implementations provide a document verification system that may consume less time, less processing capacity, less memory, less storage, less network capacity, and generally fewer computing resources than traditional document verification systems. Moreover, by enabling a user to self-notarize a document as described further below, implementations enable the user to forego use of a third party notary when signing an official document. The implementations described herein provide a seal that is more secure, easier to inspect, and harder to fool than traditional techniques for verifying the authenticity, origin, authorship, signature, and/or unaltered contents of a document. (9) It is appreciated that methods in accordance with the present disclosure can include any combination of the aspects and features described herein. That is, methods in accordance with the present disclosure are not limited to the combinations of aspects and features specifically described herein, but also include any combination of the aspects and features provided. (10) The details of one or more implementations of the present disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS (1) FIG. 1 depicts an example system for applying and scanning a seal that encodes data for document verification, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (2) FIG. 2 depicts an example system for applying a seal that encodes data for document verification, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (3) FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for applying and scanning a seal that encodes data for document verification, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (4) FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for scanning a seal to verify that a document has not been altered, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (5) FIG. 5 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for scanning a seal to verify the source and/or authenticity of a document, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (6) FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for scanning a seal to verify that a document is an authorized (e.g., original) version of the document, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (7) FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for presenting hidden and/or encrypted data of a document using information encoded in a seal, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (8) FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for employing a seal to facilitate physical transfer of digital currency, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (9) FIG. 9 depicts an example computing system, according to implementations of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (10) Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to systems, devices, methods, and computer-readable media for applying a seal to a document or other tangible (e.g., physical) object, and scanning the seal to access encoded data to be used for verifying one or more characteristics of the document or other object. A seal may be applied to a tangible document, such as a document printed on paper. In some examples, the document may be a legal document such as a contract, lease, bill of sale, license, property title, and so forth. The seal may encode data that is particularly associated with the document. For example, the seal may encode a hash of at least a portion of the information (e.g., text) included in the document. In some instances, the seal may encode a digital version (e.g., image(s) and/or text data) of at least a portion of the information in the document. The seal may also encode metadata regarding the document such as an indication of the source (e.g., author) of the document, a creation date and/or time of the document, a date and/or time when the seal was applied to the document; an indication of the topic, type, or subject matter of the document; and/or other metadata. (11) In some implementations, the seal may be an optically scannable barcode having one or more dimensions. For example, the seal may be a one-dimensional barcode formatted according to a version of the Universal Product Code (UPC) format or other format. As another example, the seal may be a two-dimensional (e.g., matrix) barcode formatted according to a version of the Quick Response (QR) code format or other format. In some instances, the seal may be a three-dimensional barcode in which information is encoded in a depth dimension as well as along a width and/or length dimension. The seal may be imprinted onto a surface of the document using ink or using lasers to char the document according to the particular pattern of the seal. The seal may encode the data and/or metadata associated with the document on which the seal is placed, and the data and/or metadata may be retrieved by scanning the seal. The seal may be scanned using optical and/or infrared light, or using emissions in any other appropriate portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. (12) In some implementations, the seal may be a tag that is scannable using radio frequency emissions. For example, the seal may be a near field communication (NFC) tag and/or radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that emits a radio frequency signal that includes the data encoded in the tag. (13) The seal may be scanned to retrieve the data and/or metadata encoded therein. The retrieved information may be employed to verify one or more characteristics of the document as described below. In some implementations, the encoded data may include a hash of the contents of the document. The encoded hash may be compared to current hash of the document contents to determine whether the document has been altered since the seal was applied. In some example, a document may be notarized by applying the seal to the document. The document with the applied seal may be transferred between parties by hand, through the mail, by fax, or through other methods. A recipient of the document may scan the seal to retrieve the encoded data, the data may be analyzed to determine whether the document has been altered or tampered with in some way. (14) In instances where the encoded data includes metadata that describes an author, creator, and/or other source of the document, the encoded source information may be employed to verify the source and/or authenticity of the document. In this way, the seal may be employed with a signature on a document to indicate that the signature is an authoritative signature, e.g., to verify the identity of the signer. The seal may also enable verification of the authorship of a document. The seal may be employed for signing receipts for goods of purchase. The seal may also be employed to provide an authoritative signature on official documents such as deeds, titles, contracts, and so forth. (15) In some instances, the encoded data may include an identifier of the document, and the encoded data may be employed to determine whether the scanned physical document is an original or otherwise authorized version of the document. Given the unique nature of the seal, as described further below, the use of the seal may prevent a forgery of the document. In some implementations, the seal may encode an identifier or other information that provides access to information stored in a blockchain or other type of data storage. The information may provide for an audit trail that describes the history, authorship, provenance, and/or ownership of the document, or other information. The seal may enable duplicate documents to be interrogated and invalidated if they do not include the appropriate seal. In this way, the seal may be employed for notarizing documents as a supplement and/or replacement for traditional notarization methods. (16) In some implementations, the seal may be employed in conjunction with a blockchain network to enable the transfer of digital currency and/or crypto-currency (e.g., BitCoin™) using physical objects, such as printed notes. A seal may be applied to a paper note or other object, and the seal may encode data that is a blockchain address associated with funds. In some instances, the encoded data may include a private key used to access the address. The note may then be transferred to a recipient, who may scan the seal, retrieve the encoded data, and use the encoded address and/or key to access the funds. In some implementations, the sender may employ a seal application device to apply the seal to the note. The device may include a secure portion of storage (e.g., a digital wallet) and one or more software modules to enable a user to view an available balance in their account(s) and select an amount of funds to transfer. The device may interact with a blockchain network to generate a new address, and apply the seal that encodes the address and/or the key. In some implementations, the generation of the address is performed offline (e.g., mathematically), and the transfer of funds is performed on the (e.g., blockchain) network. In some implementations, and encoded address and/or key may be readable by an authorized recipient who is authenticated based on their own key or other credentials. The seal may include a NFC and/or RFID tag that is configured with logic such that, after a first scan of the tag, the tag reprograms itself to be no longer readable. In this way, implementations may enable a single read of the encoded data and thus enable the funds to be accessed by the authorized recipient but not others. Use of such a seal may prevent anyone from making a copy of the note on which the seal is affixed, and using the copies to gain access to the funds on the blockchain network. Through the use of such seals, implementations may provide a link between physical notes and digital currency on blockchains. (17) In some implementations, the data encoded in the seal may be destroyed after the first read, but the funds may still be accessible using a multi-signature technique. For example, a trusted authority and one other signer may release the funds, e.g., two of the three signatures may suffice to release the funds. This may allow recovery of the encoded data even after a bad first read of the seal has been performed that caused the destruction of the encoded data. (18) Implementations may also provide a link between physical objects and other types of information stored on blockchains. For example, a seal application device that applies the seal and/or a scanning device that scans the seal, may be linked with a user identity stored on a blockchain. This may enable a user in possession of a physical document to use their device to scan the seal on the document and receive information about who signed the document, who authored the document, and/or other metadata regarding the document. Such information may be stored on blockchains or other suitable types of data storage. The seal may also link a physical document to a digital manifest associated with the document. (19) The use of a seal in conjunction with information stored on blockchains or other data storage may enable an authorized user to view data and/or metadata that is not in the document itself, but that is associated with the document. In some implementations, different users may be able to access different sets of data and/or metadata regarding a document, based on different user privileges. Different users may have different private keys that are associated with a same public key for accessing the data and/or metadata regarding a document. For example, a doctor may sign a medical chart for a patient, and the chart may be shared with an insurance company. The insurance company may be able to access a subset of the data and/or metadata associated with the document, whereas the doctor and/or patient may be able to access a complete set of data and/or metadata for the chart. (20) Implementations may provide an application (e.g., app) that executes on smartphone or other (e.g., portable) computing devices. The application may provide an augmented view of a document, augmented to include data and/or metadata accessible to the particular user viewing the document. For example, the application may display private fields of information for which the user is granted access, and such private fields may be super-imposed over an image of the document captured using the device's camera. The application may examine a document and un-censor some or all of the document for a particular user. The device's camera and/or NFC reader may detect and scan the seal, and decrypt the encoded data using a key that is stored on the device. The encoded data may include additional information and/or metadata regarding the document, and the application may display the encoded data alongside in the visible text of the document in a user interface of the application. (21) Although examples herein may describe applying a seal to a document, implementations are not limited to this particular use. The seal may be applied to any suitable physical (e.g., tangible) object to provide an indication of the authenticity, source, non-altered state, and/or other characteristic(s) of the object. For example, the seal may be applied to a parcel, machine component (e.g., auto part), piece of art, antique, book, or any other suitable object whose authenticity, originality, authorship, and/or provenance may be questioned. (22) FIG. 1 depicts an example system for applying and scanning a seal that encodes data for document verification, according to implementations of the present disclosure. As shown in the example of FIG. 1, a document 102 may be accessed by a source 104. In some examples, the source 104 may be an author of the document 102. The source 104 may also be a signatory and/or signer of the document 102, or other individual associated with the document 102. In some implementations, the source 104 may employ a seal application device 106 by apply a seal 110 to the document 102. The seal application device 106 is described further with reference to FIG. 2. In some implementations, the seal application device 106 may scan at least a portion of the document 102 and generate data 116 to be encoded in the seal 110. For example, the encoded data 116 may include a hash of at least a portion of the contents (e.g., text data) of the document 102. The encoded data 116 may also include image(s) of at least a portion of the document 102, text data from the document 102, or other information. As described above, the encoded data 116 may include metadata, such as an identification of the source 104. (23) After the seal 110 is applied to the document 102, the document 102 may be accessed by other individual(s) and/or the source 104. The accessing individual(s) may employ a scanning device 112 to scan the seal 110 on the document 102. In some implementations, the scanning device 112 may include a scanning module 114 configured to scan the seal 110 and retrieve the encoded data 116 from the seal 110. The scanning module 114 may include hardware and/or software components. For example, in instances where the seal 110 is a scannable barcode, the scanning module 114 may include a suitable barcode scanner and/or camera to generate an image of the seal 110. The scanning module 114 may include software components that decode the barcode to generate the encoded data 116. In some instances, the tag may include active component(s) to perform processing on the tag instead of, or in addition to, the processing performed by the hardware and/or software components of the scanning device 112. (24) In instances where the seal 110 is a passive NFC and/or RFID tag, the scanning module 114 may include a transmitter to send a probe (e.g., interrogation) signal to the tag and a receiver to receive the radio frequency signal emitted from the tag in response to the probe signal. In instances where the seal is an active NFC and/or RFID tag, the scanning module 114 may include a receiver to receive the radio frequency signal emitted from the tag. The scanning module 114 may also include software components to analyze the signal from the tag and extracted the encoded data 116 from the signal. (25) The encoded data 116 may be provided to a verification module 118 executing on the scanning device 112. Based on the encoded data 116, the verification module 118 may generate verification result(s) 120 indicating whether or not particular characteristic(s) of the document 102 have been verified based at least partly on the encoded data 116. Operations of the seal application device 106 and scanning device 112 are described further with reference to FIG. 3. The various types of verification based on encoded data 116 are described further with reference to FIGS. 4-7. (26) Although the example of FIG. 1 shows the seal application device 106 and the scanning device 112 as separate devices, implementations are not so limited. In some implementations, a device may be configured to perform operations for applying the seal, scanning the seal to determine the encoded data 116, and/or analyzing the encoded data 116 to verify characteristic(s) of the document 102. In some instances, such a device may be a portable and/or mobile computing device such as a smartphone, tablet computer, and so forth, and the device may include hardware and/or software components to perform operations for seal application, scanning, and verification. In some instances, the device may be a portable device that is particularly configured to operate as the seal application device 106 and/or the scanning device 112. (27) FIG. 2 depicts an example system for applying a seal 110 that encodes data 116 for document verification, according to implementations of the present disclosure. The seal application device 106 may include a scanner 202. The scanner 202 may be configured to capture one or more images 206 of at least a portion of the document 102. For example, the scanner 202 may be a camera. The image(s) 206 may be provided to one or more analysis modules 208 executing on the seal application device 106. The analysis module(s) 208 may analyze the image(s) 206 and generate data 116 to be encoded in the seal 110. For example, the analysis module(s) 208 may perform optical character recognition (OCR) to generate text data based on the image(s) 206. The analysis module(s) 208 may hash the text data, using any suitable hashing algorithm, to generate data 116 that includes a hash of the text data. In some instances, the data 116 may include at least a portion of the generated text data and/or the captured image(s) 206. The data 116 may be provided to an applicator 204. In some implementations, the applicator 204 may be a printing component that prints the seal 110 onto the document 102. The seal 110 may encode the data 116 as described above. (28) In some implementations, the seal application device 106 may include one or more network interfaces 210 to enable the analysis module(s) 208 to communicate with external service(s) 212 (e.g., remove service(s)) over one or more wired and/or wireless networks. The external service(s) 212 may be back-end service(s) that execute on one or more server devices to support the application and use of seals 110 for verifying characteristic(s) of documents 102. The analysis module(s) 208 may communicate with the external service(s) 212 to determine the data 116 to be encoded in the seal 110. For example, the analysis module(s) 208 may communicate the hash of the document 102 to the external service(s) 212, which may respond with an identifier. The identifier may be included in the data 116 that is encoded in the seal 110. The external service(s) 212 may store a mapping between the identifier and the hash, to enable the hash to be subsequently retrieved based on the identifier. (29) The analysis module(s) 208 may also determine a source 104, e.g., the user currently logged into and/or using the seal application device 106. An identification of the source 104 and/or other metadata regarding the document 102 may be included in the data 116 encoded in the seal 110. Such metadata may also be communicated to the external service(s) 212 for storage. In some implementations, e.g., where the seal includes an NFC tag, the tag may negotiate credentials (e.g., directly). For example, the tag may receive a challenge and send back an encrypted and/or unrepeatable response using the challenge and the stored data. (30) The applicator 204 may use any appropriate method for representing digital information in a physical seal 110 applied to the document 102. For example, the data 116 may be represented in a format such as base 58 or other binary-to-text encoding schemes that use alphanumeric text to represent numeric (e.g., binary) data. As described above, the applicator 204 generate a seal 110 that is a scannable barcode of one or more dimensions. The applicator 204 may be a printer that uses heat to transfer ink, and/or laser(s) to burn paper to leave an imprint that is a seal 110. (31) In some implementations, the applicator 204 may be an electro-mechanical stamp configured to transfer ink to the document 102 to print the seal 110. For example, the applicator 204 may include an array of electro-mechanical shutters that each is in either an open or closed state at any time. A shutter may be configured such that it takes up ink in one state and does not take up ink in the other state. The applicator 204 may send the appropriate signals to cause the shutters to be in a particular state, to create a printable pattern that is the seal 110. For example, a matrix barcode (e.g., QR code) can contain as few as 500 pixels as two dimensions, and may not require fine precision to be accurately scannable. The applicator 204 may include the appropriate number (e.g., 500) shutters to print the matrix barcode. The user (e.g., source 104) may press the seal application device 106 onto an ink pad to enable the shutters to take up ink depending on their state, and the user may press the inked device 106 onto the document 102 to apply the seal 110. (32) Implementations also support the use of other types of applicators 204. For example, the applicator 204 may include a dynamically configurable hole punch that cuts a QR code or other type of seal 110 into the surface of the document 102 or through the document 102. In some implementations, the applicator 204 may be configured to release and/or affix a NFC tag onto the surface of the document 102 after having encoded the tag to include key(s), metadata, logic, and/or other information. (33) In some implementations, the seal application device 106 may reset and/or change keys when it detects the two impacts (e.g., one for stamping in ink, another for imprinting). The analysis module(s) 208 may generate a new key, a new hash, or otherwise different data 116 to be encoded into the seal 110, ensuring that each applied seal 110 is unique compared to other seals 110 applied by the same seal application device 106. (34) In some implementations, a NFC and/or RFID tag may be employed as the seal 110. A user may have access to a set of tags that are preprogrammed to encode a particular key or identifier. A tag may be affixed to a document 102 as the seal 110, and the seal application device 106 may scan the tag to retrieve the encoded key or identifier. The encoded information may then be communicated to the external service(s) 212 which may associate the key or identifier with other information regarding the document 102, such as a hash of the document 102. A subsequent scan of the tag by the scanning device 112 may access the key or identifier encoded in the tag, and that key or identifier may be used to retrieve the hash or other information regarding the document 102 from the external service(s) 212. The retrieved information may then be employed to verify that the document 102 has not been altered since the seal 110 was applied, or to verify other characteristic(s) of the document 102. As described above, the tag may be configured to morph and/or erase at least a portion of its encoded data to ensure that the tag may only be scanned once. A NFC and/or RFID tag may be used in the seal 110 instead of, or as a supplement to, the scannable barcode described above. (35) In some implementations, a multi-signature scheme may be employed to recover data encoded in a NFC and/or RFID tag after a first read, e.g., if the first read is bad or otherwise fails to retrieve the encoded data and causes the destruction of the encoded data. For example, two out of three possible keys may be used to retrieve and/or unlock the information, where the first key is with the receiver of the funds, the second key is with the sender, and the third key is with a trusted third party authority. (36) FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for applying and scanning a seal that encodes data for document verification, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of the scanning module 114, the verification module 118, the analysis module(s) 208, the external service(s) 212, and/or other software module(s) executing on the seal application device 106, the scanning device 112, or elsewhere. (37) A document 102 may be accessed (302). The document 102 may be analyzed to determine (304) data 116 that is particularly associated with the document 102. For example, a hash of at least a portion of the contents of the document 102 may be determined. Other data 116 may also be determined, such as metadata describing the source 104, creation date, seal date, topic, document type, or other information regarding the document 102. In some implementations, the data 116 may include the image(s) 206 of the document 102 and/or OCR-generated text data of the document 102. In some implementations, the data 116 may include a (e.g., unique) identifier that is associated with other information at the external service(s) 212. For example, the identifier may map to the hash of the document 102, metadata for the document 102, image(s) 206 of the document 102, OCR-generated text data for the document, and/or other information. (38) The seal 110 may be applied (306) to the document 102 such that the seal 110 encodes the data 116. The sealed document 102 may then be provided (308), or at least made available, for access by various individuals who may have an interest in the document 102. The receiving individual(s) may employ a scanning device 112. The seal 110 may be scanned (310) to receive the encoded data 116. The data 116 may be employed (312) to verify various characteristic(s) of the document 102, such as its authenticity, the authenticity of a signature, original authorship, source, unaltered contents, and/or other aspects. (39) FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for scanning a seal 110 to verify that a document 102 has not been altered, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of the scanning module 114, the verification module 118, the analysis module(s) 208, the external service(s) 212, and/or other software module(s) executing on the seal application device 106, the scanning device 112, or elsewhere. (40) The seal 110 may be scanned (402) and, in response to the scan, the encoded data 116 may be received (404). In some implementations, the seal 110 may encode a hash of the document 102, and the hash may be received in response to the scan. In some implementations, the seal 110 may encode an identifier. The identifier may be sent to the external service(s) 212, which may respond with the previously determined hash for the document 102 and/or other information regarding the document 102. In some instances, the external service(s) 212 may include a distributed ledger system (e.g., blockchain system) with identity management, which supports immutable records and/or version(s) of the document 102. The document 102 may be imaged and/or analyzed (406) to determine a current hash of the document 102. The current hash is compared (408) with the previously generated hash that was either encoded in the seal 110 or stored by the external service(s) 212. Based on the comparison, a determination may be made whether the document 102 has been altered (e.g., edited, tampered with, corrupted) since the seal 110 was applied, given that an alteration of the document 102 would cause a change in the hash. In some implementations, the comparison between hashes may be a fuzzy comparison may tolerate (e.g., allow) small variances between the hashes, to account for possible infidelity in the scanning process. In such implementations, a correspondence between the hashes may be determined if the hashes match or if the hashes are within a predetermined threshold tolerance of one another. (41) FIG. 5 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for scanning a seal 110 to verify the source 104 and/or authenticity of a document 102, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of the scanning module 114, the verification module 118, the analysis module(s) 208, the external service(s) 212, and/or other software module(s) executing on the seal application device 106, the scanning device 112, or elsewhere. (42) The seal 110 may be scanned (502) and, in response to the scan, the encoded data 116 may be received (504). In some implementations, the seal 110 may encode data indicating a source 104 (e.g., author or signer) of the document 102, and the source indicator may be received in response to the scan. In some implementations, the seal 110 may encode an identifier. The identifier may be sent to the external service(s) 212, which may respond with the previously determined source indicator for the document 102 and/or other information regarding the document 102. The source indicator may be employed (506) to verify the identity of the source 104, the authenticity of the document 102, and/or the authenticity of the source 104. (43) In some instances, a source 104 or other user may have personal seal(s) that are uniquely associated with the user, and they may employ such a seal with their signature on a document 102 to enable others to verify that they signature is authentic. In this way, implementations provide for a self-notarization process that does not require a 3.sup.rd party notary. In some instances, the user may employ the seal application device 106 to apply a different seal 110 each time it is used, with each seal 110 being associated with the user. For example, as described with reference to FIG. 2, a printed seal 110 may be altered with each instance of sealing, such that each seal 110 is unique associated with the particular document 102 being sealed while still being associated with the user. Use of different seals 110 for a particular user may provide for seals 110 that are more secure than reused, duplicate seals 110, given that the single seal 110 may be more easily copied or forged. A user may have their own key or other credentials, and the user may encrypt the information in the seal using their particular key or credentials. (44) In some implementations, a signature may include a public portion and a one-time encrypted portion. The signature may provide unique data while indicating that it is from a particular user. For example, a signature can include information that identifies the author, and a token and/or one-time visible data in a hash such that a viewer can determine that a public key matches the signature as well as verify that the message (e.g., token) was signed with that key. (45) FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for scanning a seal 110 to verify that a document 102 is an authorized (e.g., original) version of the document, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of the scanning module 114, the verification module 118, the analysis module(s) 208, the external service(s) 212, and/or other software module(s) executing on the seal application device 106, the scanning device 112, or elsewhere. (46) The seal 110 may be scanned (602) and, in response to the scan, the encoded data 116 may be received (604). In some implementations, the seal 110 may encode a (e.g., unique) identifier associated with the document 102, and the document identifier may be received in response to the scan. The encoded document identifier may be employed (606) to verify that the document 102 being scanned is the original and/or authorized copy of the document 102, instead of an unauthorized copy (e.g., a forgery). For example, the encoded document identifier may be compared with a document identifier previously stored by the external service(s) 212, the stored document identifier associated with the document 102 by the external service(s) 212. Based on a correspondence between the encoded identifier and the stored identifier, the authenticity of the document 102 may be verified. In some implementations, the seal 110 may be a NFC and/or RFID tag that is configured to erase its stored data and/or logic in response to an initial scan of the tag, thus ensuring that the tag may only be read once. In some implementations, the external service(s) 212 may enforce the single read policy by only returning the stored document identifier in response to the first request received for that particular document identifier. (47) FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for presenting hidden and/or encrypted data of a document 102 using information encoded in a seal 110, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of the scanning module 114, the verification module 118, the analysis module(s) 208, the external service(s) 212, and/or other software module(s) executing on the seal application device 106, the scanning device 112, or elsewhere. (48) In some implementations, a physical document 102 may include one or more portions that are encrypted, hidden, and/or otherwise obfuscated, such that a reader may not be able to read the entire document 102 simply by looking at the document 102. The encrypted, hidden, obfuscated, or otherwise unreadable portions of the document 102 may be presented to an authorized reader based on the reader's personal key and based on the key that is encoded in the seal 110. (49) The seal 110 that has been applied to a document 102 may be scanned (702) to retrieve at least a portion of a key that is encoded in the seal 110. The retrieved information and/or a user's personal key may be employed (704) to decrypt those portion(s) of the document 102 that are encrypted, hidden, or otherwise obfuscated. An image of the document 102 may be presented (706) to the user, the image including the contents of the document 102 including a readable (e.g., decrypted) version of the otherwise unreadable portion(s). In some instances, the image of the document 102 may be presented through a user interface of the scanning device 112. In this way, implementations enable an unauthorized user to view (e.g., secure and/or secret) portions of the document 102 that may not be viewable to other users. In some examples, metadata regarding the document 102 may be presented in the image. Such metadata may include information regarding the origin, author, and/or provenance of the document 102. (50) FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for employing a seal 110 to facilitate physical transfer of digital currency, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of the scanning module 114, the verification module 118, the analysis module(s) 208, the external service(s) 212, and/or other software module(s) executing on the seal application device 106, the scanning device 112, or elsewhere. (51) A new private key may be generated (802), as described further below. The private key may be associated with a blockchain address. In some instances, a user may specify that funds are to be deposited (804) to a blockchain network at the generated address. The seal 110 may be applied (806) to a document 102 such as a note, piece of paper, or other object, as described above. The seal 110 may encode the private key, and the funds may be sent to the address associated with the private key. In some instances, the seal 110 may encode an identifier that is associated with the address by the external service(s) 212. The document 102 with the seal 110 may be provided (808) to the intended recipient of the funds. The recipient may scan (810) the seal 110 to determine the key, which may be used to access the funds. (52) In some implementations, a user may also be able to recover funds using a multi-signature (e.g., two out of three signatures) technique such as that described above. For example, if the key is destroyed and/or lost the funds may still be accessed using keys in the possession of two out of three parties including the sender, the receiver, and a third party trusted authority to resolve disputes. A key may be provided to the receiver to enable this recovery. (53) The recipient may employ (812) the key to access the funds. In some implementations, the seal 110 may be a NFC and/or RFID tag that is configured to erase its stored data and/or logic in response to an initial scan of the tag, thus ensuring that the tag may only be read once. In such instances, the tag may encode an identifier that is associated, by the external service(s) 212, with the address for the funds. In some implementations, the external service(s) 212 may enforce the single read policy by only returning the address in response to the first request received for that particular address associated with the encoded identifier. (54) In some implementations, e.g., where the seal 110 is a NFC and/or RFID tag, the process of FIG. 8 may include an operation in which the scanning device 112 sends a read request to the tag. The tag may receive the read request and respond by sending a signal that includes the private key encoded in the tag. The tag may then execute logic to destroy the key or otherwise render the key unretrievable in response to subsequent read requests, as described above. (55) To provide further context for the present disclosure, a high-level discussion of blockchain technology is provided. In general, a blockchain is a public ledger of all transactions that have ever been executed in one or more contexts (e.g., negotiable instrument transactions, digital currency transactions, etc.). A blockchain constantly grows as completed blocks are added with a new set of transactions. In some examples, a single block is provided from multiple transactions (e.g., multiple deposits of different checks by different people). In general, blocks are added to the blockchain in a linear, chronological order by one or more computing devices in a peer-to-peer network of interconnected computing devices that execute a blockchain protocol. In short, the peer-to-peer network can be described as a plurality of interconnected nodes, each node being a computing device that uses a client to validate and relay transactions (e.g., deposits of checks). Each node maintains a copy of the blockchain, which is automatically downloaded to the node upon joining the peer-to-peer network. The blockchain protocol provides a secure and reliable method of updating the blockchain, copies of which are distributed across the peer-to-peer network, without use of a central authority. (56) Because all users (e.g., financial institutions) need to know all previous transactions (e.g., deposits, withdrawals, etc.) to validate a requested transaction, all users must agree on which transactions have actually occurred, and in which order. For example, if two users observe different transaction histories, they will be unable to come to the same conclusion regarding the validity of a transaction. The blockchain enables all users to come to an agreement as to transactions that have already occurred, and in which order. In short and as described in further detail below, a ledger of transactions is agreed to, based on the amount of work required to add a transaction to the ledger of transactions (e.g., add a block to the blockchain). In this context, the work is a task that is difficult for any single node (e.g., computing device) in the peer-to-peer network to quickly complete, but is relatively easy for a node (e.g., computing device) to verify. (57) The peer-to-peer network includes so-called miners (e.g., computing devices) that add blocks to a blockchain based on the blockchain protocol. In general, multiple miners validate transactions that are to be added to a block, and compete (e.g., perform work, as described above) to have their block added to the blockchain. Validation of transactions includes verifying digital signatures associated with respective transactions. For a block to be added to the blockchain, a miner must demonstrate a proof of work before their proposed block of transactions is accepted by the peer-to-peer network, and is added to the blockchain. A blockchain protocol includes a proof of work scheme that is based on a cryptographic hash function (CHF). An example CHF includes the secure hash algorithm 256 (SHA-256). In general, the CHF receives information as input, and provides a hash value as output, the hash value being of a predetermined length. For example, SHA-256 outputs a 256-bit (32-byte, 64-character) hash value. In some examples, the hash value is a one-way hash value, in that the hash value cannot be 'un-hashed' to determine what the input was. The blockchain protocol can require multiple pieces of information as input to the CHF. For example, the input to the CHF can include a reference to the previous (most recent) block in the blockchain, details of the transaction(s) that are to be included in the to be created block, and a nonce value (e.g., a random number used only once). (58) As introduced above, multiple nodes compete to hash a set of transactions and provide the next block that is to be added to the blockchain. The blockchain protocol provides a threshold hash to qualify a block to be added to the blockchain. For example, the threshold hash can include a predefined number of zeros (0's) that the hash value must have at the beginning (e.g., at least the first four characters of the hash value must each be zero). The higher the number of zeros, the more time-consuming it is to arrive at a qualifying hash value. (59) In accordance with the blockchain protocol, each miner in the peer-to-peer network receives transaction information for one or more transactions that are to be included in a block that is to be added next in the blockchain. Each miner provides the reference to the previous (most recent) block in the blockchain, details of the transaction(s) that are to be included in the to-be-created block, and the nonce value to the CHF to provide a hash value. If the hash value does not meet the threshold hash (e.g., the first four characters of the hash value are not each zero), the miner starts again to provide another hash value. If the hash value meets the threshold hash (e.g., at least the first four characters of the hash value are each zero), the respective miner successfully created the next block that is to be added to the blockchain. Consequently, the respective miner's block is broadcast across the peer-to-peer network. All other miners cease work (because one miner was already successful), and all copies of the blockchain are updated across the peer-to-peer network to append the block to the blockchain. Each miner may be required to produce hundreds or thousands of hash values, before any one miner provides a qualifying hash value (e.g., at least the first four characters of the hash value are each zero). (60) In some cases, the distributed ledger system can include one or more sidechains. A sidechain can be described as a blockchain that validates data from other blockchains. In some examples, a sidechain enables ledger assets (e.g., a digital currency) to be transferred between multiple blockchains. (61) FIG. 9 depicts an example computing system, according to implementations of the present disclosure. The system 900 may be used for one or more of the operations described with respect to the various implementations discussed herein. For example, the system 900 may be included, at least in part, in one or more of the seal application device 106, the scanning device 112, or other computing device(s) described herein. The system 900 may include one or more processors 910, a memory 920, one or more storage devices 930, and one or more input/output (I/O) devices 950 controllable through one or more I/O interfaces 940. The various components 910, 920, 930, 940, or 950 may be interconnected through at least one system bus 960, which may enable the transfer of data between the various modules and components of the system 900. (62) The processor(s) 910 may be configured to process instructions for execution within the system 900. The processor(s) 910 may include single-threaded processor(s), multi-threaded processor(s), or both. The processor(s) 910 may be configured to process instructions stored in the memory 920 or on the storage device(s) 930. The processor(s) 910 may include hardware-based processor(s) each including one or more cores. The processor(s) 910 may include general purpose processor(s), special purpose processor(s), or both. (63) The memory 920 may store information within the system 900. In some implementations, the memory 920 includes one or more computer-readable media. The memory 920 may include any suitable number of volatile memory units and/or non-volatile memory units. The memory 920 may include read-only memory, random access memory, or both. In some examples, the memory 920 may be employed as active or physical memory by one or more executing software modules. (64) The storage device(s) 930 may be configured to provide (e.g., persistent) mass storage for the system 900. In some implementations, the storage device(s) 930 may include one or more computer-readable media. For example, the storage device(s) 930 may include a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device. The storage device(s) 930 may include read-only memory, random access memory, or both. The storage device(s) 930 may include one or more of an internal hard drive, an external hard drive, or a removable drive. (65) One or both of the memory 920 or the storage device(s) 930 may include one or more computer-readable storage media (CRSM). The CRSM may include one or more of an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a quantum storage medium, a mechanical computer storage medium, and so forth. The CRSM may provide storage of computer-readable instructions describing data structures, processes, applications, programs, other modules, or other data for the operation of the system 900. In some implementations, the CRSM may include a data store that provides storage of computer-readable instructions or other information in a non-transitory format. The CRSM may be incorporated into the system 900 or may be external with respect to the system 900. The CRSM may include read-only memory, random access memory, or both. One or more CRSM suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data may include any suitable type of non-volatile memory, including but not limited to: semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, the processor(s) 910 and the memory 920 may be supplemented by, or incorporated into, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). (66) The system 900 may include one or more I/O devices 950. The I/O device(s) 950 may include one or more input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a game controller, a touch input device, an audio input device (e.g., a microphone), a gestural input device, a haptic input device, an image or video capture device (e.g., a camera), or other devices. In some examples, the I/O device(s) 950 may also include one or more output devices such as a display, LED(s), an audio output device (e.g., a speaker), a printer, a haptic output device, and so forth. The I/O device(s) 950 may be physically incorporated in one or more computing devices of the system 900, or may be external with respect to one or more computing devices of the system 900. (67) The system 900 may include one or more I/O interfaces 940 to enable components or modules of the system 900 to control, interface with, or otherwise communicate with the I/O device(s) 950. The I/O interface(s) 940 may enable information to be transferred in or out of the system 900, or between components of the system 900, through serial communication, parallel communication, or other types of communication. For example, the I/O interface(s) 940 may comply with a version of the RS-232 standard for serial ports, or with a version of the IEEE 1284 standard for parallel ports. As another example, the I/O interface(s) 940 may be configured to provide a connection over Universal Serial Bus (USB) or Ethernet. In some examples, the I/O interface(s) 940 may be configured to provide a serial connection that is compliant with a version of the IEEE 1394 standard. (68) The I/O interface(s) 940 may also include one or more network interfaces (e.g., the network interface(s) 210) that enable communications between computing devices in the system 900, and/or between the system 900 and other network-connected computing systems. The network interface(s) may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) or other types of transceiver devices configured to send and receive communications over one or more networks using any suitable network protocol. (69) Computing devices of the system 900 may communicate with one another, or with other computing devices, using one or more networks. Such networks may include public networks such as the internet, private networks such as an institutional or personal intranet, or any combination of private and public networks. The networks may include any suitable type of wired or wireless network, including but not limited to local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless WANs (WWANs), wireless LANs (WLANs), mobile communications networks (e.g., 3G, 4G, Edge, etc.), and so forth. In some implementations, the communications between computing devices may be encrypted or otherwise secured. For example, communications may employ one or more public or private cryptographic keys, ciphers, digital certificates, or other credentials supported by a security protocol, such as any version of the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. (70) The system 900 may include one or more computing devices of any suitable type. The computing device(s) may include, but are not limited to: a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, an implanted computer, a mobile gaming device, an electronic book reader, an automotive computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a game console, a home entertainment device, a network computer, a server computer, a mainframe computer, a distributed computing device (e.g., a cloud computing device), a microcomputer, a system on a chip (SoC), a system in a package (SiP), and so forth. Although examples herein may describe computing device(s) as physical device(s), implementations are not so limited. In some examples, a computing device may include one or more of a virtual computing environment, a hypervisor, an emulation, or a virtual machine executing on one or more physical computing devices. In some examples, two or more computing devices may include a cluster, cloud, farm, or other grouping of multiple devices that coordinate operations to provide load balancing, failover support, parallel processing capabilities, shared storage resources, shared networking capabilities, or other aspects. (71) Implementations and all of the functional operations described in this specification may be realized in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Implementations may be realized as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer readable medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. The computer readable medium may be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or more of them. The term "computing system" encompasses all apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. The apparatus may include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of them. A propagated signal is an artificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus. (72) A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) may be written in any appropriate form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it may be deployed in any appropriate form, including as a standalone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program may be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program may be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network. (73) The processes and logic flows described in this specification may be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows may also be performed by, and apparatus may also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). (74) Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and/or processor(s) of any appropriate kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor may receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both. Elements of a computer can include a processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer may also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer may be embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio player, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, to name just a few. Computer readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry. (75) To provide for interaction with a user, implementations may be realized on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user may provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices may be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user may be any appropriate form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any appropriate form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. (76) Implementations may be realized in a computing system that includes a back end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical UI or a web browser through which a user may interact with an implementation, or any appropriate combination of one or more such back end, middleware, or front end components. The components of the system may be interconnected by any appropriate form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network ("LAN") and a wide area network ("WAN"), e.g., the Internet. (77) The computing system may include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. (78) While this specification contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular implementations. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some examples be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination. (79) Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems may generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. (80) A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, various forms of the flows shown above may be used, with steps re-ordered, added, or removed. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. ### Claims 1. A seal application device comprising: a scanner; an applicator; at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receiving at least one image of a document, the at least one image generated by the scanner; determining, based on the at least one image, data associated with the document; instructing the applicator to generate a seal that encodes the data associated with the document, the seal being applicable to a tangible version of the document, wherein the seal includes a near field communication (NFC) tag, and wherein the NFC tag is configured to remove the data from the NFC tag in response to a first scan of the NFC tag; based on a scan of the seal applied to the tangible version of the document, determining the data that is encoded in the seal, wherein the scan of the seal includes receiving a signal emitted from the NFC tag, the signal carrying the data; and employing the data to verify at least one characteristic of the tangible version of the document. 2. The seal application device of claim 1, the operations further comprising: instructing the applicator to apply the seal to the tangible version of the document. 3. The seal application device of claim 1, wherein the seal further includes a barcode, of at least one dimension, that encodes the data. 4. The seal application device of claim 1, wherein the data encoded in the seal includes a hash of information in the document. 5. The seal application device of claim 1, wherein: the data encoded in the seal includes an identifier of the document; and the identifier is received from an external service. 6. A computer-implemented method performed by at least one processor, the method comprising: receiving, by the at least one processor, at least one image of a document; determining, by the at least one processor, based on the at least one image, data associated with the document; generating, by the at least one processor, a seal that encodes the data associated with the document, the seal being applicable to a tangible version of the document, wherein the seal includes a near field communication (NFC) tag, and wherein the NFC tag is configured to remove the data from the NFC tag in response to a first scan of the NFC tag; based on a scan of the seal applied to the tangible version of the document, determining, by the at least one processor, the data that is encoded in the seal, wherein the scan of the seal includes receiving a signal emitted from the NFC tag, the signal carrying the data; and employing, by the at least one processor, the data to verify at least one characteristic of the tangible version of the document. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein: the seal further includes a barcode having at least one dimension; and the scan of the seal further includes an optical scan of at least a portion of the barcode to determine the data. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the data is employed to verify that the tangible version of the document has not been altered since the seal was applied. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein: the data includes a hash of information in the document; and verifying that the tangible version of the document has not been altered since the seal was applied includes: determining a current hash of the information in the document; and comparing the current hash to the hash encoded in the seal. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein: the data includes an identifier of the document; and verifying that the tangible version of the document has not been altered since the seal was applied includes: sending the identifier to a back-end service and, in response, receiving a hash of information in the document; determining a current hash of the information in the document; and comparing the current hash to the hash encoded in the seal. 11. The method of claim 6, wherein: the data includes information indicating a source of the tangible version of the document; and the data is employed to verify the source. 12. The method of claim 6, further comprising: employing, by the at least one processor, the data to determine an address on a blockchain network; and accessing, by the at least one processor, funds associated with the address. 13. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receiving at least one image of a document; determining, based on the at least one image, data associated with the document; generating a seal that is applicable to a tangible version of the document, the seal encoding the data that is associated with the document, wherein the seal includes a near field communication (NFC) tag, and wherein the NFC tag is configured to remove the data from the NFC tag in response to a first scan of the NFC tag; based on a scan of the seal applied to the tangible version of the document, determining the data that is encoded in the seal, wherein the scan of the seal includes receiving a signal emitted from the NFC tag, the signal carrying the data; and employing the data to verify at least one characteristic of the tangible version of the document. 14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the data is employed to verify that the tangible version of the document has not been altered since the seal was applied. 15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein: the data includes a hash of information in the document; and verifying that the tangible version of the document has not been altered since the seal was applied includes: determining a current hash of the information in the document; and comparing the current hash to the hash encoded in the seal. 16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein: the data includes an identifier; and verifying that the tangible version of the document has not been altered since the seal was applied includes: sending the identifier to a back-end service and, in response, receiving a hash of information in the document; determining a current hash of the information in the document; and comparing the current hash to the hash encoded in the seal.	9855785	US 9855785 B1	2018-01-02	60,805,159	Digitally encoded seal for document verification	G06K19/06028;G06K7/10722;G06K7/1417;B42D25/305;G06F16/9554;G06K19/06037;G06F16/93;G06K1/121;G06K7/1413		Nagelberg; Alexander B. et al.	UIPCO, LLC	15/477969	2017-04-03	Le; Thien M	Taylor; April	1/1	UIPCO, LLC	9.164753	USPAT	16,916
United States Patent 9858781 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent January 02, 2018 Inventor(s) Campero; Richard et al. ## Architecture for access management ### Abstract Disclosed are techniques that render a graphical user interface on a display device for performing transactions with a security system. The techniques include listening by a user device for a beacon from the security system, the beacon including a message and imitating by the user device the transaction with the security system in response to the message, with the message causing the user device to render a graphical user interface that has fields for entering an email address and a password to register the user device with a security server, with the graphical user interface rendering on the display a public key stored in a user digital wallet and a user digital wallet identification and sending in response to the message, a user's public key that is stored in the user's wallet and which is embedded in a code. Inventors: Campero; Richard (Gilroy, CA), Davis; Sean (San Jose, CA), Jarvis; Graeme (Marblehead, MA), Rumble; Terezinha (Jensen Beach, FL) Applicant: Campero; Richard (Gilroy, CA); Davis; Sean (San Jose, CA); Jarvis; Graeme (Marblehead, MA); Rumble; Terezinha (Jensen Beach, FL) Family ID: 60805282 Assignee: Tyco Integrated Security, LLC (Boca Raton, FL) Appl. No.: 15/596028 Filed: May 16, 2017 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 62385387 20160909 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G08B13/196 (20060101); G06F9/44 (20060101); H04L29/06 (20060101); G06F3/0484 (20130101); G08B29/16 (20060101); H04L12/58 (20060101); H04W68/00 (20090101); H04W4/02 (20090101); H04M1/725 (20060101); H04W12/08 (20090101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G08B13/19682 (20130101); G06F9/4443 (20130101); G08B13/19678 (20130101); H04L63/083 (20130101); H04L63/18 (20130101); G06F3/04847 (20130101); G08B29/16 (20130101); H04L51/38 (20130101); H04L63/107 (20130101); H04M1/72577 (20130101); H04W4/021 (20130101); H04W12/08 (20130101); H04W68/00 (20130101) ### Field of Classification Search USPC: None ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 6763459 12/2003 Corella 713/156 H04L 9/006 2015/0244690 12/2014 Mossbarger N/A N/A 2016/0005248 12/2015 Aase N/A N/A 2016/0086175 12/2015 Finlow-Bates N/A N/A 2016/0292672 12/2015 Fay N/A N/A 2017/0011460 12/2016 Molinari N/A N/A 2017/0046651 12/2016 Lin N/A N/A 2017/0075938 12/2016 Black N/A N/A 2017/0124535 12/2016 Juels N/A N/A 2017/0177855 12/2016 Costa Faidella N/A N/A 2017/0180128 12/2016 Lu N/A N/A 2017/0221288 12/2016 Johnson N/A N/A #### OTHER PUBLICATIONS Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 15/097,513, filed Apr. 13, 2016. cited by applicant Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 15/594,750, filed May 15, 2017. cited by applicant Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 15/594,786, filed May 15, 2017. cited by applicant Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 15/594,861, filed May 15, 2017. cited by applicant Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 15/594,826, filed May 15, 2017. cited by applicant Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 15/595,818, filed May 15, 2017. cited by applicant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin, Bitcoin—Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 36 pgs., page last modified on Feb. 8, 2016. cited by applicant https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Block—chain, Block chain—Bitcoin Wiki, 2 pgs., last modified Oct. 21, 2015. cited by applicant https://www.usv.com/blog/bitcoin-as-protocol, Bitcoin As Protocol, Union Square Ventures, 5 pgs., Oct. 31, 2013. cited by applicant https://www.gov.uk/government/news/distributed-ledger-technology-be . . . , Distributed ledger technology: beyond block chain—Press releases—GOV.UK, 2 pgs., first published Jan 19, 2016. cited by applicant http://www.beehiveid.com/blog/identity-and-the-blockchain, Identity and the Blockchain, 6 pgs., Aug. 16, 2015 Alex Kilpatrick. cited by applicant http://www.beehiveid.com/blog/identity-and-the-blockchain, Identity and the Blockchain, key questions, 14 pgs., Dec 3, 2014 Richard Gendal Brown. cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Haupt; Kristy A Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fish & Richardson P.C. ### Background/Summary CLAIM OF PRIORITY (1) This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to provisional U.S. Patent Application 62/385,387, filed on Sep. 9, 2016, entitled: "Architecture for Access Management," the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND (1) This description relates to operation of networks for dissemination of information. (2) Access control systems commonly employ access cards that include corresponding embedded electronic credentials that are read by a corresponding card reader. For a given access card, a read credential is typically compared to an access control list that is stored in an access control system. If the credential matches to an approved entry in the access control list, a cardholder in possession of the access card is allowed certain privileges such as, for example, access to a locked door. Such systems are widely deployed in commercial businesses. (3) It is common for computer systems to gather information, such as proprietary data on individuals, other entities such as businesses etc., as well on operational data from other systems. One type of information is proprietary data such as "personally identifiable information" commonly referred to as "PII." PII is information of a sensitive, personal nature that is generally associated with individuals and is often protected by privacy laws in many jurisdictions. PII is information that can identify or contact or locate a single person or to identify an individual in context. Examples of PII include name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother's maiden name, biometric records and information that is linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information, as well as a user's device IP address used in a communication service broker. (4) Another type of information is proprietary data such as Machine Identifiable Information or "MII," such as in the context of the "Internet of Things." That is, other information that is collected includes operational information such as information used to control access control systems, intrusion detection systems and integrated security/alarm systems. For different reasons each of these types of information may have a sensitive nature that should limit the ubiquitous retention of such information in disparate systems. (5) Considering PII, modern information technology and the Internet have made it easier to collect PII and MII through various mechanisms leading to various problems such as aiding of criminal acts, identity theft, etc. For example, there have been numerous reports of security breaches of commercial, governmental and private systems having databases storing the PII information of many thousands or millions of individuals. SUMMARY (6) The credential distribution and reader system described above has been inexistence for a very long time. One drawback of such systems is the difficulty of authenticating the person holding the access card as being the person that was actually assigned that card. The techniques described herein provide a higher level of identity validation that will be required as access system architectures are expanded to encompass a greater range of functionality. The described architecture provides validation of the person who is in possession of an identity card as opposed to merely validating an access card itself. (7) The new architecture employs Blockchain technology (or other distributed ledger technologies) that allows an access reader to validate information (a token) presented via the identity "card", which token is relevant to the identity of the card holder. Because the information is stored in a distributed ledger format (i.e., copies of the information to be validated are stored in numerous locations), the access system has a higher level of security since it would be extremely difficult to hack every instance of that information. Moreover, if a hack of the system was attempted, and the attempt to hack was unsuccessful with respect to even one instance of the validation information, the validation would fail and the person's identity would not be validated, thus maintaining secure access control. (8) According to an aspect, a method includes listening by a user device for a beacon from a security system, the beacon including a message, imitating by the user device a transaction with a security server in response to the message with the message causing the user device to render a graphical user interface that has fields for entering an email address and a password to register the user device with the security server, with the graphical user interface rendering on the display a public key stored in a user digital wallet and a user digital wallet identification, and sending in response to the message, a user's public key that is stored in the user's wallet and which is embedded in a code. (9) Aspects also include systems and computer program produces. Additional features of the computer program product, systems and methods include other features disclosed herein. (10) One or more of the above aspects may provide one or more of the following advantages. (11) These aspects enable user devices to transmit PII (and other confidential information) without that information being hosted by third party (requesting systems) that would otherwise manage and store such PII (and other confidential information). Such third party requester system are today ubiquitous, making such information vulnerable to improper access and disclosure by employing various types of hacking attacks on any of the ubiquitous numbers of third party requester systems. (12) The disclosed techniques including a security application that in conjunction with the distributed ledgers can send to user devices containing a wallet a verified access or access error depending on the outcome of processing. All exchanges are logged in the distributed ledger for audit tracking, etc. and verification of information can be used with information in the distributed ledger. Records are added to the distributed ledger as transactions and include a hashed record of the transaction, what was exchanged, the signatures of the parties, and may include additional detailed information depending on the type of distributed ledger used. (13) The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention is apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. ### Description DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS (1) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary system for securing PII information. (2) FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a distributed ledger. (3) FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a broker system. (4) FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an identity wallet. (5) FIG. 5 is a block diagram for a first process. (6) FIG. 6 is a block diagram for another process. (7) FIG. 7 a block diagram for still another process. (8) FIG. 8 is a block diagram for still another process. (9) FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a facility with access control. (10) FIG. 9A is a blown up view of a portion of FIG. 9. (11) FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example of an access control system. (12) FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an example of an access process with a wallet with an access control system. (13) FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a registration and access system. (14) FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a registration process. (15) FIGS. 13A-13C are flow diagrams depicting details of the processing of FIG. 13. (16) FIG. 14 is a time line flow for the registration process of FIG. 13. (17) FIGS. 15, 17 and 18 are flow diagrams of respectively an access process for employee access and processes for wearable credential registration and access, respectively. (18) FIGS. 15A-15C are flow diagrams depicting details of the processing of FIG. 15. (19) FIG. 16 is a time line flow for the access process of FIG. 15. (20) FIG. 17A is a flow diagram showing details of a portion of the processing of FIG. 17. (21) FIG. 18A is a flow diagram showing details of a portion of the processing of FIG. 18. (22) FIGS. 19 and 21 are flow diagrams depicting guest access processing. (23) FIGS. 19A-19C are flow diagram showing details of the processing of FIG. 19. (24) FIG. 20 is a time line flow for the access process of FIG. 19. (25) FIGS. 21A-21C are flow diagram showing details of the processing of FIG. 21. (26) FIG. 22 is a time line flow for the access process of FIG. 21. (27) FIG. 23 is a flow diagram depicting guest registration. (28) FIGS. 24A-24G are diagrams depicting various user interfaces for a user device. (29) FIG. 25 is a block diagram of an exemplary device/system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (30) Described herein is a set of techniques that provide a solution using a private service broker for dissemination between two or more electronic devices of information such as PII (as well as other confidential information), which dissemination occurs in a controlled, secure and confidential manner. Also described is a mechanism that allows for the verification of information including PII (as well as other confidential information), without the actual disclosure of the PII (as well as other confidential information). The system described uses a combination of an identity wallet that executes on a user device, a distributed ledger that manages proxies for PII (as well as other confidential information), along with a service broker system that securely manages data transmissions and verifications of the data without actually having the wallet directly access the distributed ledger. (31) Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary distributed network system 10 for access control is shown. In the system 10, several approaches are feasible as disclosed in the incorporated by reference provisional application. Approaches as discussed in detail in FIGS. 12-24G use an Identity Wallet 13a, 13b with a distributed ledger 14 back-end that replaces the typical centralized database (not shown). The ID Wallet/distributed ledger approach provides enhanced user experience, security, compliance and so forth, as discussed below. The ID Wallet can replace and/or complement the physical security badge. (32) The system 10 includes user devices, here wireless enabled user mobile devices, such as smartphones 12a, 12b that house respective identity wallets 13a, 13b. The smartphones 12a, 12b house the identity wallets (also referred to herein simply as wallets) 13a, 13b, respectively and thus carry user credentials and by use of the wallet and a processor on the smartphone, interacts with portions of the access control system 10. (33) The term "smartphone" is used to describe a mobile phone device that executes an advanced mobile operating system. The smartphone has hardware and a mobile operating system with features of personal computer hardware and operating systems along with features required for mobile or handheld operation, such as those functions needed for use of the smartphone as a cell phone and includes GPS (global position system) navigation. The smartphone executes applications (apps) such as a media player, as well as browsers, and other apps. Smartphones typically can access the Internet and have a touchscreen user interface. Other types of user devices could be used including personal computers, tablet computers, as well as, systems that are involved with exchange of sensitive data, such as access control systems and intrusion detection systems. (34) Other form factors can be used to house the identity wallet 13a, such as wearables and biometrics. The smartcard may also have various physical forms. For illustrative purposes, the discussion will focus on the user devices 12a, 12b as being smartphones. The identity wallets 13a, 13b are housed in the smartphones. As used herein an identity wallet includes an application that executes on an electronic device, such as the user devices 12a, 12b, and which allows a user of the device to store identity information, encrypt such identity information and communicate with external systems via communication functions/circuitry on the smartphone. (35) Identity Wallets 13a, 13b are also used to authenticate credentials of the holder of the particular wallet, as well as other wallets and other systems/devices, as will be discussed below. The term "wallet" encompasses a complication of three major systems, an electronic infrastructure, an application that operates with the system and the device (e.g., smartphone) that holds the wallet. In the discussion below, the holder's proprietary data is associated with the wallet. For example, many pieces of identifying information can be stored in the wallet. Such information can be diverse and wide-ranging, such as, bank account information, as well as the holder's information such as driver's license, health records, health care, loyalty card(s) and other ID documents stored on the phone, social security no., etc. All of this information can be stored in some manner and/or linked to the wallet. (36) In the discussion below, in particular, the wallet holds a user's credentials that are needed for access to a facility using system 10. Also, in the discussion below, the focus will be on user device 12a and wallet 13a. (37) The system 10 also includes a distributed ledger system 14. The distributed ledger system 14 is a sequential transaction database. An example of a sequential transaction database is the so-called "Blockchain" that operates with cryptocurrencies, such as "bitcoin"® (bitcoin project.org). The distributed ledger 14 rather than being dedicated to managing cryptocurrencies, manages PII transactional records and serves as the backend for a distributed access system. The distributed ledger system 14 interacts with the user's wallet as well as third party systems to register user's and allow access to users to otherwise locked facilities. While sharing some similarities to the Blockchain as well as other known types of sequential transaction databases, the distributed ledger 14 has some significant differences. (38) Accordingly, the distributed ledger 14 has a structure as set out in FIG. 2, as will be discussed below. In some implementations of the distributed ledger 14, the system 10 also includes a service broker system 16 that is a third party service system that interfaces between the wallet 13a and the distributed ledger 14. In other implementations, the service broker system 16 is not needed. (39) From the distributed ledger 14 encrypted PII data upon request is transmitted to third party systems, as well as sending to third party systems listings of verifying systems, upon receiving access requests from the third party system. The service broker includes a hardware platform. For example, with a self-contained enterprise example, the Service Broker would include a hardware platform (e.g., a server computer system), a server operating system and a "calculator/attester algorithm" (discussed below). The "calculator/attester algorithm" would broker between the source and target peer-to-peer entities such that a minimal amount of information required to legitimize and execute an information exchange between the source and target is determined, exchanged, and validated so that a "transaction" can occur. The record of the transaction is written into the distributed ledger 14 with the minimum amount of PII or MII information, if any, including any metadata regarding the transaction or the information. (40) The system 10 also includes a third party system 18. The third party system 18 can be any electronic system (or device) and is the system/device that seeks some aspect of the PII or other confidential information of a user or held by the user device 12a, associated with the user. In the examples discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 12-24G, the third party systems are or are aspects of access systems, both physical access as well as logical access. By physical access is meant access to physical locations, e.g., facilities, whereas logical access relates to access to logical structures such as electronic devices or applications/data accessible via electronic devices. The examples discussed below are in relation to physical access control systems. In the processes discussed below, some or all of the aforementioned user device 12a, wallet 13a, distributed ledger 14, optionally service broker 16 and third party access system 18 are used. (41) Referring now to FIG. 2, the distributed ledger system 14 is shown. As mentioned, the distributed ledger system 14 is a sequential transaction database. The distributed ledger system 14 thus includes distributed databases 32a-32n that are typically existing in the "Cloud." The distributed database comprise storage devices 34a-34n that are attached to different interconnected computers 36a-36n. The distributed databases are controlled by a distributed database management system that controls storage of data over a network 38 of the interconnected computers and execute corresponding replication and duplication processes. Replication software (not shown) detects changes in the distributed database contents and once the changes have been detected, replicates the changes to have all the databases the same. Duplication software (not shown) identifies one database (not shown) as a master and then duplicates that database across other databases. Replication and duplication keep the data current in all distributed storage locations. (42) Each of the distributed databases 32a-32n that form the distributed ledger system 14 store encrypted information records. An exemplary record 40 is shown below. The record 40 is stored in each of the distributed databases 32a-32n that form the distributed ledger system 14, which stores the record 40 in an encrypted form in the distributed ledger system 14. Record 40 has a structure that includes an attribute type, a hashed and encrypted value of the attribute, an attester's digital signature of the hashed and encrypted value and the attester's address. An exemplary record format is set out in table below. (43) TABLE-US-00001 User Attribute Hashed and Encrypted Value Attester Signature Attester Address Attribute encrypt(attribute) Signature of encrypt(value) Address (44) An exemplary set of records is set out in table below. A set 42 of such records 40 can correspond to a user's profile. This set 42 (or profile) is added to with new records as new attributes of the user are added to the distributed ledger system 14. (45) TABLE-US-00002 Hashed and Encrypted User Attribute Value Attester Signature Attester Address Citizenship encrypt(USA) Signature of encrypt(USA) attst@cadmv.com Current Age encrypt(age) Signature of encrypt(age) attst@cadmv.com Home Address encrypt(address) Signature of attst@cadmv.com encrypt(address) Height encrypt(height) Signature of encrypt(height) attst@cadmv.com Access encrypt(credentials) Signature of secure@serv.com credentials encrypt(credentials) \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* (46) One can readily observe that what is stored in the distributed ledger system 14 is information about a user's attribute, a hash of that attribute, information about an attester to the attribute, which information is attester signature system, and attester address. The attester when contacted can attest to the requested information being valid. For example, given a user's birth certificate that is issued by a state governmental agency that state governmental agency converts the birth certificate to a digital file of the document, and that digitized file of the document is hashed to provide a hash of the digitized birth certificate document. Rather than the document itself being stored (or the digitized document being stored, what is stored is the hash of the digitized birth certificate document, that is stored in a user's profile in the distributed ledger 14. (47) When a third party system 18 seeks the birth certificate of the user, the user system/device 12a sends the requesting system 18 the actual birth certificate. The receiving party generates the hash of the birth certificate and validates that the hash of that birth certificate exists in the distributed ledger 14. As, the requesting system 18 generates the hash of that document, e.g., the birth certificate, and accesses the hash from the distributed ledger 14, and while the system can send that hash back to the government system to verify that the hash is of the user's birth certificate, with the present embodiment, the requesting system 18 need not go back to the government system to verify. Rather, the requesting system 18 needed only retrieve from the distributed ledger system 14, the signature for the entity that signed that hash. The distributed ledger system 14 stores the "Attester Signature and the "Attester Address." The requesting system determines whether the stored "Attester Signature and the "Attester Address" can be trusted. If the requesting system determines that the Attester is trusted, the requesting system can verify the document was signed by the Attester, and is assured that hash of the document received by the requesting system from the wallet is authentic, as the same document attested to by the Attester. (48) Within a domain, distributed ledgers exchange information to maintain identical ledgers, with any suitable so called sequential transaction database technology of which "Blockchain" technology is but one example. However, unlike some electronic currency based technologies, e.g., bitcoin, where the Blockchain is designed so that no entity controls the Blockchain in some examples disclosed herein using the techniques disclosed herein the transaction database technology actually exchanges information within a domain and because such domains could be private transaction databases, each entity or industry could structure the transaction database as different private transaction databases. (49) Referring now to FIG. 3, the broker system 16 is shown. The broker system 16 includes a computer system and executes software that handshakes between the user system 12 and the vetting agent or attester. Rather, than the user device 12a accessing the distributed ledger 14, all requests for transactions between the user device and the requesting device occur through the broker system 16. For some transactions, the broker system 16 accesses the distributed ledger system 16, whereas in other transactions the requesting system 18 accesses the distributed ledger system 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the broker system 16 can be a compilation of many such broker systems 16a-16n. Each of the broker systems 16a-16n can comprise computer systems and associated distributed databases. The broker systems 16a-16n are distributed over a network of servers that act together to manage the distributed ledger 14. All attribute hashed values, attester information, etc. are stored in the distributed ledger 14 and as the flow diagram below will show the broker systems 16a-n are configured to access the distributed ledger 14 to obtain and validate such information. Also shown in FIG. 3, are the encryption and decryption (E/D) of data flows that take place between the broker systems 16a-n and wallets 13a. (50) Note that in the context of a private distributed ledger environment, for an enterprise, it may be desirable to not have a query sent to the attester database for each transaction. Rather, a business rule could be established that once a validation event has occurred, then it is good for a period of time, until the attester database is updated etc., so as to reduce latency. (51) Referring now to FIG. 4, the wallet 13a is shown. The wallet 13a includes a file 52 structure and wallet management software 54 that are stored on a user device 12a (FIG. 1). In addition to the software comprising management modules 54a that handle request and access to the file structure, as well as receiving user authorizations, etc., the software also includes communication modules 54b that exchange information between the wallet and requestor systems, and between the wallet and the broker system 16 (when used) and that receives requests for information that result in messages being displayed on the user device 12a. (52) The wallet 13a stores information for handling a third party request for data directly from a user that transmits that information directly from the wallet 13a to the third party system 18 in a secure manner. The wallet 13a may take several form factors—a physical ID Wallet such as a credit card, smart wearable etc. or it may only need to be the software payload that a system pushes out to a commercially acceptable mobile device such as a smartphone. In some implementations, the wallet needs to be in communication with a device that can perform calculations/determinations, as will be discussed below. (53) The wallet 13a has the management module 54a that handles third party requests for information and/or attributes and the communication module 54b that interfaces with the broker system 16. The wallet 13a includes a module 54c that allows a user to view the request and either approve, all or part of none of the request. Upon approval (partial or all) of the request, the wallet 13a encrypts via encryption module 55 the requested information using a public key infrastructure (PKI) where a public key of the third party is used along with one the private keys associated with the wallet 13a to encrypt the data. The encrypted data can either be sent to the user's broker system 16 or the wallet 13a can look up the direct address of the third party system 18 and send the encrypted data directly to the third party system 18, depending on the implementation of the system 10. (54) As known, a public key infrastructure (PKI) is a set of hardware, software, people, policies, and procedures needed to create, manage, distribute, use, store, and revoke digital certificates and manage public-key encryption. The purpose of a PKI is to facilitate the secure electronic transfer of information for a range of network activities such as e-commerce, internet banking and confidential email. PKI is required for activities where simple passwords are an inadequate authentication method. In cryptography, PKI binds public keys with respective user identities by means of a certificate authority (CA) within a CA domain. The user identity is unique within each CA domain. (55) Referring now to FIG. 5, a diagram of a process 60 and flow for the process 60 where the third party system 18 requests information from the user system 12a is shown. In this case, the broker system 16 provides an asynchronous transfer between the user device 12a and the third party device 18. The third party device 18 sends a message request 61a to the distributed ledger 14 for the user's broker system. In general, there can be many such broker systems associated with many users. The third party device 18 receives 61b a message that includes an address of the user's determined broker, as received from the distributed ledger. (In the following figures, as needed, double arrowed lines and reference characters on tips of such arrows are used to denote paired messages, such as sending and receiving messages.) In other implementations, the address lookup can also go through the exchange network. (56) In an implementation that uses a broker, the third party device 18 (security system discussed below) sends 62 a message to the user's determined broker 16, which message includes a request to access data on the user's wallet 13a. The request for data is sent 64 from the broker system 16. A "score" is calculated for determining the validity of the data (rather than being a measure of the secure transmission of the data). A scoring algorithm can be based on the number and types of attesters, etc., to the user's wallet 13a on device 12a. Various algorithms can be used such as one that weights types of attesters and number of attesters and normalized these to a standard. Thus, a score generated with a large number of highly trusted attesters would be higher than a score generated with a large number of attesters having a low level of trust. An alternative to this type of score is an attester score based on the type of attester and how trustworthy the attester is and has been. For example, see the following table. (57) TABLE-US-00003 Number of attesters Number of attesters Number of attesters Score of high trust of moderate trust of low trust 0-10 0 0 No more than X 11-20 0 0 Greater than X less than Y 21-40 0 At least M \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* 91-100 At least Z (58) One algorithm, as in the table above, is a mapping scheme that maps a score range (or values) to various slots based on empirically determined number of attesters (M, X, Y, Z) and empirically determined trust levels (high, moderate, low). This could be an example of a score for an item. Thus, with an item could be stored the number of and types of attesters of various categories (three of which, low, moderate and high trust levels being shown) or the score range or value. (59) Other scoring algorithms such as weighted algorithms could be used, such as one of the form: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?Score=((H\W.sub.h+M\W.sub.m+L\W.sub.h)/total)/Normalizedin-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? Where H is the total of high trusted attesters M is the total of moderately trusted attesters L is the total of low trusted attesters W.sub.h; W.sub.m; W.sub.h are empirically determined weights, and Normalized is an optional normalization function or value. (60) The user's wallet 13*a (or other application or user via a physical action using a user input device) either answers (yes or no) or simply ignores the message. When the answer is yes, the user's wallet 13a (or other application) encrypts the data using an asymmetric encryption algorithm that uses the requestor's public key. The encrypted data is sent 66 from the user's wallet 13a to the broker system 16 so that only the two endpoints (user's wallet 13a and the third party system 18) can read the actual data. At the broker 16 system, upon reception of the encrypted data from the user's wallet 18a, the broker system 16 sends the data to the third party system 18. (61) In another implementation, the data would be sent directly to the requestor's wallet without the broker system 16. This implementation can be especially used with the processes discussed in FIGS. 12 to 24G, below. In the processes below, this direct approach is used in the explanations of those processes. (62) Referring now to FIG. 6, another process 70 is shown in which there is a required validation of PII data (or other data) through a distributed public ledger 14a. The distributed ledgers can be public, meaning that anyone can place and/or access data in the ledger or private, meaning that only authorized individuals and entities can place and/or access the private type of ledger. Thus, generically, such distributed ledgers 14 can be public or private depending on various considerations. In either instance, the ledger 14 contains the information needed to validate the brokered information. The third party system 18 sends 72 a lookup request to the distributed ledger 14a for a particular user's attribute. (63) In FIG. 6, the broker 16 and wallet 13a and user device 12a are not directly involved, but are shown. The lookup request is actually for a hash of the desired user's attribute. The distributed public ledger 14a receives the request and accesses the hash of the particular user's attribute and returns 72b that hash to the third party system 18. The third party system 18 sends 74a a look up message request for the system that has attested to the hash of the particular user's attribute stored in the distributed public ledger 14a. The third party system 18 receives 74b the identity of the system that performed the attestation to the hash of the particular user's attribute, and makes an independent decision 75 on the validity of the hash of the particular user's attribute. For cases where privacy of the data is a concern this case assumes that the third party system has the user's public key, as the attribute data is encrypted. For other types of data where privacy of the data is not a concern, the attribute need not be encrypted. (64) Note, in addition to returning the attester information, the system could return the attester score of that attester having the highest score. The score could be calculated by the distributed ledger 14, but may be more appropriately calculated by the broker system. (65) Referring now to FIG. 7, another process 80 is shown in which there is required validation of data through a private distributed ledger 14b. The third party system 18 sends 82a a message to a broker directory system 15 to locate the user's broker system. The broker directory system 17 determines the user's broker system and sends 82b a message to the third party system 18, which includes the identity of the user's broker system. The third party system 18 sends 84 a message to the determined user's broker system 16, which is a request to the user's broker system 16 to validate data and return score data. There are many algorithms that could be used for scoring. For example, a simple algorithm may assign a score to an attester as high, when the attester is a governmental agency and may score an attester as lower when the attester is a personal contact. The user's broker system 16 validates data by sending 86a a message to the distributed ledger 14b for the data and the score (of the data or the attester). The broker receives 86b from the distributed ledger 14b a message including the data and the score(s). The user's broker system 16 returns 88 the score(s) and status back to the third party system 18. (66) One approach for a private enterprise would be for an enterprise to define business rules that govern source attester scores. The rules could be absolutes. Alternatively, over time the system that determines the score builds "a transactional footprint" for transactions, which is based on physical access points, logical access points, time of day, duration of use, etc. used with a transaction record. Initial algorithms are determined at the initial deployment, and then are refined based upon a regression pattern(s) that emerges. (67) Optionally, the third party system 18 requests 92a a lookup of the broker/owner for the party that verified the data. The third party receives 92b the address of the broker/owner that verifies the data. The broker/owner system that verifies the data signs the data with its digital signature. The broker/owner system sends 94a a message to the verifying broker/owner to verify a signature of the signed data. Upon receiving 94b a verification from the verifying broker/owner system, the third party system has verification of the data without actually having accessed the data. Optionally, the user can share 96 the data to be validated with the third party directly from the user's wallet. (68) Referring now to FIG. 8, another process 100 in which a third party requests validation of an attribute without actually disclosing the attribute is shown. This process 100 can be used, for example, to show that a person is at least of a particular age without actually disclosing the age. For instance, the case 100 can be used to verify that an individual is over the age of 21 without disclosing the actual age of the individual to the third party system 18. The third party system 18 sends 102 a request for a desired attribute to be verified, in this example age, to the wallet 13a. (69) In this process the wallet 13a does not send the hash of the age, it does allow the 3rd party to request age from the exchange but it does not send any hash or information. Ideally the rule is submitted to the exchange of the user (i.e. the request would be to validate if age is over 21). The user would authorize the exchange for this rule to be processed. The DMV would verify that the rule was authorized by the user through the exchange before processing actually occurs. (70) For example, for the attribute user's age, the trusted party that attested to the user's age could be the user's Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) registry, which registry has systems that store users' ages of various users. The third party system receives 104b a list of one or more trusted parties, determines which of the trusted parties it wants to use to verify the user's attribute, and sends the requested rule, i.e., is age over 21. The DMV could verify that this rule was authorized by the information owner and if answering the rule was authorized, the DMV broker processes the rule and sends the response. That broker system 17 will, in turn, access a database 17a get obtain the hash of the user's age. The broker system 17 will send a message that asks 108a the broker system 16 if the user's info can be shared with the third party 18. The broker system will send 110 a message to the user's wallet asking if the DMV should notify the third party of the user's age. If an answer is received 112 by the broker indicating that validation is authorized, this message will be passed from the broker 16 back to the broker 17 and the broker 17 will have validated whether or not the user's age is as requested by the third party. (71) Referring now to FIGS. 9, 9A, an alternative implementation is shown in the context of an access control system. A facility 110 with access control is shown. In this illustrative example, the facility 110 includes two secured rooms 112a and 112b and a single external entryway 112c. Room 112a has a doorway 113a and has associated therein an access controller 116a and an ingress card reader 118a. Room 112b has a doorway 113b and has associated therein an access controller 116b and two card readers, an ingress card reader 118b and an egress card reader 118b′. The external entryway 12c has associated therewith an access controller 116c and two card readers, an ingress card reader 118c and an egress card reader 118c′. A detailed view of the external doorway is shown in FIG. 9A with exemplary door locks 122a, 122b controlled by the access controller 116c. (72) Referring now to FIG. 10, access control system 111 for a typically facility 110 includes a plurality of access controllers generally 116. Each of the access controllers 116 can have designated master controllers (not shown). Conventional techniques to set up and associate these controllers with a security system can be used. During installation of an access control system, the access control system is configured by a technician according to operational requirements of the facility 110. The system also includes a gateway 137 that is coupled to the access controllers, e.g., via master controllers 116a-16c and a LAN, router, modem, to access the Internet and a firewall, as illustrated, and a server 139 that is coupled to the gateway 137. This is but an illustrative example. (73) The techniques disclosed herein converge physical security, logical security, and cyber security. A user desires access to a facility and to access a network. Every time a user requests access whether it is to open a physical door or log on to a network the system 10 is used manage and control dissemination of PII information and avoid the replication and duplication of such PII information. By use of the wallet as "an identity wallet," that could take on various physical forms such as a card, ring on a finger, a user device, the identity wallet contains attribute data associated with the user. In a private enterprise environment that is a self-contained enterprise a private distributed ledger 14 will be provided within that environment to allow the user to unlock and lock doors log onto networks etc. by either the distributed ledger and/or the broker exchanging messages with the wallet, as discussed above. (74) Referring now to FIG. 11, a diagram of a process 160 and flow for the process 160 where a third party system 162 is an access control system and requests information from the user device 12a (via a card reader or equivalent) that is part of a third party system 162. In this case, the broker system 16 can provide an asynchronous transfer between the user device 12a and the third party device 162 of access and privilege credentials (that will control various aspects of what a user can access and use on premises 110. (75) The third party system 162 sends a message request 161a to the distributed ledger 14 for the user's broker system and receives 161b a message that includes the address of the user's determined broker. The third party device 162 sends 163 a message to the user's determined broker 16, which message includes a request to access data on the user's wallet 13a. The request for data is sent 165 from the broker system 14 to the user's wallet 13a. The user's wallet 13a (or other application or user via a physical action using a user input device) either answers (yes or no) or simply ignores the message. The wallet can also be configured to automatically accept as a frequent guest. When the answer is yes, the user's wallet 13a (or other application) encrypts the data using an asymmetric encryption algorithm that uses the requestor's public key. The encrypted data is sent 167 from the user's wallet 13a to the broker system 16 so that only the two endpoints (user's wallet 13a and the third party system 162) can read the actual data. At the broker system 16, upon reception of the encrypted data from the user's wallet 18a, the broker system 16 sends the data to the third party system 162. The third party system takes such action as needed by sending a signal to unlock a door, as in FIG. 9. Another data flow is the case where the facility actually produces a list of authorized users in the distributed ledger. The ledger 14 is then checked to see if the user is one of the authorized users. (76) Credential-Based Registration System (77) Described below are aspects of a mobile credential that is fully integrated into an access control system and configured to make permission decisions, provisioning privileges, etc. The mobile credential is stored in a user's wallet 13a and is identified as authentic by use of the distributed ledger 14. The distributed ledger 14 is used to supply secure credentials to the user's wallet 13a all of which have been validated by the distributed ledger 14. The mobile credential is used to produce an access token that has a very short lifespan. With the processes described below, the reader system can verify the access token as authentic and being from the user, and the user's wallet 13a can verify the facility as the facility to which the user should exchange credentials. (78) Referring now to FIG. 12, a credential-based registration/access system 180 that is a specialization of the system of FIG. 1, without the use of a broker system, is shown. The credential-based registration/access system 180 (registration/access system 180) is used for registration of a mobile credential with an access control system (such as FIGS. 9-10) using registration process 188a, the details of which will be discussed below in conjunction with FIGS. 13-15. The registration/access system 180 is also used with an access control system (such as FIGS. 9-10) for access to a facility or logical structure via the mobile credential using access process 188b, the details of which will be discussed below in conjunction with FIGS. 15-18A. (79) The registration/access system 180 includes the user device 12a having the wallet 13a. It is understood that a practical implementation would in general involve many such user devices/wallets of many users. The user device 12a and wallet 13a will be registered with the access control system and verified for use with the access control system. The registration allows a specific facility as well as any facility of the same entity to be registered by the mobile credential (if so desired by the facility owner). Additionally, the registration allows a specific facility as well as any facility of the same entity to be verified by user device prior to the user device exchanging any mobile credentials with the facility. (80) The credential-based registration/access system 180 (system 180) also includes a facility security system 184 including a facility security wallet 187 and a facility security application 188 that together with the user device 12a registers and verifies users, e.g., employees of an entity controlling the physical premises or logical structures, by use of the distributed ledger 14 and the distributed network server computers 190. The user device and the security system can be any type of computing system, computing station, computer server, tablet device, etc., that includes Bluetooth® or other near field communication capabilities that can send out a beacon signal, as discussed below. The security application 188 causes the security system 184 to continually or periodically issue the beacon that is readable by the user device 12a to initiate a transaction with the security system 184. (81) Referring now to FIG. 13, a credential-based registration process flow 200 for registration of a mobile credential stored on the user device 12a (more specifically in the wallet 13a) with an access control system is shown. Shown in FIG. 13, are user device processing (FIG. 13A), security system processing (FIG. 13B) and distributed system/distributed ledger processing (13C). This credential-based registration process flow 200 (registration process 200) is shown for the user device 12a/wallet 13a, security system 184/security application 188, and the distributed servers 190 that interact with the distributed ledgers 14. The registration process 200 allows a user to verify a facility and allows any facility of the same entity to be registered by the mobile credential. The registration process flow 200 also allows the access control system to verify the identity of the user possessing the mobile credential for permitting registration for access to the facility (or facilities). The described registration process 200 uses the security application 188 to register and verify users, e.g., employees of an entity controlling the physical premises or logical structures. (82) Referring now to FIG. 13A, the user device 12a portion credential-based registration process flow 200 is shown. The user device 12a listens 202 for a beacon from the security system. The beacon includes a message to cause the user's device to initiate 204 a transaction with the security server to send the user's public key stored in the user's wallet 13a. The user's public key can be embedded in a code, such as a "QR"™ code (type of matrix barcode) that is stored in the user's wallet 13a. Other approaches could be used. (83) The user's wallet 13a requests 206 from a security wallet 201 of the security system 184, e.g., security application 188, an access QR code has embedded therein a facility public key. In some implementations, the facility public key as well as a facility UUID (discussed below) are specific to a single physical facility. However, in other implementations, the facility public key as well as the facility UUID are specific to a plurality of facilities of a single or related set of entities. From the wallet 13a, a user profile corresponding the user associated with the device 12a is sent 208 to the security application 188. As used herein a UUID is an identifier, e.g., such as a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) per the UUID identifier standard that uses a 128-bit value. (84) Referring now also to FIG. 13B, the security application 188 causes the security system to continually or periodically issue 222, a beacon, e.g., an electronic signal that is readable by the user device 12a. The security application receives 224 the user's public key. A security wallet 201 of the security application sends 226 a QR code that has a facility public key. The security application receives 228 the user's profile corresponding the user associated with the device 12a. Upon receiving the user profile, the security application 188 sends 228 a message to distributed networked servers to search for the user via the distributed ledger 14. Upon receipt 230 of a search result, if the user does not exist in the distributed ledger system 14, then the system will produce 232 an identity in the distributed ledger system 14 based on the user's received profile information. If the user profile does exist it may be updated 234, if needed, based on the received profile information. Thus, whether the security application 188 produces a new record for a new, unregistered user or adds updates attributes to a profile record of a registered user, the security application 188 sends the received profile over a network to verify 236 the profile and selects an identity type, e.g., employee or guest. The security system sends 236 produced/updated user identity to the distributed ledger 14, along with the received public key and user type (e.g., employee, guest) over a distributed network to the distributed ledger system 14 where the profile, public key of the user and the user type are stored. (85) At this juncture, the user has been verified. Thus, upon verification of the user, the facility can be assured that it can exchange credentials with the user device 12a and wallet 13a. The security system via the security application 188 sends 238 a message to the distributed network servers to obtain the facility UUID and the facility public key from the distributed ledger 14 and upon receiving the facility UUID and facility public key, sends 220 the facility UUID and the facility public key to the wallet 13a for verification and storage. (86) Referring now back to FIG. 13A, the wallet 13a receives 210 a message from the security system, which contains the facility UUID and the facility public key. The wallet 13a verifies 212 the facility public key using similar processes as discussed above. If verified the user device 12a and wallet 13a can be assured that this is a facility for which the user device 12a and wallet 13a can furnish a mobile credential. When verified the wallet stores 214 the UUID and facility public key. (87) Referring now to FIG. 13C, the distributed servers receive 252 a message from the security system to conduct a search for a profile of the user. The distributed servers access 254 the distributed ledger 14. The distributed servers determine 256 if a profile exists by searching the distributed ledger system 14 for a profile of the user. The distributed servers send 258 a result of the search, e.g., registered, not registered, expired registration, etc. to the security system 18. (88) Each of the distributed databases 32a-32n of the distributed ledger system 14 will eventually receive 260 and store 262 an encrypted information record corresponding to the user's profile or PII. An exemplary profile record is shown below. The record is stored in each of the distributed databases 32a-32n that form the distributed ledger system 14 using the replication and duplication processes mentioned above. The distributed database 14 stores the record in an encrypted form in the distributed ledger system 14. The record has a structure that includes an attribute type, a hashed and encrypted value of the attribute, an attester's digital signature of the hashed and encrypted value and the attester's address. (89) An exemplary record format for the user associated with the user device 12a and wallet 13a is set out in the table below. (90) TABLE-US-00004 Attribute Hashed and Encrypted Value type of attribute type Attester Signature Attester Address Attribute encrypt(attribute) Signature of encrypt(value) Address (91) An exemplary set of records is set out in the table below. Any attributes can be include in the set of records. A set of such records can correspond to the user's profile. This set (or profile) is added to the distributed ledger 14 as a new record or as new attributes are obtained these new attributes of the user are added to an existing record in the distributed ledger system 14. (92) TABLE-US-00005 Hashed and Encrypted User Attribute Value Attester Signature Attester Address Citizenship encrypt(USA) Signature of encrypt(USA) attst@cadmv.com Current Age encrypt(age) Signature of encrypt(age) attst@cadmv.com Home Address encrypt(address) Signature of attst@cadmv.com encrypt(address) Height encrypt(height) Signature of encrypt(height) attst@cadmv.com Access encrypt(credentials) Signature of secure@serv.com credentials encrypt(credentials) \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* (93) Referring now to FIG. 14, a time line of the credential process flow for registration with the access control system from a mobile credential as discussed in FIGS. 13-13C is shown. The process time line flow shows messaging/functions that occur on with the wallet 13a, over the distributed network, a system register, and the distributed ledger system 14, with an a ANA system "Authenticated Network Architecture" where each individual user on a network has specific access privileges. Part of the authentication process is to verify the network entitlements for the user prior to granting access to a secure location or confidential information. A VMS system is a Visitor Management System that is infrastructure to handle registering and authentication calls for outside guests/visitors to a facility. (94) Credential-Based Access System (95) Referring now to FIG. 15, a credential-based access process flow 300 for permitting access to a registered mobile credential stored on the user device 12a (more specifically in the wallet 13a) to an access control system is shown. Shown in FIG. 15, are user device processing (FIG. 15A), security system processing (FIG. 15B) and distributed system/distributed ledger processing (15C). This credential-based access process 300 (access process 300) is shown for the user device 12a/wallet 13a, security system 184/security application 188, and the distributed servers 190 that interact with the distributed ledgers 14. The access process 300 allows a user to verify a facility and vice-versa. The credential process 300 can be configured such that access with a particular set of credentials is limited to a single physical facility or the credential process 300 can be configured such that the same set of credentials can be used for access to any number of facilities of the same entity to which the user would be normally granted access, depending on how the entity configures the access control process 300 and associated systems. The access process 300 also allows the access control system to verify the identity of the user possessing the mobile credential for permitting access to the facility (or facilities) or logical structures. In this example, the credential process 300 uses the access control 188b of the registration/access system depicted in FIG. 12. (96) The credential process 300 uses a credential exchange mechanism that allows a user's wallet 13a to verify each facility under control of an entity that issues its own credentials that can be traced by the facility, obviating need for a central, certificate issuing authority, by each facility having a unique certificate similar to those commonly found today in website certificates. However, in this instance, the company is the issuer of the certificate. This gives the ability to have the credential carrier roles and permissions, conveyed by the reader application exchanging the roles and permissions of a user, without having to go back to a central service. This allows local control (exchange process of certificates). The mobile wallet 13a can access permissions from central facility (one time load) without the local control having to go back to central facility each time access is attempted. (97) Digital certificates are issued by a certificate authority or certification authority (CA), i.e., an entity that issues and certifies digital certificates, which certification is used to verify the ownership of a public key by the named entity associated with the certificate. The certification enables others that rely upon signatures or assertions made about the private key as corresponding to the certified public key. In this model of trust relationships, a CA could be a third party or in some implementations could be the entity itself rather than a trusted third party—trusted both by the owner of the certificate and by parties that would be relying on the certificate. Public-key infrastructure (PKI) schemes feature certifying authorities. (98) Described is a facility security application 188 to access and verify users, e.g., employees. (99) Referring now to FIG. 15A, the user device 12a portion 300a of the credential-based access process 300 is shown. The user device 12a listens 302 for a beacon from the security system, via a card access reader (reader). The reader broadcasts a beacon (ID) that the smartphone receives and, which the mobile wallet detects. The user device 12a connects to the server, and the wallet 13a via the device 12a requests that the reader provide its credentials to the user device 12a. The beacon includes a message to cause the user's device 12a to initiate 304 a transaction with the reader to connect with the security server/security application. The user's wallet 13a requests 306 from the security wallet 201 of the security system 184, e.g., security application 188, a facility certificate, OCSP and facility UUID (discussed below). (OCSP) or "Online Certificate Status Protocol" is an Internet protocol used for obtaining revocation status of an X.509 digital certificate. (100) The user's device 12a verifies 308 the credentials sent to the wallet 13a from the security wallet 201 of the security system 184, e.g., the facility certificate, the OCSP and the facility UUID. If the reader is valid, then the reader will provide its facility UUID, the facility certificate (public key for the facility) as well as the company UUID and company certificate (public key of the company). The wallet 13a verifies if, the wallet 13a, is paired with the company. (101) Other approaches include the beacon ID being that of the company UUID and if the wallet 13a is paired with that company, the wallet 13a (via the device 12a) then connects to the reader and requests details. The wallet 12a via the user device, either connects and determines if the beacon is from a valid system or the beacon ID itself is formatted such that beacon from a valid system informs the wallet 12a that the beacon is from a reader and the wallet verifies the specifics by connecting to the reader. (102) The user's wallet connects to a reader application once a beacon is detected. The reader application has the facility certificate, the facility UUID, and a revocation status, e.g., such as via the "Online Certificate Status Protocol" (OCSP. Other approaches could use certificate revocation lists (CRL). The (OCSP) is now commonly used with public key infrastructure (PKI). (103) The OCSP and "OCSP stapling" that is a mechanism that obviates significant costs for certificate authorities (CA) having the certificate holder query an OCSP server at regular intervals to obtain a signed and time-stamped OCSP response that is attached or "stapled" with a response, obviating the need to of the CA to provide responses to every client of a given certificate. The OCSP and OCSP stapling can be used instead of CRL lists to determine if a certificate is valid or not. In the case of the mobile credential, the mobile wallet 13a has a trust relationship with the company so that the wallet 13a can verify those facilities that belong to the company. This trust is established because the company having a PKI pair (public and private key) and the mobile wallet and the company having securely told each other their respective public keys. (104) Since the mobile wallet knows the company's public key, the mobile wallet can trust that any packets signed by the company are valid and can be trusted. When the mobile wallet 13a accesses a facility, the facility provides its facility specific public key to the mobile device 12a (wallet 13a). The mobile wallet 13a does not know if this facility is authentic and part of the company that the wallet 13a holds a mobile credential for, and thus before the wallet 13a exchanges its credentials, the wallet 13a needs to verify for certain that the facility is authentic. (105) Authenticity of the facility is determined by the wallet 13a through verification of the facility's certificate. The verification process has the wallet 13a determine whether the facility certificate was signed by the company. If the certificate was signed by the company, then the wallet 13a verifies that the facility certificate and the signature match because the wallet has the company's public key and the wallet can verify the signature. If the signature is valid, then the wallet 13a knows that the facility certificate is authentic. (106) Although the certificate is authentic the wallet needs to verify that the certificate has not been revoked. The wallet can do this verification a number of ways. One way to verify that the certificate has not been revoked, has the wallet contact the company certificate authority directly through an OCSP request. The company certificate authority will provide an OCSP response that contains the status of the certificate (i.e. valid, revoked, etc.) and the response will be signed by the company. The wallet 13a can now verify the response is from the company and knows the status of the facility certificate. If the certificate is valid then the authentication process can continue. This process requires that the mobile wallet 13a has access to the company certificate authority which could be an issue with limited network connectivity and the latencies for the verification could be long, which considerations are not ideal. (107) Another way to verify that the certificate has not been revoked is that the facility contacts the company certificate authority on a periodic basis and receives the OCSP response, as discussed above. When the wallet 13a requests the facility key, the facility can include this OCSP response with its facility certificate (i.e. OCSP stapling). The wallet 13a then has the facility certificate that the wallet validates, as previously described, and it now has the OCSP response that the wallet can also validate using the same process as if the wallet obtained the OCSP directly from the company certificate authority. (108) The OCSP response has a time period where it is valid. This allows the facility to retrieve an OCSP response on a periodic basis (i.e. every hour) and it will always have a valid OCSP response available to send to the wallet 13a. This minimizes network connectivity issues and latency times since all exchanges between the wallet 13a and the facility are local. (109) Upon, the user's wallet 13a verifying the facility credentials, e.g., facility certificate, a revocation status and facility UUID, the user's wallet sends 310 a JWT message to the door reader app. The JWT message follows the so called JSON Web Token (JWT) format that is a JSON-based open standard (RFC 7519) for producing tokens that assert some number of "claims." The generated tokens, as above, are signed by the token producer's private key, so that door reader app in possession of the producer's public key is able to verify that the token is legitimate. The claims are used to pass identity of authenticated users between an identity provider and a service provider. The tokens can be authenticated and encrypted. Upon verification of the JWT message by the servers, the servers cause the reader to send an access status message that is received 312 by the wallet 13a, allowing or denying access to the facility. (110) An exemplary JWT message is set out below: (111) TABLE-US-00006 JWT Format Claims Field iss Issuer. The UUID of the Mobile Wallet aud The UUID of the Reader being accessed exp Expiration time of the token. Set to 30 seconds jtl Unique token id. Server will track IDs over the expiration time period to ensure not duplicate JWT calls are made iat Time the token was issued/created (112) Referring now also to FIG. 15B, the security application 188 causes the security system to continually or periodically issue 322, the beacon that is readable by the user device 12a and which causes the user device to request 324 a connection to the reader. As mentioned above, the user device 12a upon connecting to the reader has the reader provide 326 its credentials to the user device 12a (wallet 13a). If the verification by the wallet was successful, the wallet sends the JWT message as discussed above, and upon receipt 328 of the JWT message by the reader, the JWT is sent 330 to the distributed network to a server that is used to verify the JWT token. Upon verification of the JWT message by the servers, the servers send the reader an access status message that is received 332 and is sent 334 to the wallet 13a allowing or denying access to the facility. (113) Referring now also to FIG. 15C, the JWT is received 342 and is verified 344. If the JWT is not verified, an error is raised 348 (see below). If the JWT is verified, 350 user is granted access, and an access control system grants the access and sends signal to unlock a door, etc. In addition, whether the JWT is verified or not verified, a corresponding entry record of either an access entry or an access denied entry is produced 352 as an access log that is stored 354 and maintained in the distributed ledger system. (114) There are a number of ways the system verifies the JWT. The verification process relies on the JWT being signed by the user's wallet 13a using its private key. In order for the reader (or other system upstream of the reader) to verify the JWT signature, the reader needs to know the public key of the mobile wallet. The reader or other system thus stores the wallet's public key. The reader accesses or retrieves from its storage, the public key for the wallet 13a. (115) The JWT contains the "iss" attribute which is a unique ID for the wallet. This unique ID is used by the reader or other system to obtain the stored public key and the JWT can be verified. If the token is not valid then an error response is sent to the wallet and access is not provided. (116) The JWT has an "aud" attribute that identifies the destination of the token (i.e., the reader UUID). The JWT also includes an "exp" attribute that sets the expiration time of the token, and a "jti" attributed, i.e., and ID that can be used by the Reader or which can be used by an upstream system to ensure that the token can be used only once during the validity time (i.e., replays would be prevented). The "iat" attribute indicates the time that the JWT was issued. (117) Thus, the security application 188 can send to the user device containing the wallet 13a a verified access or access error depending on the outcome of the process. All exchanges are logged in the distributed ledger for audit tracking, etc. Records are added to the distributed ledger as transactions and include a hashed record of the transaction, what was exchanged, the signatures of the parties, and may include additional detailed information depending on the type of distributed ledger used. The information stored for audit can include the date and time that the mobile wallet sent a JWT, the JWT parameters, and the access status or error conditions. (118) The JWT can also contain access policies that the reader can implement locally. For example, the JWT could contain roles that the wallet belongs to and those roles can be used by the reader to determine if the access should be provided or not with all decisions being made by the reader unit. This provides reduced latency in comparison with a centralized system approach where decisions based on roles, etc. are centrally made. The roles and access policies would be part of a JWT payload. A requirement would thus be that those roles and policies would need to be signed by the company and preferable would have an expiration date. (119) The reader will trust those policies if they meet the validation criteria which is composed of the follow types of checks: (120) The policies contain the wallet ID (121) The policies are signed by the Company (122) The policies are not expired (123) The specifics of the encoding of the JWT payload have not been provided. However, the payload could be a binary payload inside of the JWT, an encoded attribute, or could be a second JWT produced by the company that the mobile wallet provides in addition to its own JWT, i.e., the company provided JWT for access. This second JWT produced by the company would contains the access policies, wallet id, and expiration time, would be signed by the company and the "iss" of the company. (124) Referring now to FIG. 16, a time line of the credential process flow for access by the access control system from a mobile credential of a registered employee as discussed in FIG. 15, is shown. The process time line flow shows messaging/functions that occur among the wallet, the distributed network servers, a system register (security application) and the distributed ledger system, as well as the ANA system and the VMS system. (125) The system 180 of FIG. 12 uses a distributed ledger system managed identity. The user can have a "seal" or can be a first time visitor that has a seal produced. As used herein, a "seal" is a token that is registered on a user′ wallet 13s to verify that the user has gone through an initial authentication process. This "seal" would contain a signature from the security server 184 that validated the user's wallet under specified conditions (time interval, security level, etc.). (126) Referring now to FIG. 17, a wearable credential-based registration process flow 400 for registration of a mobile credential stored on the user wearable via a tablet computer or the like with an access control system is shown. Shown in FIG. 17, are user device processing (FIG. 17A), security system processing (FIG. 13B) and distributed system/distributed ledger processing (13C). The process flow 400 for registration with an access control system from a mobile, wearable credential in a near field communication enabled device (wearable credential device) is similar to that shown for the process as discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 13A-13C. The processing of FIG. 13A is somewhat modified, as shown in FIG. 17A. (127) Referring now to FIG. 17A, in order to establish a connection between the wearable device and the security system, the process 400 uses an application such as an App that runs on a mobile computing device, e.g., a tablet computing device or the like. From wearable credential device, a near field communication systems, e.g., Bluetooth, NFC and the like, connects 402 to the user's wallet (e.g., on a smartphone or the like). The user via the wallet sends 404 the user's public key to the security application, e.g., by a physical signaling mechanism such as double tapping on the device holding the wearable wallet. The wallet also sends a request to obtain the facilities public key and receives the facility public key 406. In some implementations, the facility public key as well as the facility UUID are specific to a single physical facility. However, in other implementations, the facility public key as well as the facility UUID are specific to a plurality of facilities of a single or related set of entities. (128) The remaining processing is similar to that discussed in FIG. 13A and need not be repeated here. Similarly, the processing by the security system and distributed network and distributed ledger for FIG. 17 are similar to the processing of FIGS. 13B and 13C and are not repeated here. (129) In summary, as above in FIGS. 13, 13A-13C, from the wallet the user's profile is also sent to the security application. The security application 188 sends a message to a distributed network to search for the user. If a user does not exist in the distributed ledger system then the system will produce an identity in the distributed ledger system based on the profile information. The security application 188 sends the received profile over a network to verify the profile and select an identity type. The security application 188 sends/updates the received profile, public key and user type over a distributed network for transfer to and storage in the distributed ledger system, where the profile, public key of the user and the user type are stored. The security application 188 sends the facility UUID and the facility public key to the wallet where the facility UUID is stored and the facility public key is verified. The wallet sends a confirmation or an error for display on a display of the table device, executing the security application. (130) The process 400 allows a user to verify a facility and allows any facility of the same entity to be accessed with the wearable credential device, while the system can verify the identity of the user by possessing a credential in the wearable credential device. The described facility security application 188 registers and verify users, e.g., employees. The wearable credential device can be of various types such as a ring, bracelet/armband, a heartbeat monitor strap or pin, an ankle bracelet, a pin on a shoe to monitor walking pattern, anything which can store a user's credential(s). (131) As used throughout this application "credentials" refer to pieces of information that are used in cryptography to establish a user's identity to a recipient device. Examples or credentials includes machine-readable cryptographic keys and/or passwords. Credentials as used herein are issued by a trusted third party and include an unambiguous association of the credential with a specific, real individual or other entity (facility). Credentials are often configured to expire after a certain period, although this is not mandatory. Credentials take several forms, such as the UUID and certificates mentioned herein as well as user credentials. In some instances, credentials can be based on personal "signatures." These "signatures" can capture personal characteristics, such as voice patterns, retina scans, heart beat rhythms, etc., but at some level would still include information in the form of keys/passwords, etc. (132) Referring now to FIG. 18, a wearable credential-based access process flow 500 for allowing access to an access control system, by a user having a mobile credential stored on the user wearable via a tablet computer or the like is shown. Shown in FIG. 18, are user device processing 500a (FIG. 18A), security system processing 500b (similar to processing in FIG. 15B) and distributed system/distributed ledger processing 500c (similar to processing in FIG. 15C). The process flow 500 for access to an access control system from a mobile, wearable credential in a near field communication enabled device (wearable credential device) is similar to that shown for the process as discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 15A-15C. The processing of FIG. 15A is somewhat modified, as shown in FIG. 18A. (133) Referring now to FIG. 18A, in order to establish a connection between the wearable device and the security system, process 500a uses an application such as an "App" that runs on a mobile computing device, e.g., a tablet computing device or the like. From a wearable credential device, a near field communication systems, e.g., Bluetooth, NFC and the like, connects 502 to the user's wallet (e.g., on a smartphone or the like). The processing is generally similar to that of FIG. 15A, except that a physical action on the user's tablet computer may be used to send the JWT message 510 to the security application. (134) The processing not discussed in FIG. 18A is similar to that discussed in FIG. 15A and need not be repeated here. Similarly, the security system processing 500b and distributed network and distributed ledger processing 500c are similar to the processing of FIGS. 15B and 15C, respectively, and are not repeated here. (135) In summary, as above in FIGS. 15, 15A-15C, the credential process 500 allows a verified user to access a facility and allows either a single physical facility or any facility of the same entity to be accessed, depending on how the entity configures the system, while the system verifies identity for permitting access. The process 500 uses an access application, such as an App that runs on the mobile computing device, e.g., the tablet computing device or the like discussed above. From the access application the device holding the wallet either connects via near field or listens for a beacon, as discussed above. The user's wallet on the device connects to a reader application on the tablet device once a beacon is detected is detected and verified as discussed above. The reader application has the facility certificate, the facility UUID, and a revocation status, e.g., such as via the "Online Certificate Status Protocol" (OCSP) discussed above. Other approaches could use certificate revocation lists (CRL), as mentioned above. (136) The user's wallet connects with the wearable credential device that verifies the facility credentials, e.g., facility certificate, revocation status and facility UUID, and upon verification sends notification to the wallet device. The device sends a JWT message to the door reader app. The JWT message follows the so called JSON Web Token (JWT) format discussed above. The generated tokens, as above, are signed by the token producer's private key, so that door reader app in possession of the producer's public key is able to verify that the token is legitimate. The claims are used to pass identity of authenticated users between an identity provider and a service provider. The tokens can be authenticated and encrypted. The exemplary JWT message set out above can also be used here. (137) From the access application, the JWT message is sent to the distributed network to a server that is used to verify the JWT token. If the JWT is not verified an access error (access denied) is logged, as discussed above. If the JWT is verified, user is granted access, and an access control system grants the access and sends signal to unlock a door, etc. In addition, if the JWT is verified, in addition to the access control system granting access an access entry is produced in an access log that is stored and maintained in the distributed ledger system. (138) As above, the security application 188 can send to the user device containing the wallet a verified access or access error depending on the outcome of the process. All exchanges are logged in the distributed ledger for audit tracking, etc., using the processes discussed above. The information stored for audit can include the date and time that the mobile wallet sent a JWT, the JWT parameters, and the access status or error conditions. (139) Credential-Based Guest Access System (140) In the context of a guest, guest registration discussed below can give a visitor user access to a front door if the visitor user has a seal (discussed above) and is scheduled for a meeting in the facility. The system using the ANA system (discussed above) provisions the wallet 13a to automatically sign-in the visitor via a visitor pad (badge printed, etc.), and notifies a host system. With the seal, the visitor guest with the wallet 13a is allowed to access a door during scheduled visit time. (141) The Registration of the Guest, and Employee and Manager approval process follows the process above, with the following additions. After approvals, the Guest is registered into the VMS system and when the Guest shows up at the facility, the guest will scan the outside reader to gain access to a designated location, e.g., a building lobby). The scan verifies whether the visitor is supposed to be at that location. The system will tell the VMS that the guest has signed in, the VMS notifies the Employee, and the employee, after meeting the visitor, can accept the sign-in which will activate the Guests access to the building door readers for the time period of their visit. Details of these processes are discussed below. (142) Referring now to FIG. 19, a credential-based access process flow 600 for permitting access to a registered mobile credential stored on a guest's device 12a (more specifically in the wallet 13a) to an access control system is shown. Shown in FIG. 19 are guest device processing 600a (FIG. 19A), security system processing 600b (FIG. 19B) and distributed system/distributed ledger processing 600c (19C). This credential-based access process 600 (access process 600) is shown for the guest device 12a/wallet 13a, security system 184/security application 188, and the distributed servers 190 that interact with the distributed ledgers 14. (143) The access process 600 allows a guest, e.g., a visitor to verify a facility and vice-versa. The guest has a mobile, wearable credential in a near field communication enabled device (wearable credential device) as shown and a guest wallet in a guest device. This process is used with a guest, meaning a person not normally expected at a facility but who has been registered at the facility by an entity having privileges to register guests that may seek legitimate access to the facility over defined days/periods of time/specified purposes. The mobile device carries the guest wallet 13a and listens for a beacon, as above. The process 13a uses an access application, such as an App that runs on a lobby placed kiosk or kiosk. (144) The process 600 uses a credential exchange mechanism that allows a guest's wallet 13a to verify the facility under control of an entity that issues its own credentials that can be traced by the facility, obviating need for a central, certificate issuing authority, by the facility having a unique certificate similar to those commonly found today in website certificates. However, in this instance, the company is the issuer of the certificate. This gives the ability to have the credential carrier roles and permissions, conveyed by the kiosk application exchanging the roles and permissions of a guest, without having to go back to a central service. This allows local control (exchange process of certificates). The mobile wallet 13a can access permissions from central facility (one time load) without the local control having to go back to central facility each time access is attempted. (145) Digital certificates are issued by a certificate authority or certification authority (CA), i.e., an entity that issues and certifies digital certificates, which certification is used to verify the ownership of a public key by the named entity associated with the certificate. The certification enables others that rely upon signatures or assertions made about the private key as corresponding to the certified public key. In this model of trust relationships, a CA could be a third party or in some implementations could be the entity itself rather than a trusted third party—trusted both by the owner of the certificate and by parties that would be relying on the certificate. Public-key infrastructure (PKI) schemes feature certifying authorities. (146) Described is a facility security application 188 to access and verify guests, e.g., employees. (147) Referring now to FIG. 19A, the guest device 12a portion 600a of the credential-based access process 600 is shown. The guest device 12a listens 602 for a beacon from the security system, via a card access kiosk (kiosk). The lobby kiosk (or station) broadcasts a beacon (ID) that the smartphone receives and, which the mobile wallet detects. The guest device 12a connects to the kiosk, and the wallet 13a via the device 12a requests that the kiosk provide its credentials to the visitor's device 12a. The beacon includes a message to cause the visitor's device 12a to initiate 604 a transaction with the kiosk to connect with the security server/security application on the kiosk. The guest's wallet 13a requests 606 from a security wallet 601 in the kiosk, e.g., security application 188, a facility certificate, OCSP and facility UUID (discussed below). (148) The guest's device 12a verifies 608 the credentials sent to the wallet 13a from the security wallet 201 of the security system 184, e.g., the facility certificate, the OCSP and the facility UUID. If the kiosk is valid, then the kiosk will provide its facility UUID, the facility certificate (public key for the facility) as well as the company UUID and company certificate (public key of the company). The wallet 13a verifies if, the wallet 13a, is paired with the company. (149) Other approaches include the beacon ID being that of the company UUID and if the wallet 13a is paired with that company, the wallet 13a (via the device 12a) then connects to the kiosk and requests details. The wallet 12a via the visitor's device 12a, either connects and determines if the beacon is from a valid system or the beacon ID itself is formatted such that beacon from a valid system informs the wallet 12a that the beacon is from a kiosk and the wallet verifies the specifics by connecting to the kiosk. (150) The visitor's wallet connects to the application once the beacon is detected. The application has the facility certificate, the facility UUID, and a revocation status, e.g., such as via the "Online Certificate Status Protocol" (OCSP) with or without OCSP stapling, as discussed above. Also other approaches could use certificate revocation lists (CRL), as discussed above. (151) Since the mobile wallet knows the company's public key, the mobile wallet can trust that any packets signed by the company are valid and can be trusted. When the mobile wallet 13a accesses a facility, the facility provides its facility specific public key to the mobile device 12a (wallet 13a). The mobile wallet 13a does not know if this facility is authentic and part of the company that the wallet 13a holds a mobile credential for, and thus before the wallet 13a exchanges its credentials, the wallet 13a needs to verify for certain that the facility is authentic. (152) Authenticity of the facility is determined by the wallet 13a through verification 608 of the facility's certificate. The verification process has the wallet 13a determine whether the facility certificate was signed by the company. If the certificate was signed by the company, then the wallet 13a verifies that the facility certificate and the signature match because the wallet has the company's public key and the wallet can verify the signature. If the signature is valid, then the wallet 13a knows that the facility certificate is authentic. (153) Although the certificate is authentic the wallet needs to verify that the certificate has not been revoked. The wallet can do this verification a number of ways, as discussed above. (154) Upon, the guest's wallet 13a verifying the facility credentials, e.g., facility certificate, a revocation status and facility UUID, the guest's wallet sends 610 a JWT message to the door kiosk app. The JWT message follows the so called JSON Web Token (JWT) format that is a JSON-based open standard (RFC 7519) for producing tokens that assert some number of "claims." The generated tokens, as above, are signed by the token producer's private key, so that door kiosk app in possession of the producer's public key is able to verify that the token is legitimate. The claims are used to pass identity of authenticated guests between an identity provider and a service provider. The tokens can be authenticated and encrypted. Upon verification of the JWT message by the servers, the servers cause the kiosk to send an access status message that is received 612 by the wallet 13a, allowing or denying access to the facility, typically to a lobby door. (155) An exemplary JWT message is as set out above. (156) Referring now also to FIG. 19B, the security application 188 causes the security system to continually or periodically issue 622, the beacon that is readable by the guest device 12a and which causes the guest device to request 624 a connection to the kiosk. As mentioned above, the guest device 12a upon connecting to the kiosk has the kiosk provide 626 its credentials to the visitor's device 12a (wallet 13a). If the verification by the wallet was successful, the wallet sends the JWT message, and upon receipt 628 of the JWT message by the kiosk, the JWT is sent 630 to the distributed network to a server that is used to verify the JWT token. Upon verification of the JWT message by the servers, the servers send the kiosk an access status message that is received 632 and is sent 634 to the wallet 13a allowing or denying access to the facility. (157) Referring now also to FIG. 19C, the JWT is received 642 and is verified 644. If the JWT is not verified, an error is raised 648 (see below). If the JWT is verified, 646 the guest is granted access 650, and an access control system grants the access and sends signal to unlock a door, etc. In addition, whether the JWT is verified or not verified, a corresponding entry record of either an access entry or an access denied entry is produced 652 as an access log that is stored 654 and maintained in the distributed ledger system. (158) The security application 188 sends a check-in guest message to the VMS system, to verify that the guest has a scheduled visit. The VMS system notifies C-Cure when the guest has a verified meeting by pushing a notification via the distributed network to the C-Cure. If the JWT is verified, user is granted access, and an access control system grants the access and sends signal to unlock a door, etc., as generally discussed above. In some implementations when granting access the system also checks current time/date and if guest has been activated and time/date is within a window for which access would be permitted, e.g., a meeting window (159) The distributed servers send 660, via a guest system, to the guest's host device containing a wallet (not referenced), a verified access notification. In some implementations, this message when received by the guest's host's wallet will produce 662 guest notification that causes 664 a guest activation message to be produced, which together 665 with the access message 650 are used by the servers to grant access, e.g., a message is sent to a system such as C-Cure that sends an unlock message to unlock a lobby door. (160) All exchanges are logged in the distributed ledger for audit tracking, etc. Records are added to the distributed ledger as transactions and include a hashed record of the transaction, what was exchanged, the signatures of the parties, and may include additional detailed information depending on the type of distributed ledger used. The information stored for audit can include the date and time that the mobile wallet sent a JWT, the JWT parameters, and the access status or error conditions. Any of the ways discussed above to verify the JWT can be used. (161) Referring now to FIG. 20, a time line of the credential process flow for access through the access control system from a mobile credential of a registered guest having a scheduled meeting as discussed in FIG. 19 to FIG. 19D, is shown. The process time line flow shows messaging/functions that occur among the wallet, the distributed network servers, a system register (security application) and the distributed ledger system, as well as the ANA system and the VMS system. (162) Registered Guest Sign-in (163) Referring now to FIG. 21, a credential process flow 700 for access control with the mobile, wearable credential in a near field communication enabled device (wearable credential device) for a registered guest is shown. Shown in FIG. 21 are guest device processing 700a (FIG. 21A), security system processing 700b (FIG. 21B) and distributed system/distributed ledger processing 700c (21C). This credential-based access process 700 (access process 700) is shown for the guest device 12a/wallet 13a, security system 184/security application 188, and the distributed servers 190 that interact with the distributed ledgers 14. (164) The access process 700 allows a guest, e.g., a visitor to verify a facility and vice-versa. The guest has a mobile, wearable credential in a near field communication enabled device (wearable credential device) as shown and a guest wallet in a guest device. The mobile device carries the guest wallet 13a and listens for a beacon, as above. The process 13a uses an access application, such as an App that runs on a door reader. (165) The process 700 uses a credential exchange mechanism that allows a guest's wallet 13a to verify the facility under control of an entity that issues its own credentials that can be traced by the facility, obviating need for a central, certificate issuing authority, by the facility having a unique certificate similar to those commonly found today in website certificates. However, in this instance, the company is the issuer of the certificate. This gives the ability to have the credential carrier roles and permissions, conveyed by the kiosk application exchanging the roles and permissions of a guest, without having to go back to a central service. This allows local control (exchange process of certificates). The mobile wallet 13a can access permissions from central facility (one time load) without the local control having to go back to central facility each time access is attempted. (166) Digital certificates are issued by a certificate authority or certification authority (CA), i.e., an entity that issues and certifies digital certificates, which certification is used to verify the ownership of a public key by the named entity associated with the certificate. The certification enables others that rely upon signatures or assertions made about the private key as corresponding to the certified public key. In this model of trust relationships, a CA could be a third party or in some implementations could be the entity itself rather than a trusted third party—trusted both by the owner of the certificate and by parties that would be relying on the certificate. Public-key infrastructure (PKI) schemes feature certifying authorities. (167) Referring now to FIG. 21A, the guest device 12a portion 700a of the credential-based access process 700 is shown. The guest device 12a listens 702 for a beacon from a card reader. The card reader broadcasts a beacon (ID) that the smartphone receives and, which the mobile wallet detects. The guest device 12a connects to the card reader, and the wallet 13a via the device 12a requests that the card reader provide its credentials to the visitor's device 12a. The beacon includes a message to cause the visitor's device 12a to initiate 704 a transaction with the card reader to connect with the application on the card reader. The guest's wallet 13a requests 706 from a security wallet 701 in the card reader, e.g., security application 188, a facility certificate, OCSP and facility UUID (discussed below). (168) The guest's device 12a verifies 708 the credentials sent to the wallet 13a from the security wallet 701 of the security system 184, e.g., the facility certificate, the OCSP and the facility UUID. If the card reader is valid, then the card reader will provide its facility UUID, the facility certificate (public key for the facility) as well as the company UUID and company certificate (public key of the company). The wallet 13a verifies if, the wallet 13a, is paired with the company. (169) Other approaches include the beacon ID being that of the company UUID and if the wallet 13a is paired with that company, the wallet 13a (via the device 12a) then connects to the kiosk and requests details. The wallet 12a via the visitor's device 12a, either connects and determines if the beacon is from a valid system or the beacon ID itself is formatted such that beacon from a valid system informs the wallet 12a that the beacon is from the card reader and the wallet verifies the specifics by connecting to the card reader. (170) The visitor's wallet connects to the application once the beacon is detected. The application has the facility certificate, the facility UUID, and a revocation status, e.g., such as via the "Online Certificate Status Protocol" (OCSP) as discussed above. Other approaches could be used. (171) Since the mobile wallet knows the company's public key, the mobile wallet can trust that any packets signed by the company are valid and can be trusted. When the mobile wallet 13a accesses the reader, the reader provides its facility specific public key to the mobile device 12a (wallet 13a). The mobile wallet 13a does not know if this facility is authentic and part of the company that the wallet 13a holds a mobile credential for, and thus before the wallet 13a exchanges its credentials, the wallet 13a needs to verify for certain that the reader is authentic. (172) Authenticity of the reader is determined by the wallet 13a through verification 708 of the facility's certificate. The verification process has the wallet 13a determine whether the facility certificate was signed by the company. If the certificate was signed by the company, then the wallet 13a verifies that the facility certificate and the signature match because the wallet has the company's public key and the wallet can verify the signature. If the signature is valid, then the wallet 13a knows that the facility certificate is authentic. (173) Although the certificate is authentic the wallet needs to verify that the certificate has not been revoked. The wallet can do this verification a number of ways as discussed above, e.g. directly through an OCSP request or with an OCSP response (i.e. OCSP stapling), as discussed above, or CRL. (174) Upon, the guest's wallet 13a verifying the facility credentials, e.g., facility certificate, a revocation status and facility UUID, the guest's wallet sends 710 a JWT message to the reader. The JWT message follows the so called JSON Web Token (JWT) format discussed above. The generated tokens, as above, are signed by the token producer's private key, so that door kiosk app in possession of the producer's public key is able to verify that the token is legitimate. The claims are used to pass identity of authenticated guests between an identity provider and a service provider. The tokens can be authenticated and encrypted. Upon verification of the JWT message by the servers, the servers cause the reader to send an access status message that is received 712 by the wallet 13a, allowing or denying access. (175) Referring now also to FIG. 21B, the security application 188 processing 700b causes the security system reader to continually or periodically issue 722, the beacon that is readable by the guest device 12a and which causes the guest device to request 724 a connection to the reader. As mentioned above, the guest device 12a upon connecting to the reader has the reader provide 726 its credentials to the visitor's device 12a (wallet 13a). If the verification by the wallet was successful, the wallet sends the JWT message, and upon receipt 728 of the JWT message by the reader, the JWT is sent 730 to the distributed network to a server that is used to verify the JWT token. Upon verification of the JWT message by the servers, the servers send the reader an access status message that is received 732 and is sent 734 to the wallet 13a allowing or denying access to the facility. (176) Referring now also to FIG. 21C, the distributed servers/distributed ledger processing 700c is shown. The JWT is received 742 by the distributed servers and is verified 744. If the JWT is not verified, an error is raised 748 (see below). If the JWT is verified, 746 the guest is granted access 750, and an access control system grants the access and sends signal to unlock a door, etc. In addition, whether the JWT is verified or not verified, a corresponding entry record of either an access entry or an access denied entry is produced 752 as an access log that is stored 754 and maintained in the distributed ledger system. (177) The security application 188 sends a check-in guest message to the VMS system, to verify that the guest has a scheduled visit. The VMS system notifies C-Cure when the guest has a verified meeting by pushing a notification via the distributed network to the C-Cure. If the JWT is verified, user is granted access, and an access control system grants the access and sends signal to unlock a door, etc., as generally discussed above. In some implementations when granting access the system also checks current time/date and if guest has been activated and time/date is within a window for which access would be permitted, e.g., a meeting window. (178) All exchanges are logged in the distributed ledger for audit tracking, etc. Records are added to the distributed ledger as transactions and include a hashed record of the transaction, what was exchanged, the signatures of the parties, and may include additional detailed information depending on the type of distributed ledger used. The information stored for audit can include the date and time that the mobile wallet sent a JWT, the JWT parameters, and the access status or error conditions. (179) Referring now to FIG. 22, a time line of the credential process flow for access through the access control system from a mobile credential of a registered guest as discussed in FIG. 21 to FIG. 21C, is shown. The process time line flow shows messaging/functions that occur among the wallet, the distributed network servers, a system register (security application) and the distributed ledger system, as well as the ANA system and the VMS system. (180) Referring now to FIG. 23 a processing 770 shows messaging/functions that occur on the wallet 13a, over the distributed network 16, a system register and the distributed ledger system 14. The system has access to "personally identifiable information" commonly referred to as "PII" that is maintained in the distributed ledger system 14. The users (employee host and guest) each have a distributed ledger system managed identity. Users can have a "seal" as explained above or can be first time users that have seals produced. (181) An employee requests 772 guest access (specifying meeting date and time, etc.). The invite can be sent, 774 via an e-mail. The request is sent 776 to the guest wallet 13a and is a request for guest attributes, i.e., attributes of the user, etc. The employee-employee wallet verifies 778 this information and signs with its private key, with the employee indicating the security level of access for the visit. (182) The security level of the area is check 780 against an access policy, e.g., the facility can have various levels of access and business rules are executed to determine deviance from or adherence to the policy. The request is forward 782 to a manager for approval and signing with the managers' private key. The access policy is created 784 in a generally conventional manner. Policy and guest PII are stored 786 in the distributed ledger system 14. The meeting is produced with the guest, time, date, host, etc. and is stored 788 in the VMS system. (183) In the above implementation of secured access, a user, e.g., a manager approves the access by reviewing and signing request with its private key. Thus, secured access would involve two or more key set (two private-public key sets), whereas general access may need only a single key set (private-public key set). Manager created policy and guest PII are stored in distributed ledger system. From this processing meeting, meeting date/time, host etc. entry is produced and stored in the VMS system. The access policy used with the guest as well as the guest PII are stored in the distributed ledger. (184) Thus in the context of a guest, guest registration can give user access to a front door if the user is a visitor having a seal and is scheduled for a meeting in the facility. The wallet is used to automatically sign-In to visitor pad (badge printed, etc.), host notified and the wallet can be used to access a door during scheduled visit time. (185) Registration of the Wallet involves the distributed system that includes cloud based servers. This registration process is performed using secured transmission of data over Bluetooth between the wallet and the registration application on the kiosk. The profile information for the user is captured and verified. (186) The data once verified is committed to the cloud based servers and persisted into the distributed ledger system. Other techniques include use of a digital identity card, e.g., a Showcard ID (i.e. the wallet can include an ID exchange). If the user identity does not exist then it is created in the system. (187) Authentication calls are executed over the distributed network, via an Authenticate REST API for authentication using credentials authentication flow. With the Employee Wallet when a new meeting invite is produced, the employee selects a guest if the guest already exists in the system. If the guest does not exist, a profile for the guest is produced via the Guest Management system as well as the VMS system. If a Guest is deleted by the application then the Guest is deleted in the VMS system. As part of the new invite, the date and time of the meeting scheduled is entered and a meeting is created in the VMS. The Guest ID is either the guest's Public key or distributed ledger system ID. (188) The employee can delete an invite, and when deleted, the invite is deleted from the Guest Management System and the VMS system. When a guest device is sent the invite, the invite includes the facility Public Key. The guest wallet interfaces to the door reader with the flows described above. The Manager Application uses the distributed network, Authenticate REST API for authentication using credentials authentication flow for authentication. (189) When a user checks into the Lobby Reader or Kiosk a push notification will be sent to the Host's Wallet. Once the push notification is received the application can be loaded when the user views the notification, the Host acknowledges the guest has entered the building and activates guest access. (190) Registration of the Wallet involves the Cloud system. This registration process is performed using secured transmission of data over Bluetooth between the wallet and the server. The profile information for the user is captured and verified. The data once verified is committed to the cloud based servers and persisted into the distributed ledger system. (191) Other techniques will include use of a digital identity card, e.g., a Showcard ID (i.e. the wallet can include an ID exchange). If the user identity does not exist then it is created in the system. (192) Referring now to FIGS. 24A-24G, various user interfaces that are displayed on various ones of the user devices housing the users' wallets are shown. (193) FIG. 24A shows an initial interface 800 rendered on a display of the user device 12a, e.g., a smartphone, to initialize the wallet 13a. The initial interface 800 has fields for entering user information, e.g., first name, last name, e-mail, and password, and which displays a wallet ID and the user's public key. The interface 800 also includes a button to register the user/user's wallet 13a with the various systems described above and that invoke the processes of FIGS. 12-13C. (194) FIG. 24B shows the user interface 800 at a later stage, e.g., during a log-in presenting the e-mail and password fields that the user filled in, along with a log-in button. (195) FIGS. 24C and 24D show the user interface 800 at a later stage for creating the QR codes with a generate button and scanning of the QR codes with a scan button, as mentioned in FIG. 12. (196) FIG. 24E shows the user interface 800 at a later stage, e.g., during sending of the profile to the security app., with a send profile button and a check box to approve sending profile information. (197) FIG. 24F depicts a confirmation of registration status message. (198) Upon the user login (FIG. 24B) the user interface displays a search screen results (FIG. 24G) of searching for the user. The user can have various profiles for different levels and types of access to different facilities, etc. The various profiles are displayed with an indicator that selects one to use and a control to send the selected profile, and can also display a control to produce a new user profile. The selected profile is subsequently send using the screen of FIG. 24E, above. (199) Referring now to FIG. 25, components of system/devices are shown. Memory stores program instructions and data used by the processor. The memory may be a suitable combination of random access memory and read-only memory, and may host suitable program instructions (e.g. firmware or operating software), and configuration and operating data and may be organized as a file system or otherwise. The program instructions stored in the memory may further store software components allowing network communications and establishment of connections to the data network. The software components may, for example, include an internet protocol (IP) stack, as well as driver components for the various interfaces. Other software components suitable for establishing a connection and communicating across network will be apparent to those of ordinary skill. (200) Servers are associated with an IP address and port(s) by which it communicates with user devices. The server address may be static, and thus always identify a particular one of monitoring server to the intrusion detection panels. Alternatively, dynamic addresses could be used, and associated with static domain names, resolved through a domain name service. The network interface card interfaces with the network to receive incoming signals, and may for example take the form of an Ethernet network interface card (NIC). The servers may be computers, thin-clients, or the like, to which received data representative of an alarm event is passed for handling by human operators. The monitoring station may further include, or have access to, a subscriber database that includes a database under control of a database engine. The database may contain entries corresponding to the various subscriber devices/processes to panels like the panel that are serviced by the monitoring station. (201) All or part of the processes described herein and their various modifications (hereinafter referred to as "the processes") can be implemented, at least in part, via a computer program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in one or more tangible, physical hardware storage devices that are computer and/or machine-readable storage devices for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers. A computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a network. (202) Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only storage area or a random access storage area or both. Elements of a computer (including a server) include one or more processors for executing instructions and one or more storage area devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from, or transfer data to, or both, one or more machine-readable storage media, such as mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. (203) Tangible, physical hardware storage devices that are suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile storage, including by way of example, semiconductor storage area devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash storage area devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks and volatile computer memory, e.g., RAM such as static and dynamic RAM, as well as erasable memory, e.g., flash memory. (204) In addition, the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In addition, other actions may be provided, or actions may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be added to, or removed from, the described systems. Likewise, actions depicted in the figures may be performed by different entities or consolidated. (205) Elements of different embodiments described herein may be combined to form other embodiments not specifically set forth above. Elements may be left out of the processes, computer programs, Web pages, etc. described herein without adversely affecting their operation. Furthermore, various separate elements may be combined into one or more individual elements to perform the functions described herein. (206) Other implementations not specifically described herein are also within the scope of the following claims. ### Claims 1. A method comprises: listening by a user device for a beacon from a security system, the beacon including a message; rendering a graphical user interface on a display associated with the user device, with the graphical user interface including fields for entering an email address and a password to register the user device with the security server, and a user public key stored in a digital wallet and a user digital wallet identification associated with the user device; initiating by the user device a transaction with a security server in response to the message; and sending in response to the message, the user public key that is stored in the digital wallet, and which public key is embedded in a code. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: rendering by the user's display device a control that causes the device to embed the public key as a matrix barcode. 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: requesting by the user device from a security wallet of the security system an access code having a facility public key and a universal identifier configured as a matrix barcode; and testing the facility public key and identifier against the scanned the facility access code to determine whether the facility public key and identifier are legitimate. 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising: rendering by the user device an interface that has a control that causes the digital wallet in the user device to send a user profile corresponding the user associated with the user device, to the security server when the facility public key and identifier are determined to be legitimate. 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: rendering by the user device an interface that allows the user device to select multiple user profiles. 6. A user device comprises: a processor device; memory operatively coupled to the processor device; a display operatively coupled to the processor device; a communication device operatively coupled to the processor device; the user device configured to: listen for a beacon from the security system, with the beacon including a message; render a graphical user interface on the display, with the graphical user interface including fields for entering an email address and a password to register the user device with the security server, and a user public key stored in a digital wallet and a user digital wallet identification associated with the user device; embedded the user public key into a code; initiate a transaction with a security server in response to the message; and send in response to the message, the user public key embedded in a code to the security server. 7. The device of claim 6 further configured to: render in the display a control that causes the device to embed the public key as a matrix barcode. 8. The device of claim 6 further configured to: send request to a security wallet of the security system for a facility access code having a facility public key and a facility universal identifier configured as a matrix barcode; scan a facility access code; and test the facility public key and identifier against the scanned the facility access code to determine whether the test the facility are legitimate. 9. The device of claim 8 further configured to: render an interface that has a control that causes the digital wallet in the user device to send a user profile corresponding the user associated with the user device, to the security server when the facility public key and identifier are determined to be legitimate based on the test. 10. The device of claim 8 further configured to: render an interface that allows the user device to select from multiple user profiles. 11. A computer program product tangibly stored on a computer readable hardware storage device, the computer program product comprising instructions to cause a user device to: listen for a beacon from a security system, the beacon including a message; render a graphical user interface on a display associated with the user device, with the graphical user interface including fields for entering an email address and a password to register the user device with the security server, and a user public key stored in a digital wallet and a user digital wallet identification associated with the user device; initiate a transaction with a security server in response to the message; and send in response to the message, the user public key that is stored in the digital wallet, and which public key is embedded in a code. 12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising instructions to cause the user device to: render in the display a control that causes the user device to embed the public key as a matrix barcode. 13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising instructions to cause the user device to: request from a security wallet of the security system an access code having a facility public key and a universal identifier configured as a matrix barcode; and test the facility public key and identifier by causing the user device to render a control that allows the user device to scan a facility access code. 14. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising instructions to: render an interface that has a control that causes the digital wallet in the user device to send a user profile corresponding the user associated with the user device to the security server when the facility public key and identifier are determined to be legitimate. 15. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising instructions to: render an interface that allows the user device to select from multiple user profiles.	9858781	US 9858781 B1	2018-01-02	60,805,282	Architecture for access management	H04L9/3242;G06F21/6218;H04L63/102;G07C9/00;G07C9/28;H04L63/0853;H04W12/068;H04L63/083;H04W12/084;G06F17/142;G06Q20/389;G07F7/0826;G06Q20/3674;G07C9/00182;G06Q20/363;H04L9/30;H04L63/0428;G06F9/451;H04L63/0823;G06F16/27;G06F21/31;H04L63/101;H04W12/069;H04W12/06;H04W12/08;H04L9/06;H04L63/18;H04L63/20;G08B13/19682;H04L9/0825;H04L9/3213;H04L63/0861	H04L9/32;H04L9/08;G06F21/6263;G06F21/45;H04L51/58;G06F21/34;H04L63/107;H04W4/021;G06Q2220/00	Campero; Richard et al.	Tyco Integrated Security, LLC	15/596028	2017-05-16	Haupt; Kristy A		1/1	Campero; Richard,Davis; Sean,Jarvis; Graeme,Rumble; Terezinha	52.41696	USPAT	28,105
United States Patent 9870508 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent January 16, 2018 Inventor(s) Hodgson; Roderick Neil et al. ## Securely authenticating a recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution ### Abstract The technology disclosed relates to data captured in streams from sensors. Streams often are edited, especially video and audio data streams. In particular, the technology disclosed facilitates identification of segments of an originally captured stream that find their way into a finally edited stream and identification of changed segments in the finally edited stream. Summary analysis on self-aligned meta-blocks of stream data is described, along with pushing at least some self-aligned meta-hashes into a blockchain network, applying an alignment and hashing procedure described in a smart contract. Inventors: Hodgson; Roderick Neil (London, GB), Allibhai; Shamir (San Francisco, CA) Applicant: Unveiled Labs, Inc. (Walnut Creek, CA) Family ID: 60935034 Assignee: Unveiled Labs, Inc. (Walnut Creek, CA) Appl. No.: 15/611739 Filed: June 01, 2017 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: H04N9/80 (20060101); G06K9/00 (20060101); G11B27/10 (20060101); G11B27/031 (20060101); H04N21/266 (20110101); H04N21/2347 (20110101); H04N21/2343 (20110101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06K9/00744 (20130101); G11B27/031 (20130101); G11B27/10 (20130101); H04N21/2347 (20130101); H04N21/23439 (20130101); H04N21/26613 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06K (9/00744); H04N (21/23439); H04N (21/2347); H04N (21/26613); G11B (27/031); G11B (27/10) USPC: 386/241 ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 9703789 12/2016 Bowman N/A G06F 17/30097 2013/0013880 12/2012 Tashiro 711/170 H03M 7/30 2017/0161304 12/2016 Diggins N/A G06F 17/30268 Primary Examiner: Tran; William Attorney, Agent or Firm: Haynes Beffel & Wolfeld LLP ### Background/Summary FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY DISCLOSED ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to like parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, with an emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the technology disclosed. In the following description, various implementations of the technology disclosed are described with reference to the following drawings, in which: (2) FIG. 1 shows an architectural level schematic of a system in accordance with an implementation. (3) FIG. 2A is one implementation of a recording file with multiple recording sequences interleaved with each other. (4) FIG. 2B depicts one implementation of block-level representation of individual elements of the recording sequences of FIG. 2A. (5) FIG. 2C illustrates one implementation of application of a modulo function to block-level hashes of an initially collected recording sequence. (6) FIG. 2D depicts one implementation of producing self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence of FIG. 2C. (7) FIGS. 3A-3B show one implementation of using self-aligned meta-hashes to securely authenticate a prepended recording sequence. (8) FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate one implementation of using self-aligned meta-hashes to securely authenticate a trimmed recording sequence. (9) FIG. 5 is a block diagram with an example decentralized application (DApp) that can be used to implement the technology disclosed. (10) FIG. 6 shows an example workflow in which a smart contract implements the technology disclosed. (11) FIG. 7 depicts an example use case in which the smart contract of FIG. 6 is used to securely authenticate a recording file from initial collection through post-production. (12) FIG. 8 illustrates an example storage block of a blockchain network that implements the technology disclosed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (13) The following discussion is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the technology disclosed, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the disclosed implementations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the technology disclosed. Thus, the technology disclosed is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. (14) Motivation (15) Due to the proliferation and accessibility of video recording, distribution, consumption, and post-production tools, the challenge and urgency to distinguish an edited video from its original is set to increase. (16) Each year, video technology continues to advance coupled with better battery life and cheaper storage. The general public can capture video on increasingly smaller and cheaper devices and together with the force of the mobile revolution, are capturing more and higher-quality video. (17) These trends have led to why wearable cameras are now usable and prevalent, and opened up the potential to capture video once out of human reach (e.g. GoPro™ cameras being put on a pelican bird to capture flight paths). Yet where the opportunity to record videos alone does not make a case for adoption of wearable cameras, pressure is coming from other spheres. Civil society today, as an example, often demands transparency from their government and sees visual evidence and other data to play a pivotal role in creating accountability. This is partly why there is growing adoption of body cameras and recording devices amongst police and emergency service providers. (18) In the near future, it may be commonplace for autonomous and semi-autonomous machines (like drones and autonomous vehicles) to roam on streets, in the air, in space, and underwater while also capturing, recording, transmitting, and processing visual, aural, and sensor data as part of their computer vision and decision-making systems. There will be guidelines to preserve these recordings for a set time period, or in perpetuity, for research, investigative, legal and posterity reasons. (19) These scenarios suggest that even more video will be recorded in the future. In tandem, the number of platforms to distribute and consume video has grown and will continue to grow. On YouTube™ purportedly hundreds of hours of video are uploaded every minute, millions of viewers come to the site daily, and billions of videos are viewed each day. A prodigious amount of content is also being created for and consumed on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and others. With the mobile revolution, watching videos has become ubiquitous and eminently accessible. (20) Separately, trends in post-production tools are making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between original and altered videos. Video editing and visual effects tools are advancing such as in their ability to make post-factum edits that are seamlessly and indistinguishably integrated into the original footage. A salient example includes the use of "digital resurrection" and computer-generated imagery techniques, such as those used in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Edwards, 2016). While the photorealistic depiction of actor Peter Cushing, known as "Grand Moff Tarkin" in the movie, is not an example of a malicious use of visual effects tools, the point is that these tools exist, are getting better, and will become accessible, based on the past trajectory of technology in general, to an increasing number of people, some of whom may have unsavory motivations. (21) There are numerous ways to alter data and numerous types of data stored and shared; post production tools used to edit video is just one example of a method and type of dataset. Techniques to alter data types will empower those who seek to malevolently purport falsehoods, and in the case of the prior example, by creating photorealistic alterations to videos. The discovery of such tampering will result in increased uncertainty of what is truthful, factual and accurate. Doubt will spread, users will grow skeptical, and scrutiny will increase. (22) The trend of advancing post production tools, irrespective of the other mentioned trends, would alone establish the need to identify altered videos. When coupled, though, with the growth in the ubiquity of video, they combine to create an environment conducive to not just the creation of but the spread of misleading information and add urgency to find a resolution. As an example, an increase in the quantity of recorded video, especially in critical, high-stakes situations, coupled with wider distribution means that there is a risk for an increased quantity of manipulated video, and for them to be spread across a range of channels to, arguably, more people. (23) Altogether, the superfecta of trends lay the foundation for the need of a trusted system that can authenticate original videos, audio, and sensor data—and their accurate derivatives—from altered ones. (24) Introduction (25) Post-production editing of an original video often creates an edited video with additional or fewer video frames. Additional frames can be prepended, postpended, or inserted anywhere in the content of original video. In any case, insertion or deletion of frames results in a shift in the position of data within a data file, causing misalignment of any hashes performed on subsections of the file (hash windows). However, creating a provenance trail from derivations of original data to the original data itself can be technically challenging because the hash windows get misaligned between the original data and its derivations, rendering hash sequences that are incomparable. The misalignment is acute when the data at issue is continuous media data such as videos. (26) The technology disclosed uses a modulo function to create aligned hash calculation windows between an original sequence and a derived sequence that are invariant to editing operations like prepending, postpending, insertion, and trimming. Because the values of the cryptographic hashes do not change between edits, the technology disclosed defines hash calculation windows based on the hash values, rather than relying on the position of the hash values. (27) In this disclosure "self-aligned" is used in the context of self-aligned meta-blocks and self-aligned meta-hashes. A self-aligned meta-block is defined with respect to meta-block boundaries generated by applying a modulo function, as described below. Self-aligned meta-blocks can be overlapping or abutting, as a designer prefers. An overlapping example would include two boundaries at the beginning and end of each block. A non-overlapping example would include only a left or right boundary in a block, so that no boundary would belong to two blocks. Once meta-blocks are defined using the self-aligning boundaries, a hash function is applied to the self-aligned meta-blocks to generate what we define as self-aligned meta-hashes. (28) The technology disclosed applies the modulo function on the cryptographic hash values and calculates remainder sequences. Among the remainder sequences are so-called zero remainder values that repeat after as many hash values as the dividend used in the modulo function. The recurring zero remainder values define so-called meta-block boundaries and meta-blocks of hash values that are aligned between the original video and the edited video. Hash of hashes are calculated over the meta-blocks to produce so-called self-aligned meta-hashes for the original video and the edited video. Self-aligned meta-hashes are comparable and can be matched to determine whether the edited video is an excerpt of the original video. (29) Also, the self-aligned meta-hashes are stored and validated on a blockchain network via smart contracts to provide an immutable assurance that data has not been tampered with, in addition to providing traceability and transparent auditing capabilities. (30) System Overview (31) We describe a system and various implementations of data origin authentication and machine data integrity using blockchain-based smart contracts. FIG. 1 shows an architectural level schematic of a system in accordance with an implementation. Because FIG. 1 is an architectural diagram, certain details are intentionally omitted to improve the clarity of the description. (32) The discussion of FIG. 1 will be organized as follows. First, the elements of the figure will be described, followed by their interconnections. Then, the use of the elements in the system will be described in greater detail. (33) FIG. 1 includes the system 100. The system 100 includes device(s) 102, recording sequences store 104, blockchain network 106, users 122, hashes store 126, sequence comparator 132, hash operator 134, decentralized applications (DApps) 136, and network(s) 114. (34) The interconnection of the elements of system 100 will now be described. Network(s) 114 couples the device(s) 102, the recording sequence store 104, the blockchain network 106, the users 122, the hashes store 126, the sequence comparator 132, the hash operator 134, and the DApps 136, all in communication with each other (indicated by solid double-arrowed lines). The actual communication path can be point-to-point over public and/or private networks. The communications can occur over a variety of networks, e.g., private networks, VPN, MPLS circuit, or Internet, and can use appropriate application programming interfaces (APIs) and data interchange formats, e.g., Representational State Transfer (REST), JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), Extensible Markup Language (XML), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Java Message Service (JMS), and/or Java Platform Module System. All of the communications can be encrypted. The communication is generally over a network such as the LAN (local area network), WAN (wide area network), telephone network (Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), wireless network, point-to-point network, star network, token ring network, hub network, Internet, inclusive of the mobile Internet, via protocols such as EDGE, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, and WiMAX. Additionally, a variety of authorization and authentication techniques, such as username/password, Open Authorization (OAuth), Kerberos, SecureID, digital certificates and more, can be used to secure the communications. The engines or system components of FIG. 1 such as the sequence comparator 132, the hash operator 134, and the DApps 136 are implemented by software running on varying types of computing devices. Example devices are a workstation, a server, a computing cluster, a blade server, and a server farm. (35) Regarding blockchain network 106, blockchain is a distributed and public ledger which maintains records of all the transactions on the blockchain network 106 comprising suppliers of products and services and consumers. Blockchain network 106 is a peer-to-peer network and does not require a central authority or trusted intermediaries to authenticate or to settle the transactions or control the underlying infrastructure. Examples of popular blockchain platforms include Ethereum™, Eris™, Multichain™, Bitcoin™, Hyperledger Fabric™, and Hyperledger Corda™. Blockchain network 106 includes a distributed data structure comprising a chain of blocks. (36) Blockchain acts as a distributed database or a public ledger which maintains records of all transactions on a peer-to-peer network. A blockchain is maintained by a network of nodes where every node executes and records the same transactions. The blockchain structure is replicated among the nodes in the network. Any node in the network can read the transactions. The transactions are time-stamped and bundled into blocks where each block is identified by its cryptographic hash called the nonce. The blocks from a linear sequence where each block references the hash of the previous or parent block, forming a chain of blocks called the blockchain. Each block maintains records of all the transactions on the network received since the creation of its previous block. Instead of storing the information on all the transactions within the block itself, a special data structure called a Merkle tree is used to store the transactions and only the hash of the root of the Merkle tree is stored in the block. (37) New blocks are created and added to the blockchain in a process called mining. The nodes in the blockchain network 106 that perform the mining operations are called miners. New transactions are broadcast to all the nodes on the network. Each miner node creates its own block by collecting the new transactions and then finds a proof-of-work (PoW) for its block by performing complex cryptographic computations. The miners validate the transactions and reach a consensus on the block that should be added next to the blockchain. The newly mined block, called the winning block, is then broadcast to the entire network. The winning block is the one that contains a PoW of a given difficulty. (38) Blockchain is an immutable and durable data structure which maintains a record of the transactions that are tamper-resistant. Once a transaction is recorded in a block, it cannot be altered or deleted as long as a majority of the computational power of the network is not controlled by peers who collude to alter the blockchain. (39) While each miner on the blockchain network 106 can create its own block, only the block which has a PoW of a given difficulty is accepted to be added to the blockchain. The consensus mechanism ensures that all the nodes agree on the same block to contain the canonical transactions. Blockchain offers enhanced security as compared to centralized systems as every transaction is verified by multiple miners. The integrity of the transaction data recorded in the blocks is protected through strong cryptography. In addition to the transaction data, each block contains a cryptographic hash of itself and the hash of the previous block. Any attempts to modify a transaction would result in a change in the hash and would require all the subsequent blocks to be recomputed. This would be extremely difficult to achieve as long as the majority of miners do not cooperate to attack the network. (40) Blockchain network 106 can host smart contracts. A smart contract is a piece of code that resides on blockchain and is identified by a unique address. A smart contract includes a set of executable functions and state variables. The function code is executed when transactions are sent to the functions. The transactions include input parameters which are required by the functions in the contract. Upon the execution of a function, the state variables in the contract change depending on the logic implemented in the function. Smart contracts can be written in various high-level languages (such as Solidity™ or Python™). Language-specific compilers for smart contracts (such as Solidity™ or Serpent™ compilers) are used to compile the contracts into bytecode. Once compiled, the contracts are uploaded to the blockchain network 106 which assigns a unique address to each contract. (41) Decentralized applications (DApps) 136 are applications that use smart contracts. DApps 136 provide a user-friendly interface to smart contracts. A cryptocurrency application is an example of a DApp that runs on the blockchain network 106. A DApp comprises smart contracts and files for web user interface front-end (e.g., HTML, JavaScript, stylesheets, and images). In implementations, DApps 136 also serve has machine-interfaces directly accessible by devices, e. g., via application programming interfaces (APIs) responsive to Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests. (42) Device(s) 102 can leverage blockchain platforms to enable device-to-device and consumer-to-device transactions. Devices(s) 102 can have their own blockchain accounts and associated smart contracts. The smart contracts can store information on the device identities and usage patterns. Device(s) 102 can send transactions to the associated smart contracts and receive transactions from the peers on the blockchain network 106. This can be achieved by running a blockchain client on the device(s) 102 that uses a controller service to connect the device(s) 102 to the blockchain network 106. An example of a blockchain client is EthJsonRpc Python™ client for Ethereum™ that uses JSON-based remote procedure calls (RPCs) to implement client-specific methods and provides a high-level interface to create smart contracts on Ethereum™ and to call contract functions. When users 122 wish to avail the services of the device(s) 102, they can transact with the smart contracts associated with the device(s) 102. (43) Device(s) 102 can be a camcorder, a body camera, a camera equipped drone, a camera equipped smartphone, or a camera equipped vehicle (e.g., autonomous vehicle). Other examples of devices(s) 102 can include a video recording device, an audio recording device, a personal computing (PC) device such as a desktop or laptop computer, a media center device or other PC derivative, a personal video recorder, portable media consumption device (mobile terminal, personal digital assistant (PDA), gaming and/or media console, etc.), dedicated entertainment device, television, digital television set-top box, radio device or other audio playing device, other consumer electronic device, or the like. (44) Device(s) 102 are capable of providing one or more continuous media data sequences, referred to herein as recording sequences, in a number of different continuous media data formats. Recording sequences can be stored in recording sequences store 104. The continuous media data can be in an analog or digital form. Likewise, the device(s) 102 can be configured to record, encode, and/or compress the continuous media data using a number of different formats and standards. For example, formats for storing or streaming continuous media data can include AVI (Audio Video Interleave), ASF (Advanced Streaming Format), Matroska (MKV), ISOBMFF, and the like. Formats for encoding and/or compressing continuous media data (e.g., audio and video data) can include MPEG (Moving Pictures Expert Group) such as MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, M-JPEG (Motion JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)), DivX;-), XviD, Third Generation Platform (3GP), AVC (Advanced Video Coding), AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), Windows Media®, (WMV), QuickTime® (MOV), RealVideo®, Shockwave® (Flash®), DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Nero Digital, MP3 (MPEG-I), Musepack (MP+), Ogg, OGM, WAV, PCM, Dolby Digital (AC3), AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format), or the like. (45) Hash operator 134 applies hash functions and hash of hashes functions that are used to create fixed length digests of arbitrarily long input strings, referred to herein as hash sequences. Hash sequences are stored in the hashes store 126. Hash functions are keyless and provide the data integrity service. They are usually built using iterated and dedicated hash function construction techniques. Various families are available, such as MD, SHA-1, SHA-2, SHA-3, RIPEMD, and Whirlpool. As an example, SHA-2 category includes four functions defined by the number of bits of the hash: SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512. In another example, SHA-3 family includes the following members: SHA3-224, SHA3-256, SHA3-384, and SHA3-512 as members. SHA-3 is a NIST-standardized version of the Keccak cryptographic hash function. (46) Hash operator 134 also applies arithmetic operations. The arithmetic operations can be modulo 2^256 operations, such as modulo remainder (MOD) operation, signed modulo reminder (SMOD) operation, and modulo addition (ADDMOD) operation. (47) Sequence comparator 132 compares two hash sequences and determines whether they match. Hash sequences can match in part or in entirety. Sequence comparator 132 does so by using sequence comparison algorithms such as Jaccard similarity, Euclidean distance, Cosine similarity, Levenshtein distance, Tanimoto coefficient, Dice coefficient, Hamming distance, Needleman-Wunch distance or Sellers Algorithm, Smith-Waterman distance, Gotoh Distance or Smith-Waterman-Gotoh distance, Block distance or L1 distance or City block distance, Monge Elkan distance, Jaro-Winkler distance, SoundEx distance metric, Matching Coefficient, Dice Coefficient, Overlap Coefficient, Variational distance, Hellinger distance or Bhattacharyya distance, Information Radius (Jensen-Shannon divergence) Harmonic Mean, Skew divergence, Confusion Probability, Tau, Fellegi and Sunters (SFS) metric, FastA, BlastP, Maximal matches, q-gram, Ukkonen Algorithms, edit distance technique, and Soergel distance. (48) Having presented a system overview, the discussion now turns to self-aligned meta-hashes. (49) Self-Aligned Meta-Hashes (50) FIG. 2A is one implementation of a recording file 202 with multiple recording sequences interleaved with each other. In example 200A, examples of recording sequences are recording sequence 1 for video, recording sequence 2 for audio, and recording sequence 3 for subtitle. Recording sequence 1 contains video frame elements 1 to 1000. Recording sequence 2 contains audio segments 1 to 60. Recording sequence 3 contains subtitle sample elements 1 to 100. In a Matroska (MKV) implementation, recording sequence 3 can be repurposed for recording a custom data format. Examples of custom data formats include location measurements (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates), bio response measurements (e.g., heart rate), altimeter measurements, bathymetry measurements, slope measurements, speed measurements, and temperature measures. (51) FIG. 2B depicts one implementation of block-level representation of individual elements of the recording sequences of FIG. 2A. In example 200B, for recording sequence 1, each individual frame element is represented as a block (e.g., frame 1 is represented as block 1). For recording sequence 2, each individual segment element is represented as a block (e.g., segment 1 is represented as block 1). For recording sequence 3, each individual sample element is represented as a block (e.g., sample 1 is represented as block 1). (52) FIG. 2C illustrates one implementation of application 200C of a modulo function to block-level hashes of an initially collected recording sequence. In FIG. 2C, recording sequence 1 is considered to be the initial frame sequence or the initially collected recording sequence. Recording sequence 1 is subjected to block hashing by a hash function 204 (e.g., SHA-256) that produces a hash sequence of thousand block-level hashes, one for each of the thousand blocks. In FIG. 2C, the block-level hashes are represented as frame-level hashes because the example shown in FIG. 2C pertains to recording sequence 1 for video. (53) The block-level hashes are then provided to a modulo function 206 that produces a remainder sequence of thousand remainders, one for each of the thousand block-level hashes. The dividend for the modulo function 206 can be based on a number of hashes to be generated, on average, per length of a recording sequence. In the example shown in FIG. 200C, a dividend of hundred is used for recording sequence 1. In other cases, a different dividend can be used. Also, modulo function 206 can be applied to a selected subset of bits within a block-level hash that is fewer than all of the bits of the block-level hash. So, for instance, if a block-level hash contains sixty four bits, modulo function 206 can be applied just to the leading eight bits. (54) The remainder sequence repeats a key remainder value of zero whenever a block-level hash value is a multiple of the dividend used in the modulo function 206. Thus, a key remainder value is defined as a zero remainder value. Similarly, a key block-level hash value is defined as a hash value which, when divided by a current dividend, produces no remainder, i.e., the hash value is divisible by the current dividend. On average, when using hash functions which generate uniform (or near-uniform) output, in a remainder sequence, the recurrence of zero remainder values takes place after as many instances of the block-level hashes as the value of the dividend. So, for MOD (100), a zero remainder value occurs every hundred block-level hashes, as shown in FIG. 2C. (55) The recurring key remainder values are then used to identify meta-block boundaries in the hash sequence. That is, a meta-block boundary is defined at every block-level hash in the hash sequence that corresponds to a key remainder value in the remainder sequence. In example 200D, three meta-block boundaries are identified for three key remainder values of zero, namely, meta-frame boundary 1, meta-frame boundary 2, and meta-frame boundary 3. Block-level hashes between two consecutive meta-block boundaries are defined as meta-blocks. In example 200D, three meta-blocks are defined, namely, meta-frame 1, meta-frame 2, and meta-frame 3. (56) For a given meta-block, the comprising block-level hashes are group hashed to produce a self-aligned meta-hash for that meta-block. This is done for every meta-block defined for the hash sequence. Group hashing can be done by concatenating the block-level hashes of a particular meta-block, and providing the concatenation to a hash of hashes function 208 that calculate a representative hash. This representative hash serves as the self-aligned meta-hash for that meta-block. In other cases, techniques like Merkle tree, Radix tree, and Patricia tree can be used to produce the self-aligned meta-hashes. (57) In the case of recording sequence 1 for video, the block-level hashes are frame-level hashes, the meta-block boundaries are meta-frame boundaries, the meta-blocks are meta-frames, and the block sequences are frame sequences. In the case of recording sequence 2 for audio, the block-level hashes are segment-level hashes, the meta-block boundaries are meta-segment boundaries, the meta-blocks are meta-segments, and the block sequences are segment sequences. In the case of recording sequence 3 for subtitle, the block-level hashes are sample-level hashes, the meta-block boundaries are meta-sample boundaries, the meta-blocks are meta-samples, and the block sequences are sample sequences. (58) Having described a generation of self-aligned meta-hashes, the discussion now turns to how the self-aligned meta-hashes can be used to securely authenticate a recording file from initial collection through post-production. (59) In FIG. 3A, the initially collected recording sequence of FIG. 2C is subjected to post-production editing that includes prepending it with a prepended frame sequence. The combination of the prepended frame sequence and the initial frame sequence is referred to herein as an edited recording sequence. The edited recording sequence is subjected to the same hash function 204 as the initial frame sequence to generate an edited hash sequence of block-level hashes. Accordingly, the edited hash sequence includes the initial hash sequence prepended with block-level hashes for the prepended frame sequence. (60) The edited hash sequence is then provided to the same modulo function 206 as the initial frame sequence. The same dividend used to generate the remainder sequence for the initial frame sequence is used to generate a remainder sequence for the edited recording sequence. Thus, in example 300B, MOD (100) is used to generate remainders for the edited hash sequence. As in the case of the initial frame sequence, the key block-level hash values for the edited hash sequence are defined as the hash values for which the modulo function 206 returns no remainder, i.e., zero remainder values. (61) Since the same hash function and the same modulo function dividend are used to generate the block-level hashes and the remainders for the initial and the edited recording sequences, the initial and the edited recording sequences have aligned key block-level hash values. Aligned key block-level hash values produce aligned zero remainder values in the remainder sequences of the initial and the edited recording sequences. Aligned zero remainder values produce aligned meta-block boundaries (e.g., meta-frame boundaries 1, 2, and 3) and aligned meta-frames (e.g., meta-frames 1, 2, and 3). Group hashing of aligned meta-frames produces self-aligned meta-hashes for the edit recording sequence. (62) Self-aligned meta-hashes of the initial and the edited recording sequences are compared by the sequence comparator 132 to identify one or more matching meta-hashes between the initial recording sequence and the edited recording sequence. A match indicates that the two recording sequences contain one or more overlapping blocks or block sequences and thus confirms that the edited recording sequence contains an excerpt of the initial recording sequence. (63) FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate one implementation of using self-aligned meta-hashes to securely authenticate a trimmed recording sequence. In example 400A, post-production editing produces a trimmed frame sequence. The trimmed frame sequence is subjected to the same hash function and the same modulo function dividend as the initial recording sequence, which results in the edited and the trimmed recording sequences having aligned key block-level hash values and aligned zero remainder values. This in turn produces aligned meta-block boundaries (e.g., meta-frame boundary 2) and aligned meta-frames (e.g., meta-frame 2), as shown in example 400B. Accordingly, self-aligned meta-hashes of the initial and the trimmed recording sequences are compared by the sequence comparator 132 to identify one or more matching meta-hashes between the initial recording sequence and the trimmed recording sequence. A match indicates that the two recording sequences contain one or more overlapping blocks or block sequences and thus confirms that the trimmed recording sequence is an excerpt of the initial recording sequence. (64) In other implementations, it would be apparent to one skilled in the art that frames can be inserted anywhere in the content of data (e.g., in the middle of an original sequence) to create an edited sequence with additional frames. In such a case, the self-aligned meta-hashes for non-inserted block-level hashes of the edited sequence can be matched with corresponding self-aligned meta-hashes of the original sequence. (65) In yet other implementations, nested levels of hashes of hashes can be generated such as self-aligned uber-hashes can be generated from self-aligned super-hashes, which in turn can be generated from self-aligned meta-hashes. In addition, block-level hashes can be subjected to multiple modulo functions with different dividend values producing various remainder sequences. Varying remainder sequences can be used to generate varying meta-block boundaries and varying meta-blocks. Varying meta-blocks can be used to generate multiple self-aligned meta-hash sequences. In implementations, multiple self-aligned meta-hash sequences for a single recording sequence can be stored in storage block(s) on the blockchain network 106. (66) Implementations of the technology disclosed can be used to authenticate CGI-enhanced videos. In such implementations, self-aligned meta-hashes for an original video and a CGI-enhanced videos can be compared to detect the CGI edits made to the original video. One skilled in the art would appreciate that the technology disclosed herein can be applied to other video processing tasks as well. (67) Having described secure authentication of a recording sequence using self-aligned meta-hashes, the discussion now turns to data origin authentication of recording sequences using blockchain-based smart contracts. (68) Blockchain-Based Smart Contract (69) FIG. 5 is a block diagram 500 with an example decentralized application (DApp) 136 that can be used to implement the technology disclosed. DApp 136 is used to store the self-aligned meta-hashes in the tamper-proof blockchain network 106. DApp 136 is decentralized in nature, with no single entity or organization controlling the infrastructure on which the applications are deployed. In the context of Ethereum™, DApp 136 is backed by smart contracts 502 which are deployed on the Ethereum™ blockchain platform that is maintained by the Ethereum™ nodes or peers worldwide. Even though DApp 136 is deployed on a central server which is either a full Ethereum™ node or a can communicate with an Ethereum™ node, the server only serves the DApp's web interface. The DApp logic is controlled by the associated smart contracts 502 which are deployed on the blockchain network 106. DApp 136 provides a friendly interface to smart contracts 502 where the users 122 can submit transactions to the contracts from a web interface based on frontend HTML 512, frontend JavaScript (JS) 522, and other files 532 like stylesheets and images. A DApp's web interface forwards the transactions to the blockchain platform and displays the transaction receipts or state information in the smart contracts 502 in the web interface. DApp 136 can use a decentralized messaging protocol such as Whisper™ for communication and decentralized storage platforms such as Swarm™ for static storage. (70) In example 500, DApp 136 sends a smart contract to the blockchain node 504 for compilation. Blockchain node 504 comprises a compiler 514 and a blockchain client 524. Compiler 514 can compile smart contracts written in various high-level languages such as Solidity™, Serpent™, and Lisp™. Blockchain client 524 communicates with the blockchain network 106 and performs tasks such as creating accounts and contracts, sending transactions to contracts, and others. Examples of blockchain clients 524 include geth (written in Go™) and pyethapp (written in Python™) (71) In response, the blockchain node 504 sends the contract binary to DApp 136. This allows DApp 136 to deploy the contract on the blockchain node 504. Once the contract is deployed, the blockchain node 504 sends a contract address and an application binary interface (ABI) to DApp 136. ABI provides an interface to the state variables and functions defined in the deployed contract. After this, DApp 136 sends transactions to the deployed contract. (72) FIG. 6 illustrates an example workflow 600 in which a smart contract 604 implements the technology disclosed. Workflow 600 is described in reference to the Solidity™ code provided later in this application. First, contract owner 602 creates the smart contract 604 called "Validating hashes of video" (e.g., "contract Validator") via an externally owned account (EOA). EOA has a public-private key pair associated with it. The account address (e.g., "address public chairperson") is derived from the public key. When a new EOA is created, a JSON key file is created which has the public and private keys associated with the account. The private key is encrypted with the password which is provided while creating the account. For sending transactions to other accounts, the private key and the account password are required. The contract account is controlled by the associated contract code which is stored with the account. The contract code execution is triggered by transactions sent by the EOA. In implementations, smart contract 604 can be created by device(s) 102. (73) Transactions are the messages sent by EOAs to other EOAs or contract accounts. Each transaction includes the address of the recipient, transaction data payload, and a transaction value. When a transaction is sent to an EOA, the transaction value is transferred to the recipient. When a transaction is sent to a contract account, the transaction data payload is used to provide input to the contract function to be executed. (74) Smart contract 604 is used to store and validate the self-aligned meta-hashes. Smart contract 604 includes state variables (e.g., "struct Track", "struct Version", "Version[ ] public versions") that can store and identify different versions of a recording file, with self-aligned meta-hashes for different recording sequences of the recording file identified as separate tracks. In addition, smart contract 604 also includes state variables (e.g., "struct Assessor", "struct Collection") that can store and identify data origin validation of given version by one or more validators. (75) Smart contract 604 also includes functions (e.g., "createVersion") that can be used by users 122 and device(s) 102 to send the self-aligned meta-hashes to the smart contract 604 and in turn to the blockchain network 106. In implementations, a single function can be used to send meta-hashes for the entire recording file or separate functions can be used for individual recording sequences of the recording file. Similarly, smart contract 604 includes functions (e.g., "getCollectionHash") that can be used by users 122 and device(s) 102 to get the self-aligned meta-hashes stored on the blockchain network 106. Smart contract 604 also includes functions (e.g., "wasCollectionValidatedBy") that allow users 122 and device(s) 102 to validate a version stored on the blockchain network 106. Smart contract 604 also includes functions (e.g., "Validator") that allow users 122 and device(s) 102 to identify themselves by sending their account addresses to the smart contract 604. (76) Having described smart contract-based implementation of the technology disclosed, the discussion now turns to some example use cases. (77) Example Use Case (78) FIG. 7 depicts an example use case 700 in which the smart contract 604 of FIG. 6 is used to securely authenticate a recording file from initial collection through post-production. The technology disclosed provides a way to securely authenticate a recording file from initial collection through post-production. Consider that a law enforcement agency creates smart contract 604 on the blockchain network 106 with a policy goal of ensuring data integrity and creating a provenance trail of evidentiary video footage of a witnessed event. The video footage can be recorded by a recording device such as a police body camera, a security camera, a drone, or a vehicle. The video footage can also include geo-location data identifying the location of the event. It can also include bio-response measurements (e.g., heart rate) of the police officers indicating a state of mind of the police officers during the event. (79) To persist and authenticate the origin of the video footage, a recording device A can be configured to generate self-aligned meta-hashes of the video footage and automatically send those meta-hashes to the smart contract 604. In other implementations, a first custodian (e.g., user A) of the video footage can upload the meta-hashes to smart contract 604. These meta-hashes can be stored on the blockchain network 106 as a first version (version 1) of the video footage. (80) Accordingly, when another user B, such as a journalist, receives a local copy of the video footage from the law enforcement agency, to ensure that the original footage has not been tampered with, user B can generate self-aligned meta-hashes for the local copy of the video footage and compare them with those stored on the blockchain network 106 as version 1. This may require the law enforcement agency giving user B access to smart contract, in addition to the video footage (which can be provided separately). (81) After comparing the meta-hashes for the local copy and the blockchain version, user B can determine the veracity of the local copy. If local copy is unaltered, user B can validate version 1 and store the validation on the blockchain network 106 appended to version 1 so that other users can see that version 1 has been validated by another user. (82) It is often the case that only a short even horizon is relevant in much a longer video footage. For instance, in an eight hour police incident video, only few minutes may relate to the shooting event at issue. This may motivate another user C to trim the original video footage to a much shorter video clip. User can generate self-aligned meta-hashes for the shorter video clip and commit them to the blockchain network 106 as a second version (version 2). (83) Further, yet another user D can compare the meta-hashes for version 1 and 2, verify the chain of custody all the way back to the point of origin, and validate that version 2 is just an excerpt of version 1. In implementations, prior versions of a current version can be stored. This way, a provenance trail of the chain of custody can be stored and presented using smart contract 604. (84) Having described an example use case of the technology disclosed, the discussion now turns to an example blockchain storage block. (85) Blockchain Storage Block (86) FIG. 8 illustrates an example storage block(s) 800 of the blockchain network 106 that implements the technology disclosed. Storage block(s) 800 identifies two versions of a recording file: version 1 and version 2. For each version, the storage block(s) 800 identifies self-aligned meta-hashes and validation history associated with multiple recording sequences or tracks. In addition, the storage block(s) 800 also includes the edit function list of functions that transformed blocks of the initially collected recording sequence. A rendered recording sequence can be created by applying the edit function list to blocks of the edited recording sequence and linking the rendered recording sequence back to the edited recording sequence and the edit function list. The storage block(s) 800 can also include other components which are not shown in FIG. 8, such as header, nonce, balance, storageroot, codehash, gasPrice, gasLimit, to, value, signature, ommers hash, beneficiary, state root, transactions root, receipts root, logs bloom, difficulty, number, gas limit, gas used, timestamp, extra data, and mixhash. (87) One skilled in the art would appreciate that, in other implementations, the versions and associated meta-hashes shown in FIG. 8 can be distributed across multiple storage blocks. (88) Having described an example blockchain storage block, the discussion now turns to a sample smart contract implementing the technology disclosed. (89) Sample Smart Contract (90) Solidity™ code for a sample smart contract implementing the technology disclosed is provided below: (91) pragma solidity ^0.4.0; (92) /// @title Validating hashes of video. (93) contract Validator (94) bytes32 identifier; (95) // represents a single assessor. (96) struct Assessor bool authority; // if true, that person can assess (97) } (98) // represents a collection of blocks. (99) struct Collection (100) { bytes32 hash; // the hash of hashes mapping(address=>Assessor) collection\_assessors; // list of assessors that have agreed this collection is correct uint assessorCount; (101) } (102) // represents each track of a version, which contains multiple collections (103) struct Track (104) { mapping(uint256=>Collection) collections; // collections in the track (105) } (106) // Represents a version of a document, which contains multiple tracks (107) struct Version (108) { mapping(uint8=>Track) tracks; bytes32 name; uint256 previousVersion; (109) } (110) address public chairperson; (111) // the list of authorized assessors (112) mapping(address=>Assessor) public assessors; (113) // A dynamically-sized array of 'Version' (114) Version[ ] public versions; (115) // constructor. requires the ID of the submitter of the contract (116) function Validator(bytes32 id) { chairperson=msg.sender; identifier=id; assessors[msg.sender]=Assessor({authority: true}); (117) } function authorizeIndividual(address assessor) if (msg.sender !=chairperson) throw; } assessors [assessor]=Assessor({authority: true}); } function createVersion(bytes32 versionName, uint256 previous) { if (msg.sender==chairperson∥assessors [msg.sender].authority) { versions.push(Version({name: versionName, previousVersion: previous})); } } function getVersionCount( ) constant returns (uint256 v) { v=versions.length; } function getCollectionHash(uint versionID, uint8 trackID, uint256 collectionID) constant returns (bytes32 hash) { hash=versions[versionID].tracks[trackID].collections[collectionID].hash; } function getAssessorCount(uint versionID, uint8 trackID, uint256 collectionID) constant returns (uint count) { count=versions[versionID].tracks[trackID].collections[collectionID].assessorCount; } function wasCollectionAssessedBy(uint versionID, uint8 trackID, uint256 collectionID, address a) constant returns (bool validated) { validated=versions[versionID].tracks[trackID].collections[collectionID].collection\_assessors[a].authority; } } (118) Having described a sample smart contract implementing the technology disclosed, the discussion now turns to some particular implementations of the technology disclosed. (119) Particular Implementations (120) The technology disclosed relates to detecting and preventing file tampering. (121) The technology disclosed can be practiced as a system, method, or article of manufacture. One or more features of an implementation can be combined with the base implementation. Implementations that are not mutually exclusive are taught to be combinable. One or more features of an implementation can be combined with other implementations. This disclosure periodically reminds the user of these options. Omission from some implementations of recitations that repeat these options should not be taken as limiting the combinations taught in the preceding sections—these recitations are hereby incorporated forward by reference into each of the following implementations. (122) A system implementation of the technology disclosed includes one or more processors coupled to the memory. The memory is loaded with computer instructions to securely authenticate a recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution. (123) First, the system calculates and stores block-level hashes for an initially collected recording sequence in the recording file. (124) Then, the system calculates and stores self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence. It does so by—(1) applying a modulo function to the block-level hashes to calculate remainders of the block-level hashes, (2) using the remainders to identify meta-block boundaries, (3) defining meta-blocks using consecutive meta-block boundaries, and (4) group hashing the block-level hashes of the meta-blocks to produce the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence. (125) After post-production editing of the initially collected recording sequence that produces an edited recording sequence, the system repeats—(1) the calculating and storing of the block-level hashes for the edited recording sequence and (2) the calculating and storing of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the edited recording sequence. (126) The system then compares sequences of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence and the edited recording sequence to securely authenticate block sequences in the edited recording sequence as excerpted from the initially collected recording sequence. (127) This system implementation and other systems disclosed optionally include one or more of the following features. System can also include features described in connection with methods disclosed. In the interest of conciseness, alternative combinations of system features are not individually enumerated. Features applicable to systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are not repeated for each statutory class set of base features. The reader will understand how features identified in this section can readily be combined with base features in other statutory classes. (128) The recording sequence can be a video sequence, the block-level hashes can be frame-level hashes, the meta-block boundaries can be meta-frame boundaries, the meta-blocks can be meta-frames, and the block sequences can be frame sequences. (129) The recording sequence can be an audio sequence, the block-level hashes can be segment-level hashes, the meta-block boundaries can be meta-segment boundaries, the meta-blocks can be meta-segments, and the block sequences can be segment sequences. (130) The recording sequence can be a subtitle sequence, the block-level hashes can be sample-level hashes, the meta-block boundaries can be meta-sample boundaries, the meta-blocks can be meta-samples, and the block sequences can be sample sequences. In some implementations, the subtitle sequence can be repurposed for recording a custom data format. In one implementation, the custom data format can be location measurements. In another implementation, the custom data format can be bio response measurements. (131) In one implementation, the post-production editing can include prepending blocks to the initially collected recording sequence. In another implementation, the post-production editing can include postpending blocks to the initially collected recording sequence. In yet another implementation, the post-production editing can include trimming blocks from the initially collected recording sequence. In a further implementation, the post-production editing can include inserting blocks into the initially collected recording sequence. (132) The video sequence, the audio sequence, and the subtitle sequence can be interleaved in the recoding file. In such implementations, the self-aligned meta-hashes can be generated for each of the video sequence, the audio sequence, and the subtitle sequence and used to securely authenticate the recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution. (133) Matches between the sequences of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence and the edited recording sequence can be used to determine and show from where in the initially collected recording sequence block sequences in the edited recording sequence were excerpted. (134) At least some of the self-aligned meta-hashes can be committed to a blockchain network in accordance with a smart contract. The smart contract can—(1) accumulate in a storage block on the blockchain network the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence as a first version, (2) make the first version available for retrieval and data origin validation of the initially collected recording sequence and append the validation to the first version for storage in the storage block, (3) accumulate in the storage block the self-aligned meta-hashes for the edited recording sequence as a second version, and (4) make the second version available for retrieval and data origin validation of the edited recording sequence and append the validation to the second version for storage in the storage block. (135) The storage block can retain an edit function list of functions that transformed blocks of the initially collected recording sequence. A rendered recording sequence can be created by applying the edit function list to blocks of the edited recording sequence and linking the rendered recording sequence back to the edited recording sequence and the edit function list. (136) The modulo function can be applied to a selected subset of bits within a block-level hash that is fewer than all of the bits of the block-level hash. A dividend can be determined to be used in the modulo function based on a number of hashes to be generated, on average, per length of a recording sequence. (137) A decentralized application (DApp) can be used to authenticate the recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution. (138) Other implementations may include a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processor to perform functions of the system described above. Yet another implementation may include a method performing the functions of the system described above. (139) A method implementation of the technology disclosed includes securely authenticating a recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution. (140) First, the method includes calculating and storing block-level hashes for an initially collected recording sequence in the recording file. (141) Second, the method includes calculating and storing self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence. This is achieved by—(1) applying a modulo function to the block-level hashes to calculate remainders of the block-level hashes, (2) using the remainders to identify meta-block boundaries, (3) defining meta-blocks using consecutive meta-block boundaries, and (4) group hashing the block-level hashes of the meta-blocks to produce the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence. (142) After post-production editing of the initially collected recording sequence that produces an edited recording sequence, the method includes repeating—(1) the calculating and storing of the block-level hashes for the edited recording sequence and (2) the calculating and storing of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the edited recording sequence. (143) The method then includes comparing and aligning sequences of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence and the edited recording sequence to securely authenticate block sequences in the edited recording sequence as excerpted from the initially collected recording sequence. (144) Each of the features discussed in this particular implementation section for the system implementation apply equally to this method implementation. As indicated above, all the system features are not repeated here and should be considered repeated by reference. (145) Other implementations may include a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processor to perform the method described above. Yet another implementation may include a system including memory and one or more processors operable to execute instructions, stored in the memory, to perform the method described above. (146) Computer readable media (CRM) implementations of the technology disclosed include a non-transitory computer readable storage medium impressed with computer program instructions, when executed on a processor, implement the method described above. (147) Each of the features discussed in this particular implementation section for the system implementation apply equally to the CRM implementation. As indicated above, all the system features are not repeated here and should be considered repeated by reference. (148) Any data structures and code described or referenced above are stored according to many implementations on a computer-readable storage medium, which may be any device or medium that can store code and/or data for use by a computer system. This includes, but is not limited to, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs), DVDs (digital versatile discs or digital video discs), or other media capable of storing computer-readable media now known or later developed. (149) The preceding description is presented to enable the making and use of the technology disclosed. Various modifications to the disclosed implementations will be apparent, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the technology disclosed. Thus, the technology disclosed is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The scope of the technology disclosed is defined by the appended claims. ### Claims 1. A method of securely authenticating a recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution, the method including: calculating and storing block-level hashes for an initially collected recording sequence in the recording file; calculating and storing self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence by applying a modulo function to the block-level hashes to calculate remainders of the block-level hashes, using the remainders to identify meta-block boundaries, defining meta-blocks using consecutive meta-block boundaries, and group hashing the block-level hashes of the meta-blocks to produce the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence; after post-production editing of the initially collected recording sequence to produce edited recording sequence, repeating the calculating and storing of the block-level hashes for the edited recording sequence and the calculating and storing of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the edited recording sequence; and comparing and aligning sequences of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence and the edited recording sequence to securely authenticate block sequences in the edited recording sequence as excerpted from the initially collected recording sequence. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording sequence is a video sequence, the block-level hashes are frame-level hashes, the meta-block boundaries are meta-frame boundaries, the meta-blocks are meta-frames, and the block sequences are frame sequences. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording sequence is an audio sequence, the block-level hashes are segment-level hashes, the meta-block boundaries are meta-segment boundaries, the meta-blocks are meta-segments, and the block sequences are segment sequences. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording sequence is a subtitle sequence, the block-level hashes are sample-level hashes, the meta-block boundaries are meta-sample boundaries, the meta-blocks are meta-samples, and the block sequences are sample sequences. 5. The method of claim 4, further including repurposing the subtitle sequence for recording a custom data format. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the custom data format includes location measurements. 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the custom data format includes bio response measurements. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the post-production editing includes prepending blocks to the initially collected recording sequence. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the post-production editing includes postpending blocks to the initially collected recording sequence. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the post-production editing includes trimming blocks from the initially collected recording sequence. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the post-production editing includes inserting blocks into the initially collected recording sequence. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the video sequence, the audio sequence, and the subtitle sequence are interleaved in the recoding file, further including generating the self-aligned meta-hashes for each of the video sequence, the audio sequence, and the subtitle sequence to securely authenticate the recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution. 13. The method of claim 1, further including using matches between the sequences of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence and the edited recording sequence to determine and show from where in the initially collected recording sequence block sequences in the edited recording sequence were excerpted. 14. The method of claim 1, further including committing at least some of the self-aligned meta-hashes to a blockchain network in accordance with a smart contract that: accumulates in a storage block on the blockchain network the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence as a first version; makes the first version available for retrieval and data origin validation of the initially collected recording sequence and appends the validation to the first version for storage in the storage block; accumulates in the storage block the self-aligned meta-hashes for the edited recording sequence as a second version; and makes the second version available for retrieval and data origin validation of the edited recording sequence and appends the validation to the second version for storage in the storage block. 15. The method of claim 14, further including retaining in the storage block an edit function list of functions that transformed blocks of the initially collected recording sequence. 16. The method of claim 15, further including creating a rendered recording sequence by applying the edit function list to blocks of the edited recording sequence and linking the rendered recording sequence back to the edited recording sequence and the edit function list. 17. The method of claim 1, further including applying the modulo function to a selected subset of bits within a block-level hash that is fewer than all of the bits of the block-level hash. 18. The method of claim 1, further including determining a dividend to be used in the modulo function based on a number of hashes to be generated, on average, per length of a recording sequence. 19. The method of claim 1, further including using a decentralized application (DApp) to authenticate the recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution. 20. The method of claim 1, further including generating nested levels of hashes of hashes, with self-aligned uber-hashes generated from self-aligned super-hashes and the self-aligned super-hashes generated from the self-aligned meta-hashes. 21. The method of claim 1, further including subjecting the block-level hashes to multiple modulo functions with different dividends to produce varying remainders of the block-level hashes, varying meta-block boundaries, varying meta-blocks, and varying self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recoding sequence. 22. A system including one or more processors coupled to memory, the memory loaded with computer instructions to securely authenticate a recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution, the instructions, when executed on the processors, implement actions comprising: calculating and storing block-level hashes for an initially collected recording sequence in the recording file; calculating and storing self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence by applying a modulo function to the block-level hashes to calculate remainders of the block-level hashes, using the remainders to identify meta-block boundaries, defining meta-blocks using consecutive meta-block boundaries, and group hashing the block-level hashes of the meta-blocks to produce the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence; after post-production editing of the initially collected recording sequence to produce edited recording sequence, repeating the calculating and storing of the block-level hashes for the edited recording sequence and the calculating and storing of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the edited recording sequence; and comparing and aligning sequences of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence and the edited recording sequence to securely authenticate block sequences in the edited recording sequence as excerpted from the initially collected recording sequence. 23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium impressed with computer program instructions to securely authenticate a recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution, the instructions, when executed on a processor, implement a method comprising: calculating and storing block-level hashes for an initially collected recording sequence in the recording file; calculating and storing self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence by applying a modulo function to the block-level hashes to calculate remainders of the block-level hashes, using the remainders to identify meta-block boundaries, defining meta-blocks using consecutive meta-block boundaries, and group hashing the block-level hashes of the meta-blocks to produce the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence; after post-production editing of the initially collected recording sequence to produce edited recording sequence, repeating the calculating and storing of the block-level hashes for the edited recording sequence and the calculating and storing of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the edited recording sequence; and comparing and aligning sequences of the self-aligned meta-hashes for the initially collected recording sequence and the edited recording sequence to securely authenticate block sequences in the edited recording sequence as excerpted from the initially collected recording sequence.	9870508	US 9870508 B1	2018-01-16	60,935,034	Securely authenticating a recording file from initial collection through post-production and distribution	H04N21/2347;G11B27/031;G06V20/46;H04N21/26613;G11B27/10;H04N21/23439;H04L9/3236	H04L9/50;H04L2209/56	Hodgson; Roderick Neil et al.	Unveiled Labs, Inc.	15/611739	2017-06-01	Tran; William		1/1	Unveiled Labs, Inc.	9.001997	USPAT	14,839
United States Patent 9875510 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent January 23, 2018 Inventor(s) Kasper; Lance ## Consensus system for tracking peer-to-peer digital records ### Abstract The disclosure describes a peer-to-peer consensus system and method for achieving consensus in tracking transferrable digital objects. The system achieves consensus on a shared ledger between a plurality of peers and prevents double spending in light of network latency, data corruption and intentional manipulation of the system. Consensus is achieved and double spending is prevented via the use of the most committed stake metric to choose a single consensus transaction record. A trustable record is also facilitated by allowing stakeholders to elect a set of trusted non-colluding parties to cooperatively add transactions to the consensus record. The voting mechanism is a real-time auditable stake weighted approval voting mechanism. This voting mechanism has far reaching applications such as vote directed capital and providing a trusted source for data input into a digital consensus system. The system further enables digital assets that track the value of conventional assets with low counterparty risk. Inventors: Kasper; Lance (Downers Grove, IL) Applicant: Kasper; Lance (Downers Grove, IL) Family ID: 60956867 Appl. No.: 14/706247 Filed: May 07, 2015 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 62111393 20150203 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G07F19/00 (20060101); G06Q40/00 (20120101); H04L29/08 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06Q40/12 (20131203); H04L67/104 (20130101); G06F2201/87 (20130101) ### Field of Classification Search CPC: H04L (63/10); H04L (67/1097); H04L (63/083); G06Q (20/08); G06Q (20/0655) USPC: 726/3; 726/5; 705/39; 705/14.42 ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 2013/0325701 12/2012 Schwartz 705/39 G06Q 40/00 2015/0033301 12/2014 Pianese 726/5 H04L 63/083 2015/0271183 12/2014 MacGregor 726/4 H04L 63/102 2016/0224949 12/2015 Thomas N/A G06Q 20/027 2016/0261690 12/2015 Ford N/A H04L 67/1044 #### FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Application Date Country CPC 2012174553 12/2011 WO N/A #### OTHER PUBLICATIONS The Arithmetic of Voting, Guy Ottewell, Jul. 1987; reprinted with slight improvements Sep. 1999, Jan. 2001, Apr. 2004, http://www.universalworkshop.com/ARVOfull.htm. cited by applicant Bitcoin Developer Guide, https://bitcoin.org/en/developer-guide. cited by applicant Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System, Satoshi Nakamoto, satoshin@gmx.com, www.bitcoin.org. cited by applicant The Byzantine Generals Problem, Leslie Lamport, Robert Shostak, and Marshall Pease, SRI International, ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems, vol. 4, No. 3, Jul. 1982. cited by applicant Why Approval Voting is Unworkable in Contested Elections, by the Non-Majority Rule Desk // Published Jul. 30, 2011, http://www.fairvote.org/research-and-analysis/blog/why-approval-voting- . . . . cited by applicant The math of Nxt forging, mthcl, Jun. 29, 2014. Version 0.5.1,. cited by applicant Distributed Consensus from Proof of Stake is Impossible, Andrew Poelstra, May 28, 2014. cited by applicant PPCoin: Peer-to-Peer Crypto-Currency with Proof-of-Stake, Sunny King, Scott Nadal (sunnyking9999@gmail.com, scott.nadal@gmail.com) Aug. 19, 2012. cited by applicant Tezos: A Self-Amending Crypto-Ledger, Position Paper, L.M Goodman, C97F A4A2 BAA6 0620 9DFA E274 2302 04F4 09F0 586D, Aug. 3, 2014. cited by applicant The Ripple Protocol Consensus Algorithm, David Schwartz, david@ripple.com, Noah Youngs, nyoungs@nyu.edu, Arthur Britto, arthur@ripple.com, Ripple Labs Inc, 2014. cited by applicant Tendermint: Consensus without Mining, Jae Kwon, yk239@cornell.edu, Draft v.0.6. cited by applicant Tezos—a self-amending crypto-ledger, White paper, L.M Goodman, Sep. 2, 2014. cited by applicant https://bitsharestalk.org/index.php/topic,7816, Aug. 28, 2014. cited by applicant https://bitsharestalk.org/index.php/topic,5704.0.html, Jul. 17, 2014. cited by applicant https://bitsharestalk.org/index.php/topic,4009.msg66308.html#msg66308, Jun. 11, 2014. cited by applicant NeuCoin: the First Secure, Cost-effcient and Decentralized Cryptocurrency, Jun. 15, 2015, Kourosh Davarpanah, neucoin.org/en/wiki. cited by applicant Transactions as Proof-of-Stake, by Daniel Larimer, Nov. 28, 2013. cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Masud; Rokib Attorney, Agent or Firm: Law Offices of Konrad Sherinian, LLC ### Background/Summary CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS (1) This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/111,393, entitled "Method to achieve consensus for system of transferrable digital objects," filed Mar. 7, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE (1) The present invention relates to a system and method for creating and tracking digital objects and records in a decentralized manner, and more particularly relates to a system and method for tracking digital objects with consensus in the networked system. DESCRIPTION OF BACKGROUND (2) The exchange of value is increasingly moving into the digital realm. Everything from game points, credits, frequent flyer miles, to more traditional financial transactions and records are being tracked digitally. Most of these digital objects are tracked by an issuing authority or central record keeping entity. Keeping track of transferrable ownership rights historically required a central record keeping authority trusted by those exchanging said ownership rights. The record keeping authority typically verifies property owners via some form of identification or signature and records all valid property transfers to maintain a record of the current state of ownership. Banks using digital representations of money are trusted to verify identities and keep accurate records of deposits and transfers. A company issuing reward points or game points would also fulfill this role. (3) There are times, however, when relying on a central authority is not desirable. Participants who rely on these digital tokens to be tracked and recorded accurately may feel that a central authority is a single point of potential failure and a single point of trust. This authority may be subject to various internal or external pressures or corruption. There is a need and market for systems of value tracking that function in a more peer to peer (also referred to herein as peer-to-peer and P2P) fashion or where participants have greater control over the record keeping system rather than a single record keeper. For example, crypto-currencies (also referred to herein as cryptocurrency), such as Bitcoin promoted by Bitcoin.com ("Bitcoin"), track digital tokens in a more decentralized manner. Crypto-currencies use cryptographic digital signatures in place of traditional methods of identity verification as proof of ownership of digital assets. (4) Tracking digital tokens over a peer-to-peer network without a central record keeping authority however, presents a considerable technical challenge. The challenge can be broken into a two part problem of achieving verifiable signatures for transfers and maintaining a ledger that is consistent among all participants. (5) The application of public key cryptography solves one part of the challenge of a peer-to-peer digital currency. Public key cryptography signing algorithms allow for unambiguous digital signatures. A private cryptographic key is a large random number generated locally on a user's computer such that it is known only to that user. A public key can be derived from the private key. As long as the private key is kept secret, any signature produced using the private key serves as proof that the signer is the same party that originally published the public key. In addition to proving the source of a signed message, the signature also ensures that no data in the message can be lost or changed without invalidating the signature. Public keys can be recorded in a ledger of ownership rights. Digital assets can be associated with these public keys such that the public keys serve as the digital representation of the owner of the assets. A transfer of ownership of a digital asset from one public key to another can be signed with the secret private key of the sender to prove the authenticity and integrity of the message. (6) Unambiguous digital signatures, while useful, do not fully solve the problem of verifiable trusted record keeping. If we imagine an initial public ledger with an agreed upon list of public keys and associated digital assets, any transfers would need to be signed with the corresponding private key known only to the sender in order to be accepted. Any central record keeping authority tasked with recording changes and transfers to the ledger would have no way to forge such a transfer if it was not initiated and signed by the sender. However, many potential combinations of a set (meaning one or more) of valid signed transactions could be joined together by a record keeper to create a seemingly valid record. For instance, some transfers could simply be omitted or censored. (7) It is also possible for two transactions to each be individually valid but conflict with each other, thus giving the record keeper the choice of which to present. For instance, a digital asset owner may attempt to sell the same asset twice by signing two or more messages that each transfers the asset to a different public key. In such a case, the owner is said to be double spending her asset and the issue of double spending is referred to herein as a Double Spend problem. An untrustworthy record keeper could choose to present different versions of the record at different times or to different people such that the record, even with valid signatures, could not be relied upon. (8) Accordingly, a peer-to-peer digital record system that achieves agreement on the record while overcoming additional systemic challenges is desired. Such a system is referred to herein as a consensus system. As used herein, consensus refers to the process by which the entire network agrees on the same ledger. Accordingly, a consensus system is a networked system capable of reaching consensus. Network latency associated with global data transmission prevents all peers from receiving information at the same time or in the same order. Peers may disconnect and reconnect at will, data can be corrupted or missing, and some peers may intentionally supply or relay inaccurate information. These types of challenges to consensus are a long recognized problem in computer science known as a Byzantine Generals Problem. The consensus system must overcome such challenges to allow the creation of a record that can be trusted and cannot be manipulated. (9) Bitcoin is the most well-known attempt to tackle the problem of peer-to-peer consensus for digital token tracking. Peers on a global network will not receive all broadcasted transactions at the same time and in the same order due to, for example, network latency. Therefore, if peers were to simply accept all transactions as they were received and reject anything conflicting that came later, it would lead to disagreement. For instance, if two conflicting transactions were simultaneously broadcast, some peers would receive one transaction first and accept it, and other peers would receive the other transaction first and accept it instead, so there would no longer be a consistent record. In this case, some peers would need to switch to maintain consistency. On the other hand, it should not be possible to get the network to switch to a conflicting transaction broadcast long after the original, as this would defeat the utility of the peer-to-peer transaction system. (10) Bitcoin tackles this issue by grouping transactions into blocks which can generally be propagated to the whole network before a new block of transactions is produced. For example, approximately six times per hour, a new group of accepted transactions, a block, is created, added to a block chain, and quickly published to all nodes on the transaction network system. The rate of this block production is limited by requiring inclusion of a difficult to find solution to a cryptographic function based on the block data. If valid solutions are found too quickly, the size of the range of valid solutions adjusts to be more restrictive to increase the difficulty and maintain a reasonably steady rate of block production. Each block references and builds off a previous block using cryptographic functions called hashes. A hash function takes arbitrary digital data as input and returns a fixed length pseudo random number as output. To solve a block, an additional piece of data must be found that when combined with block data and data that links to the previous block generates hash function output that falls within a very restrictive range set by the protocol. Tying each block to its previous block with these hash functions generates what is known as a block chain containing all accepted transactions. A block chain thus forms a public record of all transactions. A current ledger representing the state of ownership of digital tokens can be deduced from the full record of transactions in a block chain beginning with the first block. In a block chain, each block contains a cryptographic hash of the immediate previous block or a similar reference that links it to the immediate previous block. If any data is changed or missing, the calculated cryptographic hashes would change for all blocks from that point forward. The changed hashes would also no longer fall within the restrictive range required by the Bitcoin protocol, so the chain would be invalid. (11) A valid solution to a block is called a proof of work ("PoW") and the process of finding these solutions is called mining. In other words, mining is the activity of verifying and recording payments into the public ledger. The miner of a block accepted by the network is rewarded in the form of Bitcoin transaction fees from included transactions in addition to a fixed block reward. Only the longest block chain that includes the most PoW is accepted by the network as the consensus block chain. If more than one block solution is found at the same time only one of these blocks can ultimately be accepted, as each block in the chain must reference the preceding block. Other miners must choose to work on a solution that builds off one of these two available blocks and the next published block will make one block chain longer than the other. The shorter chain is then rejected by the network and its miner cannot redeem the block reward. (12) Miners try to make sure they are always working on the longest known chain in order to ensure that any block found is accepted in the longest chain (also referred to herein as LC) to get the reward. Miners will quickly abandon any shorter chains to avoid expending work without reward. This creates a cooperative process where self-interested miners must cooperate to extend a single longest chain. The longer the chain becomes that builds on an included transaction the more difficult it is to change that transaction. Changing the transaction would require building a longer chain with more proof of work than the public chain. Considering the public chain is built via a cooperative process of miners all over the world, building a longer chain is not an easy task. To create a longer chain in secret in order to change a transaction (such as Double Spend) would essentially require controlling more computation power than the rest of the network combined. It is assumed to be unlikely that any party will control more computation power than the rest of the network adding to the public chain. (13) Bitcoin's PoW consensus algorithm (also referred to herein as protocol) however, has drawbacks. As the value of Bitcoin has grown, Bitcoin mining has become very competitive. Rather than a decentralized network of people performing PoW using their personal computers, huge warehouses with specialized hardware have been set up to maximize efficiency. Mining pools have been created so operators can pool their PoW together to share block rewards and reduce the uncertainty of reward payouts. PoW also relies on arbitrarily difficult computation and the difficulty is automatically increased if solutions are found too quickly. This computation for the sake of proving computation consumes an enormous amount of electricity. Economies of scale in PoW mining have also allowed control over the Bitcoin ledger to be more centralized than originally anticipated. Therefore, there is a high demand for more efficient algorithms to achieve consensus on a signed shared ledger over a decentralized computer network. (14) Many attempts have been made to find better PoW algorithms that are more conducive to being solved using standard consumer computing equipment and more resistant to the creation of cheap specialized mining hardware. The Litecoin™ project (Litecoin.org) is an example of such an attempt. These attempts have only delayed the creation of specialized mining hardware and still suffer the same centralization problems due to economies of scale. Specialized hardware is now available for mining Litecoin™. The solution of using a different PoW algorithm also does not address issues of energy waste. (15) A number of other strategies to consensus have been proposed or are being developed. These recent consensus algorithms are often implemented in popular crypto-currencies. Crypto-currencies that employ the recently proposed consensus algorithms include Ripple™ (proposed by Ripple Labs), Peercoin (also known as PPCoin or PPC), NXT (an open source cryptocurrency and payment network launched in November 2013 by anonymous software developer BCNext), and BitShares (a decentralized exchange network system proposed by Bitshares.org). (16) The Ripple™ network uses a consensus algorithm that does not rely on PoW. Ripple™ protocol utilizes peer-to-peer nodes that accept transactions and confirm them after a high level of agreement is reached among their peers. A drawback to the Ripple™ consensus algorithm is that the interests of the validating nodes are not necessarily tied to or aligned with the interests of the holders and users (also referred to herein as stakeholders) of the digital currency. The currency holders must trust the validating nodes not to collude but they have no effective power to prevent it. The selection of validating nodes is not done by currency holders. (17) Stellar™, which is a project (stellar.org) that branched off of the Ripple™ project and uses a very similar consensus algorithm, recently experienced a fork of its payment network where consensus broke down and was not achieved throughout the network. The Stellar project has moved to a central validating authority while it works to improve its consensus algorithm. (18) A shared concept behind a number of recently proposed consensus protocols is called proof of stake ("PoS") as opposed to PoW. With PoW, the ability to extend the transaction ledger is proportional to computing power. The idea behind PoS is to make control of the public ledger proportional to ownership stake of the digital currency. It is hoped that PoS will be more energy efficient and more appropriately distribute control over the ledger. A number of PoS systems are structured in a similar way to PoW mining. Just as in PoW mining, PoS mining (also called staking, minting, or forging) requires finding blocks whose block hash falls within a restrictive range; the inclusion of a block in the consensus chain entitles the PoS miner to a block reward. However, the difficulty of finding a valid block hash or the range of valid solutions depends on the ownership stake controlled by the miner. Both Peercoin and NXT utilize such a system where stakeholders use their stake to mine for blocks. (19) There are numerous drawbacks to this method of consensus as well. Unlike with PoW mining, PoS does not incur a substantial amount of cost to looking for block solutions that are not on the current longest chain. Therefore, creating a longer chain than the current longest public chain might be more likely as there is less cost to look for it. Such a drawback to PoS protocols is known as the Nothing at Stake problem. Another drawback to the PoS model is that it requires the private key of a miner to remain unencrypted on a network connected computer. (20) The original design of both the NXT and Peercoin PoS consensus mechanisms require stakeholders to keep private keys unencrypted and on a network connected computer in order to attempt to sign blocks using the private keys. This requirement poses a security risk in that a network connected computer is vulnerable to being remotely compromised and the private key could be stolen. The gold standard for carefully protecting stake in a cryptocurrency system is to generate a private key/public key pair on an offline computer; funds can be sent to a party associated with this public key even though the private key has never been on a computer connected to the Internet. It is generally not worth the risk, effort, or cost for small stakeholders to run a computer to look for block solutions using their private keys. So such systems tend to become more centrally controlled than desired. In order to address this issue, the NXT project implemented a system called Leased Forging where block signing rights could be delegated to another key separate from the private key that otherwise controls transfer of funds. Recently, the same system is planned to be implemented in Peercoin protocol. Unfortunately this process opens up a new and significant issue for the consensus algorithm. (21) Leased block signing rights create a condition which economists term as Market Failure. A rationally self-interested stakeholder will lease stake to the highest bidder rather than to the block signer that may be most trusted or the best for the network as a whole. Leasing to the highest bidder can also lead to centralized control of the ledger by the highest bidder. The incentives of this entity(s) may not align with other stakeholders. For example, such an entity may be attempting to double spend transactions or want to control the network for another reason. The NXT protocol attempts to address this issue with limits to the amount of stake that can be leased to a single public key. Such limits are commonly accepted as sufficient to address the issue; and the NXT project has otherwise been accepting of profit sharing or "lease to the highest bidder" behavior. In reality many public keys can be controlled by a single entity and such limits to ensure decentralization are easy to circumvent. (22) In April of 2014, Daniel Larimer, a founder of the BitShares project proposed a consensus algorithm called Delegated Proof of Stake ("DPOS"). The design allowed anyone to delegate his stake to another public key (meaning associating the delegated stake with the public key) for the purpose of block signing. The top 101 public keys with the most stake delegated to them would take turns producing blocks. Anyone who controls one of these 101 public keys is called a "delegate" and is charged with producing and signing blocks with the corresponding private key. Block production is grouped into rounds. The order of delegate block production within a round is randomized. Each round, delegates publish a hash of a secret random number and also reveal the secret random number that was used to generate the hash published in the previous round. These revealed secrets are hashed together to get a random number that can be used to randomize the order of delegates in the following round. The use of hashes forces delegates to commit to their random number before knowing what the other random numbers will be and as long as at least one delegate is honest about keeping their random number secret this will be an effective way to randomize the block production within the round. (23) This DPOS design suffers a similar issue to NXT's Leased Forging; it encourages "delegation to the highest bidder" in the same way that NXT's Leased Forging encourages "leasing to the highest bidder". In other words, it does not lead to broadly trusted block signers. Delegating stake to a delegate can be thought of as voting for a block signer. It was suggested that if stakeholders were allowed to vote either for or against candidate block signers (weighted by their stake) this could allow stakeholders to remove an untrustworthy block signer. Unfortunately this proposal did not solve the poor incentives that lead to block signing power going to the highest bidder. As proposed, voting against block signers who pay for votes would have a high opportunity cost over voting for them and sharing in any profit. It would also be largely ineffective against candidate block signers who could switch to a new public key after accumulating too many negative votes. Thus voting against a delegate could become a game of "cat and mouse" involving constant pursuit. (24) There are at least two additional major limitations to most cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. These commonly acknowledged drawbacks are price volatility and also a lack of an effective means to fund ongoing development of a cryptocurrency protocol. While Bitcoin has useful properties such as being easy and inexpensive to transfer, its price volatility makes it risky to hold and difficult to use for everyday pricing and payments. A digital token with the properties and advantages of crypto-currencies that maintain price parity with a globally adopted currency such as the US Dollar ("USD") could be more convenient for most commerce. Attempts to address the price volatility of Bitcoin have primarily focused on using digital tokens to represent an asset held by a particular party or institution. These tokens, sometimes called colored coins can be thought of as a tradeable "I owe you" ("IOU") on a block chain. A drawback to this idea is that there is significant centralized counterparty risk. The digital token's value is dependent on it being honored by a particular party in exchange for another asset. (25) Funding the ongoing development of a digital token tracking system has been a difficult problem to solve. Often the projects are computer software open source development projects and rely on volunteers for development. Essentially, the present decentralized systems have no mechanism to effectively centralize the resources needed to incentivize developers of the system. Ongoing development of a project such as Bitcoin is an economic "public good" problem. In the past, ongoing funding for development has been provided by donations from non-profit organizations, large stakeholders, or companies that use the system such as a company that sells Bitcoin related services. Recently, "assurance contracts" have begun to be used for fundraising whereby a specific fundraising target must be reached otherwise donations are returned. Although this may offer some improvement it has not been sufficient to provide a substantial funding source. Even when considering high value systems such as Bitcoin, resources to directly fund development have been scarce. A great number of smaller projects have been abandoned or remain underdeveloped due to this issue. (26) Peer-to-peer systems for tracking digital records must reach consensus in the face of network latency, data corruption, and various intentional methods to manipulate or disrupt the system. One of the most important challenges of peer-to-peer digital record keeping is to determine how block signers are chosen to add transactions to the public record. Prior consensus mechanisms have not solved the issue of how to choose the most qualified and trusted block signers from a decentralized network of rationally self-interested stakeholders. Some systems such as Bitcoin and Ripple have disenfranchised stakeholders by deferring to another metric such as computation power or inclusion in a unique node list. Other PoS implementations fail to create the right incentives for appropriate control of block signing power and the public record. (27) Accordingly, there is a need for a new peer-to-peer consensus system that provides verifiable signatures and maintains a ledger that is consistent among all participants of the networked system. The new system achieves consensus with less power consumption. In addition, the new system achieves consensus despite network latency, data corruption and other issues. In addition the new system maintains a ledger that is resistant to Double Spend or other intentional manipulation. Furthermore, the new peer-to-peer consensus system overcomes the drawbacks of price volatility and promotes funding for development of the underlying project. OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSED SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS (28) Accordingly, it is an object of this disclosure to provide a system and method for tracking digital objects with consensus in a network. (29) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer system and method for achieving consensus in tracking digital objects. (30) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer system and method for achieving consensus in tracking digital objects and maintaining a consistent ledger. (31) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer system and method for achieving consensus in tracking digital objects and maintaining a consistent ledger with verifiable trusted record keeping. (32) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer system and method for achieving consensus in tracking digital objects, maintaining a consistent ledger, and overcoming network latency, data corruption and malicious manipulation. (33) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer consensus system and method by electing block signers. (34) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer consensus system and method by electing block signers, and voting out and ignoring untrusted block signers. (35) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer consensus system and method by electing block signers using approval width and approval height. (36) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer consensus system and method by electing block signers using approval width, approval height, summed approval, and mapped approval width. (37) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer consensus system and method by determining a widest chain. (38) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer consensus system and method by determining a widest chain and merging fork block chains based on the widest chain. (39) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer consensus system and method by determining a widest chain and defending against Double Spend based on the widest chain. (40) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer consensus system and method by ignoring hidden chains. (41) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer consensus system and method that reduces price volatility. (42) Another object of this disclosure is to provide a peer-to-peer consensus system and method that promotes on-going system development. (43) Other advantages of this disclosure will be clear to a person of ordinary skill in the art. It should be understood, however, that a system or method could practice the disclosure while not achieving all of the enumerated advantages, and that the protected disclosure is defined by the claims. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE (44) Generally speaking, pursuant to the various embodiments, the present disclosure provides a peer-to-peer consensus system and method for creating a trustable record for tracking transferrable digital objects in a consensus manner. Transfers and tracking of these digital objects over a computer network is facilitated by protocol rules that encourage the creation of an efficient, trustable, and shared record. Further, in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, a system and method for voting using digital stake balances tracked on a shared consensus ledger is presented. The method of voting is a real time auditable stake weighted approval voting mechanism wherein votes are signed via cryptographic signatures. The method of voting allows for the election of trustable entities who act in the best interest of the digital stake holders. In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure these trustable entities may commit broadcasted transactions to the shared consensus ledger. These trustable entities may group transactions into blocks in the process of committing them to the shared transaction record. In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure these trustable entities may receive a salary denominated in digital stake and direct capital for the benefit of the digital stakeholders. The trusted entities may be used for a trustable source of information such as a data feed. In addition, a consensus system is presented that utilizes an improved metric to select a single consensus transaction history from multiple potentially valid transaction histories. A method is described such that when comparing multiple transaction histories, the transaction history with the most committed stake is chosen. Furthermore a method is described for the creation of digital assets that track the value of conventional assets. (45) The peer-to-peer consensus system includes a plurality of node computers. Each node computer in the plurality of node computer includes a processing unit, some amount of memory accessed by the processing unit, and a network interface operatively coupled to the processing unit and a wide area network. The wide area network can be, for example, the Internet. Each node computer in the plurality of node computer includes a consensus system software application running on the processing unit of the node computer. The consensus system software application is adapted to connect to the plurality of node computers that are connected to the wide area network. The computer software application running on networked computers of the consensus system can be, for example, open source based software. (46) The consensus system software application is also adapted to generate a cryptographic key pair including a private key and a public key. Moreover, the consensus system software application is adapted to create and sign transactions using the private key and to broadcast transactions to the plurality of node computers. The consensus system software application is adapted to broadcast transactions that associate votes with stake balances. The consensus system software application is further adapted to check validity of all signatures on transactions received from peers, and determine that consensus protocol rules have been followed. The consensus system software application is adapted to build and maintain a local ledger of the current balances of stake controlled by each public key; this ledger is derived from the initial ledger state and the records of transactions contained in the consensus transaction history. The consensus system software application is adapted to choose a consensus transaction history from multiple transaction histories using a metric of most committed stake. Furthermore, the consensus system includes the ability to merge transaction histories into a single transaction history. (47) The improved system creates a method of automated public accounting that is resistant to manipulation. It is therefore valuable to participants due to the high level of trust that can be placed in the system and the low overhead of operation. The system further appropriately balances control over the shared ledger and adds enough opportunity for independent audits, checks, and redundancies that any manipulation requires too much secret collusion and coordination to be practical or worthwhile to attempt. The improved system can codify social agreements about ownership and then automate the accounting of the social agreements. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) The foregoing aspects and many of the advantages of the present invention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although the characteristic features of this disclosure will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself, and the manner in which it may be made and used, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which: (2) FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a consensus system for tracking digital records in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (3) FIG. 2 is a simplified table depicting approval width and approval height of a set of blocker signers in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (4) FIG. 3 is a simplified table depicting a ledger of public keys and corresponding stake in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (5) FIG. 4 is simplified diagram depicting a fork in a block chain in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (6) FIG. 5 is simplified diagram depicting a fork and censorship in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (7) FIG. 6 is simplified diagram depicting censorship prevention in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (8) FIG. 7 is simplified diagram depicting a fork merging process in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (9) FIG. 8 is simplified diagram depicting a fork with a hidden fork chain in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (10) FIG. 9 is a simplified flowchart depicting a process by which a consensus system tracks digital objects in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (11) FIG. 10A is a simplified diagram depicting a fork with two fork chains and a method for determining the fork chain with the most committed stake and merging the fork chains in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (12) FIG. 10B is a simplified diagram depicting a fork with two fork chains and a method for determining the fork chain with the most committed stake and merging the fork chains in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (13) FIG. 11 is a flowchart depicting a process by which nodes of a consensus system each select block signers to sign blocks in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (14) FIG. 12 is a flowchart depicting a process by which a consensus system reduces price volatility of digital tokens in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (15) FIG. 13 is a flowchart depicting a process performed by a consensus system for managing digital stake based on votes in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (16) FIG. 14 is a flowchart depicting a process by which a consensus system creates tokens that represent digital stake in a club in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (17) FIG. 15 is a flowchart depicting a process by which a consensus system creates a bond market for pegged digital assets in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. (18) A person of ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that elements of the figures above are illustrated for simplicity and clarity, and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The dimensions of some elements in the figures may have been exaggerated relative to other elements to help understanding of the present teachings. Furthermore, a particular order in which certain elements, parts, components, modules, steps, actions, events and/or processes are described or illustrated may not be actually required. A person of ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that, for the purpose of simplicity and clarity of illustration, some commonly known and well-understood elements that are useful and/or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment may not be depicted in order to provide a clear view of various embodiments in accordance with the present teachings. Furthermore, a particular order in which certain elements, parts, components, modules, steps, actions, events and/or processes are described or illustrated may not be actually required. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (19) Turning to the Figures and to FIG. 1 in particular, a networked system for conducting peer-to-peer transactions with consensus is shown and generally indicated at 100. The system 100 tracks digital records with consensus. The system 100 includes a plurality of nodes, such as the computers 102, 104, 106 and 108. Only four nodes 102-108 are shown in the illustrative FIG. 1. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that more nodes can be included for commercial implementation of the system 100. The computers 102-108 each include a processing unit (such as a central processor), some amount of memory accessed by the processing unit, and a network interface operatively coupled to the processing unit. In addition, the nodes 102-108 each run a special consensus system software application program on their respective processing units. Each node is used and operated by a user, such as the users 110, 112, 114 and 116. The users 110-116 conduct transactions between themselves in a peer-to-peer manner using the special consensus system program. The system 100 is also referred to herein as a consensus network. (20) The consensus system software application is computer code that performs specific functions for achieving consensus regarding digital objects over the system 100 (as used herein a digital object can be a digital record, stake, asset, token, voting right etc. The computer code is written in one or more computer programming languages, such as C++, C#, Java, etc. The computer code controls and actuates the computers 102-108 to perform the unique functions of achieving consensus of transferrable digital objects in the system 100. The computer code is thus analogous to an electronic circuit for performing these specific functions. Accordingly, it can be said that the specialized consensus system software application turns the computers 102-108 into a specialized machine for achieving consensus of transferrable digital objects in the system 100. It should be noted that the specialized software application may include numerous components residing in different logical layers. (21) The networked nodes 102-108 are connected over a wide area network 122, such as the popular Internet, via their network interfaces (such as Ethernet or WiFi). The computer 102-108 access the network via the network interfaces. The system 100 may further include one or more centralized computer systems, such as the server system 132, for providing particular centralized services. For example, the server system 132 (such as a distributed server system, a server farm, or a cloud server) can be used to host the specialized consensus system software application for being downloaded by the nodes. The server system 132 is operatively coupled to and accessible over the Internet 122. The server system 132 can also host lists of peers that each node needs for its initial connection to the system 100. The server system 132 may also provide administrative functions for the system 100 and the users 110-116. The server system 132 is operatively coupled to a database 134 containing relevant data. The database 134 can be, for example, a relational database. (22) With the specialized consensus system software application running on the nodes 102-108, the system 100 achieves consensus between transferrable digital objects in the system 100 and overcomes the shortcomings of other systems. For example, as further discussed below, the system 100 provides solutions to the issue of PoW energy inefficiency, Market Failure of stake leasing, the Double Spend problem, the price volatility of digital tokens, and the challenge of funding on-going development of digital object tracking systems. (23) Referring to FIG. 9, a flowchart depicting a process by which a consensus system tracks digital objects is shown and generally indicated at 900. In one implementation, the consensus system software application includes two modules: node and wallet. The node and wallet modules perform different elements to carry out the functionality of the consensus system software application for the creation and tracking digital objects with consensus. The modules run concurrently on a node computer and may interface with each other. In the embodiment depicted, at 902 the node software loads a starting ledger of agreed upon balances tied to a corresponding list of agreed upon public key addresses. This is may be referred to as a genesis block. This starting ledger is typically a socially agreed to distribution of stake. The stake balances are for a fungible digital token. The public keys in the genesis block may be supplied by the initial users of the system 100 who generate key pairs offline to maintain the privacy of their corresponding private keys. Although the starting balances and associated public keys are auditable and known to all participants, each public key has an associated private key known only to its owner. The genesis block may also contain votes associated with balances such as for an initial set of block signers. A further depiction of a starting ledger is shown in tables 200 and 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively. (24) At 904 the node connects to peers. Lists of initial addresses (such as Internet Protocol addresses) of the peers may be included with the application, published on forums, or available on a public server. Lists of peer addresses are also subject to public audit and may change over time. For example, the list of addresses is downloaded from the server 132 provisioned by a trusted source. Once the node has connected to a group of peers, further peers can be discovered by requesting peers of the current connected peers and a list of these peer addresses can be maintained by the node. (25) At 906 the application downloads block chain data from peers. At 908 the application checks the validity of all block chain data received against the consensus rules of the application. This process includes verifying the cryptographic signatures of any transactions such as transactions transferring stake to a new public key. It also includes checking the cryptographic signatures of block signers and determining that a block signer has enough votes to be elected and has produced the block in the correct order. At 910 the application rejects any data that fails to follow the protocol rules. It does not pass this data on to other peers and it typically disconnects from the peer that provided bad data. It should be noted that the consensus system software application continuously performs the elements 906-910 to maintain up-to-date block chain data. (26) It is possible that more than one transaction history could be received by the node wherein the more than one transaction history is valid per protocol rules. However, the intent of the system 100 is to reach consensus among all honest peers on the same transaction history and it is therefore necessary to select a consensus history if more than one is presented. At 912 the application determines a consensus chain based on the metric: most committed stake. This metric will be further discussed in detail below. In one implementation, the user of the consensus software application will typically be warned when the application must choose between multiple valid transactions histories or fork chains. This is because the presence of a forked block chain can indicate an intentional attempt by other users to alter the transaction history for the purpose of double spending. (27) At 914, valid transactions and blocks are passed to peers on the network. At 916 the node application maintains and builds a database or databases that comprise the current ledger. The current ledger of balances is built by starting with the genesis block and applying each subsequent block of transactions that alter the ledger. An additional database can track current votes for block signers. At 918, information taken from the consensus transaction record can be passed by request to the wallet module of the consensus system software application. (28) The wallet module of the consensus system software application allows the user to interact with the consensus system and manage their digital assets. At 920 the wallet module generates a private and public key pair for the user. The user could then provide that public key to others as a receiving address for fund transfers over the network 122. If the user provided a public key that was included in the genesis block the user can import the corresponding private key into the wallet. At 922 the wallet queries the node module for current block chain data associated with the public keys in the wallet. At 924 the walled receives current balance information and any transaction records for the keys held in the wallet and displays this information to the user. (29) At 926 the wallet allows the user to build a first new transaction that references the stake associated with the public key controlled by the wallet and sign the first new transaction with the corresponding private key. The first new transaction transmits a stake to a different user. At 928 the wallet allows the user to broadcast the first new transactions to the network so that they may be added to and included in the consensus ledger. At 930 the wallet allows the user to build and sign a second new transaction, such as the transactions 212-227. The second new transaction includes one or more votes for one or more block signer candidates. The second new transaction is signed by the corresponding private key. At 932, the wallet module of consensus system software application broadcasts the second new transaction to connected peer node computers over the network 122. Auditable Real-Time Multi-Vote System (30) Stake leasing and analogous voting methods for block signer selection result in Market Failure where individual stakeholder incentives are not aligned by the voting system with the interests of the stakeholder group as a whole. Block signers and stakeholders are users, such as the users 110-116, of the consensus system 100. The Market Failure issue can be addressed by providing balances with multiple simultaneous voting rights. This allows stakeholders to approve many candidate block signers with the full weight of the stakeholders' balances. Ranking block signers by highest stake weighted approval prioritizes block signers with broad trust and approval across the entire stake rather than prioritizing based on intensity of support. It also provides a simple interface for stakeholders as stakeholders need not choose a favorite block signer, rank block signers, or vote against block signers. Instead, they simply approve any block signers they trust and ignore the rest. Accordingly, the system 100 is also referred to herein as a multi vote digital stake system. (31) The voting mechanism is a continuous real-time stake weighted system that attaches multiple simultaneous voting rights to transferrable digital stake which are tracked in a peer to peer manner, where all voting and transactions are auditable in real time by all participants. Despite the many unique attributes of this system, the voting is in some respects analogous to the concept of "approval voting" as has been used in standard single time point elections. In a standard election, approval voting advantages voters with better access to information about the other voters' likely voting preferences (such as that set forth in the Fair Vote reference filed herewith). However, in the context of a continuous real time auditable consensus system, all stakeholders have complete access to information about how other stakeholders are voting and anyone can change a vote at any time. This allows the stakeholders to change votes accordingly if they choose, and allows the system to settle on an equilibrium voting state or adjust dynamically over time. (32) Standard approval voting for multiple winner elections lacks proportional representation. For example in the context of electing members to governing body who may be of different political parties approval voting would not provide proportional representation by party affiliation. Analogously, in the context of a consensus system, if 51% of the stake agreed on the block signers they like, those that control the other 49% of stake would not have a way to elect any different block signers. This is not a weakness for a consensus system. All consensus processes must eventually settle on one version of the record and all stakeholders are forced to come to agreement. Any disagreement is ultimately decided in a majority rules fashion by stake, so any coordinated majority controls the system anyway. (33) Despite the ability of a large coordinated faction to control voting outcomes, in practice there is likely to be a lot of overlap in the voting preferences of digital stake holders and little reason for breakdown into coordinated factions. Another important distinction of most digital consensus systems is that stake distribution is the function of an initial social agreement and owning stake is voluntary. There is little incentive for a 51% majority to coordinate against a minority because the minority owns stake by their own volition and can sell it at any time or support a different independent consensus. Owners of a single fungible token or stake are typically united in an interest to maintain the value of the underlying token or system. Allowing for multiple simultaneous voting rights allows stakeholders to find candidates with the broadest support and elucidate areas of agreement among stakeholders. For example, a block signer that is trusted by all stakeholders, even if not anyone's first choice, can be easily elected under a multi vote digital stake system. (34) A multi vote digital stake system allows a comparatively high bar to be set for support needed to be elected. In fact it is possible that with a particularly cohesive group of stakeholders all block signers could have over 50% support or some block signers could have almost unanimous support. In contrast, the average stake leased to each block signer in a leased stake system with 50 block signers would be at the very most 2%. This assumes 100% stake participation. (35) In a multi vote digital stake system, the bar to entry for block signers is higher. Whereas stake leasing systems allow substantial stakeholders to participate in block signing without additional votes or support from other stakeholders. The NXT protocol sets no bar to entry to participate in block signing. Although this may not be commonly viewed as a concern, the high bar to entry for block signers elected by a multi vote system is a useful property. (36) The high bar to entry for block signers in a multi vote digital stake consensus system can prevent behaviors like Vote Buying from taking hold. In contrast, with a low bar to entry, block signers participating in such behavior can easily begin participating in block signing and selectively sharing any profit only with supporters. With a high bar to entry, a candidate block signer would need to publically appeal for support from as many stakeholders as possible. A vote buyer would take a substantial risk to buy votes before they reached the threshold to get elected, as they may never get there. In such a case, the vote buyer would risk paying for nothing. In a multi vote system, there would more likely be nothing offered for votes unless or until a vote buyer is actually elected. Therefore, until that high threshold is reached, vote buyers can be rationally ignored by those who do not support the behavior. (37) Even if a vote buyer paid stakeholders for votes before being elected or successfully reaching a threshold to get elected, voting for this block signer to get a reward does not prevent a stakeholder from supporting other block signers. The vote buyer's behavior will likely be viewed in a negative light by a broad community of stakeholders as it is an attempt to selectively favor some stakeholders over others instead of supporting the system as a whole. Stakeholders in a multi vote digital stake system can rationally support candidates who are viewed as good for the community of stakeholders as a whole without added opportunity cost. (38) Ranking candidates by total approval is a good mechanism to determine a ranking of the most broadly trusted candidates. However, a mechanism to determine a cut-off (or cutoff) or an appropriate number of accepted block signers has to be utilized. An arbitrary number could be chosen as a cutoff. However, if this number were chosen too high, it may allow too many block signers with low approval and low trust to participate. Alternatively, if chosen too low it may not sufficiently diversify and decentralize control of the network and provide the redundancy desired by the stakeholders. Alternatively, a cut-off is chosen by percent support of stake. Using this metric alone makes it possible that no candidate is selected. (39) Alternatively, a stake weighted average of candidates selected in the voting process is used. Taking a stake weighted mean would allow the number of candidates to be skewed or manipulated by a small stake approving a very high number of candidates. Taking a stake weighted median may be preferable over a mean but can still lead to less than ideal results. To take a rather extreme example, it can be imagined that 45% of the stake agrees on the same 5 candidates and only selects them but the other stakeholders all select a very high number of candidates with very little agreement in addition to those 5 candidates. This would result in the median number of candidates being very high. The 5 candidates that have almost universal approval could be chosen along with a very long list of candidates who have extremely low approval making the bar to entry lower than desired. This scenario illustrates that a stake weighted median is a less than ideal algorithm. Another option would be to have stakeholders separately vote on a desired number of candidates, this might yield reasonable results in some cases but requires an additional step and additional complexity for voters. (40) In accordance with the present teachings, an appropriate number of block signers is determined based on an analysis of stakeholder approval votes. When a stakeholder selects block signers, the stakeholder is said to be approving each of her chosen block signers to sign a proportional share of the blocks based on the number of candidates selected. For instance, if the stakeholder approves five candidates, then the stakeholder is indicating that she approves each candidate to sign up to 20% of the blocks. In such a case, 20% (or 0.20) is referred to herein as approval width of the stakeholder's stake. In contrast, the total stake that a block signer is approved by is termed herein as approval height. Approval therefore happens in two dimensions. A block signer could have an approval height of 50% if 50% of the stake votes for the block signer. The approval width and approval height are further illustrated by reference to FIG. 2. (41) Referring to FIG. 2, a table depicting approval width and approval height of a set of blocker signer candidates is shown and generally indicated at 200. The data of the table 200 is part of the current ledger of the consensus system 100. The table 200 includes a balance column 202, a candidates selected number column 204, an approval width column 206, a block signer candidate votes column 208, and a block signer candidate summed approval column 210. The table 200 further includes sixteen stakes 212-227 having the balances of 14, 5, 2, 5, 8, 4, 6, 7, 1, 10, 3, 4, 13, 9, 4 and 5 respectively. The balances 212-227, belonging to various stake holders, are listed in the column 202. Each stakeholder is associated with, for example, a public key. A public key identifies a stakeholder and is used to receive transferred stake and allow sending stake via a signature of its corresponding private key. The public keys are shown in a column 302 of a table 300 in FIG. 3. The table 300 can be viewed as part of the table 200. The column 204 indicates the number of candidates voted for by the corresponding stake. (42) Taking the stake 212 as an example, 4 candidates are selected to sign the blocks. Accordingly, the approval width of the stake 212 is 0.25 which is indicated in the column 206. The four selected candidates are candidates #2, #3, #6 and #7 as shown in the column 208. Each selected candidate is indicated with a check mark. As an additional example, the stake 227 has an approval width of 1 with only one candidate (i.e., candidate #7) selected. As still a further example, the stake 218 has an approval width of 0.33 (meaning one third) with 3 candidates (i.e., candidates #4, #5 and #7) selected. The stakes 212-227 are ordered based on the corresponding approval widths from the lowest to the highest. (43) For each candidate of the illustrative candidates #1-#7, a summed approval is indicated in columns 210. For example, candidate 2 is selected by the stakes 212, 215 and 220. In such a case, the summed approval for candidate 2 is the sum of the stakes 212, 215 and 220 which is calculated as 14+5+1=20. The summed approval for candidate 2 is indicated at 232. As an additional example, candidate 7 is selected by the stakes 212, 213, 214, 216, 218, 219, 223, 224 and 227. In such a case, the summed approval for candidate 7 is the sum of the stakes 212, 213, 214, 216, 218, 219, 223, 224 and 227 which is calculated as 14+5+2+8+6+7+4+13+5=64. The summed approval for candidate 7 is indicated at 234. (44) The summed approval and intermediary approvals for each candidate are indicated at the columns 242, 244, 246, 248, 250, 252 and 254 respectively. The summed approval is a special case of intermediary approval. In other words, the summed approval is the last intermediary approval for each candidate. The summed approval and intermediary approvals for each candidate are determined from bottom up (meaning from highest approval width to lowest approval width), and can be calculated using Formula A below: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?SA.sub.mk=Σ.sub.i=1.sup.KV.sub.mi\B.sub.i in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? (45) SA.sub.mk is the intermediary approval for the m.sub.th candidate at the level k. m is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 in the example above. k ranges from 1 to 16 with 1 corresponding to the row 227, and 16 corresponding to the row 212. i is an integer ranges from 1 to k. V.sub.mi is the i.sub.th vote for the candidate m. It has value 1 when it corresponds to a check mark in the table 200. Otherwise, its value is 0. For example, in the row 227, there is a check mark for the candidate 7. Therefore, V.sub.71=1. Similarly, V.sub.72=0, V.sub.73=0, V.sub.74=1, V.sub.75=1, V.sub.76=0, etc. B.sub.i is the i.sub.th balance. For example, B.sub.1=5, B.sub.2=4, . . . , B.sub.16=14. Taking candidate #7 as an example, its intermediary approvals are 5, 5, 5, 18, 22, . . . , 50, and 64. (46) The balances 202* are also referred to as approving balances. The approving balances 225, 226 and 227 each have an approval width of 1. Accordingly, they are said to have the widest approval. In contrast, the approving balances 212-216 are said to have the thinnest approval with an approval width of 0.25. The total balance of the stakes 212-227 is 100. Accordingly, the candidates #1-#7 are said to have approval heights of 4%, 20%, 29%, 54%, 31%, 66% and 64% respectively. The approval heights of the candidates #1-#7 are 4, 20, 29, 54, 31, 66 and 64 respectively. (47) To select the block signer candidates that are accepted to be allowed to sign blocks, the candidate with the highest approval height is first selected. According to the illustrative table 200, candidate #6 has to most approval (meaning highest approval height) is automatically selected since she has the highest approval height at 66. Next, the candidate with the next highest approval height is examined. In the present example, candidate #7 has the second highest approval height (i.e., 64), and is thus examined after candidate #6 is selected. To do so, the approval width of candidate #6 at the height of 64 (i.e., the summed approval of candidate #7) is determined based on the table 200. Looking at the column 252, approval height 64 is above the intermediary approval 52 that is the highest approval height that is same as or lower than the approval height 64. Accordingly, the approval width in the cell of row 213 and column 206 is selected. This selected approval width is termed herein as a mapped approval width of the candidate #7 relative to candidate #6. The mapped approval width is less than 1. In the illustrative embodiment, 1 is the candidate selection threshold. Therefore, candidate #7 is selected. (48) To continue the search for block signers, the candidate with the third highest approval height, which is 54 of candidate #4, is then examined. The mapped approval width of the candidate #4 relative to candidate #6 is 0.25. Similarly, the mapped approval width of the candidate #4 relative to candidate #7 is 0.25. Regarding candidate #4, the sum of mapped approval widths is 0.25+0.25=0.5, which is less than 1. Therefore, candidate #4 is selected as well. (49) Next, the candidate with the fourth highest approval height, which is 31 of candidate #5, is then examined. The mapped approval width of the candidate #5 relative to candidate #6 is 0.33, because 30 is the highest intermediary approval height of candidate #6 that is same as or below 31. At the intermediary approval height of 30, the lowest approval width is ⅓ (meaning one third) indicated in the cell of row 218 and column 206. Similarly, the mapped approval width of the candidate #5 relative to candidate #7 is ⅓; and the mapped approval width of the candidate #5 relative to candidate #4 is ⅓. Regarding candidate #5, the sum of mapped approval widths is ⅓+⅓+⅓=1, which is same as the predetermined candidate threshold. Therefore, candidate #5 is not selected. Any candidate with a lower approval height than candidate #5, the first cutoff candidate, is not selected either. (50) The Computer Program Listing A listed at end of the Detailed Description section of the present patent application illustrates one of multiple ways to perform the calculation described above. The selection of candidates #4, #6 and #7 is performed by the consensus system software application running on each various nodes of the system 100. The selection process described above is further illustrated by reference to FIG. 11. The selection of block signers for signing blocks of the system 100 is also referred to herein as election of block signers. (51) The set of elected block signers can be determined by the previously described method at the point of any block in a block chain. Generally, elected block signers will each sign a single block within a round. At the point of the last block in the round the calculation of new elected block signers will be repeated/updated to include any new votes included in blocks in that round, so as to determine the set of elected block signers that will participate in the next round. The order of block signers within a round is also performed in a deterministic way such that block signers sign blocks in a defined order that is expected by all participants. Each block signer is given a defined amount of time to produce a block or otherwise can be skipped by the next block signer in the order. This order could be chosen in any number of ways such as ordered by approval height. The order could also be pseudo-randomized using the method described above. (52) Referring to FIG. 11, a flowchart depicting a process by which nodes (such as the nodes 102-108) of the system 100 each select block signers to sign blocks is shown and generally indicated at 1100. In one implementation, the process 1100 is performed by the consensus system software application. At 1106, the software application builds a database of records from transactions included in the blockchain where the records indicate stakes of a set of stakeholders and voting data of the stakes. For example, the stakes 212-227 are the retrieved stakes; and the voting data of the stakes are indicated by the check marks in the table 200. The voting data indicates the candidates selected for the different stakes. Additional data can also be retrieved at 1106. For example, the additional data includes the number of candidates selected for each stake, such as that indicated in the column 204 of the table 200. The retrieved records are also referred to herein as a current ledger, which also includes a list of public keys and associated stakes controlled by the public keys, and a list of votes for block signer candidates. (53) At 1112, the software application determines the approval width (such as that indicated in the column 206 of the table 200) of each retrieved stake. At 1118, the software application orders the set of records based on their approval width. For example, they are ordered from the smallest to the largest as shown from the row 227 to the row 212. At 1124, the software application determines the summed approval and the intermediary approvals for each candidate. For example, such approvals are indicated at 242-254 of the table 200. At 1130, the software application selects the candidate (such as the candidate #6 in the table 200) with the highest approval (meaning the highest summed approval) from the candidates. At 1136, the software application identifies the candidate with the next highest summed approval (such as the candidate #7). At 1142, the software application determines the mapped approval widths of the identified candidate. (54) At 1148, the software application checks whether the sum of the mapped approval widths is at or above a predetermined threshold (such as 1 or 100%). If so, at 1154, the software application stops the selection of any additional candidates for signing blocks. Otherwise, at 1160, the software application selects the identified candidate to sign blocks. After the selection, the software application executes the element 1136 again in looping manner to select additional block signer candidates for signing blocks. The elected block signers, such as candidates #6, #7 and #4, are also referred to herein as accepted block signers. Fork Resolution (55) A block chain is constructed as a series of groups of transactions called blocks where each block cryptographically references the prior block. A fork is a situation where more than one valid block is propagated that builds off a single block. For example, a fork is created when more than one block signer adds a block to the same precursor block. Each block that builds off the same precursor block might contain different or conflicting transactions preventing clarity about the current ledger of balances. Each block that builds off the same precursor block might be extended independently with additional blocks. An illustrative fork is further illustrated by reference to FIG. 4. (56) Referring to FIG. 4, a simplified diagram depicting a fork is shown and generally indicated at 400. The first fork chain 452 includes blocks 404, 406, 408, 410, 412, 414 and 416, while the second fork chain 454 includes blocks 432, 434, 436 and 438. Both fork chains are propagated from the single block 402. It should be noted that the block signer 1 signed blocks 402, 408 and 414; the block signer 2 signed blocks 404, 410 and 416; the block signer 3 signed blocks 432, 412 and 438; and the block signer 4 signed blocks 406, 434 and 436. The block chains 452 and 454 are also referred to herein as forks. (57) Forks in a block chain can happen for a few reasons. These include network delays in propagating a block, software bugs, and importantly intentional attempts to manipulate the consensus ledger. Network propagation related forks are common for consensus mechanisms that involve randomized methods of block production. This includes both PoW consensus and PoS consensus mechanisms that rely on finding a valid hash that meets the difficulty threshold for a block solution. It cannot be predicted when a valid solution will be found so it is always possible that more than one solution can be found at approximately the same time. If a group of elected and trusted block signers produce blocks on a fixed schedule or in a defined order (giving each block signer time to produce a block), network related forks can be all but eliminated. A method to closely synchronize clocks of participants and block signers, such as using Network Time Protocol ("NTP"), can further prevent network latency related forks. The use of atomic clocks is another example of a clock synchronization method. (58) Forks that are the result of an intentional attempt to rewrite the accepted consensus ledger must be resolved with carefully considered rules. Given that network related forks can be all but eliminated by using a fixed block production schedule, when forks happen it can be treated as an attempt to manipulate the system 100 and a betrayal of trust by either a trusted block signer or large stakeholder. These forks can be handled with carefully considered rules that allow a majority of honest stakeholders to maintain control of the consensus record. If stakeholders carefully choose and vote in trustworthy block signers these forks may never occur. However, the system 100 needs to handle such cases and dissuade attempts to manipulate the ledger. (59) Block chain consensus algorithms use metrics to determine the correct chain when presented with more than one fork chain. Bitcoin defines the correct chain as the chain with the most PoW. This is often just called the longest chain because under most circumstances the longest chain with the most blocks would also include the most PoW. The correct chain is therefore often called the longest chain because it typically corresponds to the chain with the most blocks. NXT and Peercoin PoS systems use analogous correct chain metrics that correlate to cumulative difficulty and length of the block chain. DPOS also uses the longest valid chain as the metric for the correct chain in the event of a fork. Using longest chain as a metric for deciding between fork chains opens a system to manipulation if a longer chain can be created with malicious intent. For example, in DPOS using the longest chain metric can potentially allow 51% of block signers to collude to control the ledger. (60) A better method of fork resolution is proposed. The method of fork resolution utilizes a primary metric for determining correct chain called most committed stake. The fork chain with the most committed stake will also be referred to herein as the widest chain. In addition to the widest chain metric for correct chain determination the system relies on two additional tools for fork resolution which are used under some circumstances: ignoring fork chains and merging fork chains. (61) The widest chain is further illustrated by reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B. Referring now to FIGS. 10A and 10B, a simplified block diagram depicting a fork with two fork chains and a method for determining the widest chain are shown and generally indicated at 1000. Two fork chains 1004 and 1006 are propagated from the same block 1002. The fork chain 1004 includes blocks 1012, 1014, 1016 and 1018, while the fork chain 1006 includes blocks 1022, 1024, 1026 and 1028. The fork chains 1004 and 1006 merge at the block 1032. (62) Each block may include one or more transactions. For example, the transactions inside the block 1014 are indicated at 1050 and 1052. Each transaction has one or more transaction inputs and one or more transaction outputs. For example, the block 1002 includes a transaction 1040 that spends the balance of output C (20) and sends it to a new output H. Each transaction input corresponds to an output of a prior transaction or a balance from the genesis block of the system. Each output of a transaction may be referenced and used as an input in a following transaction. Once an output has been used as an input or "spent" in a transaction it may not be spent again by any other transaction. Transaction fees are not depicted for the purpose of simplification. (63) A summary of the current ledger at the point of each block is shown within each block for illustrative purpose only. For example, the current ledger leading to block 1002 is shown at 1042. The current ledger is not actually included in each block but is rather independently constructed by each node running the consensus system software application based on the combined transactions of the block chain. (64) The block 1002 includes a transaction 1040 that spends the balance of output C (20) and sends it to a new output H. In the block 1012, the transactions include a transaction 1044 from B to J for a balance of 15, a transaction 1046 from D & E to K for a total balance of 25 (note that 1046 and 1048 are a single transaction). In the block 1014, the transactions include a transaction 1050 from K to L for a balance of 25, and a transaction 1052 from F to N for a balance of 5. In the block 1016, the transactions include a transaction 1054 from J to P & G for a total balance of 15 (note that 1054 and 1056 are a single transaction). In the block 1022, the transactions include a transaction 1062 from B to J for a balance of 15, a transaction 1046 from D & E to K for a total balance of 25. In the block 1024, the transactions include a transaction 1068 from A to M for a balance of 25, and a transaction 1070 from F to 0 for a balance of 5. In the block 1026, the transactions include a transaction 1072 from M to R for a balance of 25, and a transaction 1074 from G to S for a balance of 10. (65) A fork chain with the most committed stake can be determined by comparing any two fork chains such as 1004 and 1006. Common balances are balances present in the block chain history of both fork chains. For example, all the balances shown in block 1002 are common to both fork chains 1004 and 1006 because block 1002 is shared by both fork chains. The balance at output J(15) can also be considered a common balance because the transaction 1044 from B to J is present on both fork chains. In another implementation, only balances that are present in blocks before the point of the fork are considered common balances. When comparing two fork chains, such as 1004 and 1006, the committed stake of a first chain 1004 is the sum of common balances which are subsequently used or spent in a transaction unique to fork chain 1004; and the committed stake of a second fork chain 1006 is the sum of the common balances which are subsequently used or spent in a transaction unique to fork chain 1006. (66) For example, any stake taken from an output shared by both fork chains (such as output A) that is spent in a transaction unique to one fork chain (such as transaction 1068) counts toward the total committed stake of that fork chain (1006). When more than two fork chains are present the widest fork chain can be determined by comparing the fork chains pairwise and eliminating the less wide fork chain until the widest fork chain is found. The widest chain metric has the property that if fork chain A is wider than fork chain B and fork chain B is wider than fork chain C, then fork chain A will be wider than fork chain C. This metric also favors the fork chain with the most complete transaction history that is inclusive of all valid transactions. (67) The transactions 1050, 1052 and 1054 are unique to the fork chain 1004. Each of these transactions spends stake from outputs common to both fork chains in transactions that are unique to fork chain 1004 and are thus counted in computing the committed stake of the fork chain 1004. In such a case, the committed stake of the fork chain 1004 is 45, which is the sum of 25, 5, and 15 of the transactions 1050, 1052, and 1054 respectively. (68) For the fork chain 1006, the transactions 1068, 1070, 1072, and 1074 are unique transactions. However, transaction 1072 spends stake from output M which is not shared by both fork chains. The stake taken from output M is not taken from an output shared by both fork chains and thus the transaction 1072 is not counted as adding to the committed stake of the fork chain 1006. This stake at output M was already committed to the fork chain 1006 in the transaction 1068. Including this same stake in additional transactions will not add to the width of fork chain 1006. Accordingly, the committed stake of the fork chain 1006 is 40, which is the sum of transactions 1068, 1070, and 1074: 25, 5, and 10. (69) Since the committed stake (i.e., 45) of the fork chain 1004 is bigger than that (i.e., 40) of the fork chain 1006, the fork chain 1004 is thus the widest chain. The committed stake of the fork chain 1004 is termed herein as the most committed stake. The balance of 5 of the output F is double spent due to the transactions 1052 and 1070. Because the fork chain 1004 is the widest chain, it is considered the correct chain and this chain will take precedence when disambiguating conflicting transactions if the chains are merged. The transaction 1070 of the fork chain 1006 is therefore ignored in the merged block 1032. In other words, the widest chain approach successfully disambiguates a Double Spend. As used herein, the transaction 1070 is termed as a double spent transaction. To merge the fork chains 1004 and 1006 and derive the block 1032, the unique transactions 1050, 1052, 1054, 1068, 1072 and 1074 are accepted and counted. The transaction 1070 is not accepted. In addition, the transactions 1044 and 1046 are accepted as well, but counted only once. It should be noted that 1046 and 1048 are a single transaction that combines two inputs into one output. Similarly, 1054 and 1056 are a single transaction that combines two inputs into one output. As used herein, the fork chains 1004 and 1006 are said to be merged into the widest chain. (70) Using the widest chain metric for correct chain combined with fork merging allows a single block signer to prevent transactions from being censored even by the combined effort of all other elected block signers. Fork merging is carried out by block signers in lieu of switching to a new fork chain. When a block signer recognizes a wider valid fork chain than the fork chain they are currently producing blocks on, rather than simply switching to the wider fork chain, the protocol rules stipulate that the block signer merges the fork chains by creating a block that references the head blocks of both precursor fork chains. Fork merging accomplishes a number of objectives. It allows for a more complete history of block production to be preserved. It allows that block signers need never sign a block unless it references every prior block they have signed. It can eliminate abandoned fork chains/blocks that are otherwise never referenced in the consensus chain. Additionally it facilitates detection and prevention of censorship. (71) If a block signer is intentionally ignored by the other block signers who are attempting to censor transactions within her blocks, this block signer can eventually build a wider fork chain that offers the most complete transaction history without cooperation from other block signers. This process is facilitated by fork merging because the block signer need not abandon her prior blocks but can rather merge them with a chain built by other block signers to generate a complete and accurate history of block production. (72) The censorship is further illustrated by reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 illustrates a consensus protocol that uses a "longest chain" metric for fork resolution and lacks fork merging. FIG. 5 shows fork chains 502, 504, 506, and 510. All blocks in fork chain 510 are denoted with a "B". Fork chain 510 is built by block signers 1, 3 and 4 who intentionally ignore/censor any blocks produced by block signer 2. Fork chain 510 does not include any blocks produced by block signer 2. Block signer 2 continues to switch to the longer chain and only ever produces a fork chain of size 1 block. In this case, fork chain 510 is the consensus chain and block signers 1, 3, and 4 are successful at achieving censorship by eliminating blocks produced by block signer 2 from the consensus chain. (73) FIG. 6 shows the improved consensus model using fork merging and widest chain metric. FIG. 6 shows two fork chains 602 and 606 which share a precursor block 604. All blocks in fork chain 606 are denoted with a "B". All blocks in fork chain 602 are denoted with an "A". Blocks that are included in both fork chains are denoted "A, B". Despite the fact that fork chain 602 merges in blocks from fork chain 606, block 604 remains the point of the fork for the purpose of comparing fork chains 602 and 606 to determine a widest chain. Fork chain 606 is built by block signers 1, 3 and 4 who intentionally ignore/censor any blocks produced by block signer 2. Fork chain 606 does not include any blocks produced by block signer 2. Despite being created by only one block signer, fork chain 602 can become the widest fork chain because it can include (through merging) all transactions on both chains. Rather than abandon her previous blocks, block signer 2 can build upon both chains to create the consensus chain. (74) The widest chain metric allows all stakes to participate in a fork resolution and the resolution ultimately occurs via majority vote of stake. Participants vote for fork chains largely automatically via transactions. Transactions must include a hash of a recent block from the consensus chain as known to the creator of the transaction. When there is a fork, transactions created by participants will reference a recent block on the widest fork chain. These transactions cannot be included in a different fork chain because they are only valid on the fork chain that they reference. These transactions will add to the width of the already widest fork chain and thereby further resolve the fork to a single consensus chain. (75) Correct chain metrics are intended to help prevent the replacement or alteration of a publically known consensus chain. Correct chain metrics are most useful if they provide strong evidence that a particular chain was known to all participants and was the public consensus chain at the time it was built. PoW accomplishes this by the idea that the most PoW can be performed by a cooperative process of all participants. The widest chain metric accomplishes this goal because the most committed stake results when stakeholders throughout the network cooperatively commit stake to the public consensus chain. A chain with a lot of committed stake is therefore likely to have been known to all participants as it was constructed. There are situations however when additional evidence can indicate if a chain was the public consensus chain at the time of its creation. This additional evidence can also be used by the consensus software application and by stakeholders generally to prevent revision of the public ledger. When such evidence exists that a chain was not in fact known to all participants at the time of its creation (also called a hidden chain) it can be ignored or otherwise not chosen as the consensus chain. The two types of evidence that we will consider are: Double Chain Signing and Direct Network Observation. (76) Double chain signing occurs when a block signer has signed on more than one fork chain without referencing both chains via a merge function. This behavior violates protocol rules and it is therefore assumed that a block signer who has done this has done so with the intention of creating a hidden chain. When comparing two chains a node can see if block signers have followed the merge rule or have signed independent chains. (77) Double chain signing is further illustrated by reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7. FIG. 4 shows two fork chains 452 and 454. When deciding between these two fork chains to determine the correct chain the consensus software application can use evidence of double chain signing to make a determination. The first fork block chain 452 includes blocks 404, 406, 408, 410, 412, 414 and 416, while the second fork block chain 454 includes blocks 432, 434, 436 and 438. Both fork chains are propagated from block 402. It should be noted that the block signer 1 signed blocks 402, 408 and 414 which are all on the same fork chain 452. The block signer 2 signed blocks 404, 410 and 416; which are all on the same fork chain 452. (78) The block signer 3 signed block 412 on fork chain 452 and signed blocks 432 and 438 on fork chain 454. Block signer 4 signed block 406 on fork chain 452 and signed blocks 434 and 436 on fork chain 454. Block signer 3 and 4 have defied protocol rules by double chain signing. These block signers are therefore assumed by the protocol to have done this for the purpose of creating a hidden chain. Fork chain 454 is created entirely by block signers who can be seen to have double signed chains it is therefore automatically rejected in favor of fork chain 452 as the correct chain. Although block signers 3 and 4 signed some blocks on fork chain 452 these blocks were subsequently acknowledged and built upon by block signers 1 and 2 who were following protocol rules. This chain can therefore be trusted and is assumed to be a chain that was not hidden. Fork chain 452 is selected as the consensus chain in this example. (79) Double chain signing is also seen in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 depicts the same initial fork as FIG. 4. Block signer 3 produces the first block of fork chain 454. Block signer 4 follows by double chain signing both fork chain 452 and 454. Fork chain 452 is extended by block signers 1 and 2 with blocks 408 and 410. At the point of block 410 we assume that fork chain 452 is a wider chain. Rather than simply switching to produce a block that builds off the wider chain, block signer 3 follows protocol and merges the two chains with block 702. Block signer 4 double chain signed when producing blocks 406 and 434 on independent fork chains. When determining the widest chain between fork chains 452 and 454 at the merge block 702 any transactions in block 434 will not count toward the committed stake of the fork chain because block 434 was produced by block signer 4 who did not follow protocol rules and is therefore not trusted. Any transactions included in block 406 will count toward the committed stake of fork chain 452 because although this block was produced by block signer 4 who did not follow protocol rules it was subsequently built upon and confirmed by block signers 1 and 2 who were following protocol rules. It is therefore assumed that block 406 was made available to the network at the time it was produced. (80) Turning to FIG. 8, a simplified diagram of a fork with two long fork chains is depicted and generally indicated at 800. The two fork chains 802 and 804 propagate from their last shared block 806. Additionally, we provide that the fork chain 802 was the publically known consensus chain at the time of its creation. A fork chain that was constructed publically is also referred to herein as an honest chain. The fork chain 804 was hidden from the network but later revealed in an attempt to alter the transaction history by replacing the previously known consensus chain 802. (81) Building a hidden chain that follows consensus rules requires control of at least one valid block signer. Election of a valid block signer requires a substantial stake or broad social deception to get enough signed votes. However, using a block signer that is currently producing blocks in the publically known chain requires double signing on the secret chain which would cause the secret chain to be rejected when it is revealed. In the example depicted at 800, Block Signer 3 stops producing blocks on the publically known consensus chain 802 in order to build a hidden chain 804. This may cause participants to vote against Block Signer 3, who is no longer publically producing blocks. Stakeholders are encouraged to quickly vote out block signers who stop producing blocks. (82) The producer of the hidden chain 804, despite having control of the valid elected Block Signer 3, still must overcome the challenge of producing a chain that is wider than the public chain. A hidden chain that is not as wide as the public chain it is designed to replace will be rejected by network participants. Participants making transactions on the public network will construct transactions such that they commit stake to the publically known consensus chain 802. For example, transactions will reference a recent block on the publically known consensus chain. These transactions cannot be included in the hidden chain 804 as they are invalid on that chain. Additionally, transactions that vote against block signer 3 will also commit stake to the public chain 802. It therefore requires substantial stake to build a hidden chain that is wider than the public chain. (83) Direct network observation is another method that allows a node to detect attempts to replace the known consensus ledger. Whenever the node remains connected to the network 100 it can record the order and time all transactions and blocks are received. This record coincides with the time blocks are made known to the network within a margin of error due to network transmission delays. This can be thought of as having direct or first-hand knowledge of whether a block or fork chain was intentionally hidden. It is important to note that direct network observation is not an unambiguous metric to achieve consensus. (84) For example, if a previously unknown block or fork chain is received that forks from a point on the block chain well in the past, it can be safely assumed that it was hidden from the network. This intentionally hidden fork chain may be rejected on the basis of direct network observation. (85) In the unlikely event that a wider hidden chain is successfully created, current block signers and other nodes that have remained connected to the network system 100 or have recently connected can detect that the chain was hidden due to direct network observation. Whenever a node remains connected to the network 100 it can record the order and time all transactions and blocks are received. This record coincides with the time blocks are made known to the network within a margin of error due to network transmission delays. This can be thought of as having direct or first-hand knowledge of whether a block or fork chain was intentionally hidden. (86) Direct network observation can be used as an additional measure to prevent the replacement of the public consensus ledger. A block signer may elect to not switch to a newly revealed fork chain that branched beyond a reasonably recent point in the past. A default for this parameter could be included with the consensus software application, such as 200 blocks. Alternatively it can be chosen individually by participants and block signers to be a number that is strongly indicative that the fork chain was intentionally hidden and not delayed by network issues. For example, a connected node will not automatically switch away from fork chain 802 to a new consensus chain if the point of the fork is beyond a predetermined number of blocks back at the time, even if the newly revealed chain is wider than the prior consensus chain. (87) It is important to understand that direct network observation does not provide an unambiguous metric for consensus. A user that has just connected to the network 100 after not being connected for a long time, such as weeks, cannot use direct network observation to determine which of two presented fork chains (such as the fork chains 802 and 804) came first. Therefore the underlying unambiguous consensus metric remains the widest chain metric. However, by not automatically switching to a newly revealed wider chain, it allows network participants who observe the attempt to replace the consensus chain to take action to prevent this from happening. These stakeholders can vouch for which chain came first and can facilitate correct fork resolution by committing stake to the honest chain. (88) A newly connected node selects the widest fork chain as the consensus chain by default. However, the user is warned if there are two chains of similar width or if the consensus chain is otherwise unclear. At that point the user may wait for other stakeholders to vote until there is a clear consensus widest chain. Alternatively this stakeholder can determine the honest fork chain based on the signatures and testimony of multiple independent non-colluding parties. This stakeholder can then select this chain within the consensus software application and facilitate fork resolution by committing stake to the honest fork chain determined based on said signatures and testimony. (89) Direct network observation functions to enable trust in the ledger because the combined signatures of many trusted parties and/or large stakeholders are sufficient evidence of which chain to trust even if a user had not remained connected to the network. With enough independent signatures of trusted parties, it is no longer reasonable to imagine that there was collusion among them. A particularly skeptical stakeholder can always choose to stay connected to the network to independently verify it or have a trusted friend monitor the network on her behalf. (90) Usually, a user should see a clear consensus chain. If two potentially valid forks are presented, the user should be sufficiently warned and use caution until it is sufficiently resolved. A serious fork is ultimately decided by majority vote of stakeholders until one fork chain is clearly the widest. The widest chain fork resolution can be helped along by stakeholders who vote for the honest chain by making transactions with their stakes that are only valid on that chain. Eventually stakeholders will vote for one chain over another so that it is clear where the consensus resides. Ultimately these systems facilitate accounting of a social agreement and, if by no other means, are resolved by social agreement. A social agreement can also be made to accept a consensus system software application version that contains a check point that unambiguously rejects any fork chains that do not contain the checkpoint block. This excludes any potential fork chains that fork from a point on the block chain before the check point. (91) An alternate implementation makes it possible to prevent censorship and block chain control by collusion of even 100% of block signers. In such a case, nodes are allowed to accept a block from a candidate block signer if the block includes sufficient votes for her own election. In such a case, even if all transactions for new block signers are censored by current block signers there is still a method to elect a new block signer. (92) The consensus system 100 provides a decentralized consensus for digital object tracking that can be relied upon and trusted. Complex fork merging and resolution logic should not add much overhead to running the consensus system software application because forks should be rare and misbehaving block signers should be voted out. Peers that send invalid information can be disconnected. It should be noted that stake based consensus protocols allow block signers to be controlled by any party with over 50% stake. The present disclosure provides a consensus model that improves upon prior consensus algorithms to ensure that control of the consensus ledger is not wrested by parties owning considerably less than 50% of stake. Digital stake tracking systems are typically voluntary participation systems that are subject to audit by all participants. Even though the recording function of the system can be controlled by 51% of the stake, it does not preclude a minority from forming a social consensus around a different stake allocation they find useful or that eliminates stake that has been involved in malicious behavior. Price Volatility of Digital Tokens (93) The price volatility of crypto-currencies can decrease their utility. For instance it is difficult to price goods in terms of Bitcoin due to the change of the value of a Bitcoin. Attempts to address the issue with digital tokens that represent an IOU from a particular party or issuer suffer from counterparty risk if the issuer fails to honor the digital token with the conventional asset it represents. (94) The real time stake weighted approval voting system used to elect block signers is also useful to elect trusted representatives that can provide a trusted data feed that can be used to enforce a virtual contract that results in the creation of digital assets that track the value of conventional assets (such as US Dollar and gold) with limited risk. These assets are referred to herein as market pegged assets ("MPAs"). An MPA that tracks the value of the US Dollar is referred to herein as bitUSD. (95) A conventional crypto-currency system has an underlying fungible coin, token, or stake that is referred to herein simply as stake. Stake can be traded against standard currency such as US Dollars on exchange websites that facilitates these trades. The exchange rate is typically very volatile. A market pegged asset can be viewed as a contract between an asset buyer seeking an asset with stable value and a short seller seeking greater exposure to the price movement of the underlying digital stake. The consensus system software program that implements the digital consensus ledger system also implements a decentralized marketplace for MPAs where all transactions are recorded on the shared block chain ledger and the consensus system software program enforces the market rules. This block chain based marketplace is referred to herein as an internal market to distinguish from external markets, such as websites that facilitate the exchange of government issued currencies with crypto-currency. (96) A stakeholder may use her stake to place a buy order on this internal market for an MPA. MPAs are created on the block chain when a buyer and a short seller are matched at an agreed price. In exchange for the stake received from the MPA buyer, the short seller takes on the obligation of buying back the same quantity of MPAs in the future from the market. Stake paid by the MPA buyer and additional stake contributed by the short seller are sequestered as collateral. This collateral is only returned to the short seller when MPAs are purchased back from the market and effectively destroyed to fulfill the contract. This is referred to as covering a short. If the value of the collateral relative to the current price of the coins falls below a certain margin of safety, MPAs can be automatically repurchased from the market before collateral becomes insufficient. These rules create systemic demand for MPAs while allowing them to remain fungible and transferrable. (97) The system 100 does not specifically restrict the internal exchange rate between stake and bitUSD in a way that ensures it will track the external exchange rate between coins and USD. A first step toward this goal is to get reliable information about the external exchange rate into the internal market algorithm. It is not immediately obvious how this is accomplished in a way that is resistant to control and manipulation by a central party. As previously discussed, a real-time stake weighted auditable approval voting system allows for dynamic selection of trusted parties from a decentralized system. These same trusted parties can be used to input external exchange rates into the block chain so that the consensus system software application can incorporate this information into the market rules. (98) This external exchange rate information is called a price feed. The trusted representatives can consolidate price information from multiple sources, such as external exchanges, to generate a price feed and update it regularly. The system takes a median of all price feeds so that manipulation of the price information would be very difficult by any single party without considerable collusion. The data feed and other behavior by trusted representatives is publically auditable and representatives may be voted out at any time. (99) Both stake and MPAs are freely transferrable tokens. If the internal market restricted trading occurs only at the specific exchange rate determined by the median price feed, it would simply encourage anyone willing to trade at a different price to do so outside the system, such as on an external exchange. However, if short selling is the mechanism by which new MPAs are created, then selectively restricting short selling controls the conditions under which supply is created. Rather than allow short sellers to sell at any price, short sellers will only execute at a price above the median price feed. This prevents short sellers from devaluing MPAs as new MPAs are only created when the market demand pushes the price equal to or above parity. (100) The price feed functions to regulate the creation and destruction of MPAs in a way that pushes the market price toward parity. When a short seller buys back bitUSD and covers their position, they are taking bitUSD out of circulation and reducing the total supply. It is also useful to enforce that short sellers must cover their position after a certain amount of time, such as one year. In other words, the full amount of outstanding MPA must be purchased off the market every year. MPA holders have no requirement to sell and therefore short sellers covering their positions are eventually forced to purchase from newly opened short positions at or above the exchange rate. This is effectively a guarantee to any bitUSD holder that they can sell bitUSD for at least the dollar equivalent of the underlying stake (determined by price feed) within any one year period. (101) The motivation to participate in the system is different for short sellers and MPA buyers. MPA holders are typically looking for predictable value coupled with the properties of a crypto-currency. Short sellers are typically bullish on the price of the underlying stake and wish to capitalize on increased exposure to market movement relative to the MPA. If the market value of stake rises with respect to the MPA, the short seller can buy back the MPA for significantly less stake and profit accordingly. If stake value falls in relation to the MPA, the short seller faces a greater loss than if they were to have simply held stake. Ultimately a short seller may face a margin call where her collateral is automatically used to repay the obligation. A margin call is triggered whenever collateral falls below a particular margin of safety with respect to the current exchange rate. For example, the rule can specify if less than 1.5 times the amount of stake held in collateral is required to cover the obligation a margin call is triggered. The margin call automatically buys back MPAs from the market and destroys them to fulfill the contract. (102) There is some risk to relying on the value of an MPA. MPAs maintain their price parity due to being backed by collateral that has an established real world value. When the value of the collateral falls, the system 100 is designed to react by driving the internal asset exchange to match the new real world exchange rate and trigger margin calls as necessary. However, there exists a possibility that the underlying collateral stake drops in value so quickly that the MPAs become under-collateralized. This situation is termed as a black swan event. Such a sudden crash of stake value could prevent the system from adjusting in time. In this event, the full amount of collateral is no longer sufficient to purchase MPAs back from the market at the new real exchange rate. MPAs may then trade below their face value. The system 100 is capable of quickly adjusting to a wide variety of market conditions. (103) MPA is further illustrated by reference to FIG. 12. Referring to FIG. 12, a flowchart depicting a process by which the consensus system 100 reduces price volatility of digital tokens is shown and generally indicated at 1200. MPAs require a consensus ledger system that tracks an underlying digital stake with variable price. At 1202, block signers, or similarly elected representatives, sign transactions that specify the current real exchange rate between stake and a conventional asset, such as USD or gold. At 1204, the system 100 selects a median exchange rate as the external reference exchange rate for that asset. Alternatively, a different statistical measure of the exchange rate is selected. The external reference exchange rate is used at 1214. (104) At 1210, a short seller uses her node computer to broadcast a transaction committing stake to a short sell order for N (a positive integer, such as 10) MPAs. At 1212, a buyer uses her node computer to broadcast a transaction committing stake to a buy order for N MPAs. At 1214, the system 100 matches the short sell order with the buy order. The matched buy order must offer at least as much stake per MPA as asked by the sell order it is matched with. The matched short sell order must charge at least as much stake per MPA as the external reference exchange rate. Price of short sell orders is limited by external reference exchange rate. At 1227, the system 100 credits N MPAs to the buyer. (105) At 1216, the system 100 debits N MPAs to the short seller. At 1218, the system retains the stake committed by both the short seller and buyer as collateral on behalf of the short seller until the debit obligation is paid. At 1220, the short seller purchases N MPAs back from the market. At 1222, the purchased MPAs are used to cover the debit obligation. At 1224, the MPAs are destroyed in a cover operation. At 1226 the short seller is credited all stake that was sequestered as collateral now that her MPA obligation is covered. (106) At 1228, an MPA owner transfers MPAs to another user for merchandise or other consideration. At 1230, an MPA owner places a standard sell order on the internal market for the N MPAs that she owns. These MPAs are purchased in exchange for stake at 1220. At 1232, another buyer purchases MPAs. At 1234, another short seller places a short sell order on the internal market. (107) At 1206, when the internal market exchange rate moves to a margin call level, the system 100 automatically purchases MPAs from the market using sequestered collateral. In such as case, the MPAs are purchased at 1220. MPAs are also purchased at 1220 when the system 100 enforces the expiration date of a short position at 1208. (108) Market pegged assets allow users to store and transact value in a convenient manner. The implementation of market pegged assets additionally allows for the creation of collateralized bonds. Turning to FIG. 15, a system and method for implementing a collateralized bond on a digital record consensus system is generally depicted at 1500. At 1502 a stakeholder broadcasts a transaction that commits stake as collateral and offers a bond for sale that pays N MPAs at a particular date and time. The sale offer also has an asking price denominated in MPAs or stake. At 1504 a buyer broadcasts a transaction that offers the asking price for the bond and commits the required amount of stake or MPAs to this transaction. At 1506 the consensus software application running on each node matches buy orders with sell orders and the buyer is credited with the purchased bond. At 1508 the stake committed by the bond seller is sequestered as collateral. (109) The bond can be thought of as a promise to pay a certain amount of MPAs at a specific date and time and this promise is further enforced by the consensus protocol. At 1510 it is noted that the bond is saleable or transferrable prior to the maturity date via transactions on the consensus system. At 1512, the bond seller/obligor can purchase the required MPAs to cover the obligation prior to the maturity date. In one embodiment this could pay the MPAs to the bond holder and close out the bond prior to the maturity date. In another embodiment the bond obligor could manage the collateral within a margin of safety defined by the protocol. For example the bond obligor could buy some MPAs with the stake collateral and retain a combination of MPAs and stake as collateral prior to the maturity date. (110) At 1514 the value of the stake collateral falls below a defined margin of safety with respect to the obliged amount of MPAs (face value of the bond). The collateral is then automatically used to purchase MPAs off the internal market place to ensure the obligation can be met to pay the MPAs to the bond holder at the maturity date. (111) When the maturity date and time is reached the sequestered collateral is automatically used to purchase any MPAs needed to pay the bond. The MPAs are purchased from the internal MPA market of the system. At 1518 and 1520 the bond is settled. The bond holder receives the owed MPAs and the bond seller is credited the remaining collateral. The bond market allows MPA holders to get a return on investment as the bond will typically cost less in terms of MPAs than the amount it pays at the maturity date. It allows bond obligors additional exposure to price movement of the underlying stake. Vote Directed Capital in a Digital Object Tracking System (112) A major challenge for digital object tracking systems is a lack of sufficient incentives to fund on-going development. In the past, on-going funding for development has been provided by donations from non-profit organizations, large stakeholders, or companies that use the system, such as a company that sells related services. Recently, assurance contracts have begun to be used for fundraising. A more efficient system that creates better incentives to speed up reinvestment into ongoing development is desirable and necessary. (113) The real time stake weighted auditable approval voting method previously discussed can also be used to direct issuance of new stake or otherwise centralize capital into the hands of trusted parties who can work in the interests of the stakeholders. The illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 13 is a flow chart of a process of digital stake managed by votes. At 1302 a candidate worker can register a public key and describe a service they intend to provide to stakeholders such as software development. This public key is associated on the consensus ledger with a request for a specified salary denominated in the digital stake tracked by the ledger. This public key is described as a salary requesting public key. At 1304, stakeholders broadcast transactions that approve a salary requesting public key. These transactions are signed with the private keys corresponding to each stakeholders stake balance. At 1306 multiple salary requesting public keys can be simultaneously approved with the full weight of a single stake balance. Approving one salary requesting public key does not inherently remove support for another. At 1308 the percentage of support from stake is summed for each salary requesting public key. At 1310 a threshold is used by the consensus system software application to determine which keys are granted the requested salary. Unlike in the case of block signers, election of candidate workers is not required for the digital object tracking system to function. Therefore, a simpler threshold such as 50% or more approval may be used. The approval level must be reached for the new stake to be issued to fund the candidate worker or project. At 1312 new stake is issued per consensus rules to each salary requesting public key that meets threshold requirement for support. This stake is reflected in the current ledger maintained by each copy of the consensus system software application. In other words, the consensus ledger built by each copy of the consensus software application reflects the issuance of new stake to the control of the eligible salary requesting public keys. The candidate can then sell this stake on the open market to pay for expenses associated with work performed. (114) In one embodiment the salary is specified at the time the candidate worker registers a salary requesting public key. In an alternate embodiment stakeholders could specify a salary or a percentage of a requested salary at the time of voting. This percentage could be above or below the requested salary and a median can be taken to determine the actual paid salary. In another embodiment an optional timeframe could be specified for a more limited project. (115) Turning now to FIG. 14, an alternate embodiment of a process for managing digital objects with votes is shown and generally indicated at 1400. At 1402 a club token is registered on the block chain via a transaction. A club token can be thought of as a digital asset that is distinct from the underlying stake of the consensus system on which it is tracked. Registering an asset on a block chain typically involves assigning the asset a descriptive name, specifying a quantity, and paying a transaction fee denominated in the underlying stake of the consensus system. Named assets registered on a block chain are often used to represent something external to the system. In this case a club token is used to represent a stake in a group enterprise or club. (116) At 1404 club tokens can be transferred from the control of the public key that registered the club token to new public keys, such as to the public keys of other members of a club. At 1406 market pegged assets can be transferred to the club rather than to the control of a particular public key. At 1408 a club expenditure proposal is registered via on the block chain. At 1410 participants who own club tokens can vote for club expenditures by associating their balance of club tokens with a vote of support for a particular expenditure. At 1412 participants can simultaneously vote for more than one proposed club expenditure with the full weight of their currently controlled balance of club tokens. At 1414 the percentage of club tokens voting in support of each expenditure proposal is summed. At 1416 a support threshold is used to determine which expenditures are approved (such as 50% support of club tokens). At 1418 expenditures that meet the threshold requirement are executed and MPAs that are held by the club are transferred to the public key specified in the expenditure proposal. Approved expenditures would be subject to availability of funds held by the club. For instance, funds could release on a first come first served basis until funds are exhausted. (117) Obviously, many additional modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings. Thus, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosure may be practiced otherwise than is specifically described above without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. (118) The foregoing description of the disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. The description was selected to best explain the principles of the present teachings and practical application of these principles to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It should be recognized that the words "a" or "an" are intended to include both the singular and the plural. Conversely, any reference to plural elements shall, where appropriate, include the singular. (119) It is intended that the scope of the disclosure not be limited by the specification, but be defined by the claims set forth below. In addition, although narrow claims may be presented below, it should be recognized that the scope of this invention is much broader than presented by the claim(s). It is intended that broader claims will be submitted in one or more applications that claim the benefit of priority from this application. Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawings disclose additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claim or claims below, the additional inventions are not dedicated to the public and the right to file one or more applications to claim such additional inventions is reserved. (120) TABLE-US-00001 Computer Program Listing A: #include <iostream> #include <vector> #include <algorithm> struct vote { float yweight; float xweight; }; struct voter { int id; float sharefraction; std::vector<int> approved; }; struct candidate { std::vector <vote> approvals; float total; int id; }; struct candidateCompare { bool operator( ) ( const candidate a, const candidate b ) { return a.total > b.total; } } cComp; struct voterCompare { bool operator( ) ( const voter a, const voter b ) { return a.approved.size( ) > b.approved.size( ); } }vComp; void distribute (std::vector<voter> &voters, std::vector<candidate> &candidates){ for (int i=0; i<candidates.size( ); i++){ candidates[i].total =0.0; candidates[i].approvals.clear( ); } sort(voters.begin( ),voters.end( ),vComp); for (int i=0; i<voters.size( ); i++){ float yweight = (float)voters[i].sharefraction; float xweight = 1.0/(float)voters[i].approved.size( ); for ( int v=0; v<voters[i].approved.size( ); v++) { int c = voters[i].approved[v]; std::vector<candidate>::iterator candidate; for( candidate=candidates.begin( ); candidate!=candidates.end( ); candidate++) { if( candidate->id == c) break; } if (candidate == candidates.end( ) ) continue; candidate->total += yweight; vote newVote; newVote.yweight = yweight; newVote.xweight = xweight; candidate->approvals.push\_back(newVote); } } } int elect(std::vector<voter> &voters, std::vector<candidate> &candidates){ sort(candidates.begin( ),candidates.end( ),cComp); int keep = 0; float xsum = 0; int last = −1; while( xsum < 1.0 \|\| (last == candidates[keep].total) ) { keep++; if (keep == candidates.size( )) { break; } xsum = 0; for( int i=0; i<keep; i++) { float y = candidates[i].total − candidates[i].approvals[0].yweight; int a = 0; while( y>candidates[keep].total ) { a++; y −= candidates[i].approvals[a].yweight; } xsum += candidates[i].approvals[a].xweight; last = candidates[keep−1].total; } } return keep; }; int main( ) { using namespace std; bool ok = true; float share; std::vector<voter> voters; std::vector<candidate> candidates; while(ok){ std::cout << "Enter balance (shares) or enter 0 if done:"; std::cin >> share; if(share <= 0){ ok = false; } else { voter newVoter; newVoter.id = (int)voters.size( )+1; newVoter.sharefraction = share; newVoter.approved.clear( ); voters.push\_back(newVoter); } } std:: cout << "Total voting balances are:" << voters.size( ) << "\n"; int count; ok = true; std::cout << "Enter number of block signer candidates:"; std::cin >> count; for (int c = 0; c < count; c++){ candidate newCandidate; newCandidate.id = (int)candidates.size( )+1; newCandidate.total = 0.0; candidates.push\_back(newCandidate); } while(ok){ int v; cout << "Enter balance ID: (1−" << voters.size( ) <<") : "; cin >> v; vector<voter>::iterator voter; for( voter=voters.begin( ); voter!=voters.end( ); voter++ ) { if( voter->id == v) break; } if (voter == voters.end( ) ) { cout << "Invalid balance ID \n"; ok = false; continue; }else { voter->approved.clear( ); int delegateID; bool voting = true; while(voting){ cout << "Enter delegate ID: (1−" << candidates.size( ) << ") or 0 to stop voting: "; cin >> delegateID; if (delegateID<1 \|\| delegateID>candidates.size( ) ) { cout << "The elected candidates are:\n"; voting = false; } else { voter->approved.push\_back(delegateID); } } } distribute(voters, candidates); int keep = elect(voters, candidates); for (int c=0; c<keep; c++) { cout << "candidate #" << candidates[c].id << "\t votes " << candidates[c].total<< "\n"; } } return 0; } ### Claims 1. A decentralized consensus system for tracking transferable digital objects, the system comprising: i. a plurality of node computers, each node computer in said plurality of node computers including a processing unit, some amount of memory accessed by said processing unit, and a network interface operatively coupled to said processing unit and a wide area network connecting said plurality of node computers; ii. each node computer within said plurality of node computers including a consensus system software application running on said processing unit of said node computer; and iii. said consensus system software application adapted to: 1) load an initial ledger containing a first set of digital objects; 2) connect to peer nodes over said wide area network; 3) download block chain data from connected peer nodes, said block chain data including one or more data block chains, each data block chain within said one or more data block chains including a set of data blocks, each data block within said set of data blocks including a set of transactions and signed by one or more block signers within a set of block signers; 4) check validity of said block chain data using a set of consensus rules to determine whether data blocks within said set of data blocks follow a set of protocol rules; 5) where said block chain data includes more than one data block chain, determine a consensus data block chain based on a most committed stake metric, wherein said consensus data block chain includes a set of valid transactions and a set of valid data blocks; 6) pass said set of valid transactions and said set of valid data blocks to one or more connected peers over said wide area network, wherein said set of valid transactions and said set of valid data blocks are verified to follow said set of protocol rules; and 7) maintain a current ledger, said current ledger built from said initial ledger, said valid transactions and said valid data blocks. 2. The decentralized consensus system of claim 1, wherein: i) each digital object within said first set of digital objects includes a balance and a collection of votes for a set of block signer candidates; and ii) said consensus system software application is further adapted to: 1) determine an approval width for each said balance based on said collection of votes for said balance; 2) order said first set of digital objects based on said approval width; 3) determine a set of intermediary approvals, a summed approval and an approval height for each block signer candidate within said set of block signer candidates based said balance and said collection of votes; 4) from said set of block signer candidates, select a first block signer candidate with a highest summed approval; 5) from said set of block signer candidates, select a second block signer candidate with a next highest summed approval; 6) determine a set of mapped approval widths of said second block signer candidate; and 7) where a sum of said set of mapped approval widths is below a predetermined threshold, select said second block signer candidate to sign data blocks. 3. The decentralized consensus system of claim 1, wherein said consensus system software application is further adapted to reject a first block within said set of data blocks when said first block fails to follow said set of protocol rules. 4. The decentralized consensus system of claim 1, wherein: i) said more than one data block chain includes a first fork chain and a second fork chain; and ii) said consensus system software application is further adapted to: 1) identify a set of most recent blocks on said first fork chain as double signed blocks; 2) determine a first committed stake from said first fork chain, wherein transactions included in said double signed blocks do not add to said first committed stake; 3) determine a second committed stake from said second fork chain; 4) derive said most committed stake metric from said first committed stake and said second committed stake; 5) from said first fork chain and said second fork chain, select a widest chain corresponding to said most committed stake; and 6) merge said first fork chain and said second fork chain into a consensus data block chain, wherein a transaction in said widest chain is included over a conflicting transaction, wherein said conflicting transaction is in a fork chain different from said widest chain in the resulting consensus ledger. 5. The decentralized consensus system of claim 1, wherein: i) said first committed stake is a sum of common balances between said first fork chain and said second fork chain that are used in unique transactions of said first fork chain; and ii) said second committed stake is a sum of common balances between said first fork chain and said second fork chain that are used in unique transactions of said second fork chain. 6. The decentralized consensus system of claim 1, wherein said consensus system software application is further adapted to: i) generate a private and public pair including a private key and a public key; ii) display a transaction that sends stake to said public key; iii) build and sign a first new transaction transmitting a stake to a different user; iv) broadcast said first new transaction to said connected peer nodes; v) build and sign a second new transaction including a vote; and vi) broadcast said second new transaction to said connected peer nodes.	9875510	US 9875510 B1	2018-01-23	60,956,867	Consensus system for tracking peer-to-peer digital records	G06Q40/12;H04L67/104	G06F2201/87	Kasper; Lance		14/706247	2015-05-07	Masud; Rokib		1/1	Kasper; Lance	4.332993	USPAT	28,076
United States Patent 9875592 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent January 23, 2018 Inventor(s) Erickson; Thomas D. et al. ## Drone used for authentication and authorization for restricted access via an electronic lock ### Abstract In an electronic lock authentication method using a drone, authentication information input by a person is received at an electronic lock, a first level verification of the authentication information is performed at the electronic lock, and a drone request signal is transmitted from the electronic lock to the drone. The drone request signal instructs the drone to proceed to the electronic lock and perform a second level verification of the person when the first level verification has passed. Further in the method, the second level verification of the person is performed with the drone, a grant access signal is transmitted from the drone to the electronic lock, the grant access signal instructs the electronic lock to unlock when the second level verification has passed, and the electronic lock is unlocked in response to the grant access signal. Inventors: Erickson; Thomas D. (Minneapolis, MN), Fleming; Kala K. (Nairobi, KE), Pickover; Clifford A. (Yorktown Heights, NY), Weldemariam; Komminist (Nairobi, KE) Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION (Armonk, NY) Family ID: 60956889 Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION (Armonk, NY) Appl. No.: 15/251485 Filed: August 30, 2016 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G07C9/00 (20060101); B64C39/02 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G07C9/00309 (20130101); B64C39/02 (20130101); G07C9/00563 (20130101); B64C2201/127 (20130101); G07C2009/00793 (20130101) ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G07C (9/00309); G07C (9/00563); G07C (2009/00793); B64C (39/02); B64C (2201/127) ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 5774059 12/1997 Henry et al. N/A N/A 2014/0267740 12/2013 Almomani N/A N/A 2017/0124789 12/2016 Rephlo N/A G07C 9/00087 #### FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Application Date Country CPC 2014093436 12/2013 WO N/A Primary Examiner: Flores; Leon Attorney, Agent or Firm: F. Chau & Associates, LLC ### Background/Summary TECHNICAL FIELD ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) The above and other features of the inventive concept will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof, with reference to the attached drawings. (2) FIG. 1 illustrates a system for authenticating an electronic lock using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (3) FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the UAV of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (4) FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the processor of the UAV of FIG. 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (5) FIG. 4 illustrates a system for authenticating an electronic lock using a UAV and an access control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (6) FIG. 5 illustrates an electronic lock authentication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (7) FIGS. 6 to 10 are flowcharts illustrating operations related to second level verification by a drone according to exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept. (8) FIG. 11 illustrates an electronic lock authentication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (9) FIG. 12 illustrates a deployment model of an electronic lock authentication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (10) FIG. 13 depicts a cloud computing environment according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (11) FIG. 14 depicts abstraction model layers according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (12) FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a computer system capable of implementing the methods according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS (13) Exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept provide for an electronic lock authentication system and method with an electronic lock that sends a signal to a flying drone configured for authentication and authorization. The signal may be automatically triggered by a person entering a code on a cipher lock, using a security token (e.g., a smart card), inputting biometric information (e.g., fingerprint, iris, or retinal scan, voice print identification), activating a motion sensor or video sensor, etc. The signal indicates a need or request for the drone to fly to a location near the electronic lock. The drone may perform an authentication procedure by scanning the person (or people) through visual, audio, biometric, or other means, and may send a signal to grant or deny access. The electronic lock may change status and unlock to allow the person to enter, based on the signal from the drone. (14) By performing a secondary verification with the drone, an additional layer of security is added for restricting and/or authenticating access to electronic locks. This configuration allows for real-time authentication and authorization using cognitive reasoning engines, deep learning, etc. Performing secondary verification may be useful in several scenarios. For example, a group of people may attempt to enter the place secured by the electronic lock using the authorization of a single person (e.g., tailgating). An unauthorized person may attempt to enter by using illegitimately or illegally obtained authentication information, such as a stolen password or smart card. An authorized person may attempt to enter under duress due to a proximate or remote threat. In these situations, secondary verification performed by drones may successfully prevent access. (15) Verification and analyses performed by the drone may use deep learning, neural networks, etc. The drone may be connected to backend intelligence on a cloud or on-premises for more processing power and access to external data sources and analytics. As such, accuracy and reliability of verification may be increased. (16) In comparison to stationary cameras, the drone is able to fly and thus can maneuver in three dimensions. As such, it may provide superior viewing angles and 360 degrees of coverage. Additionally, by having flying capabilities, the drone would not have to be permanently disposed near the electronic lock. As such, an unscrupulous or malicious person would not have ready access to the drone, making it more difficult to tamper with, unlike fixed security features or mechanisms such as cameras or keypads. (17) Exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals may refer to like elements throughout the specification and drawings. (18) FIG. 1 illustrates a system for authenticating an electronic lock using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (19) Referring to FIG. 1, the system may include an electronic lock 101 and a UAV 102. The electronic lock 101 may include a transceiver 111, a locking mechanism 112, and an input 113. The UAV 102 may include a transceiver 121 and a processor 122, and is able to fly. (20) The locking mechanism 112 is capable of moving between a locked position and an unlocked position and is connected to a circuit configured to control the position of the locking mechanism 112. For example, the locking mechanism 112 may be a deadbolt that moves in response to an electronic signal to the circuit. (21) The electronic lock 101 may be disposed on or near a door or entranceway. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, the electronic lock 101 may secure access to a piece of machinery, a vehicle, etc. When the electronic lock 101 is released, it may allow access to or turn on a device, apparatus, system, etc. (22) The input 113 may be configured to receive authentication information (or credentials) from a person, e.g., an individual seeking to unlock the electronic lock 101. The input 113 may be at least one of a keypad, a card reader, a biometric input (e.g., fingerprint scanner), a radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor/device, etc. As an example, a circuit of the input 113 may include a contact or proximity sensor that detects when a person is within a certain range of an RFID device. When the person is detected, the sensor may generate an electrical signal to activate the RFID device for a predetermined amount of time. During the predetermined amount of time, the RFID device may attempt to read an access code (the authentication information) from a device in the person's possession, such as a key fob. (23) The transceiver 111 of the electronic lock 101 may be configured to output a drone request signal when the authentication information is passed or approved. The authentication information from the input 113 may be verified by, for example, using a database connected to the electronic lock 101. (24) The transceiver 121 of the UAV 102 may be configured to receive the drone request signal. The processor 122 may be configured to instruct the UAV to fly to a location near the electronic lock 101 and verify the identity of the person. When the identity of the person is verified, the transceiver 121 outputs a grant access signal instructing the electronic lock 101 to unlock. The grant access signal may be transmitted directly to the electronic lock 101, or may be transmitted to an external computer that sends an unlock instruction to the electronic lock 101. (25) According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the UAV 102 may be configured to periodically fly to the electronic lock 101 for remote monitoring, regardless of whether the drone request signal is sent. (26) The transceiver 111 and the transceiver 121 may be configured to communicate with each other. The transceivers 111 and 121 may communicate wirelessly using Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), satellite, etc. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, the UAV 102 may be connected to a docking station and the transceiver 111 may use a wired connection to communicate with the transceiver 121 via the docking station. Additionally, signals transmitted between the transceiver 111 and the transceiver 121 may be encrypted. (27) FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the UAV of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (28) Referring to FIG. 2, the UAV 102 may include the transceiver 121, the processor 122, and at least one of a camera 223, a biometric input 224, and an analytics library 225. The transceiver 121 and the processor 122 may be configured as described with reference to FIG. 1. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the UAV 102 may include other sensors, such as a microphone, an infrared (IR) sensor, etc. (29) The camera 223 may be configured to visually inspect the person at many different angles and capture media content (e.g., image, video, audio, etc.) of the person. The media content may be analyzed by the processor 122 and the analytics library 225 to verify the identity of the person. Alternatively, the transceiver 121 may transmit the media content to an external computer for analysis. (30) The biometric input 224 may include a fingerprint scanner/reader, a retina or iris scanner, etc. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, after receiving the drone request signal, the processor 122 may instruct the UAV 102 to obtain authentication information from the person using the biometric input 224 for additional verification. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the person may be required to place one finger on a biometric input of the electronic lock 101 and another finger on the biometric input 224 of the UAV 102 at substantially the same time for authentication. (31) The analytics library 225 may be connected to and work with the processor 122 to perform verification and data analysis. As described above, the analytics library 225 may analyze data captured by the camera 223 or the biometric input 224, and may use deep learning or a neural net to perform the analysis. (32) FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the processor of the UAV of FIG. 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (33) Referring to FIG. 3, the processor 122 of the UAV 102 may include an image and video analytics module 301, a linguistics module 302, a counting module 303, and a risk analysis module 304. The plurality of modules enables the processor 122 of the UAV 102 to perform advanced reasoning and analyses. (34) The image and video analytics module 301 may be configured to detect, locate, track, identify, interpret, and analyze moving and fixed/stationary objects near the electronic lock 101 using deep learning, a neural net, etc. The image and video analytics module 301 may process image and video data in real-time and may be able to identify people near the electronic lock 101 through facial recognition and other means. (35) The linguistics module 302 may be configured to analyze media content (e.g., audio/video data) extracted from the camera 223 and other audio/video sensors on the UAV 102. The linguistics module 302 may determine the number of people near the electronic lock 101 based on the audio data. Furthermore, the linguistics module 302 may perform an emotion/personality analysis and determine the affective or cognitive states of people near the electronic lock 101 based on the media content and contextual data. The personality analysis may be performed depending on the security level of the place secured by the electronic lock. Based on the personality analysis, access may be denied even if a person is authorized to enter. For example, if an authorized person is in a distracted state, access may be denied for the person's safety and to prevent possible damage to the place secured by the electronic lock. The distracted state may be identified by analyzing and detecting the affective or cognitive behaviors of the person from facial expressions, speech, etc. The analysis of these behaviors is triggered depending on the context of the place (e.g., security level is high, safety is a major concern, etc.). (36) The counting module 303 may be configured to count the number of people in proximity to the electronic lock 101. Counting may be performed through visual or auditory means, e.g., by analyzing video, image, and/or audio data. For example, data captured by an infrared sensor on the UAV 102 may be used to determine the number of people. (37) The risk analysis module 304 may be configured to determine the probability that detected behavior may be related to risky or unsafe behavior based on similar behavior arising from past incidents and contextual data. The risk analysis module 304 may also determine the expected risk level if the person is authorized to enter. (38) The UAV 102 may include additional modules as well. For example, a module may be configured to detect and analyze dangerous objects (e.g., guns, weapons, explosives, etc.) carried by the person using deep learning, a neural net, etc. The analysis results may be compared with the personality analysis to determine whether the drone should take amelioration action and/or deny access to the person. Alternatively, such a function may be performed by the image and video analytics module 301. (39) Moreover, the plurality of modules in the UAV 102 may share information with one another to better perform the relevant analyses. For example, an analysis may be performed to determine whether the people near the electronic lock 101 are affected by stress, fatigue, drugs, alcohol, etc. The image and video analytics module 301 may analyze the facial expressions and movements of the people (e.g., sluggish movement possibly indicating fatigue or intoxication). The linguistics module 302 may detect slurred speech, erratic speech patterns, stress patterns in speech, etc. Additional sensors such as smell sensors (e.g., an electronic nose) or chemical sensors may detect the presence of drugs or alcohol. In combination, the UAV 102 may perform the analysis with greater accuracy and confidence. (40) FIG. 4 illustrates a system for authenticating an electronic lock using a UAV and an access control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (41) Referring to FIG. 4, the system may include the electronic lock 101, the UAV 102, and an access control system 403. The electronic lock 101 and the UAV 102 may be configured as described with reference to FIG. 1. Additionally, the electronic lock 101 and the UAV 102 may be configured to communicate with the access control system 403. (42) The access control system 403 may include a communication component, e.g., a transceiver, to communicate with the electronic lock 101 and the UAV 102. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the UAV 102 may send the grant access signal to the access control system 403, which will send an unlock instruction to the electronic lock 101. Alternatively, if verification of the person fails, the UAV 102 may send a signal, indicating that an unauthorized attempt was made, to the access control system 403. The access control system 403 may be further configured to communicate with the owner of the system and/or authorities (e.g., the police) upon successful and/or unsuccessful verification of the person. Operations involving the access control system 403 will be described in more detail below. (43) According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the UAV 102 may be powered independently of the other components of the system. For example, if power to the electronic lock 101 or access control system 403 is disabled, the UAV 102 may be configured to automatically fly to the electronic lock 101 for inspection. (44) FIG. 5 illustrates an electronic lock authentication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (45) Referring to FIG. 5, a person may approach an electronic lock (e.g., the electronic lock 101 of FIG. 1). As described above, the electronic lock may be disposed on or near a door and configured to provide access to the door when unlocked. The electronic lock may receive authentication information input by the person (operation 501). As described above, the authentication information may include an alphanumeric code, a password, a passphrase, a PIN code, a security token, biometric input (e.g., fingerprint scan, voice recognition, etc.), a radio frequency identification (RFID), a card/badge swipe/insertion, a user gesture, etc. The electronic lock may perform a first level verification of the authentication information (operation 502). (46) If the first level verification is passed, the electronic lock may transmit a drone request signal (or a need signal) to a drone (e.g., the UAV 102 of FIG. 1) (operation 503). The drone request signal instructs the drone to proceed, e.g., fly, to the electronic lock and perform a second level verification of the person. The drone request signal may indicate that the first level verification is passed. (47) According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the drone may be configured to arrive within a certain period of time. The period of time may be relatively short, e.g., one minute. (48) The drone may move to a proximate location of the person. The drone performs the second level verification of the person (operation 504). The second level verification may be performed electronically by obtaining authentication information from the person, e.g., through image/video/audio scan and analysis, biometric input, etc., as described above. Alternatively, the second level verification may be performed mechanically, where the person must insert a key into the drone. (49) The drone may automatically perform the second level verification through software algorithms. Alternatively, the drone may transmit an image or video to a person for manual verification and approval. The drone may also attempt to perform the second level verification automatically and, when a confidence level is low, the drone may communicate with a person for manual verification and approval. (50) According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the drone may detect more than one person, or a group, near the electronic lock by using the counting module 303 of FIG. 3. Upon detecting the presence of a group, the drone may orchestrate entry by communicating to the group and requiring people in the group to spatially separate (e.g., to prevent tailgating) before proceeding with the second level verification on an individual basis. The drone may require the spatial separation to be large enough that only one person may gain access at a time (e.g., locking the electronic lock after each entry and then performing the second level verification on the next person). If the group refuses to comply with the drone's instructions, the drone may deny access. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the drone may simply deny access if it detects the presence of a group attempting to enter at once without being individually authorized or verified. (51) If the second level verification is passed, the drone transmits a grant access signal to the electronic lock (operation 505). The grant access signal instructs the electronic lock to unlock or become released. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the grant access signal may be transmitted when the drone is within a predetermined distance of the electronic lock. As such, the drone may be sufficiently close to the person and can perform the second level verification with greater accuracy. (52) In response to the grant access signal, the electronic lock may change status and be unlocked (operation 506), e.g., to allow the person to enter. (53) According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, when the electronic lock is unlocked or released, it may be temporarily deactivated. (54) FIGS. 6 to 10 are flowcharts illustrating operations related to second level verification by a drone according to exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept. (55) Referring to FIG. 6, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, after operation 504 is performed as described with reference to FIG. 5, it is determined whether the second level verification has passed (operation 604A). If the second level verification is passed, operation 505 is performed as described with reference to FIG. 5. If the second level verification is failed, the drone may transmit an access denied signal to the electronic lock (operation 605). The access denied signal instructs the electronic lock to remain locked. (56) Referring to FIG. 7, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, operations are substantially the same as those described with reference to FIG. 6. However, if the second level verification is failed, the drone may instead transmit a signal to an access control system (e.g., the access control system 403 of FIG. 4) (operation 705). The signal indicates that an unauthorized attempt has been made to unlock the electronic lock. (57) Referring to FIG. 8, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the second level verification of FIG. 5 (operation 504) may include additional operations. The drone may scan the person that is attempting to unlock the electronic lock (operation 801). Scanning may be performed using the camera 223, as described with reference to FIG. 2. It is determined whether the scanned person has rights to the authentication information (operation 802). The determination may be performed by the drone or an external computer (e.g., the access control system 403 of FIG. 4). (58) Referring to FIG. 9A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the second level verification (operation 504) may include the operations described with reference to FIG. 8. Additionally, it may be determined whether the scanned person has a weapon or a destructive object (e.g., a firearm, an explosive, etc.) (operation 903A). The determination may be performed by analyzing the scan of the person. For example, software may be used to visually identify the pattern or silhouette of a gun. Potentially dangerous objects may be analyzed using deep learning. The personality analysis, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, may be taken into account when a weapon or destructive object is detected to determine whether amelioration actions by the drone are necessary. (59) Referring to FIG. 9B, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the second level verification (operation 504) may include the operations described with reference to FIG. 8. Additionally, it may be determined whether the scanned person has a threat level above a predetermined threshold (operation 903B). For example, the threat level may be a numerical score based on a number of factors, such as aggressive movement, loud noise, violent interactions with the drone, presence of weapons, etc. If the threat level exceeds the predetermined threshold, appropriate action may be taken, such as notifying the authorities. The threat level may be determined using the risk analysis module 304 of FIG. 3. (60) Referring to FIG. 10, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the second level verification of FIG. 5 (operation 504) may include additional operations. The drone may obtain a biometric input from the person that is attempting to unlock the electronic lock (operation 1001). For example, the drone may be equipped with a fingerprint scanner and may fly close to the person in order to obtain the fingerprint scan. It is determined whether the biometric input matches that of a person having rights to the authentication information (operation 1002). The determination may be performed by the drone or an external computer (e.g., the access control system 403 of FIG. 4). As an illustrative example, a person may have unlawfully obtained the access code for a keypad at a door with the electronic lock. After the access code is entered, the drone will fly to the person to obtain a biometric input (e.g., a fingerprint scan). As the person does not have rights to the access code (the authentication information), the electronic lock will remain locked. (61) FIG. 11 illustrates an electronic lock authentication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (62) Referring to FIG. 11, a person may enter an input at an electronic lock (e.g., the electronic lock 101 of FIG. 1) (operation 1101). The input may be from one or more devices or sensors, e.g., a security token, a smart card, a biometric scanner, a RFID sensor, a camera, etc., as described above. Alternatively, the input may be generated when the person moves in close proximity to a motion sensor or triggers a vibration sensor disposed near the electronic lock. (63) A first level verification is performed on site, e.g., by the electronic lock or a connected computer (operation 1102). The first level verification may include a matching process such as biometric matching or token matching. The first level verification determines whether the input is valid (operation 1103). If the input is valid, a signal is sent to a drone or multiple drones (e.g., a drone swarm) (operation 1104). If the input is invalid, the drone may take an amelioration action (operation 1115), which will be described below. (64) According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the first level verification may be skipped. For example, triggering a motion sensor near the electronic lock may prompt the signal to be sent to the drone. (65) After the signal is sent to the drone, the drone may fly to a position close to the person. The drone may perform a second level verification of the person (operation 1105). For example, the second level verification may include requesting a biometric input (e.g., fingerprint scan, iris scan, etc.) from the person. The drone may be equipped with multiple devices and/or sensors and optionally perform a 360 degree multimodal instrumentation and inspection of the person and surrounding area (operation 1106). The instrumentation and inspection may enable, for example, detection of weapons or presence of more than one person. The drone may be configured to collect multiple images and video and with its flying capabilities, the drone can move in all directions and provide more comprehensive information about the person and surrounding area. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the drone's 360 degree inspection may complement data gathered from a plurality of stationary cameras deployed near the electronic lock. (66) The drone may perform animate and inanimate analysis of data from the second level verification and if applicable, from the 360 degree inspection (operation 1107). The drone may analyze the person (e.g., animate) as well as objects (e.g., inanimate) in the area using image analytics, a neural net, etc., and perform a risk analysis to assess a risk level. Additionally, the drone may use context data 1108 to assist in performing the analysis. The context data 1108 may include, for example, an electronic calendar that indicates dates and times for authorized entry, or a security profile of the place secured by the electronic lock, e.g., a top security location, a meeting place for trade secrets, etc. The drone itself may perform the above-described analysis, or the drone may transmit the data it gathers to an external computer for analysis. (67) The drone may initiate conversation with the person (operation 1109) to gather additional information, such as asking for a name, purpose of visit, etc. The conversation may be recorded and used for voice recognition or archival purposes. If it is determined that further inspection is needed, the drone may perform the 360 degree multimodal instrumentation and inspection (operation 1106) to be analyzed (operation 1107). (68) The drone may communicate with a backend intelligence stored on a cloud. The cloud may perform an additional authorization analysis based on data gathered by the drone, and may synchronize with the drone (operation 1110). For example, the cloud may apply advanced animate and inanimate detection, identification, and classification techniques (e.g., deep neural net, object matching techniques, etc.). The cloud may count the number of people near the electronic lock. The cloud may perform an emotion/personality analysis of the person's cognitive state to determine if it is affected by factors such as stress, fatigue, tiredness, frustration, drugs, alcohol, etc. For example, biometric techniques may be used to detect unusually high stress levels based on perspiration, pheromones, pulse and other physiological correlates of stress. Facial expressions and body movements may be analyzed for signs of duress or emotions/expressions/motions inconsistent with the place secured by the electronic lock. (69) Additionally, the cloud may generate amelioration actions to be performed by the drone. The cloud may also synchronize with an access control center (e.g., the access control system 403 of FIG. 4). Finally, the cloud may log the data and update an authorization database (e.g., on IBM BLOCKCHAIN) that includes immutable records for verification and subsequent auditing. The cloud may perform these actions with the assistance of context data 1111, which may be similar to the context data 1108. The use of blockchain provides an additional level of security and privacy for collected data. (70) Data processing and analysis operations performed by the drone and the cloud may be interchangeable between the two. For example, the drone may perform all of the analyses and only access the cloud to log data. (71) The drone will process the authorization analysis performed by the cloud (operation 1112) and determine whether access should be granted (operation 1113). If access is granted, the drone may send a signal to the electronic lock to unlock or open the door (operation 1113). (72) However, if access is not granted, the drone may take amelioration action (operation 1115). As discussed above, if first level verification fails, the drone may take amelioration action as well. Amelioration action may include denying authorization and keeping the electronic lock locked, at the minimum. It may further include sending an informative signal to stakeholders, owners, authorities, etc. The drone may also be configured to protect itself. As such, additional amelioration actions may include taking evasive action, distracting an aggressive or malicious person until authorities arrive, flying away while flashing lights and generating an audible alert/alarm, etc. These amelioration actions may be undertaken in response to aggressive or violent behavior, such as if the drone is attacked. (73) According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the authentication, verification, authentication, and amelioration actions performed by the drone may depend on the security level, internal security procedures/guidelines, safety laws, convenience requirements, etc. of the place secured by the electronic lock. The drone may perform a compliance verification along with normal analyses (e.g., visual, auditory, etc.). In other words, the place secured by the electronic lock may have particular rules and regulations regarding entry, such as prohibiting tailgating, requiring prominent display of identification badges, restricting the size of briefcases being brought into the place, etc. The compliance verification would ensure that site-specific rules and regulations are obeyed before access is granted. For example, the compliance verification may include the procedures undertaken when a group is detected in order to prevent tailgating, as described above with reference to FIG. 5. (74) Security features of the electronic lock and drone may be enabled/disabled or adjusted/programmed in accordance with security profiles defined by operating parameters stored in an operating parameter database. The operating parameter database may be stored within the electronic lock, the drone, the cloud, or an external computer, or may be distributed between the different components. (75) Regarding the methods described above with reference to FIGS. 5 to 11, operations for transmitting/receiving signals may include encrypting and decrypting the signals for increased security. Additionally, the methods may be applied to more than one electronic lock, and as described above, multiple drones may be used. As such, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, a coordination algorithm may be used to optimize deployment of the drone(s) to monitor and perform verification for multiple electronic locks. Furthermore, power failure of the electronic lock(s) or related security devices may trigger a drone deployment sequence to send the drone(s) to monitor all of the electronic locks. (76) FIG. 12 illustrates a deployment model of an electronic lock authentication method according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (77) Referring to FIG. 12, the deployment model may include an electronic lock 1201, a drone 1202, distributed enforcement agents 1203, a back-end cloud 1204, external data sources 1205, and a control room 1206. (78) The electronic lock 1201 may be substantially similar to the electronic lock 101 of FIG. 1. The electronic lock 1201 may accept and authenticate an input, such as a smart card, from a person. Upon authentication, the electronic lock 1201 may send a signal to trigger the drone 1202. (79) The drone 1202 may be substantially similar to the UAV 102 of FIG. 1 and may include devices/sensors and an analytics library. When the drone 1202 flies to the person, the devices/sensors are configured to capture a plurality of data, e.g., text, audio, images, etc. The analytics library of the drone 1202 may analyze the plurality of data to verify the person. (80) Based on the analysis by the drone 1202, the drone 1202 may transmit signals or alerts to the distributed enforcement agents 1203. As an example, the distributed enforcement agents 1203 may include law enforcement and a plurality of smart phones of relevant people (e.g., via an app). (81) The drone 1202 may also connect with the back-end cloud 1204 for additional analytics. The back-end cloud 1204 may be a linked data model including metadata, contextual data, social media data, etc. An advanced analytics library may assist in analyzing this linked data in conjunction with the data obtained by the drone 1202. The metadata may include incident properties (e.g., the who, what, when, how, etc. about an incident), location information, timestamps, demographics, etc., extracted from data captured by the drone 1202 in the past or collected from crowdsourcing. Contextual data may come from the external data sources 1205 and include data related to weather, traffic congestion, police network, etc. Social media data may include information gathered from crowdsourcing and information about the person from social media websites. Additionally, the distributed enforcement agents 1203 (e.g., law enforcement) and the back-end cloud 1204 may be connected to share information. (82) The back-end cloud 1204 may communicate with the control room 1206. The control room 1206 may contain the access control system 403 of FIG. 4. Furthermore, the control room 1206 may include multiple control rooms, and may be located in, for example, a security office, a police station, etc. Within the control room 1206, one may be able to view current and past incidents related to the electronic lock 1201, control the drone 1202, unlock the electronic lock 1201, etc. (83) According to exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept, the electronic lock authentication methods and systems, described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13, may include additional features. For example, the electronic lock may include a time lock such that the electronic lock may not be unlocked before a preset time regardless of whether proper authentication information is presented. An "idle key life" feature may be included (for example, in the access control system 403 of FIG. 4) such that authentication information of an authorized person may be deactivated if it has not been used within a predetermined amount of time. The authentication information may include a variable PIN code. For electronic locks securing deposit doors, a deposit logging feature may be included. (84) FIG. 13 depicts a cloud computing environment according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. FIG. 14 depicts abstraction model layers according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. (85) It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the inventive concept are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type of computing environment now known or later developed. (86) Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or interaction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four deployment models. (87) Characteristics are as follows: (88) On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with the service's provider. (89) Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs). (90) Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter). (91) Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time. (92) Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service. (93) Service Models are as follows: (94) Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail). The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings. (95) Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting environment configurations. (96) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls). (97) Deployment Models are as follows: (98) Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises. (99) Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises. (100) Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization selling cloud services. (101) Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between clouds). (102) A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising a network of interconnected nodes. (103) Referring now to FIG. 13, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or more cloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, a drone 54D, and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. The drone 54D may be similar to the drones and UAVs described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. Nodes 10 may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computing device. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shown in FIG. 13 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes 10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type of computerized device over any type of network and/or network addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser). (104) Referring now to FIG. 14, a set of functional abstraction layers provided by cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 13) is shown. It should be understood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shown in FIG. 14 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers and corresponding functions are provided: (105) Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and software components. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62; servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks and networking components 66. At least one of the drones and UAVs described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12 may also be included in the hardware and software layer 60. In some embodiments, software components include network application server software 67 and database software 68. (106) Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers 71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual private networks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtual clients 75. (107) In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions described below. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82 provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one example, these resources may comprise application software licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloud consumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources. User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment for consumers and system administrators. Service level management 84 provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such that required service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning and fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated in accordance with an SLA. (108) Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping and navigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtual classroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94; transaction processing 95; and a mobile desktop 96. (109) With respect to the authentication analyses and verifications described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12, they may be configured at the hardware and software layer 60 or the workloads layer 90 within the cloud computing environment 50. (110) FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a computer system capable of implementing the methods according to exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept. The system and method of the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of a software application running on a computer system, for example, a mainframe, personal computer (PC), handheld computer, server, etc. The software application may be stored on a recording media locally accessible by the computer system and accessible via a hard wired or wireless connection to a network, for example, a local area network, or the Internet. (111) The computer system referred to generally as system 10 may include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 11, random access memory (RAM) 12, a printer interface 14, a network controller 15, a local area network (LAN) data transmission controller 16, a display unit 18, a LAN interface 19, an internal bus 20, and one or more input devices 17, for example, a keyboard, mouse etc. As shown, the system 10 may be connected to a data storage device, for example, a hard disk, 13 via a link 21. (112) As an example, the access control system 403 of FIG. 4 may correspond to the system 10 of FIG. 15. (113) Moreover, the inventive concept may be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product at any possible technical detail level of integration. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the inventive concept. (114) The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire. (115) Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device. (116) Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the inventive concept may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the inventive concept. (117) Aspects of the inventive concept are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions. See, e.g., FIGS. 5 to 11. (118) These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. (119) The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. (120) The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the inventive concept. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. (121) Through the electronic lock authentication system and method using a drone, as described above, lower cost, increased security, and greater flexibility may be achieved. For example, in order to replicate the 360 degree coverage obtainable by a flying drone, numerous stationary cameras would need to be deployed to cover all angles and blind spots, which would increase costs. Additionally, by adding an additional layer of security through the drone, access rights are more distributed, which may prevent fraud and collusion to illegitimately gain access. Distributed access rights along with selective enablement/disablement of security features through security profiles allows for greater flexibility. (122) While the inventive concept has been shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive concept as defined by the following claims. ### Claims 1. An electronic lock authentication method using a drone, comprising: receiving, at an electronic lock, authentication information input by a person; performing, at the electronic lock, a first level verification of the authentication information; transmitting, from the electronic lock to a drone, a drone request signal, wherein the drone request signal instructs the drone to proceed to the electronic lock and perform a second level verification of the person when the first level verification has passed; performing, with the drone, the second level verification of the person; transmitting, from the drone to the electronic lock, a grant access signal, wherein the grant access signal instructs the electronic lock to unlock when the second level verification has passed; and unlocking the electronic lock in response to the grant access signal. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication information includes an alphanumeric code, a password, a passphrase, a security token, a biometric input, a radio frequency identification, or a user gesture. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic lock is disposed on or near a door. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, from the drone to the electronic lock, an access denied signal, wherein the access denied signal instructs the electronic lock to remain locked when the second level verification has failed. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, from the drone to an access control system, a signal indicating that an unauthorized attempt has been made to unlock the electronic lock when the second level verification has failed. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second level verification comprises: scanning the person using the drone; and determining whether the scanned person has rights to the authentication information. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining whether the scanned person has a weapon or a destructive object. 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining whether the scanned person has a threat level above a predetermined threshold. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second level verification comprises: obtaining, using the drone, a biometric input from the person; and determining whether the biometric input matches that of a person having rights to the authentication information. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the grant access signal is transmitted from the drone to the electronic lock when the drone is within a predetermined distance of the electronic lock. 12. A system for authenticating an electronic lock using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising: an electronic lock including a locking mechanism, an input, and a transceiver, wherein the input is configured to receive authentication information from a person, and the transceiver is configured to output a drone request signal when the authentication information has passed; and a UAV including a transceiver and a processor, wherein the transceiver of the UAV is configured to receive the drone request signal, and the processor is configured to instruct the UAV to fly to a location near the electronic lock and to verify the identity of the person, wherein when the identity of the person is verified, the transceiver of the UAV outputs a grant access signal instructing the electronic lock to unlock itself. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the UAV includes a camera or a biometric input. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the UAV includes an analytics library connected to the processor and used to analyze data captured by the camera or the biometric input. 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor comprises: a real-time image and video analytics circuit configured to perform facial recognition; a linguistics circuit configured to analyze audio data; a counting circuit configured to count a number of people in proximity to the electronic lock; and a risk analysis circuit configured to determine a probability of risk-related behavior. 16. The system of claim 12, further comprising: an access control system. 17. A method of releasing a lock using a drone, comprising: performing, by the lock, a first verification step to authenticate a first person; transmitting a first signal from the lock to the drone, wherein the first signal indicates the first person has passed the first verification step; receiving, at the drone, the first signal; moving the drone to a proximate location of the first person in response to the first signal; obtaining, with the drone, authentication information of the first person; and transmitting, from the drone, a second signal based on the authentication information, wherein the second signal indicates that the first person has passed a second verification step. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first signal is wirelessly received at the drone and the second signal is wirelessly transmitted from the drone. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the second signal instructs the lock to become released. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein when the lock is released, it is temporarily deactivated.	9875592	US 9875592 B1	2018-01-23	60,956,889	Drone used for authentication and authorization for restricted access via an electronic lock	G07C9/00563;B64C39/024;G06V20/13;G06V40/172;G06V20/17;G07C9/00309	B64U2101/30;G07C2009/00793;B64U2101/00	Erickson; Thomas D. et al.	INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION	15/251485	2016-08-30	Flores; Leon		1/1	INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION	5.808388	USPAT	13,278
United States Patent 9882918 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent January 30, 2018 Inventor(s) Ford; Richard Anthony et al. ## User behavior profile in a blockchain ### Abstract A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for generating a cyber behavior profile, comprising: monitoring user interactions between a user and an information handling system; converting the user interactions and the information about the user into electronic information representing the user interactions; generating a unique cyber behavior profile based upon the electronic information representing the user interactions and the information about the user; and, storing information relating to the unique cyber behavior profile in a behavior blockchain. Inventors: Ford; Richard Anthony (Austin, TX), Swafford; Brandon L. (Stamford, CT), Shirey; Christopher Brian (Leander, TX), Moynahan; Matthew P. (Austin, TX), Thompson; Richard Heath (Austin, TX) Applicant: Forcepoint LLC (Austin, TX) Family ID: 61005157 Assignee: Forcepoint, LLC (Austin, TX) Appl. No.: 15/720788 Filed: September 29, 2017 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 62506300 20170515 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: H04L29/06 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC H04L63/14 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search CPC: H04L (63/14) ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 9253181 12/2015 Liu et al. N/A N/A 9514293 12/2015 Moritz N/A G06F 21/316 9516035 12/2015 Moritz N/A H04L 63/102 2006/0136332 12/2005 Ziegler 705/39 G06F 21/31 2006/0195328 12/2005 Abraham 235/382 G06Q 20/204 2007/0067853 12/2006 Ramsey 726/28 G06F 21/316 2008/0170776 12/2007 Albertson 382/154 G06F 21/35 2010/0257580 12/2009 Zhao 726/1 H04L 43/00 2011/0016534 12/2010 Jakobsson 726/28 G06F 21/316 2014/0344015 12/2013 Puertolas-Montanes 705/7.29 G06Q 20/10 2015/0220734 12/2014 Nalluri 726/23 G06F 21/51 2015/0363770 12/2014 Ronca 705/66 G06Q 20/382 2017/0033932 12/2016 Truu et al. N/A N/A 2017/0041148 12/2016 Pearce N/A N/A 2017/0134412 12/2016 Cheng N/A H04L 63/1425 2017/0257358 12/2016 Ebrahimi N/A H04L 63/0876 2017/0279801 12/2016 Andrade N/A H04L 63/0861 #### OTHER PUBLICATIONS guardtime.com, KSI Blockchain Technology, printed Jul. 13, 2017. cited by applicant Guy Zyskind et al., Decentralizing Privacy: Using Blockchain to Protect Personal Data, 2015 IEEE CS Security and Privacy Workshops, pp. 180-184, http://inpluslab.sysu.edu.cn/files/Paper/Security/Decentralizing—Privacy—Using—Blockchain—To—Protect—Personal—Data.pdf. cited by applicant Malek Ben Salem et al., A Survey of Insider Attack Detection Research, Insider Attack and Cyber Security: Beyond the Hacker, Springer, 2008 https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3135/eb4b37aa487dd5f06dfa178bbc1d874f3cdf.pdf. cited by applicant Amos Azaria et al., Behavioral Analysis of Insider Threat: A Survey and Bootstrapped Prediction in Imbalanced Data, Journal of Latex Class Files, vol. 6, No. 1, Jan. 2007. cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Schwartz; Darren B Attorney, Agent or Firm: Terrile, Cannatti, Chambers & Holland, LLP ### Background/Summary BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention (1) The present invention relates in general to the field of computers and similar technologies, and in particular to software utilized in this field. Still more particularly, it relates to a method, system and computer-usable medium for implementing a user behavior profile within a blockchain. Description of the Related Art (2) Users interact with physical, system, data, content and services resources of all kinds, as well as each other, on a daily basis. Each of these interactions, whether accidental or intended, could pose some degree of security risk to the owner of such resources depending on the behavior of the user. In particular, the actions of a formerly trusted user may become malicious as a result of being subverted, compromised or radicalized due to any number of internal or external factors or stressors. For example, financial pressure, political idealism, irrational thoughts, or other influences may adversely affect a user's intent and/or behavior. Furthermore, such an insider threat may be intimately familiar with how systems operate, how they are protected, and how weaknesses can be exploited. (3) Both physical and cyber security efforts have traditionally been oriented towards preventing or circumventing the intent of external threats. Physical security approaches have typically focused on monitoring and restricting access to tangible resources. Likewise, cyber security approaches have included network access controls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, machine learning, big data analysis, software patch management, and secured routers. Yet little progress has been made in addressing the root cause of security breaches, primarily because the threat landscape is constantly shifting faster than current thinking, which always seems to be one step behind technological change. (4) In particular, current data loss prevention (DLP) approaches primarily focus on enforcing policies for compliance, privacy, and the protection of intellectual property (IP). Such approaches typically cover data at rest, in motion, and in use, across multiple channels including email, endpoints, networks, mobile devices, and cloud environments. However, the efficacy of such policies typically relies on enforcement of a static set of rules governing what a user can and cannot do with certain data. Various approaches for attempting to detect insider threats are also known. For example, one approach to detecting such threats includes performing user profiling operations to infer the intent of user actions. Another approach is to perform behavioral analysis operations when users are interacting with a system. (5) Nonetheless, many organizations first turn to technology to address insider threats, which include malicious cyber behavior by individuals who have legitimate rights to access and modify an organization's resources, such as systems, data stores, services and facilities. While the number of malicious users may be small (e.g., less than 0.1% of all users in an organization), they may wreak serious financial and other types of damage. Accordingly, some organizations have implemented various machine learning approaches to identify anomalous or malicious user behavior. (6) However, human behavior is often unpredictable and valid machine learning training data may be difficult to obtain. Furthermore, identifying an impersonator that appears legitimate can prove problematic, especially if their observed interactions with resources are limited. Likewise, it is often difficult to detect a trusted insider behaving in ways that appear normal but conceal nefarious motives. Human computers users are subject to the normality of life to include, vacations, job detail changes, interpersonal relationship stress and other daily occurrences making traditional behavioral baseline analysis difficult without accounting for intermittent pattern features. Moreover, organizations typically have limited technical resources to devote to an insider threat program and are constrained in the types of data they can proactively collect and analyze. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION (7) A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for generating a cyber behavior profile, comprising: monitoring user interactions between a user and an information handling system; converting the user interactions and the information about the user into electronic information representing the user interactions; generating a unique cyber behavior profile based upon the electronic information representing the user interactions and the information about the user; and, storing information relating to the unique cyber behavior profile in a behavior blockchain. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) The present invention may be better understood, and its numerous objects, features and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference number throughout the several figures designates a like or similar element. (2) FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary client computer in which the present invention may be implemented; (3) FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of electronically-observable user behavior elements and their interrelationship; (4) FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a user behavior monitoring system implemented to identify acceptable, anomalous, and malicious user behavior; (5) FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram of a user behavior profile implemented as a blockchain; (6) FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of a user behavior block in a blockchain; (7) FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a transportable user behavior profile; (8) FIGS. 7a and 7b are a generalized flowchart of the performance of user behavior profile origination operations; and (9) FIGS. 8a and 8b are a generalized flowchart of the performance of user behavior monitoring operations to detect acceptable, anomalous, and malicious cyber behavior. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (10) A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for detecting acceptable, anomalous, and malicious user behavior. For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer, a mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone, a connected "smart device," a network appliance, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more storage systems, one or more network ports for communicating externally, as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a graphics display. (11) FIG. 1 is a generalized illustration of an information handling system 100 that can be used to implement the system and method of the present invention. The information handling system 100 includes a processor (e.g., central processor unit or "CPU") 102, input/output (I/O) devices 104, such as a display, a keyboard, a mouse, and associated controllers, a storage system 106, and various other subsystems 108. In various embodiments, the information handling system 100 also includes network port 110 operable to connect to a network 140, which is likewise accessible by a service provider server 142. The information handling system 100 likewise includes system memory 112, which is interconnected to the foregoing via one or more buses 114. System memory 112 further includes operating system (OS) 116 and in various embodiments may also include a user behavior monitoring system 118. In one embodiment, the information handling system 100 is able to download the user behavior monitoring system 118 from the service provider server 142. In another embodiment, the user behavior monitoring system 118 is provided as a service from the service provider server 142. (12) In various embodiments, the user behavior monitoring system 118 performs a detection operation to determine whether a particular behavior associated with a given user is acceptable, unacceptable, anomalous, or malicious. In certain embodiments, a behavior may include various processes performed at the behest of a user, such as a physical or cyber behavior, described in greater detail herein. In various embodiments, the detection operation is performed to attribute such processes to the user associated with the acceptable, unacceptable, anomalous, or malicious behavior. In certain embodiments, the detection operation improves processor efficiency, and thus the efficiency of the information handling system 100, by automatically identifying acceptable, unacceptable, anomalous, or malicious behavior. (13) As will be appreciated, once the information handling system 100 is configured to perform the acceptable, unacceptable, anomalous, or malicious behavior detection operation, the information handling system 100 becomes a specialized computing device specifically configured to perform the acceptable, anomalous, or malicious behavior detection operation (i.e., a specialized user-centric information handling system) and is not a general purpose computing device. Moreover, the implementation of the user behavior detection monitoring system 118 on the information handling system 100 improves the functionality of the information handling system 100 and provides a useful and concrete result of automatically detecting acceptable, anomalous, and malicious behavior associated with a user. (14) FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of electronically-observable user behavior elements implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the invention and their interrelationship. As used herein, electronically-observable user behavior broadly refers to any behavior exhibited or enacted by a user that can be electronically observed. In various embodiments, user behavior may include a user's physical behavior, cyber behavior, or a combination thereof. As likewise used herein, physical behavior broadly refers to any user behavior occurring within a physical realm such as speaking, voice, facial patterns, walking. More particularly, physical behavior may include any activity enacted by a user that can be objectively observed, or indirectly inferred, within a physical realm. (15) A physical behavior element, as likewise used herein, broadly refers to a user's behavior in the performance of a particular action within a physical realm. As an example, a user, such as user 'A' 202 or 'B' 262, may attempt to use an electronic access card to enter a secured building. In this example, the use of the access card to enter the building is the action and the reading of the access card makes the user's physical behavior electronically-observable. As another example, user 'A' 202 may physically deliver a document to user 'B' 262, which is captured by a video surveillance system. In this example, the physical delivery of the document to the other user 'B' 262 is the action and the video record of the delivery makes the user's physical behavior electronically-observable. (16) Cyber behavior, as used herein, broadly refers to any user behavior occurring within cyberspace. More particularly, cyber behavior may include physical, social, or mental activities enacted by a user that can be objectively observed, directly or indirectly, or indirectly inferred, within or via cyberspace. As likewise used herein, cyberspace broadly refers to a network environment, such as an internal 244 or external 246 network, capable of supporting communication of information between two or more entities. In various embodiments, the entity may be a user, such as user 'A' 202 or 'B' 262, a user device 230, or various resources 250. In certain embodiments, the entities may include various user devices 230 or resources 250 operating at the behest of a user, such as user 'A' 202 or 'B' 262. In various embodiments, the communication between the entities may include audio, image, video, text, or binary data. (17) In various embodiments, the communication of the information may take place in real-time or near-real-time. As an example, a cellular phone conversation may be used to communicate information in real-time, while an instant message (IM) exchange may be used to communicate information in near-real-time. In certain embodiments, the communication of the information may take place asynchronously. For example, an email message may be stored on a user device 230 when it is offline. In this example, the information may be communicated to its intended recipient once the user device 230 gains access to an internal 244 or external 246 network. (18) A cyber behavior element, as likewise used herein, broadly refers to a user's behavior during the performance of a particular action within cyberspace. As an example, user 'A' 202 may use a user device 230 to browse a particular web page on a news site on the Internet. In this example, the individual actions performed by user 'A' 202 to access the web page constitute a cyber behavior element. As another example, user 'A' 202 may use a user device 230 to download a data file from a particular system 254. In this example, the individual actions performed by user 'A' 202 to download the data file, including the use of one or more user authentication factors 204 for user authentication, constitute a cyber behavior element. In these examples, the actions are enacted within cyberspace, which makes them electronically-observable. (19) In various embodiments, a physical or cyber behavior element may include one or more user behavior activities. A physical or cyber behavior activity, as used herein, broadly refers to one or more discrete actions performed by a user, such as user 'A' 202 or 'B' 262, to enact a corresponding physical or cyber behavior element. In various embodiments, such physical or cyber behavior activities may include the use of user authentication factors 204, user behavior factors 212, or a combination thereof, in the enactment of a user's physical or cyber behavior. In certain embodiments, the user authentication factors 204 are used in authentication approaches familiar to skilled practitioners of the art to authenticate a user, such as user 'A' 202 or 'B' 262. In various embodiments, the user authentication factors 204 may include biometrics 206 (e.g., a finger print, a retinal scan, etc.), security tokens 208 (e.g., a dongle containing cryptographic keys), or a user identifier/password (ID/PW) 210. (20) In certain embodiments, the user behavior factors 212 may include the user's role 214 (e.g., title, position, role, etc.), the user's access rights 216, the user's interactions 218, and the date/time/frequency 220 of those interactions 218. In various embodiments, the user behavior factors 212 may likewise include the user's location 222 when the interactions 218 are enacted, and user gestures 224 used to enact the interactions 218. In certain embodiments, the user gestures 224 may include key strokes on a keypad, a cursor movement, a mouse movement or click, a finger swipe, tap, or other hand gesture, an eye movement, or some combination thereof. In various embodiments, the user gestures 224 may likewise the cadence of the user's keystrokes, the motion, force and duration of a hand or finger gesture, the rapidity and direction of various eye movements, or some combination thereof. In one embodiment, the user gestures 224 may include various audio or verbal commands performed by the user. In various embodiments, the user behavior factors 212 may include associated additional context regarding the captured behavior of the user. For example, additional context might indicate the user was on vacation, the user is in new job role, the user is being terminated in 30 days, etc. Additionally, the additional context could be more complex to include changes in user communication relationships or semantics of created content and communications. In certain embodiments, the additional context might include tags to verbosely contextualize a smaller design element. In certain embodiments, the tags can be generated from meta analytic sources. In certain embodiments, the additional context could be tagged post-event and then associated with the user behavior factors. In certain embodiments, the association might be via a blockchain block within a user behavior profile blockchain with appropriate time stamping to allow for versioning over time. (21) In certain embodiments, the user interactions 218 may include user/device 228, user/network 242, user/resource 248, user/user 260 interactions, or some combination thereof. In various embodiments, the user/device 228 interactions include an interaction between a user, such as user 'A' 202 or 'B' 262 and a user device 230. As used herein, a user device 230 refers to an information processing system such as a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a mobile telephone, or other device that is capable of processing and communicating data. In certain embodiments, the user device 230 is used to communicate data through the use of an internal network 244, an external network 246, or a combination thereof. (22) In various embodiments, the cyber behavior element may be based upon a machine readable representation of some or all of one or more user identification factors 226. In various embodiments, the user identification factors 226 may include biometric information, personality type information, technical skill level, financial information location information, peer information, social network information, or a combination thereof. The user identification factors 226 may likewise include expense account information, paid time off (PTO) information, data analysis information, personally sensitive information (PSI), personally identifiable information (PII), or a combination thereof. Likewise, the user identification factors 226 may include insider information, misconfiguration information, third party information, or a combination thereof. Skilled practitioners of the art will recognize that many such embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the foregoing is not intended to limit the spirit, scope or intent of the invention. (23) In certain embodiments, the user device 230 is configured to receive location data 236, which is used as a data source for determining the user's location 222. In one embodiment, the location data 236 may include Geographical Positioning System (GPS) data provided by a GPS satellite 238. In another embodiment the location data 236 may include location data 236 provided by a wireless network, such as from a cellular network tower 240. In yet another embodiment (not shown), the location data 236 may include various Internet Protocol (IP) address information assigned to the user device 230. In yet still another embodiment (also not shown), the location data 236 may include recognizable structures or physical addresses within a digital image or video recording. (24) In various embodiments, the user devices 230 may also include an input device (not shown), such as a keypad, magnetic card reader, token interface, biometric sensor, digital camera, video surveillance camera, and so forth. In these embodiments, such user devices 230 may be directly, or indirectly, connected to a particular facility 252 or system 254. As an example, the user device 230 may be directly connected to an ingress/egress system, such as an electronic lock on a door or an access gate of a parking garage. As another example, the user device 230 may be indirectly connected to a physical security mechanism through a dedicated security network. (25) In certain embodiments, the user/device 228 interaction may include interaction with a user device 230 that is not connected to a network at the time the interaction occurs. As an example, user 'A' 202 or 'B' 262 may interact with a user device 230 that is offline, using applications 232, accessing data 234, or a combination thereof, it contains. Those user/device 228 interactions, or their result, may be stored on the user device 230 and then be accessed or retrieved at a later time once the user device 230 establishes a connection to the internal 244 or external 246 networks. (26) In various embodiments, the user/network 242 interactions may include interactions with an internal 244 network, an external 246 network, or some combination thereof. In these embodiments, the internal 244 and the external 246 networks may include a public network, such as the Internet, a physical private network, a virtual private network (VPN), TOR network, or any combination thereof. In certain embodiments, the internal 244 and external 246 networks may likewise include a wireless network, including a personal area network (PAN), based on technologies such as Bluetooth. In various embodiments, the wireless network may include a wireless local area network (WLAN), based on variations of the IEEE 802.11 specification, commonly referred to as WiFi. In certain embodiments, the wireless network may include a wireless wide area network (WWAN) based on an industry standard including various 3G, 4G and 5G technologies. (27) In various embodiments the user/resource 248 interactions may include interactions with various resources 250. In certain embodiments, the resources 250 may include various facilities 252 and systems 254, either of which may be physical or virtual, as well as data stores 256 and services 258. In various embodiments, the user/user 260 interactions may include interactions between two or more users, such as user 'A' 202 and 'B' 262. In these embodiments, the user/user interactions 260 may be physical, such as a face-to-face meeting, via a user/device 228 interaction, a user/network 242 interaction, a user/resource 248 interaction, or some combination thereof. (28) In one embodiment, the user/user 260 interaction may include a face-to-face verbal exchange between two users. In another embodiment, the user/user 260 interaction may include a written exchange, such as text written on a sheet of paper, between two users. In yet another embodiment, the user/user 260 interaction may include a face-to-face exchange of gestures, such as a sign language exchange, between two users. Those of skill in the art will recognize that many such examples of user/device 228, user/network 242, user/resource 248, and user/user 260 interactions are possible. Accordingly, the foregoing is not intended to limit the spirit, scope or intent of the invention. (29) In certain embodiments, the user authentication factors 204 are used in combination to perform multi-factor authentication of a user, such as user 'A' 202 or 'B' 262. As used herein, multi-factor authentication broadly refers to approaches requiring two or more authentication factors. In general, multi-factor authentication includes three classes of user authentication factors 204. The first is something the user knows, such as a user ID/PW 210. The second is something the user possesses, such as a security token 208. The third is something that is inherent to the user, such as a biometric 206. (30) In various embodiments, multi-factor authentication is extended to include a fourth class of factors, which includes one or more user behavior factors 212, one or more user identification factors 226, or a combination thereof. In these embodiments, the fourth class of factors includes user behavior elements the user has done, is currently doing, or is expected to do in the future. In certain embodiments, multi-factor authentication is performed on recurring basis. In one embodiment, the multi-factor authentication is performed at certain time intervals during the enactment of a particular user behavior. In another embodiment, the time interval is uniform. In yet another embodiment, the time interval may vary or be random. In yet still another embodiment, the multi-factor authentication is performed according to the enactment of a particular user behavior, such as accessing a different resource 250. (31) In various embodiments, certain combinations of the enhanced multi-factor authentication described herein are used according to the enactment of a particular user behavior. From the foregoing, those of skill in the art will recognize that the addition of such a fourth class of factors not only strengthens current multi-factor authentication approaches, but further, allows the factors to be more uniquely associated with a given user. Skilled practitioners of the art will likewise realize that many such embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the foregoing is not intended to limit the spirit, scope or intent of the invention. (32) FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a user behavior monitoring system implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the invention to detect acceptable, anomalous, and malicious user behavior. In various embodiments, user behavior profiles '1' 372 through 'n' 374 are respectively generated, as described in greater detail herein, for users '1' 302 through 'n' 304. As used herein, a user behavior profile broadly refers to various enactments of user behavior associated with a particular user, such as users '1' 302 through 'n' 304. In various embodiments, a user behavior profile is based upon one or more identification factors and/or one or more user behavior factors (i.e., a user behavior profile may include and/or may be derived from one or more identification factors and/or user behavior factors). In various embodiments, a function or model may be applied to one or more identification factors and/or user behavior factors to generate a user behavior profile. In various embodiments, one or more identification factors and/or user behavior factors may be enriched when generating a user behavior profile. It will be appreciated that the user behavior of a particular user, over time, will be uniquely different. Accordingly, user behavior profile '1' 372 will uniquely reflect the user behavior of user '1' 302, just as user behavior profile 'n' 374 will uniquely reflect the user behavior of user 'n' 310. (33) In various embodiments, a user behavior monitoring system 118 is implemented to observe user behavior 306 at one or more points of observation within a cyberspace environment. In certain embodiments, the points of observation may occur during various user interactions, such as user/device 228, user/network 242, user/resource 248, and user/user 260 interactions described in greater detail herein. As an example, a user/user 260 interaction may include an interaction between an individual user '1' 302 through 'n' 304 with user 'x' 314. In various embodiments, the point of observation may include cyber behavior of various kinds within an internal 244 network. As an example, cyber behavior within an internal 244 network may include a user accessing a particular internal system 254 or data store 256. In certain embodiments, the point of observation may include cyber behavior of various kinds within an external 246 network. As an example, cyber behavior within an external 246 network may include a user's social media activities or participation in certain user forums. (34) In various embodiments, the user behavior profile '1' 372 through 'n' 374 associated with a given user, such as user '1' 302 through 'n' 304, is used by the user behavior monitoring system 118 to compare the user's current user behavior 306 to past user behavior 306. If the user's current user behavior 306 matches past user behavior 306, then the user behavior monitoring system 118 may determine that the user's user behavior 306 is acceptable 308. However, if not, then the user behavior monitoring system 118 may determine that the user's user behavior 306 is anomalous 310 or malicious 312. (35) In these embodiments, it will be appreciated that anomalous 310 user behavior 306 may include inadvertent or compromised user behavior 306. For example, the user may have innocently miss-entered a request for data that is proprietary to an organization. As another example, the user may be attempting to access confidential information as a result of being compromised. As yet another example, a user may attempt to access certain proprietary data from their home, over a weekend, late at night. In this example, the user may be working from home on a project with an impending deadline. Accordingly, the attempt to access the proprietary data is legitimate, yet still anomalous as the attempt did not occur during the week from the user's place of employment. Further, the behavior, however, may manifest in context with consistent remote access patterns and provide sufficient evidence to determine the nature of activity. (36) Likewise, the user behavior monitoring system 118 may determine that the user's user behavior 306 to be malicious 312. As yet another example, an impostor may be attempting to pose as a legitimate user in an attempt to exploit one or more resources 250. In this example, the attempt to exploit one or more resources 250 is malicious 312 user behavior 306. As yet still another example, a legitimate user may be attempting to increase their level of access to one or more resources 250. In this example, the user's attempt to increase their level of access is malicious 312 user behavior 306. (37) To further extend these examples, such resources may include various facilities 252, systems 254, data stores 256, or services 258. In various embodiments, the user behavior monitoring system 118 may be implemented to block a user if it is determined their user behavior 306 is anomalous 310 or malicious 312. In certain embodiments, the user behavior monitoring system 118 may be implemented modify a request submitted by a user if it is determined the request is anomalous 310 or malicious 312. (38) In one embodiment, the user behavior monitoring system 118 may be implemented as a stand-alone system. In another embodiment, the cyber behavior monitoring system 118 may be implemented as a distributed system. In yet another embodiment, the cyber behavior monitoring system 118 may be implemented as a virtual system, such as an instantiation of one or more virtual machines (VMs). In yet still another embodiment, the user behavior monitoring system 118 may be implemented as a user behavior monitoring service 366. Skilled practitioners of the art will recognize that many such embodiments and examples are possible. Accordingly, the foregoing is not intended to limit the spirit, scope or intent of the invention. (39) In various embodiments, user behavior detection operations are initiated by first authenticating a user, such as user '1' 302 through 'n' 304. Once authenticated, the user's respective user behavior profile is retrieved, followed by ongoing monitoring of the user's user behavior activities. The user's user behavior activities are then processed to determine an associated user behavior element, which in turn is compared to the user's user behavior profile. In various embodiments, the user behavior profile is continually amended and refined based on the continuous interaction with the system over time. (40) A determination is then made whether the user's current user behavior element, or group of behavior elements, is acceptable. In certain embodiments, the determination combines the current user behavior element with other user behavior elements such that the group of behavior elements corresponds to a group of events which may be analyzed to determine whether behavior elements of the group of behavior elements are acceptable. If so, then the user's current user behavior element is marked as acceptable. Otherwise, a determination is made whether the user's current user behavior element is anomalous. If so, then the user's current user behavior element is marked as anomalous, followed by the performance of anomalous user behavior operations. In various embodiments, the anomalous user behavior operations can include an anomalous user behavior notification operation and/or an anomalous user response operation. In various embodiments, the anomalous user response operation can include a user blocking operation where an action is taken to restrict or remove user access to some or all of the user devices 230 and/or resources 250 and/or a risk level adjustment operation where a risk score associated with the user is adjusted based upon the anomalous behavior. In one embodiment, the anomalous user behavior element is stored for later review. In another embodiment, a security administrator 368 is notified of the anomalous user behavior element. (41) However, if it was determined that the user's current user behavior element was not anomalous, then it is marked as malicious (or unacceptable), followed by the performance of malicious behavior operations. In various embodiments, the malicious user behavior operations can include a malicious user behavior notification operation and/or a malicious user behavior response operation. In various embodiments, the malicious user response operation can include a user blocking operation where an action is taken to restrict or remove user access to some or all of the user devices 230 and/or resources 250 and/or a risk level adjustment operation where a risk score associated with the user is adjusted based upon the anomalous behavior. In one embodiment, the malicious user behavior element is stored for later review. In another embodiment, a security administrator 368 is notified of the malicious user behavior element. Thereafter, the current user behavior element, whether marked acceptable, anomalous, malicious or unknown, is appended, as described in greater detail herein, to the user's user behavior profile. Once the user's user behavior activities have concluded, user behavior profile scoring and hashing operations, likewise described in greater detail herein, are performed to respectively generate a user behavior profile score and hash. The resulting user behavior profile score and hash are then appended to the user's user behavior profile. (42) In various embodiments, user behavior profiles are stored in a repository of user behavior profiles 370. In one embodiment, the repository of user behavior profiles 370 is implemented for use by a single user behavior monitoring system 118. In another embodiment, the repository of user behavior profiles 370 is implemented for use by a plurality of user behavior monitoring systems 118. In yet another embodiment, the repository of user behavior profiles 370 is implemented for use by a user behavior monitoring service 366. Skilled practitioners of the art will recognize that many such embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the foregoing is not intended to limit the spirit, scope or intent of the invention. (43) FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram of a user behavior profile implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the invention as a blockchain. As used herein, a blockchain broadly refers to a data structure that is tamper evident and appendable. In certain embodiments, a block chain further refers to a decentralized, distributed data structure whose contents are replicated across a number of systems. These contents are stored in a chain of fixed structures commonly referred to as "blocks," such as user behavior block '1' 410, block '2' 412, and so forth, through block 'n' 414. Each of these blocks contains certain information about itself, such as a unique identifier, a reference to its previous block, and a hash value generated from the data it contains. As an example, user behavior block '2' 412 would contain a reference to user behavior block '1 410, yet their respective hashes values would be different as they contain different data. (44) Those of skill in the art will be aware that blockchains may be implemented in different ways and for different purposes. However, these different implementations typically have certain common characteristics. For example in certain embodiments, blockchains are generally distributed across various systems, each of which maintains a copy of the blockchain. Updates to one copy of the blockchain, such as the addition of a user behavior block 'n' 414, results in corresponding updates to the other copies. Accordingly, the contents of the blockchain, including its most recent updates, are available to all participating users of the blockchain, who in turn use their own systems to authenticate and verify each new block. This process of authentication and verification ensures that the same transaction does not occur more than once. Furthermore with distributed types of block chains, the legitimacy of a given block, and its associated contents, is only certified once a majority of participants agree to its validity. (45) In general, the distributed and replicated nature of a blockchain, such as a user behavior blockchain 408, makes it difficult to modify historical records without invalidating any subsequent blocks added thereafter. As a result, the user behavior data within a given user behavior blockchain 408 is essentially immutable and tamper-evident. However, this immutability and tamper-evidence does not necessarily ensure that the user behavior data recorded in the cyber behavior blockchain 408 can be accepted as an incontrovertible truth. Instead, it simply means that what was originally recorded was agreed upon by a majority of the user behavior blockchain's 408 participants. (46) Additionally certain embodiments include an appreciation that every transaction in a blockchain is serialized (i.e., stored in a sequence). Additionally in certain embodiments, every transaction in a block chain is time-stamped, which is useful for tracking interactions between participants and verifying various information contained in, or related to, a blockchain. Furthermore, instructions can be embedded within individual blocks of a blockchain. These instructions, in the form of computer-executable code, allow transactions or other operations to be initiated if certain conditions are met. (47) Referring now to FIG. 4, groups of user behavior activities 402, described in greater detail herein, are combined in various embodiments to generate one or more associated user behavior elements 404, likewise described in greater detail herein. In certain embodiments, the user behavior element is used to generate a user behavior block 414. In certain embodiments, the resulting user behavior elements 404 are in turn combined to generate a user behavior block, such as user behavior block 'n' 414. The resulting user behavior block is then appended to a target user behavior blockchain, such as user behavior blockchain 408. As used herein, a user behavior block broadly refers to a blockchain block implemented to contain various user behavior data. As likewise used herein, user behavior data broadly refers to any data associated with a user's user behavior, as described in greater detail herein. (48) In various embodiments, a user behavior blockchain 408 is implemented to contain one or more user behavior profiles 406, described in greater detail herein. In one embodiment, the user behavior blockchain 408 contains a single user behavior profile 406, which in turn is associated with an individual user. In this embodiment, user behavior blocks '1' 410 and '2' 412 through 'n' 414 are associated with the individual user. In another embodiment, the user behavior blockchain 408 is implemented to include user behavior profiles 406 associated with two or more users. In this embodiment, individual user behavior blocks '1' 410 and '2' 412 through 'n' 414 are respectively associated with two or more user behavior profiles 406, which in turn are respectively associated with a particular user. In certain embodiments, the user behavior blockchain 408 is parsed to identify which of the user behavior blocks '1' 410 and '2' 412 through 'n' 414 are associated with a given user behavior profile 406, which in turn are respectively associated with a particular user. (49) In various embodiments, data associated with a given user behavior blockchain 408 is used in the performance of user behavior monitoring operations to detect acceptable, anomalous, malicious and unknown behavior enacted by a user. In certain embodiments, the performance of these user behavior monitoring operations involve comparing a newly-generated user behavior block, such as user behavior block 'n' 414 to previously-generated user behavior blocks, such as user behavior blocks '1' 410 and '2' 412. (50) In certain embodiments, if the contents of the user behavior block 'n' 414 are substantively similar to the contents of user behavior blocks '1' 410 and '2' 412, then the behavior of the user may be judged to be acceptable. However, if the contents of the user behavior block 'n' 414 are substantively dissimilar to the contents of user behavior blocks '1' 410 and '2' 412, then the behavior of the user may be judged to be anomalous, malicious or unknown. In these embodiments, the method by which the contents of user behavior block 'n' 414 are determined to be substantively similar, or dissimilar, to the contents of user behavior blocks '1' 410 and '2' 412 is a matter of design choice. (51) FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of a user behavior block in a blockchain implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In various embodiments, a blockchain user behavior blockchain 408, as shown in FIG. 4, may contain one or more user behavior blocks 502, such as user behavior block '1' 410, and '2' 412 through 'n' 414, likewise shown in FIG. 4. In these embodiments, each user behavior block 502 may include either or both data and metadata, such as a block reference identifier (ID) 504, a hash value of the prior user behavior block's header 506 information, the public key of the recipient 508 of the user behavior blockchain 408 transaction, and the digital signature of the originator 510 of the user behavior blockchain 408 transaction. The user behavior block 502 may likewise include additional either or both data and metadata, such as a user behavior blockchain transaction identifier 512, a transaction payload 514, and a transaction timestamp 516. (52) In certain embodiments, the transaction payload 514 may include one or more user behavior profiles 518. In various embodiments, a user behavior profile 518 may include various user behavior elements 524, described in greater detail herein, and a hash 520 value of the user behavior elements 524. In certain embodiments, the hash 520 value is implemented to determine whether the integrity of the user behavior elements 524 has been compromised. In various embodiments, the user behavior profile 518 may include executable code 526. In certain embodiments, the executable code 526 may be used by a user behavior monitoring system, described in greater detail herein, to detect acceptable, anomalous, malicious and unknown behavior being enacted by a user. In various embodiments, user behavior data contained in one or more user behavior elements 524 is used in combination with the executable code to perform user behavior monitoring operations, likewise described in greater detail herein. In certain embodiments, the executable code can include state information such as pre-calculated information associated with one or more user behavior elements 524. In certain embodiments, the executable code 526 can include a model of good behavior which is used when detecting acceptable, anomalous, malicious and unknown behavior being enacted by a user. In certain embodiments, the model includes a series of rules of behaviors that might lead to a determination regarding trustworthiness. In certain embodiments, the series of rules can include communication related rules, data movement related rules and/or programming modification type rules. Such a model enables the system to access an intent of a user. (53) In certain embodiments, the user behavior block 502 may also contain a risk score 522. In certain embodiments, the risk score includes a user behavior score. In various embodiments, the risk score 522 may be used by a user behavior monitoring system to assess the state (e.g., the risk or trustworthiness) of a particular user while enacting a given user behavior. In certain embodiments, the state may also be stored within the user behavior block 502. In certain embodiments, the state is assessed at a specific time and has a time associated with the state. In one embodiment, the user behavior score 522 might be associated with a particular user behavior element, such as accessing sensitive human resource documents. In one embodiment, the user behavior score 522 might be related to a user's overall user behavior. In various embodiments, the user behavior block 502 may also contain information regarding how the user behavior score was generated such as the model that was used to generate the user behavior score. Storing this information provides a historical view of how the score was generated when the score was generated. Certain embodiments include an appreciation that this information can be useful in identifying what type of user behavior led to the user behavior score (e.g., what was the anomaly). (54) As an example, a user may have a high user behavior score 522 for general cyberspace activity, but a low user behavior score 522 for accessing an organization's financial data. To continue the example, the user's role in the organization may be related to maintaining a physical facility. In that role, the user may requisition cleaning supplies and schedule other users to perform maintenance. Accordingly, attempting to access the organization's financial data, particularly over a weekend, would indicate anomalous, or possibly malicious, behavior. To continue the example, such an attempt may result in a low user behavior score 522 being assigned to that particular user behavior element. Those of skill in the art will recognize that many such embodiments and examples are possible. Accordingly, the foregoing is not intended to limit the spirit, scope or intent of the invention. In certain embodiments, the user behavior score 522 may change as a result of information obtained from a third party and not just from observable behavior. For example, in another type of score if a credit score of a user changes, or the user performs a wire transfer to a known suspicious location, then the user behavior score 522 may be changed based upon this information. (55) FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a transportable user behavior profile implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, a user behavior profile 406 for a user 602 may be implemented as a user behavior blockchain 408, as shown in FIG. 4. In various embodiments a first copy of the user behavior profile 406, profile copy '1' 604 is used by a first system, system '1' 606, and additional copies, profile copy 'n' 608, are used by additional systems 'n' 608 to perform various user behavior monitoring operations. In certain embodiments, additions to profile copy '1' 604 of the user behavior profile 408 results in the same additions to profile copies 'n' 608. As a result, systems '1' 606 through 'n' 608 are kept in synch regarding the user's 602 user behavior. Accordingly, each system '1' 604 through 'n' 610 is apprised of any anomalous or malicious user behavior enacted by the user 602, regardless of which system was being used when the anomalous or malicious behavior occurred. (56) FIGS. 7a and 7b are a generalized flowchart of the performance of user behavior profile origination operations in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, user behavior profile origination operations are begun in step 702, followed by the selection of a target user in step 706 for user behavior profile origination. An unpopulated user behavior profile is then generated for the selected user in step 706, followed by the identification of known user behavior elements associated with the selected user in step 708. (57) A user behavior element associated with the user is then selected for validation in step 710, followed by the performance of user behavior validation operations in step 712 to determine whether the selected user behavior element is suspect. In various embodiments, the method by which the user behavior element is validated is a matter of design choice. A determination is then made in step 714 whether the user behavior element is suspect. If so, then the user behavior element is appended as a suspect user behavior element to the user's user behavior profile in step 716. Otherwise, the user behavior element is appended to the user's user behavior profile in step 718. (58) Thereafter, or once the suspect user behavior element is appended to the user's user behavior profile in step 716, a determination is made in step 720 whether to select another user behavior element for validation. If so, the process is continued, proceeding with step 710. Otherwise, user behavior elements that have been appended to the user behavior profile are processed in step 722 to generate a user behavior hash value, described in greater detail herein. Then, in step 724, the user behavior elements that have been appended to the user behavior profile are processed to generate a user behavior score, likewise described in greater detail herein. The resulting user behavior hash value and score are then appended to the user behavior profile in step 726. (59) In turn, the user behavior profile is stored in step 728 for use in user behavior monitoring operations. In one embodiment, the user behavior profile is stored in a repository of user behavior profiles. In another embodiment, the repository of user behavior profiles is implemented for use by a single user behavior monitoring system. In yet another embodiment, the repository of user behavior profiles is implemented for use by a plurality of user behavior monitoring systems. In various embodiments, the user behavior profile is stored in a user behavior blockchain, described in greater detail herein. A determination is then made in step 730 whether to end user behavior profile origination operations. If not, the process is continued, proceeding with step 704. Otherwise, user behavior profile origination operations are ended in step 732. (60) FIG. 8 is a generalized flowchart of the performance of user behavior monitoring operations implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the invention to detect acceptable, anomalous, and malicious user behavior. In this embodiment, user behavior monitoring operations are begun in step 802, followed by the performance of user authentication operations, familiar to those of skill in the art, in step 804. Then, in step 806, the user's user behavior profile is retrieved, followed by the ongoing monitoring of the user's user behavior activities in step 808. The user's user behavior activities are processed in step 810 to determine their associated user behavior element, which is then compared to the user's user behavior profile in step 812. (61) A determination is then made in step 814 whether the user's current user behavior element is acceptable. If so, then the user behavior element is marked as acceptable in block 816. Otherwise, a determination is made in step 818 whether the user's current user behavior element is anomalous. If so, then the current user behavior element is marked as anomalous in step 820, followed by the performance of anomalous user behavior operations in step 822. In one embodiment, the anomalous user behavior is stored for later review. In another embodiment, a security administrator is notified of the anomalous user behavior. However, if it was determined in step 818 that the current user behavior element is not anomalous, then the current user behavior element is marked as malicious in step 824, followed by the performance of malicious user behavior operations in step 826. Thereafter, or once the current user behavior element has been marked as acceptable or anomalous in steps 816 or 820, the current user behavior element is appended to the user's user behavior profile in step 828. (62) A determination is then made in step 830 whether to end user behavior monitoring operations. If not, then the process continues, proceeding with step 808. Otherwise, user behavior profile scoring operations, described in greater detail herein, are performed in step 832 to generate a user behavior score. User behavior hashing operations, likewise described in greater detail herein, are then performed in step 834 to generate a user behavior hash values. The resulting cyber behavior score and hash value are then appended to the user's user behavior profile in step 836. User behavior monitoring operations are then ended in step 838. (63) Although the present invention has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. ### Claims 1. A computer-implementable method for generating a cyber behavior profile, comprising: monitoring user interactions between a user and an information handling system; converting the user interactions and the information about the user into electronic information representing the user interactions, the electronic information representing the user interactions comprising respective user behavior elements; generating a unique cyber behavior profile based upon the electronic information representing the user interactions and the information about the user; storing information relating to the unique cyber behavior profile in a behavior blockchain; storing the respective user behavior elements in user behavior blocks of the behavior blockchain; determining whether a user behavior element is suspect; appending the user behavior element to the behavior blockchain as a known good user behavior element when the user behavior element is not suspect; and, appending the user behavior element to the behavior blockchain as a suspect cyber behavior element when the user behavior element is suspect. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the unique behavior profile is based upon at least one of an identification factor and a user behavior factor. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein: the user behavior block comprises a transaction payload; and, the transaction payload includes a representation of the unique cyber behavior profile. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein: the transaction payload comprises executable code, the executable code being used by a user behavior monitoring system to detect at least one of acceptable behavior, anomalous behavior, malicious behavior and unknown behavior being enacted by a user. 5. The method of claim 3, wherein: the transaction payload comprises a user behavior score, the user behavior score being used by a user behavior monitoring system to assess a particular user while enacting a given user behavior. 6. A system comprising: a processor; a data bus coupled to the processor; and a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium embodying computer program code, the non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium being coupled to the data bus, the computer program code interacting with a plurality of computer operations and comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for: monitoring user interactions between a user and an information handling system; converting the user interactions and the information about the user into electronic information representing the user interactions, the electronic information representing the user interactions comprising respective user behavior elements; generating a unique cyber behavior profile based upon the electronic information representing the user interactions and the information about the user; and storing information relating to the unique cyber behavior profile in a behavior blockchain; storing the respective user behavior elements in user behavior blocks of the behavior blockchain; determining whether a user behavior element is suspect; appending the user behavior element to the behavior blockchain as a known good user behavior element when the user behavior element is not suspect; and, appending the user behavior element to the behavior blockchain as a suspect cyber behavior element when the user behavior element is suspect. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein: the unique behavior profile is based upon at least one of an identification factor and a user behavior factor. 8. The system of claim 6, wherein: the user behavior block comprises a transaction payload; and, the transaction payload includes a representation of the unique cyber behavior profile. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein: the transaction payload comprises executable code, the executable code being used by a user behavior monitoring system to detect at least one of acceptable behavior, anomalous behavior, malicious behavior and unknown behavior being enacted by a user. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein: the transaction payload comprises a user behavior score, the user behavior score being used by a user behavior monitoring system to assess a particular user while enacting a given user behavior. 11. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for: monitoring user interactions between a user and an information handling system; converting the user interactions and the information about the user into electronic information representing the user interactions; generating a unique cyber behavior profile based upon the electronic information representing the user interactions and the information about the user; and, storing information relating to the unique cyber behavior profile in a behavior blockchain; storing the respective user behavior elements in user behavior blocks of the behavior blockchain; determining whether a user behavior element is suspect; appending the user behavior element to the behavior blockchain as a known good user behavior element when the user behavior element is not suspect; and, appending the user behavior element to the behavior blockchain as a suspect cyber behavior element when the user behavior element is suspect. 12. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein: the unique behavior profile is based upon at least one of an identification factor and a user behavior factor. 13. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein: the user behavior block comprises a transaction payload; and, the transaction payload includes a representation of the unique cyber behavior profile. 14. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein: the transaction payload comprises executable code, the executable code being used by a user behavior monitoring system to detect at least one of acceptable behavior, anomalous behavior, malicious behavior and unknown behavior being enacted by a user. 15. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein: the transaction payload comprises a user behavior score, the user behavior score being used by a user behavior monitoring system to assess a particular user while enacting a given user behavior. 16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions are deployable to a client system from a server system at a remote location. 17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions are provided by a service provider to a user on an on-demand basis.	9882918	US 9882918 B1	2018-01-30	61,005,157	User behavior profile in a blockchain	H04L63/14;H04L67/306;H04L9/3236;H04L63/1433	H04L9/50;H04L2209/56	Ford; Richard Anthony et al.	Forcepoint, LLC	15/720788	2017-09-29	Schwartz; Darren B		1/1	Forcepoint LLC	24.172764	USPAT	13,315
United States Patent 9892460 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent February 13, 2018 Inventor(s) Winklevoss; Cameron Howard et al. ## Systems, methods, and program products for operating exchange traded products holding digital math-based assets ### Abstract Systems, methods, and program products for providing an exchange traded product holding digital math-based assets are disclosed. Shares based on digital math-based assets may be created using one or more computers by determining share price information based upon quantities of digital math-based assets held by a trust, electronically receiving a request from an authorized participant user device to purchase a quantity of shares, electronically transmitting a quantity of digital math-based assets to one or more destination digital asset accounts for receipt of digital math-based assets from the authorized participant based on the determined share price information and the requested quantity of shares, and electronically issuing shares to the authorized participant. Inventors: Winklevoss; Cameron Howard (New York, NY), Winklevoss; Tyler Howard (New York, NY), Greebel; Evan Louis (New York, NY), Moriarty; Kathleen Hill (New York, NY), Xethalis; Gregory Elias (New York, NY) Applicant: WINKLEVOSS IP, LLC (Wilmington, DE) Family ID: 61147982 Assignee: WINKLEVOSS IP, LLC (Wilmington, DE) Appl. No.: 14/318456 Filed: June 27, 2014 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 61989047 20140506 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06Q40/04 (20120101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06Q40/04 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06Q (40/04) USPC: 705/37 ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 4790431 12/1987 Reel et al. N/A N/A 5799287 12/1997 Dembo N/A N/A 5950176 12/1998 Keiser et al. N/A N/A 6021257 12/1999 Chikauchi N/A N/A 6157920 12/1999 Jakobsson et al. N/A N/A 6505174 12/2002 Keiser et al. N/A N/A 6523012 12/2002 Glassman et al. N/A N/A 6583712 12/2002 Reed et al. N/A N/A 7391865 12/2007 Orsini et al. N/A N/A 7487123 12/2008 Keiser et al. N/A N/A 7677974 12/2009 Van Luchene N/A N/A 7716484 12/2009 Kaliski, Jr. N/A N/A 7870058 12/2010 Maltzman N/A N/A 8108278 12/2011 Tzekin et al. N/A N/A 8108283 12/2011 Dimitri et al. N/A N/A 8224702 12/2011 Mengerink et al. 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Quora. N.p. Jan. 15, 2009. Web. Jun. 9, 2017. . cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Robinson; Kito R Assistant Examiner: Tibljas; Shacole Attorney, Agent or Firm: Amster, Rothstein & Ebenstein LLP ### Background/Summary RELATED APPLICATIONS (1) This application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 61/989,047, filed on May 6, 2014, U.S. Ser. No. 61/986,685, filed on Apr. 30, 2014, U.S. Ser. No. 61/978,724, filed on Apr. 11, 2014, U.S. Ser. No. 61/971,981, filed on Mar. 28, 2014, U.S. Ser. No. 61/955,017, filed on Mar. 18, 2014, U.S. Ser. No. 61/933,428, filed on Jan. 30, 2014, U.S. Ser. No. 61/920,534, filed on Dec. 24, 2013, U.S. Ser. No. 61/903,245, filed on Nov. 12, 2013, U.S. Ser. No. 61/900,191, filed on Nov. 5, 2013, U.S. Ser. No. 61/891,294, filed on Oct. 15, 2013, U.S. Ser. No. 61/857,691, filed on Jul. 23, 2013, U.S. Ser. No. 61/857,141, filed on Jul. 22, 2013, U.S. Ser. No. 61/856,323, filed on Jul. 19, 2013, U.S. Ser. No. 61/841,760, filed on Jul. 1, 2013, and U.S. Ser. No. 61/841,177, filed on Jun. 28, 2013, the contents of each of which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. FIELD (1) In embodiments, the present invention generally relates to systems, methods, and program products for use with exchange traded products ("ETPs") holding digital assets and other products and/or services related to ETPs holding digital assets. SUMMARY (2) Systems, methods, and program products for use with ETPs holding digital assets, including digital math-based assets, such as bitcoins, Namecoins, Litecoins, PPCoins, Tonal bitcoins, IxCoins, Devcoins, Freicoins, I0coins, Terracoins, Liquidcoins, BBQcoins, BitBars, PhenixCoins, Ripple, Dogecoins, Mastercoins, BlackCoins, Ether, Nxt, BitShares-PTS, Quark, Primecoin, Feathercoin, Peercoin, Darkcoins, XC, MaidSafeCoins, Vertcoins, Qoras, Zetacoins, Megacoins, YbCoins, Novacoins, Moneros, Infinitecoins, MaxCoins, WorldCoins, Billioncoins, Anoncoins Colored Coins, or Counterparty, to name a few, and other financial products or services based on the same, are disclosed. (3) In embodiments, a computer-implemented method may comprise the steps of (i) determining, by a trust computer system including one or more computers, share price information based at least in part upon a first quantity of digital math-based assets held by a trust at a first point in time and a second quantity of shares in the trust at the first point in time; (ii) receiving, at the trust computer system from one or more authorized participant user devices of an authorized participant, an electronic request to purchase a third quantity of shares; (iii) determining, by the trust computer system, a fourth quantity of digital math-based assets based at least in part upon the share price information and the third quantity of shares; (iv) obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more destination digital asset account identifiers (e.g., one or more digital asset account addresses, and/or one or more digital asset account public keys, to name a few) corresponding to one or more destination digital asset accounts for receipt of digital math-based assets from the authorized participant; (v) transmitting, from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices, the one or more destination digital asset account identifiers and an electronic amount indication of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets; (vi) receiving, at the trust computer system, an electronic transfer indication of a transfer of digital math-based assets to the destination asset account; (vii) verifying, by the trust computer system using a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems, a receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets in the one or more destination digital asset accounts; and (viii) issuing or causing to be issued, using the trust computer system, the third quantity of shares to the authorized participant. (4) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the step of, after the determining step (i) above, transmitting, from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices, the share price information. In embodiments, the determining step (i) above may further comprise the steps of determining, by the trust computer system, a fifth quantity of digital math-based assets held by the trust that are attributable to shareholders; determining, by the trust computer system, a sixth quantity of digital math-based assets by subtracting from the fifth quantity a seventh quantity of digital math-based assets associated with trust expenses; and dividing the sixth quantity by an eighth quantity of outstanding shares. (5) In embodiments, the verifying step (vii) above may further comprise the steps of accessing, using the trust computer system, a plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger (e.g., new blocks added to a bitcoin blockchain); analyzing, using the trust computer system, each of the plurality of updates for a first confirmation of the receipt by a node in a network associated with the digital math-based asset; and determining, using the trust computer system, a final confirmation of the receipt after detecting first confirmations of the receipt in a predetermined number of the plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger. (6) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the step of transferring, using the trust computer system, the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets into one or more digital asset accounts associated with a trust custody account. (7) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the step of transmitting, from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices, an electronic receipt acknowledgement indicating the receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets. (8) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the step of transmitting or causing to be transmitted, to the one or more authorized participant user devices, an electronic share issuance indication of the issuing of the third quantity of shares. (9) In embodiments, the share price information may be a quantity of digital math-based assets per share and/or per a basket of shares corresponding to a number of shares associated with one creation unit of shares. In embodiments, the basket of shares may comprise one or more quantities of shares selected from the group consisting of: 5,000 shares, 10,000 shares, 15,000 shares, 25,000 shares, 50,000 shares, and 100,000 shares. (10) In embodiments, the electronic transfer indication may further comprise an identification of one or more origin digital asset accounts. (11) In embodiments, the trust computer system may be operated by a trustee of the trust and/or an administrator of the trust on behalf of the trust. (12) In embodiments, a computer-implemented method may comprise the steps of (i) determining, by a trust computer system comprising one or more computers, share price information based at least in part upon a first quantity of digital math-based assets held by a trust at a first point in time and a second quantity of shares in the trust at the first point in time; (ii) receiving, at the trust computer system from the one or more authorized participant user devices of the authorized participant, an electronic request to redeem a third quantity of shares; (iii) determining, by the trust computer system, a fourth quantity of digital math-based assets based at least in part upon the share price information and the third quantity of shares; (iv) obtaining, by the trust computer system, one or more destination digital asset account identifiers corresponding to one or more destination digital asset accounts for receipt by the authorized participant of a transfer of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets from the trust; (v) obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more origin digital asset account identifiers corresponding to one or more origin digital asset accounts for the transfer; (vi) initiating, using the trust computer system, the transfer of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets from the one or more origin digital asset accounts to the one or more destination digital asset accounts; (vii) broadcasting, using the trust computer system, the transfer to a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems; (viii) verifying, by the trust computer system using the decentralized electronic ledger, a receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets at the one or more destination digital asset accounts; and (ix) canceling or causing to be canceled, using the trust computer system, the third quantity of shares from the authorized participant. (13) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the step of transmitting, from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices, the share price information. (14) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the steps of obtaining, using the trust computer system, a net asset value per share; determining, using the trust computer system, a digital math-based asset value of the third quantity of shares based upon the net asset value per share; determining, using the trust computer system, transaction fees associated with the electronic request; and determining, using the trust computer system, the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets by subtracting the transaction fees from the digital math-based asset value of the third quantity of shares. (15) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the step of determining, by the trust computer system, a settlement period associated with the electronic request. (16) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the step of retrieving or causing to be retrieved, using the trust computer system, one or more private keys associated with the one or more origin digital asset accounts; and accessing the one or more origin digital asset accounts using at least the one or more private keys. (17) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the steps of issuing, using the trust computer system, retrieval instructions for retrieving a plurality of encrypted private keys corresponding to the one or more origin digital asset accounts; receiving, at the trust computer system, the plurality of encrypted private keys; and obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more private keys by decrypting the plurality of private keys. (18) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the steps of issuing, using the trust computer system, retrieval instructions for retrieving a plurality of private key segments corresponding to the one or more origin digital asset accounts; receiving, at the trust computer system, the plurality of private key segments; and obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more private keys by assembling the plurality of private keys. (19) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the steps of issuing, using the trust computer system, retrieval instructions for retrieving a plurality of encrypted private key segments corresponding to the one or more origin digital asset accounts; receiving, at the trust computer system, the plurality of encrypted private key segments; and obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more private keys by decrypting the plurality of private key segments and assembling the segments into one or more private keys. (20) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the steps of issuing, using the trust computer system, retrieval instructions for retrieving a plurality of encrypted private key segments corresponding to the one or more origin digital asset accounts; receiving, at the trust computer system, the plurality of encrypted private key segments; obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more first private keys by decrypting the plurality of private key segments and assembling the segments into one or more first private keys; and obtaining, using the trust computer system, at least one second private key corresponding to the one or more origin digital asset accounts. In embodiments, the one or more first private keys and the at least one second private key may be keys for one or more multi-signature digital asset accounts. (21) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the steps of accessing, using the trust computer system, a plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger (e.g., new blocks added to a bitcoin blockchain); analyzing, using the trust computer system, each of the plurality of updates for a first confirmation of the receipt by a node in a network associated with the digital math-based asset; and determining, using the trust computer system, a final confirmation of the receipt after detecting first confirmations of the receipt in a predetermined number of the plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger. (22) In embodiments, the transaction fees may be denominated in a unit of the digital math-based asset. In embodiments, the share price information may comprise a net asset value per share, an adjusted net asset value per share, and/or a net asset value per a basket of shares corresponding to a number of shares associated with one creation unit of shares. (23) In embodiments, the basket of shares may comprise one or more quantities of shares selected from the group consisting of: 5,000 shares, 10,000 shares, 15,000 shares, 25,000 shares, 50,000 shares, and 100,000 shares. (24) In embodiments, the electronic request may comprise a redemption order. (25) In embodiments, the trust computer system may be operated by a trustee of the trust and/or an administrator of the trust on behalf of the trust. (26) In embodiments, the one or more origin digital asset accounts may correspond to a trust custody account. (27) In embodiments, the one or more destination digital asset accounts may correspond to an authorized participant custody account. (28) In embodiments, a computer-implemented method may comprise the steps of (i) generating, using a computer system comprising one or more computers, one or more digital asset accounts capable of holding one or more digital math-based assets; (ii) obtaining, using the computer system, one or more private keys corresponding to the one or more digital asset accounts; (iii) dividing, using the computer system, each of the one or more private keys into a plurality of private key segments; (iv) encrypting, using the computer system, each of the plurality of private key segments; (v) associating, using the computer system, each of the plurality of private key segments with a respective reference identifier; (vi) creating, using the computer system, one or more cards for each of the encrypted plurality of private key segments wherein each of the one or more cards has fixed thereon one of the encrypted plurality of private key segments along with the respective associated reference identifier; and (vii) tracking, using the computer system, storage of each of the one or more cards in one or more vaults. (29) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the steps of generating, using the computer system, electronic transfer instructions for an electronic transfer of the quantity of digital math-based assets to the one or more digital asset accounts; and broadcasting, using the computer system, the electronic transfer instructions to a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems. (30) In embodiments, the computer system includes at least one isolated computer that is not directly connected to an external data network. (31) In embodiments, the encryption step (iv) above, may further comprise implementing, using the computer system, a symmetric-key and/or asymmetric-key encryption algorithm. (32) In embodiments, the one or more cards may be plastic, a paper product, index cards, sheets of paper, metal, and/or laminated. (33) In embodiments, each of the encrypted plurality of private key segments along with the respective associated reference identifier may be fixed on the one or more cards via printing, etching. In embodiments, each of the encrypted plurality of private key segments may be fixed on the one or more cards via a magnetic encoding and/or scannable code. In embodiments, the scannable code may be a bar code and/or a QR code. (34) In embodiments, the one or more vaults may be geographically remote from each other. In embodiments, the one or more vaults may include a bank vault and/or a precious metal vault. In embodiments, the one or more vaults may comprise a main set of vaults and one or more sets of backup vaults. In embodiments, the main set of vaults may be located in a geographically proximate area and at least one of the one or more sets of backup vaults are located in a geographically remote area. In embodiments, the geographically proximate area may be a metropolitan area of a first city. (35) In embodiments, each of the plurality of private key segments corresponding to a first private key may be stored in separate vaults. (36) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the steps of receiving, at the computer system, a quantity of digital math-based assets; and storing, using the computer system, the quantity of digital math-based assets in the one or more digital asset accounts. (37) In embodiments, a computer-implemented method may comprise the steps of (i) generating, using a computer system comprising one or more computers, one or more digital asset accounts capable of holding one or more digital math-based assets; (ii) obtaining, using the computer system, a first plurality of private keys corresponding to each of the one or more digital asset accounts; (iii) dividing, using the computer system, a first private key of the first plurality of private keys into a second plurality of first private key segments; (iv) encrypting, using the computer system, each of the second plurality of first private key segments; (v) associating, using the computer system, each of the second plurality of first private key segments and a second private key with a respective reference identifier; (vi) creating, using the computer system, one or more cards for each of the encrypted second plurality of first private key segments wherein each of the one or more cards has fixed thereon one of the encrypted second plurality of first private key segments along with the respective associated reference identifier; and (vii) tracking, using the computer system, storage of each of the one or more cards in one or more vaults and storage of the second private key. (38) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the step of encrypting, using the computer system, the second private key. (39) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the step of electronically storing the second private key on a computer-readable substrate. (40) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the steps of generating, using a computer system comprising one or more computers, one or more digital asset accounts capable of holding one or more digital math-based assets; obtaining, using the computer system, one or more private keys corresponding to the one or more digital asset accounts; encrypting, using the computer system, each of the one or more private keys; dividing, using the computer system, each of the one or more encrypted private keys into a plurality of private key segments; associating, using the computer system, each of the plurality of private key segments with a respective reference identifier; creating, using the computer system, one or more cards for each of the plurality of private key segments wherein each of the one or more cards has fixed thereon one of the plurality of private key segments along with the respective associated reference identifier; and tracking, using the computer system, storage of each of the one or more cards in one or more vaults. (41) In embodiments, the one or more digital asset accounts may comprise multi-signature digital asset accounts. (42) In embodiments, a computer-implemented method may comprise the steps of (i) determining, using a computer system comprising one or more computers, one or more digital asset account identifiers corresponding to one or more digital asset accounts capable of holding one or more digital math-based assets; (ii) accessing, using the computer system, key storage information associated with each of the one or more digital asset account identifiers; (iii) determining, using the computer system, based upon the key storage information, storage locations corresponding to each of a plurality of private key segments corresponding to each of the one or more digital asset accounts; (iv) issuing or causing to be issued, retrieval instructions for retrieving each of the plurality of private key segments; (v) receiving, at the computer system, each of the plurality of private key segments; (vi) decrypting, using the computer system, each of the plurality of private key segments; (vii) assembling, using the computer system, each of the plurality of private key segments into one or more private keys. (43) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the step of accessing, using the computer system, the one or more digital asset accounts associated with the one or more private keys. (44) In embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further comprise the steps of accessing, using an isolated computer of the computer system, wherein the isolated computer is not directly connected to an external data network, the one or more digital asset accounts associated with the one or more private keys; generating, using the isolated computer, transaction instructions comprising one or more transfers from the one or more digital asset accounts; transferring the transaction instructions to a networked computer of the computer system; and broadcasting, using the networked computer, the transaction instructions to a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems. (45) In embodiments, the key storage information may comprise a reference identifier associated with one or more stored private key segments. (46) In embodiments, a system may comprise (i) one or more networked computers comprising one or more processors and computer-readable memory; (ii) one or more isolated computers comprising one or more processors and computer-readable memory and configured to generate digital asset accounts and generate transaction instructions for digital math-based asset transactions; (iii) a writing device configured to write digital asset account keys; and (iv) a reading device configured to read digital asset account keys. (47) In embodiments, the system may further comprise an accounting computer comprising one or more processors and computer-readable memory and configured to track digital math-based asset transactions involving one or more specified digital asset accounts. (48) In embodiments, the one or more isolated computers, the writing device, and the reading device may be located within a Faraday cage. (49) In embodiments, the isolated computer may not be physically connected to an external data network. (50) In embodiments, the writing device may be a printer and/or an engraver. (51) In embodiments, the reading device may be a disk drive, an electronic card reader. a QR reader, and/or a scanner. In embodiments, the scanner may be a bar code scanner. (52) In embodiments, the writing and/or device may be operationally connected to the one or more isolated computers. (53) In embodiments, a secure system for storing digital math-based assets may comprise (a) an electronic isolation chamber; (b) one or more isolated computers within the electronic isolation chamber and comprising one or more processors and computer-readable memory operatively connected to the one or more processors and having stored thereon instructions for carrying out the steps of (i) generating, using the one or more isolated computers, one or more digital asset accounts capable of holding one or more digital math-based assets; (ii) obtaining, using the one or more isolated computers, one or more private keys corresponding to the one or more digital asset accounts; (iii) dividing, using the one or more isolated computers, at least one of the one or more private keys for each digital asset account into a plurality of private key segments, wherein each private key segment will be stored; (iv) associating, using the one or more isolated computers, each of the plurality of private key segments with a respective reference identifier; and (v) transmitting, from the one or more isolated computers to one or more writing devices operatively connected to the one or more isolated computers, electronic writing instructions for writing a plurality of cards, collated into a plurality of sets having only one private key segment per digital asset account, and each card containing one of the plurality of private key segments along with the respective associated reference identifier; (c) the one or more writing devices located within the electronic isolation chamber and configured to perform the electronic writing instructions, including collating the plurality of cards into the plurality of sets; and (d) one or more reading devices located within the electronic isolation chamber and configured to read the plurality of private key segments along with the respective associated reference identifier from the one or more cards. (54) In embodiments, a computer-implemented method may comprise the steps of (i) receiving, at a computer system comprising one or more computers, an electronic request to transfer first respective quantities of digital math-based assets from each of a first plurality of digital asset accounts; (ii) accessing, using the computer system, each of the first plurality of digital asset accounts; (iii) generating, using the computer system, transaction instructions comprising one or more transfers of the first respective quantities from each of the first plurality of digital asset accounts; and (iv) broadcasting, using the computer system, the transaction instructions to a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems. (55) In embodiments, the first respective quantities of digital math-based assets comprise different quantities for different digital asset accounts. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with references to the accompanying figures, wherein: (2) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a digital asset network in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (3) FIG. 2 is an exemplary screen shot of an excerpt of an exemplary bitcoin transaction log showing addresses in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (4) FIG. 3 is an exemplary exchange agent interface in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (5) FIGS. 4A-4D are exemplary block diagrams of components of security systems for an ETP holding digital math-based assets in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (6) FIGS. 5A and 5B are flow charts of exemplary processes for creating and securing digital wallets in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (7) FIGS. 6A-6C are flow charts of exemplary processes for generating digital asset accounts and securely storing the keys corresponding to each account in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (8) FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for retrieving securely stored keys associated with a digital asset account in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (9) FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method of performing a secure transaction in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (10) FIGS. 9A-9D are schematic diagrams of cold storage vault systems in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (11) FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams of vault arrangements for a digital asset network in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (12) FIGS. 11A-11B are flow charts of processes for generating key storage and insurance in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (13) FIGS. 12A-12C are flow charts of processes for recovering key segments in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (14) FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the participants in an ETP holding digital math-based assets in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (15) FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary secondary market for shares in the trust in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (16) FIGS. 15A and 15B are schematic diagrams of the accounts associated with a trust in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (17) FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the data and modules in an exemplary embodiment of a trust computer system in accordance with the present invention; (18) FIGS. 17A and 17B are flow charts of processes for investing in the trust in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (19) FIGS. 18A and 18B are flow charts of various exemplary processes for assigning digital math-based assets, such as bitcoins, obtained during a creation and distributing them among digital wallets in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; (20) FIGS. 19A and 19B are flow charts of processes for redeeming shares in the trust in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (21) FIG. 19C is a flow chart of an exemplary process for redemption of shares in an exchange traded product holding digital math-based assets in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (22) FIG. 20A is a flow chart of processes for calculating the NAV value of shares in a trust holding digital assets in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; (23) FIG. 20B is a flow chart of processes for calculating the NAV value of shares in a trust holding bitcoins in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; (24) FIG. 21A is a flow chart of additional processes associated with evaluation day for calculating NAV value of shares in a trust holding digital assets in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; (25) FIG. 21B is a flow chart of additional processes associated with evaluation day for calculating NAV value of shares in a trust holding bitcoins in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; (26) FIG. 22 is a flow chart of a process for determining qualified exchanges in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (27) FIGS. 23A-23H are flow charts showing methods for calculating a blended digital asset price in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; (28) FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of participants in a system for providing a digital asset index and a digital asset exchange in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; and (29) FIGS. 25A and 25B are flow charts of a method for creating an index of digital asset prices in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (30) In embodiments, the present invention generally relates to systems, methods, and program products for use with ETPs holding digital assets, including digital math-based assets, such as bitcoins, Namecoins, Litecoins, PPCoins, Tonal bitcoins, IxCoins, Devcoins, Freicoins, I0coins, Terracoins, Liquidcoins, BBQcoins, BitBars, PhenixCoins, Ripple, Dogecoins, Mastercoins, BlackCoins, Ether, Nxt, BitShares-PTS, Quark, Primecoin, Feathercoin, Peercoin, Darkcoins, XC, MaidSafeCoins, Vertcoins, Qoras, Zetacoins, Megacoins, YbCoins, Novacoins, Moneros, Infinitecoins, MaxCoins, WorldCoins, Billioncoins, Anoncoins Colored Coins, or Counterparty, to name a few. For purposes of discussion, without limiting the scope of the invention, embodiments involving bitcoins may be discussed to illustrate the present invention. The disclosure can encompass other forms of digital assets, digital math-based assets, peer-to-peer electronic cash system, digital currency, synthetic currency, or digital crypto-currency. (31) In embodiments, the present invention may be used in connection with other products or services related to ETPs, which can include digital asset price calculators, digital asset indices, digital asset account monitoring systems, correlation of news events to digital asset prices, exchanges for converting from, to, or between digital assets, such as digital math-based assets, automated notification, transaction, and/or arbitrage systems involving digital assets, including digital math-based assets, kiosk systems for transacting or interacting with digital math-based assets, digital asset insurance systems, digital asset secure storage systems, and/or other financial products based on the same. Digital Math-Based Assets and Bitcoins (32) A digital math-based asset is a kind of digital asset based upon a computer generated mathematical and/or cryptographic protocol that may, among other things, be exchanged for value and/or be used to buy and sell goods or pay for services. A digital math-based asset may be a non-tangible asset that is not based upon a governmental rule, law, regulation, and/or backing. The Bitcoin system represents one form of digital math-based asset. A bitcoin may be a unit of the Bitcoin digital math-based asset. Other examples of digital math-based assets include Namecoins, Litecoins, PPCoins, Tonal bitcoins, IxCoins, Devcoins, Freicoins, I0coins, Terracoins, Liquidcoins, BBQcoins, BitBars, PhenixCoins, Ripple, Dogecoins, Mastercoins, BlackCoins, Ether, Nxt, BitShares-PTS, Quark, Primecoin, Feathercoin, Peercoin, Darkcoins, XC, MaidSafeCoins, Vertcoins, Qoras, Zetacoins, Megacoins, YbCoins, Novacoins, Moneros, Infinitecoins, MaxCoins, WorldCoins, Billioncoins, Anoncoins Colored Coins, and Counterparty, to name a few. In embodiments, digital math-based assets, such as bitcoins, may be accepted in trade by merchants, other businesses, and/or individuals in many parts of the world. (33) In embodiments, a digital math-based asset may be based on an open source mathematical and/or cryptographic protocol, which may exist on a digital asset network, such as a Bitcoin network. The network may be centralized, e.g., run by one or more central servers, or decentralized, e.g., run through a peer-to-peer network. Digital math-based assets may be maintained, tracked, and/or administered by the network. (34) A digital math-based asset system may use a decentralized electronic ledger system, which may be maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems. Such a ledger may be a public transaction, which may track asset ownership and/or transactions in a digital math-based asset system. The ledger may be a decentralized public transaction ledger, which can be distributed to users in the network, e.g., via a peer-to-peer sharing. Ledger updates may be broadcast to the users across the network. Each user may maintain an electronic copy of all or part of the ledger, as described herein. In embodiments, a digital asset system may employ a ledger that tracks transactions (e.g., transfers of assets from one address to another) without identifying the assets themselves. (35) In embodiments, a digital asset ledger, such as the Bitcoin blockchain, can be used to achieve consensus and to solve double-spending problems where users attempt to spend the same digital assets in more than one transaction. In embodiments, before a transaction may be cleared, the transaction participants may need to wait for some period of time, e.g., a six-confirmation wait (typically one hour in the context of the Bitcoin network, 15 minutes in the context of the Litecoin network, to name a few), before feeling confident that the transaction is valid, e.g., not a double count. Each update to the decentralized electronic ledger (e.g., each addition of a block to the Bitcoin blockchain) following execution of a transaction may provide a transaction confirmation. After a plurality of updates to the ledger, e.g., 6 updates, the transaction may be confirmed with certainty or high certainty. (36) In embodiments, a blockchain can be a public transaction ledger of the digital math-based asset network, such as the Bitcoin network. For example, one or more computer systems (e.g., miners) or pools of computer systems (e.g., mining pools) can solve algorithmic equations allowing them to add records of recent transactions (e.g., blocks), to a chain of transactions. In embodiments, miners or pools of miners may perform such services in exchange for some consideration such as an upfront fee (e.g., a set amount of math-based assets) and/or a payment of transaction fees (e.g., a fixed amount or set percentage of the transaction) from users whose transactions are recorded in the block being added. (37) The digital asset network (e.g., Bitcoin network) may timestamp transactions by including them in blocks that form an ongoing chain called a blockchain. In embodiments, the addition of a block may occur periodically, e.g., approximately every 2.5 minutes or every 10 minutes, to name a few. Such blocks cannot be changed without redoing the work that was required to create each block since the modified block. The longest blockchain may serve not only as proof of the sequence of events but also records that this sequence of events was verified by a majority of the digital asset network's computing power. The blockchain recognized by the nodes corresponding to the majority of computing power will become the accepted blockchain for the network. In embodiments, confirmation of a transaction may be attained with a high degree of accuracy following the addition of six blocks to the blockchain after a transaction was performed. As long as a majority of computing power is controlled by nodes that are not cooperating to attack the network, they will generate the longest blockchain of records and outpace attackers. (38) In embodiments, transaction messages can be broadcast on a best effort basis, and nodes can leave and rejoin the network at will. Upon reconnection, a node can download and verify new blocks from other nodes to complete its local copy of the blockchain. (39) In the exemplary Bitcoin system, a bitcoin is defined by a chain of digitally-signed transactions that began with its creation as a block reward through bitcoin mining. Each owner transfers bitcoins to the next by digitally signing them over to the next owner in a bitcoin transaction. A payee can then verify each previous transaction, e.g., by analyzing the blockchain, to verify the chain of ownership. (40) FIG. 2 is an exemplary screen shot of an excerpt of a bitcoin transaction log or transaction ledger 115 showing digital asset account identifiers (e.g., addresses) corresponding to origin and destination accounts for each transaction and amount information for each transaction. The exemplary log 115 includes transaction identifiers, date and/or time information, fee information, digital asset account identifiers for the origin accounts, digital asset account identifiers for the destination accounts, and amounts transferred to and from each account. Such a ledger may also include description information (such as notes describing a transaction, e.g. "rent payment") and/or balance information. Other forms of transaction logs can be used consistent with the present invention. (41) An exemplary embodiment of a digital asset network is illustrated in FIG. 1. In embodiments, other digital math-based assets can be maintained and/or administered by other digital math-based asset networks. Without meaning to limit the invention, a digital math-based asset network will be discussed with reference to a Bitcoin network by example. A digital math-based asset network, such as a Bitcoin network, may be an online, end-user to end-user network hosting a public transaction ledger 115 and governed by source code 120 comprising cryptologic and/or algorithmic protocols. A digital asset network can comprise a plurality of end users, a . . . N, each of which may access the network using one or more corresponding user device 105a, 105b, . . . 105N. In embodiments, user devices 105 may be operatively connected to each other through a data network 125, such as the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, a telephone network, dedicated access lines, a proprietary network, a satellite network, a wireless network, a mesh network, or through some other form of end-user to end-user interconnection, which may transmit data and/or other information. Any participants in a digital asset network may be connected directly or indirectly, as through the data network 125, through wired, wireless, or other connections. (42) In the exemplary embodiment, each user device 105 can run a digital asset client 110, e.g., a Bitcoin client, which can comprise digital asset source code 120 and an electronic transaction ledger 115. The source code 120 can be stored in processor readable memory, which may be accessed by and/or run on one or more processors. The electronic transaction ledger 115 can be stored on the same and/or different processor readable memory, which may be accessible by the one or more processors when running the source code 120. In embodiments, the electronic transaction ledger 115a (contained on a user device 105a) should correspond with the electronic transaction ledgers 115b . . . 115N (contained on user devices 105b . . . 105N), to the extent that the corresponding user device has accessed the Internet and been updated (e.g., downloaded the latest transactions). Accordingly, the electronic transaction ledger may be a public ledger. Exemplary embodiments of digital asset clients 110 for the Bitcoin network (Bitcoin clients) include Bitcoin-Qt and Bitcoin Wallet, to name a few. (43) In addition, a digital asset network, such as a Bitcoin network, may include one or more digital asset exchange 130, such as Bitcoin exchanges (e.g., BitFinex, BTC-e). Digital asset exchanges may enable or otherwise facilitate the transfer of digital assets, such as bitcoins, and/or conversions involving digital assets, such as between different digital assets and/or between a digital asset and non-digital assets, currencies, to name a few. The digital asset network may also include one or more digital asset exchange agents 135, e.g., a Bitcoin exchange agent. Exchange agents 135 may facilitate and/or accelerate the services provided by the exchanges. Exchanges 130, transmitters 132, and/or exchange agents 135 may interface with financial institutions (e.g., banks) and/or digital asset users. Transmitters 132 can include, e.g., money service businesses, which could be licensed in appropriate geographic locations to handle financial transactions. In embodiments, transmitters 132 may be part of and/or associated with a digital asset exchange 130. Like the user devices 105, digital asset exchanges 130, transmitters 132, and exchange agents 135 may be connected to the data network 125 through wired, wireless, or other connections. They may be connected directly and/or indirectly to each other and/or to one or more user device 105 or other entity participating in the digital asset system. (44) Digital assets may be sub-divided into smaller units or bundled into blocks or baskets. For example, for bitcoins, subunits, such as a Satoshi, as discussed herein, or larger units, such as blocks of bitcoins, may be used in exemplary embodiments. Each digital asset, e.g., bitcoin, may be subdivided, such as down to eight decimal places, forming 100 million smaller units. For at least bitcoins, such a smaller unit may be called a Satoshi. Other forms of division can be made consistent with embodiments of the present invention. (45) In embodiments, the creation and transfer of digital math-based assets can be based on an open source mathematical and/or cryptographic protocol, which may not be managed by any central authority. Digital assets can be transferred between one or more users or between digital asset accounts and/or storage devices (e.g., digital wallets) associated with a single user, through a network, such as the Internet, via a computer, smartphone, or other electronic device without an intermediate financial institution. In embodiments, a single digital asset transaction can include amounts from multiple origin accounts transferred to multiple destination accounts. Accordingly, a transaction may comprise one or more input amounts from one or more origin digital asset accounts and one or more output amounts to one or more destination accounts. Origin and destination may be merely labels for identifying the role a digital asset account plays in a given transaction; origin and destination accounts may be the same type of digital asset account. (46) In embodiments, a digital math-based asset system may produce digital asset transaction change. Transaction change refers to leftover digital asset amounts from transactions in digital asset systems, such as Bitcoin, where the transactions are comprised of one or more digital inputs and outputs. A digital asset account can store and/or track unspent transaction outputs, which it can use as digital inputs for future transactions. In embodiments, a wallet, third-party system, and/or digital asset network may store an electronic log of digital outputs to track the outputs associated with the assets contained in each account. In digital asset systems such as Bitcoin, digital inputs and outputs cannot be subdivided. For example, if a first digital asset account is initially empty and receives a transaction output of 20 BTC (a bitcoin unit) from a second digital asset account, the first account then stores that 20 BTC output for future use as a transaction input. To send 15 BTC, the first account must use the entire 20 BTC as an input, 15 BTC of which will be a spent output that is sent to the desired destination and 5 BTC of which will be an unspent output, which is transaction change that returns to the first account. An account with digital assets stored as multiple digital outputs can select any combination of those outputs for use as digital inputs in a spending transaction. In embodiments, a digital wallet may programmatically select outputs to use as inputs for a given transaction to minimize transaction change, such as by combining outputs that produce an amount closest to the required transaction amount and at least equal to the transaction amount. (47) Referring again to FIG. 1, a digital asset network may include digital asset miners 145. Digital asset miners 145 may perform operations associated with generating or minting new digital assets, and/or operations associated with confirming transactions, to name a few. Digital asset miners 145 may collaborate in one or more digital asset mining pools 150, which may aggregate power (e.g., computer processing power) so as to increase output, increase control, increase likelihood of minting new digital assets, increase likelihood of adding blocks to a blockchain, to name a few. (48) In embodiments, the processing of digital asset transactions, e.g., bitcoin transactions, can be performed by one or more computers over a distributed network, such as digital asset miners 145, e.g., bitcoin miners, and/or digital asset mining pools 150, e.g., bitcoin mining pools. In embodiments, mining pools 150 may comprise one or more miners 145, which miners 145 may work together toward a common goal. Miners 145 may have source code 120′, which may govern the activities of the miners 145. In embodiments, source code 120′ may be the same source code as found on user devices 105. These computers and/or servers can communicate over a network, such as an internet-based network, and can confirm transactions by adding them to a ledger 115, which can be updated and archived periodically using peer-to-peer file sharing technology. For example, a new ledger block could be distributed on a periodic basis, such as approximately every 10 minutes. In embodiments, the ledger may be a blockchain. Each successive block may record transactions that have occurred on the digital asset network. In embodiments, all digital asset transactions may be recorded as individual blocks in the blockchain. Each block may contain the details of some or all of the most recent transactions that are not memorialized in prior blocks. Blocks may also contain a record of the award of digital assets, e.g., bitcoins, to the miner 145 or mining pool 150 who added the new block, e.g., by solving calculations first. (49) A miner 145 may have a calculator 155, which may solve equations and/or add blocks to the blockchain. The calculator 155 may be one or more computing devices, software, or special-purpose device, to name a few. In embodiments, in order to add blocks to the blockchain, a miner 145 may be required to map an input data set (e.g., the blockchain, plus a block of the most recent transactions on the digital asset network, e.g., transactions on the Bitcoin network, and an arbitrary number, such as a nonce) to a desired output data set of predetermined length, such as a hash value. In embodiments, mapping may be required to use one or more particular cryptographic algorithms, such as the SHA-256 cryptographic hash algorithm or scrypt, to name a few. In embodiments, to solve or calculate a block, a miner 145 may be required to repeat this computation with a different nonce until the miner 145 generates a SHA-256 hash of a block's header that has a value less than or equal to a current target set by the digital asset network. In embodiments, each unique block may only be solved and added to the blockchain by one miner 145. In such an embodiment, all individual miners 145 and mining pools 150 on the digital asset network may be engaged in a competitive process and may seek to increase their computing power to improve their likelihood of solving for new blocks. In embodiments, successful digital asset miners 145 or mining pools 150 may receive an incentive, such as, e.g., a fixed number of digital assets (e.g., bitcoins) and/or a transaction fee for performing the calculation first and correctly and/or in a verifiable manner. (50) In embodiments, the cryptographic hash function that a miner 145 uses may be one-way only and thus may be, in effect, irreversible. In embodiments, hash values may be easy to generate from input data, such as valid recent network transaction(s), blockchain, and/or nonce, but neither a miner 145 nor other participant may be able to determine the original input data solely from the hash value. Other digital asset networks may use different proof of work algorithms, such as a sequential hard memory function, like scrypt, which may be used for Litecoin. As a result, generating a new valid block with a header less than the target prescribed by the digital asset network may be initially difficult for a miner 145, yet other miners 145 can easily confirm a proposed block by running the hash function at least once with a proposed nonce and other identified input data. In embodiments, a miner's proposed block may be added to the blockchain once a defined percentage or number of nodes (e.g., a majority of the nodes) on the digital asset network confirms the miner's work. A miner 145 may have a verifier 160, which may confirm other miners' work. A verifier 160 may be one or more computers, software, or specialized device, to name a few. A miner 145 that solved such a block may receive the reward of a fixed number of digital assets and/or any transaction fees paid by transferors whose transactions are recorded in the block. "Hashing" may be viewed as a mathematical lottery where miners that have devices with greater processing power (and thus the ability to make more hash calculations per second) are more likely to be successful miners 145. In embodiments, as more miners 145 join a digital asset network and as processing power increases, the digital asset network may adjust the complexity of the block-solving equation to ensure that one newly-created block is added to the blockchain approximately every ten minutes. Digital asset networks may use different processing times, e.g., approximately 2.5 minutes for Litecoin, approximately 10 minutes for Bitcoin, to name a few. (51) In addition to archiving transactions, a new addition to a ledger can create or reflect creation of one or more newly minted digital assets, such as bitcoins. In embodiments, new digital math-based assets may be created through a mining process, as described herein. In embodiments, the number of new digital assets created can be limited. For example, in embodiments, the number of digital assets (e.g., bitcoins) minted each year is halved every four years until a specified year, e.g., 2140, when this number will round down to zero. At that time no more digital assets will be added into circulation. In the exemplary embodiment of bitcoins, the total number of digital assets will have reached a maximum of 21 million assets in denomination of bitcoins. Other algorithms for limiting the total number of units of a digital math-based asset can be used consistent with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. For example, the Litecoin network is anticipated to produce 84 million Litecoins. In embodiments, the number of digital assets may not be capped and thus may be unlimited. In embodiments, a specified number of coins may be added into circulation each year, e.g., so as to create a 1% inflation rate. (52) In embodiments, the mining of digital assets may entail solving one or more mathematical calculations. In embodiments, the complexity of the mathematical calculations may increase over time and/or may increase as computer processing power increases. In embodiments, result of solving the calculations may be the addition of a block to a blockchain, which may be a transaction ledger, as described further below. Solving the calculations may verify a set of transactions that has taken place. Solving the calculations may entail a reward, e.g., a number of digital math-based assets and/or transaction fees from one or more of the verified transactions. (53) Different approaches are possible for confirming transactions and/or creating new assets. In embodiments, a digital asset network may employ a proof of work system. A proof of work system may require some type of work, such as the solving of calculations, from one or more participants (e.g., miners 145) on the network to verify transactions and/or create new assets. In embodiments, a miner 145 can verify as many transactions as computationally possible. A proof of work system may be computationally and/or energy intensive. In embodiments, the network may limit the transactions that a miner 145 may verify. (54) In embodiments, a digital asset network may employ a proof of stake system. In a proof of stake system, asset ownership may be tied to transaction verification and/or asset creation. Asset ownership can include an amount of assets owned and/or a duration of ownership. The duration of ownership may be measured linearly as time passes while a user owns an asset. In an exemplary embodiment, a user holding 4% of all digital assets in a proof of stake system can generate 4% of all blocks for the transaction ledger. A proof of stake system may not require the solution of complex calculations. A proof of stake system may be less energy intensive than a proof of work system. In embodiments, a hybrid of proof of work and proof of stake systems may be employed. For example, a proof of work system may be employed initially, but as the system becomes too energy intensive, it may transition to a proof of stake system. (55) In embodiments, asset creation and/or transaction confirmation can be governed by a proof of stake velocity system. Proof of stake velocity may rely upon asset ownership where the function for measuring duration of ownership is not linear. For example, an exponential decay time function may ensure that assets more newly held correspond to greater power in the system. Such a system can incentivize active participation in the digital math-based asset system, as opposed to storing assets passively. (56) In embodiments, a proof of burn system may be employed. Proof of burn may require destroying assets or rendering assets unspendable, such as by sending them to an address from which they cannot be spent. Destroying or rendering assets unusable can be an expensive task within the digital math-based asset system, yet it may not have external costs such as the energy costs that can be associated with mining in a proof of work system. Digital Asset Accounts and Transaction Security (57) Digital assets may be associated with a digital asset account, which may be identified by a digital asset address. A digital asset account can comprise at least one public key and at least one private key, e.g., based on a cryptographic protocol associated with the particular digital asset system, as discussed herein. One or more digital asset accounts may be accessed and/or stored using a digital wallet, and the accounts may be accessed through the wallet using the keys corresponding to the account. (58) Public Keys (59) A digital asset account identifier and/or a digital wallet identifier may comprise a public key and/or a public address. Such a digital asset account identifier may be used to identify an account in transactions, e.g., by listing the digital asset account identifier on a decentralized electronic ledger (e.g., in association with one or more digital asset transactions), by specifying the digital asset account identifier as an origin account identifier, and/or by specifying the digital asset account identifier as a destination account identifier, to name a few. The systems and methods described herein involving public keys and/or public addresses are not intended to exclude one or the other and are instead intended generally to refer to digital asset account identifiers, as may be used for other digital math-based asset. A public key may be a key (e.g., a sequence, such as a binary sequence or an alphanumeric sequence) that can be publicly revealed while maintaining security, as the public key alone cannot decrypt or access a corresponding account. A public address may be a version of a public key. In embodiments, a public key may be generated from a private key, e.g., using a cryptographic protocol, such as the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm ("ECDSA"). (60) In exemplary embodiments using bitcoins, a public key may be a 512-bit key, which may be converted to a 160-bit key using a hash, such as the SHA-256 and/or RIPEMD-160 hash algorithms. The 160-bit key may be encoded from binary to text, e.g., using Base58 encoding, to produce a public address comprising non-binary text (e.g., an alphanumeric sequence). Accordingly, in embodiments, a public address may comprise a version (e.g., a shortened yet not truncated version) of a public key, which may be derived from the public key via hashing or other encoding. In embodiments, a public address for a digital wallet may comprise human-readable strings of numbers and letters around 34 characters in length, beginning with the digit 1 or 3, as in the example of 175tWpb8K1S7NmH4Zx6rewF9WQrcZv245W. The matching private key may be stored in a digital wallet or mobile device and protected by a password or other techniques and/or devices for providing authentication. (61) In other digital asset networks, other nomenclature mechanisms may be used, such as a human-readable string of numbers and letters around 34 characters in length, beginning with the letter L for Litecoins or M or N for Namecoins or around 44 characters in length, beginning with the letter P for PPCoins, to name a few. (62) Private Keys (63) A private key in the context of a digital math-based asset, such as bitcoins, may be a sequence such as a number that allows the digital math-based asset, e.g., bitcoins, to be transferred or spent. In embodiments, a private key may be kept secret to help protect against unauthorized transactions. In a digital asset system, a private key may correspond to a digital asset account, which may also have a public key or other digital asset account identifier. While the public key may be derived from the private key, the reverse may not be true. (64) In embodiments related to the Bitcoin system, every Bitcoin public address has a matching private key, which can be saved in the digital wallet file of the account holder. The private key can be mathematically related to the Bitcoin public address and can be designed so that the Bitcoin public address can be calculated from the private key, but importantly, the same cannot be done in reverse. (65) A digital asset account, such as a multi-signature account, may require a plurality of private keys to access it. In embodiments, any number of private keys may be required. An account creator may specify the number of required keys (e.g., 2, 3, 5, to name a few) when generating a new account. More keys may be generated than are required to access and/or use an account. For example, 5 keys may be generated, and any combination of 3 of the 5 keys may be sufficient to access a digital asset account. Such an account setup can allow for additional storage and security options, such as backup keys and multi-signature transaction approval, as described herein. (66) Because a private key provides authorization to transfer or spend digital assets such as bitcoins, security of the private key can be important. Private keys can be stored via electronic computer files, but they may also be short enough that they can be printed or otherwise written on paper or other media. An example of a utility that allows extraction of private keys from an electronic wallet file for printing purposes is Pywallet. Other extraction utilities may also be used consistent with the present invention. (67) In embodiments, a private key can be made available to a program or service that allows entry or importing of private keys in order to process a transaction from an account associated with the corresponding public key. Some wallets can allow the private key to be imported without generating any transactions while other wallets or services may require that the private key be swept. When a private key is swept, a transaction is automatically broadcast so that the entire balance held by the private key is sent or transferred to another address in the wallet and/or securely controlled by the service in question. (68) In embodiments, using Bitcoin clients, such as BlockChain.info's My Wallet service and Bitcoin-QT, a private key may be imported without creating a sweep transaction. (69) In embodiments, a private key, such as for a Bitcoin account, may be a 256-bit number, which can be represented in one or more ways. For example, a private key in a hexadecimal format may be shorter than in a decimal format. For example, 256 bits in hexadecimal is 32 bytes, or 64 characters in the range 0-9 or A-F. The following is an example of a hexadecimal private key: E9 87 3D 79 C6 D8 7D C0 FB 6A 57 78 63 33 89 F4 45 32 13 30 3D A6 1F 20 BD 67 FC 23 3A A3 32 62 (70) In embodiments, nearly every 256-bit number is a valid private key. Specifically, any 256-bit number between 0x1 and 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4141 is a valid private key. In embodiments, the range of valid private keys can be governed by the secp256k1 ECDSA standard used by Bitcoin. Other standards may also be used. (71) In embodiments, a shorter form of a private key may be used, such as a base 58 Wallet Import format, which may be derived from the private key using Base58 and/or Base58Check encoding. The Wallet Import format may be shorter than the original private key and can include built-in error checking codes so that typographical errors can be automatically detected and/or corrected. For private keys associated with uncompressed public keys, the private key may be 51 characters and may start with the number 5. For example, such a private key may be in the following format: 5Kb8kLf9zgWQnogidDA76MzPL6TsZZY36hWXMssSzNydYXYB9KF (72) In embodiments, private keys associated with compressed public keys may be 52 characters and start with a capital L or K. (73) In embodiments when a private key is imported, each private key may always correspond to exactly one Bitcoin public address. In embodiments, a utility that performs the conversion can display the matching Bitcoin public address. (74) The Bitcoin public address corresponding to the sample above is: 1CC3X2gu58d6wXUWMffpuzN9JAfTUWu4Kj (75) In embodiments, a mini private key format can be used. Not every private key or Bitcoin public address has a corresponding mini private key; they have to be generated a certain way in order to ensure a mini private key exists for an address. The mini private key is used for applications where space is critical, such as in QR codes and in physical bitcoins. The above example has a mini key, which is: SzavMBLoXU6kDrqtUVmffv (76) In embodiments, any bitcoins sent to the designated address 1CC3X2gu58d6wXUWMffpuzN9JAfTUWu4Kj can be transferred or spent by anybody who knows the private key in any of the three formats (e.g., hexadecimal, base 58 wallet format, or mini private key). That includes bitcoins presently at the address, as well as any bitcoins that are ever sent to it in the future. The private key is only needed to transfer or spend the balance, not necessarily to see it. In embodiments, the bitcoin balance of the address can be determined by anybody with the public Block Explorer at http://www.blockexplorer.com/address/1CC3X2gu58d6wXUWMffpuzN9JAfTUWu4Kj—even if without access to the private key. (77) In embodiments, a private key may be divided into segments, encrypted, printed, and/or stored in other formats and/or other media, as discussed herein. (78) Digital Wallets (79) In embodiments, digital math-based assets can be stored and/or transferred using either a website or software, such as downloaded software. The website and/or downloadable software may comprise and/or provide access to a digital wallet. Each digital wallet can have one or more individual digital asset accounts (e.g., digital asset addresses) associated with it. Each user can have one or more digital wallets to store digital math-based assets, digital crypto-currency, assets and the like and/or perform transactions involving those currencies or assets. In embodiments, service providers can provide services that are tied to a user's individual account. (80) Digital wallets and/or the digital asset accounts associated with and/or stored by a digital wallet may be accessed using the private key (which may be used in conjunction with a public key or variant thereof). Accordingly, the generation, access, use, and storage of digital asset accounts is described herein with respect to generation, access, use, and storage of digital wallets. Such descriptions are intended to be representative of digital asset accounts and not exclusive thereof. (81) A digital wallet can be generated using a digital asset client 110 (e.g., a Bitcoin client). In embodiments, a digital wallet can be created using a key pair system, such as an asymmetric key pair like a public key and a private key. The public key can be shared with others to designate the address of a user's individual account and/or can be used by registries and/or others to track digital math-based asset transactions involving a digital asset account associated with the digital wallet. Such transactions may be listed or otherwise identified by the digital wallet. The public key may be used to designate a recipient of a digital asset transaction. A corresponding private key can be held by the account holder in secret to access the digital wallet and perform transactions. In embodiments, a private key may be a 256-bit number, which can be represented by a 64-character hexadecimal private key and/or a 51-character base-58 private key. As discussed herein, private keys of other lengths and/or based on other numbering systems can be used, depending upon the user's desire to maintain a certain level of security and convenience. Other forms of key pairs, or security measures can be used consistent with embodiments of the present invention. (82) In embodiments, a digital wallet may store one or more private keys or one or more key pairs which may correspond to one or more digital asset accounts. (83) In embodiments, a digital wallet may be a computer software wallet, which may be installed on a computer. The user of a computer software wallet may be responsible for performing backups of the wallet, e.g., to protect against loss or destruction, particularly of the private and/or public key. In embodiments, a digital wallet may be a mobile wallet, which may operate on a mobile device (e.g., mobile phone, smart phone, cell phone, iPod Touch, PDA, tablet, portable computer, to name a few). In embodiments, a digital wallet may be a website wallet or a web wallet. A user of a web wallet may not be required to perform backups, as the web wallet may be responsible for storage of digital assets. Different wallet clients may be provided, which may offer different performance and/or features in terms of, e.g., security, backup options, connectivity to banks or digital asset exchanges, user interface, and/or speed, to name a few. (84) Signatures (85) A transaction may require, as a precondition to execution, a digital asset signature generated using a private key and associated public key for the digital asset account making the transfer. In embodiments, each transaction can be signed by a digital wallet or other storage mechanism of a user sending a transaction by utilizing a private key associated with such a digital wallet. The signature may provide authorization for the transaction to proceed, e.g., authorization to broadcast the transaction to a digital asset network and/or authorization for other users in a digital asset network to accept the transaction. A signature can be a number that proves that a signing operation took place. A signature can be mathematically generated from a hash of something to be signed, plus a private key. The signature itself can be two numbers such as r and s. With the public key, a mathematical algorithm can be used on the signature to determine that it was originally produced from the hash and the private key, without needing to know the private key. Signatures can be either 73, 72, or 71 bytes long, to name a few. (86) In embodiments, the ECDSA cryptographic algorithm may be used to ensure that digital asset transactions (e.g., bitcoin transactions) can only be initiated from the digital wallet holding the digital assets (e.g., bitcoins). Alternatively or in addition, other algorithms may be employed. (87) In embodiments, a transaction from a multi-signature account may require digital asset signatures from a plurality of private keys, which may correspond to the same public key and/or public address identifying the multi-signature digital asset account. As described herein, a greater number of private keys may be created than is necessary to sign a transaction (e.g., 5 private keys created and only 3 required to sign a transaction). In embodiments, private keys for a multi-signature account may be distributed to a plurality of users who are required to authorize a transaction together. In embodiments, private keys for a multi-signature account may be stored as backups, e.g., in secure storage, which may be difficult to access, and may be used in the event that more readily obtainable keys are lost. Market Places (88) A digital asset market place, such as a Bitcoin market place, can comprise various participants, including users, vendors, exchanges, exchange agents, and/or miners/mining pools. The market contains a number of digital asset exchanges, which facilitate trade of digital assets using other currencies, such as United States dollars. Exchanges may allow market participants to buy and sell digital assets, essentially converting between digital assets (e.g., bitcoins) and currency, legal tender, and/or traditional money (e.g., cash). In embodiments, a digital asset exchange market can include a global exchange market for the trading of digital assets, which may contain transactions on electronic exchange markets. In accordance with the present invention, exchanges and/or transmitters may also be used to facilitate other transactions involving digital assets, such as where digital assets are being transferred from differently denominated accounts or where the amount to transfer is specified in a different denomination than the digital asset being transferred, to name a few. Bitstamp is one example of a Bitcoin exchange 130. A Bitcoin exchange agent 135 can be a service that acts as an agent for exchanges, accelerating the buying and selling of bitcoins as well as the transfer of funds to be used in the buying and/or selling of bitcoins. Coinbase is an example of a company that performs the role of a Bitcoin exchange agent 135. Coinbase engages in the retail sale of bitcoin, which it obtains, at least in part, from one or more exchanges. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary Coinbase website interface for buying bitcoin. Other Coinbase options include "Sell Bitcoin," "Send Money," "Request Money," and "Recurring Payments." Other options could also be made available consistent with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. (89) In addition to the services that facilitate digital asset transactions and exchanges with cash, digital asset transactions can occur directly between two users. In exemplary uses, one user may provide payment of a certain number of digital assets to another user. Such a transfer may occur by using digital wallets and designating the public key of the wallet to which funds are being transferred. As a result of the capability, digital assets may form the basis of business and other transactions. Digital math-based asset transactions may occur on a global scale without the added costs, complexities, time and/or other limits associated with using one or more different currencies. (90) Vendors 140 may accept digital assets as payment. A vendor 140 may be a seller with a digital wallet that can hold the digital asset. In embodiments, a vendor 140 may be a larger institution with an infrastructure arranged to accept and/or transact in digital assets. Various vendors 140 can offer banknotes and coins denominated in bitcoins; what is sold is really a Bitcoin private key as part of the coin or banknote. Usually, a seal has to be broken to access the Bitcoin private key, while the receiving address remains visible on the outside so that the bitcoin balance can be verified. In embodiments, a debit card can be tied to a Bitcoin wallet to process transactions. Setup and Storage of Digital Assets and/or Digital Wallets (91) Digital asset accounts may be securely generated, accessed, and/or used (e.g., for transactions) from a secure administrative portal. In embodiments, the administrative portal, which may be used for key generation, parsing, and/or reassembly, may be a secure system for transacting in digital math based assets comprising a first computer system comprising one or more processors that generate one or more digital wallets and one or more respective private keys and one or more respective public keys, each of the one or more private keys being segmented into one or more private key segments; one or more writing devices operatively connected to the one or more first computer systems, each of the one or more writing devices adapted to write at least one private key segment of a corresponding one of the one or more private keys, along with information correlating the at least one private key segment to one of the one or more public keys; and at least one networked computer comprising one or more processors that access at least one of the digital wallets using a corresponding one of the one or more private keys as reassembled using the corresponding private key segments. (92) In embodiments, the administrative portal may further comprise a second computer system comprising one or more processors for reassembling the corresponding one of the one or more private keys based on input into the second computer system of the corresponding private key segments. In embodiments, the input device may be a scanner, a keyboard, a touchscreen, a mouse, a microphone, a camera, and/or a digital card reader, to name a few. (93) In embodiments, the first computer system of the administrative portal and/or the second computer system may not be associated with a network. In embodiments, the first computer system of the administrative portal and the networked computer system may be a common computer system. In embodiments, the second computer system of the administrative portal and the networked computer system may comprise a common computer system. In further embodiments, the first computer system, the second computer system, and the networked computer system may be a common computer system. (94) In embodiments, referring to FIGS. 4A-4D, the administrative portal may comprise an accounting computer 25 and a secure location 10, as described herein. (95) Referring to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4A, at a secure location 10, a digital asset account holder, administrator, manager, and/or custodian may maintain at least two computers. In embodiments, an administrator, manager, and/or custodian may be contracted to manage one or more digital asset accounts and/or oversee security for the accounts. In embodiments, secure location 10 may be a room with restricted entry. In embodiments, secure location 10 may have a user entry log to provide an access record for the location. (96) In the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 4A, at secure location 10, the first computer may be a networked computer 20, which may comprise one or more computing devices. Networked computer 20 and/or other computers in the system may have the ability to cycle or otherwise change IP addresses. The second computer may be a non-networked, isolated computer 30, which may comprise one or more computing devices. In embodiments, the networked computer 20 and the isolated computer 30 may be separate aspects of one computing device. For example, a hard drive partition may be used to separate the networked and non-networked functions. In embodiments, the computers may comprise one or more processors and/or computer readable memory. Networked computer 20 and isolated computer 30 may be located in close proximity to each other, as in the same room, or may be located in separate locations within secure location 10. It will be appreciated by those in the art that secure location 10 may comprise a plurality of secure locations. In embodiments, isolated computer 30 may be located in a Faraday cage 50. The Faraday cage 50 may prevent electronic eavesdropping or interference from electromagnetic waves. In alternative embodiments, the functions ascribed above to networked computer 20 and isolated computer 30 may be performed by one or more networked and/or isolated computers at one or more locations. (97) In the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 4A, networked computer 20 can communicate with a registry, exchange, other external entities, e.g., APs, and/or all or part of a digital asset network to send and/or receive digital assets (e.g., to create transactions), to compute balances, and/or to transmit or otherwise broadcast signed or otherwise finalized transactions. In embodiments, networked computer 20 may be used to distribute digital assets among one or more digital asset accounts and/or digital wallets. The networked computer 20 may be connected to the Internet directly (e.g., through Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or any connection known in the art or hereafter developed) or indirectly (e.g., through another computer to which it is directly connected), or may be connected to a network other than the Internet. (98) In embodiments, the digital assets may be stored in one or more digital wallets residing on one or more computing devices, such as remote servers, personal computers, tablet devices, mobile devices, such as smart phones, or PDAs, to name a few. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4A, isolated computer 30 may be used to generate electronic wallets and/or key pairs, which may include both private and public keys. In embodiments, keys comprise strings or alphanumeric characters or other characters, optionally of a pre-determined length, may comprise one or more pieces of computer code, or may comprise other formats of keys known in the art. In embodiments, digital wallets may be created on isolated computer 30 using a "clean-boot" with a bootable CD, such as a Linux Live CD. The specific version of the operating system may be maintained in secret to avoid security risks. (99) In embodiments, digital asset accounts and/or digital wallets may be generated by an entity upon receipt of a request to transfer digital assets to the entity and/or may be pre-generated at the time that security measures (e.g., a vault storage system) is set up, to name a few. The digital asset accounts each may be associated with unique private-public key pairs (which may include a plurality of private keys). In embodiments, the key pairs may be created as part of the digital wallet creation process. In other embodiments, the key pairs may be created before or after the creation of the one or more digital wallets and associated with the wallets as a separate step. In embodiments, the assets stored in a digital wallet may be accessed with a key pair, even if the original wallet is destroyed or otherwise unavailable. In such embodiments, only the key pair need be maintained and/or stored to retrieve the assets associated with a given digital wallet. Accordingly, in an embodiment of the present invention, digital wallets may be deleted or otherwise destroyed following the storage of their associated keys. Assets may be added to the wallet even after its destruction using the public key. Assets may thus be stored in a wallet after the wallet is destroyed. The wallet may be re-generated using its keys. (100) In embodiments, the private key may not be used directly with or on the networked computer 20. In embodiments, a public key (without the corresponding private key) may only be able to receive digital assets for deposit purposes. In embodiments, assets may be transferred to a wallet using its public key and without the transferor knowing the private key. Implementation of the foregoing may require customized software, e.g., software that modifies the standard digital asset protocols. (101) In embodiments, isolated computer 30 may also be used in conjunction with, e g., one or more printers or other writing devices, to print the key pairs or may be used otherwise to arrange for the storage of one or more aspects and/or portions (or segments or coded and/or encrypted segments) of the key pairs. A printer 32 or other writing device to write, print, or otherwise store the keys may be provided with the isolated computer 30. Such printer(s) and/or other writing device(s) may be connected, directly and/or indirectly, to the isolated computers, such as through hardwire, wireless, or other connection. That device may also be located within a Faraday cage, which may be the same Faraday cage housing isolated computer 30. Storage of the keys is described further below. (102) In embodiments, one or more isolated computers 30 can be used in conjunction with one or more printers or other writing devices to write, print or otherwise store keys. It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, that in embodiments it may be desirable to limit the number or printers or other writing devices to as few as possible to reduce risk of exposure of private keys, while in embodiments it may be desirable to have a larger number of printers or other writing devices to handle the volume of wallets and/or keys that need to be generated and/or written by the system for its operation. (103) Private keys may be stored in the selected format along with their corresponding public keys. In embodiments, the private key may be stored with a reference number which may correlate the private key to its corresponding public key. The reference number may be (or may be stored as) a number, alphanumeric code, bar code, QR code, to name a few. A reference number master list may identify a private key, the reference number, and the corresponding public key. The reference number master list may be printed or etched on paper or some other substrate, may be stored digitally on a tape CD, DVD, computer hard drive, or other medium, or otherwise stored in a manner known in the art. The substrates or media just described may have any suitable size, including microscopic or nano scales. In embodiments, the reference number master list may be stored in a secure storage chamber 60 at secure location 10. Storage chamber 60 may be a lockbox, fireproof box, or other secure chamber. If storage is electronic or digital, chamber 60 may protect against electromagnetic waves. (104) The private and/or public keys and/or any reference number may be stored in a variety of formats, as described herein. The keys may be divided into separate segments for storage. For example, a 51-character key may be divided into three 17-character segments. The same reference number that correlates the private key to the public key or an additional reference number or other identifier may indicate which key segments are part of the same key. The reference identifier or another identifier may be provided and stored with the one or more segments to indicate their order in the assembled key. A numbering schema or other convention may also be used to identify the order of key segments. For example, a first segment may begin with an "A", a second segment may begin with a "B", and a third segment may begin with a "C". The key segments may be stored in one or more locations. In embodiments, the key segments may be divided among a plurality of vaults 70, as described herein. (105) In embodiments, keys and/or key segments may be stored digitally and/or electronically, e.g., on one or more computer hard drive, disk, tape, memory card, flash memory, CD-ROM, and/or DVD, to name a few. In embodiments, the keys and/or key segments may be printed on any substrate, including paper, papyrus, plastic, and/or any substrate known in the art. In embodiments, the substrate may be fireproof or fire resistant, such as a fireproof plastic. The substrate may be resistant to fluids, e.g., water resistant, or otherwise nonabsorbent. Other printing options may be holographic printing, three-dimensional printing, raised printing, such as Braille lettering, and/or invisible ink printing, such as using inks that require a special light and/or treatment, e.g., heat and/or chemicals, for viewing. In embodiments, keys may be etched, e.g., in wood, metal, glass, plastic, or other compositions known in the art, e.g., to produce a card. In embodiments, a magnetic encoding may be used to write to the card. In embodiments, etched or printed keys or key segments may take any shape, such as coin-shaped tokens or rectangular blocks, to name a few. In embodiments, keys or key segments may be printed, etched, or otherwise stored as alphanumeric strings. In embodiments, keys or key segments may be printed, etched, or otherwise stored in a form readable by programmed devices, such as scanners. Such a form may be a QR code, a bar code, another available scannable code format and/or a proprietary code format. In embodiments, quality control operations may ensure that the keys or key segments are printed accurately and/or are able to be read. In embodiments, printed or etched keys or key segments may be coated to prevent reading the key without removing or otherwise altering the coating. Such a coating may be a UV coating and/or may block X-rays or other forms of scanning or reading. The coating may be scratched off to reveal the data contained below it. The back of the substrate may also be coated to prevent reading through the substrate. Such a coating may provide an indication of whether a printed key or key segment was accessed or attempted to be accessed (e.g., it can be detected whether someone scratched the coating away). (106) In embodiments, security measures may be established and implemented to reduce the risk of digital wallets being compromised. Further, redundancies can be put in place to provide and/or help ensure that any information necessary to access digital math-based assets in digital wallets can be maintained and/or accessed by the account holders as appropriate, necessary, and/or desired. (107) Multiple private keys may be required to access a digital wallet. Multiple keys may be stored in the same manner as key segments. In embodiments, where a second private key is required, the one or more individuals or systems providing the second key may be located in different administrative portals, different rooms, and/or different geographies from the one or more individuals or systems providing the first private key. Accordingly, a plurality of administrative portals may be employed by secure digital asset storage systems in accordance with the present invention. In embodiments, a plurality of portals may be used for retrieval of stored digital assets (e.g., by requiring a signature or private key from at least two individuals located in at least two different portals). In embodiments, one portal may be used for re-assembling key segments and thus providing one private key, and an individual in a second location may be required to provide a second key or signature before a digital wallet may be accessed. The second key or signature may be encrypted and/or segmented as described herein with respect to a single private key. (108) In embodiments, a digital wallet may have more than one private key (e.g., multi-signature wallets). The plurality of private keys may be stored securely in the same manner as a single private key. Each private key segment pertaining to a single wallet may be stored in separate vaults, which may be electronic and/or physical vaults. By allowing for multi-signature wallets, the wallet can provide for approval/signature authority from more than one individual or entity as a further means to control access to digital assets held in such wallet. In embodiments, a signature authority may be an automated electronic signature authority, such as a computer or computer system programmed with transaction approval rules. The automated electronic signature authority may only provide a signature when a transaction satisfies the transaction approval rules. In other embodiments, required signature authorities may be individuals who may be located in different administrative portals, different rooms, and/or different geographies. Accordingly, a plurality of administrative portals may be employed by secure digital asset storage systems in accordance with the present invention. In embodiments, one portal may be used for re-assembling key segments and thus providing one private key, and an individual or system in a second location may be required to provide a second key or signature before a digital wallet may be accessed. The second location may be a second portal, a location in a different building, and/or a different geography, to name a few. The second key or signature may be encrypted and/or segmented as described herein with respect to a single private key. (109) Keys or key segments may be encrypted and/or ciphered, using one or more ciphers, as an additional security measure. The encryption and/or ciphers may be applied by computers running encryption software, separate encryption devices, or by the actions of one or more persons, e.g., prior to input of the encrypted and/or ciphered data into one or more computers. In embodiments, a key may be stored in reverse order and/or translated (e.g., by adding 1 to each digit and/or advancing each alphabetic character by one position in the Western alphabet, by substitution such as by mapping each character to a different character (e.g., A=3, 5=P, to name a few), to name a few). In embodiments, other encryption algorithms can comprise scrambling of a sequence of characters, addition of characters, and/or hashing. Other encryption techniques are possible. See, e.g., David Kahn, The Codebreakers: The Story of Secret Writing, 1967, ISBN 0-684-83130-9. See also, Bruce Schneier, Applied Cryptography, John Wiley & Sons, 1994, ISBN: 0-471-59756-2. The encryption and/or ciphers may protect against use of the keys by an unauthorized entity who obtains the keys or key segments or copies thereof. The encoding and/or cipher may be maintained in secret and applied to decrypt or decode the keys only when keys must be accessed and used. In embodiments, ciphering may refer to an alphanumeric translation or reordering, while encryption may refer to higher level algorithms, including hashing algorithms. In embodiments, encryption and ciphering may refer to the same processes, in which case descriptions herein of processes involving both encryption and ciphering steps may only entail performance of one such step so as not to be repetitive. (110) Following storage of the key pairs, the key pairs may be erased from isolated computer 30. Erasure may occur using the computer operating system's delete features, customized software or computer code designed to remove the data from computer memory, magnets used to physically erase the data from the computer's storage drives, and/or other techniques known in the art. (111) A key reader 40 may be provided to assemble, read, and/or de-crypt the keys or key segments. The key reader 40 may be contained within a Faraday cage, which may be the same Faraday cage housing isolated computer 30. The key reader 40 may read keys that are printed, etched, digitally stored, or otherwise stored. Key reader 40 may be a scanner (e.g., photo scanner or bar code scanner), QR reader, laser, computer hardware, CD reader, and/or digital card reader, to name a few. Key reader 40 may include or be operationally connected to a microscope or magnifying device, such as for keys that are printed in microscopic sizes or other small sizes. In embodiments, key reader 40 may be paired with optical character recognition ("OCR") technology to create digitally recognized copies of keys that may have been printed, etched, or otherwise stored in a form not immediately readable by a computer. (112) In embodiments, key reader 40 may comprise an input device, such as a keyboard, touchscreen, mouse, and/or microphone, to name a few. An input device may be used for manual entry of keys and/or key segments into one or more computers so that the computer may further process the key segments. Key reader 40 may be operationally connected to isolated computer 30, which may be a direct connection (e.g., a USB cable, Ethernet cable, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, to name a few). In embodiments, key reader 40 may be operationally connected to networked computer 20. Key reader 40 may be operationally connected to a separate computing device. (113) In embodiments, reassembled keys may be input directly into a networked computer 20, which may then be used to access one or more digital wallets and/or perform one or more transactions. Key reader 40 and/or corresponding software (e g, running on a computer operationally connected to the key reader) may be programmed or otherwise designed to assemble key segments into completed keys. Key reader 40 and/or corresponding software (e.g., running on a computer operationally connected to the key reader) may also correlate the private keys with their corresponding public keys, optionally using the reference number master list. In embodiments, one or more pieces of software may be used to retrieve, decrypt, assemble, and/or decipher keys and/or key segments. In embodiments, such software may be run on any of one or more secure storage system computers and/or user devices. In embodiments, multiple authority may be required to initiated a retrieval of stored private keys. (114) In embodiments, a back-up isolated computer 35 and/or a back-up key reader 45 may be provided at secure location 10, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4C. The back-up isolated computer 35 and key reader 45 may be contained in a back-up Faraday cage 55, which may be separate from main Faraday cage 50. In embodiments, all or part of the administrative portal may be duplicated and/or backed up. A duplicate administrative portal or portion thereof may be located in a separate geographic area. A duplicate portal may serve as a disaster recovery operations portal. (115) In embodiments, a digital math-based asset miner, such as a bitcoin miner, may be located at or within the administrative portal. The miner may be one or more computers. In embodiments, the miner may be operationally connected to any of the computers and/or devices at the administrative portal described above. (116) In embodiments, referring to FIG. 4D, the secure location can house one or more networked computers 20, one or more accounting computers 25, one or more digital asset miner computers 65, one or more isolated transaction computers 32 operatively connected to one or more key readers 40, and one or more isolated wallet computers 30′, operatively connected to one or more writing devices 32 and, in embodiments, to one or more key readers 40. Each isolated transaction computer 60 and/or isolated wallet computer 30′ may be isolated from each other and/or other computers electronically using a secure environment, such as a Faraday cage 50, 60. (117) One or more vaults 70, 70-1, 70-2, 70-3, 70-N, may be used to hold assets. Vaults may be any secure storage facilities, structures, and/or systems. For example, a vault may be a bank vault or a safety deposit box. Vaults may have appropriately controlled environments (e.g., regulated temperature and/or humidity, to name a few) to enable long-term storage of keys and/or key segments substrates. Vaults may be operated by one or more entities, which may be separate entities. In embodiments, only bonded employees may be permitted access to the vaults. Also, vaults may be located in one or more physical (e.g., geographic) and/or digital (e.g., residing on one or more separate computer servers or hard drives) locations. In embodiments, vaults may be used in conjunction with digital wallets and/or other devices and/or systems known in the art for storing digital assets and/or data. (118) In the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 4A-D, the private keys 80 may be divided into three segments, 80-1, 80-2, and 80-3 for storage. Each segment may be stored in a separate one of vaults 70-1, 70-2, and 70-3. In embodiments, two segments, four segments, five segments or another number of segments can be used in accordance with embodiments the present invention. In embodiments, each key segment may be stored in a vault operated by the same entity or by one or more different entities. (119) In embodiments, one or more duplicate copies of each key or key segment may be produced. Such duplicate copies may be stored in separate vaults, e.g., three sets of keys split into three segments may be stored in nine vaults, four sets of keys split into two segments may be stored in eight vaults, and/or the copies of key segments may be distributed among some other number of vaults, to name a few. See, e.g., FIGS. 9A-9D, to name a few. Duplicate copies may serve as a back-up in case one copy of a key or key segment becomes corrupted, lost, or otherwise unreadable. (120) In embodiments, vaults may hold the keys in an organized or categorized fashion so as to facilitate location of one or more keys or key segments. In embodiments, a sorting reference number may be used to organize the keys or key segments. The sorting reference number may be the same as the reference number that correlates private and public keys. In embodiments, etched coins or other materials or printed keys or key segments may be stacked or otherwise arranged according to the reference number. In embodiments, an index or card catalog may describe the location of the keys. In embodiments, an automated machine may store and retrieve key segments from storage slots, which machine may receive an input to indicate which keys or key segments to retrieve. (121) FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a process for creating digital wallets and storing their keys. In a step S02 one or more digital wallets may be created using one or more isolated wallet computers 30′. In a step S04, the public and private keys associated with the created digital wallets may be obtained using one or more isolated wallet computers 30′. In embodiments, referring to FIG. 5B, in a step S05 each private key may be ciphered. In a step S06, each private key, which may be a ciphered private key following step S05, may be divided into segments. In a step S08, one or more duplicate copies of each private key segment may be created. In some embodiments, the private key may be divided into 2, 3, 4 or more segments. In embodiments, each private key segment may be encrypted or otherwise encoded in a step S10. In embodiments, steps S08 and/or S10 may be skipped. In a step S12, each private key segment may be associated with a reference number, correlating the private key segment to the respective public key and/or indicating the order of the private key segment within the complete key. In a step S14, each encrypted private key segment may be converted to a storable medium, such as by printing each private key segment on paper. In a step S16, the private key segment as converted in the storable medium (e.g., printed) is verified to confirm it was properly and retrievable stored. In embodiments, this step may be skipped. In a step S18, each private key segment is stored along with its reference number at one or more secure locations. In a step S20, each digital wallet is deleted, leaving the stored keys as a means to regenerate the wallets. (122) FIG. 6A is a flow chart of a process for generating digital asset accounts and securely storing the keys corresponding to each account. In embodiments, the process may be performed using one or more isolated computers not connected to any external data networks. The isolated computer may comprise a clean copy of an operating system (e.g., a clean boot) stored in computer-readable memory and running on one or more processors. (123) In a step S6002, a computer system comprising one or more computers may be used to generate one or more digital asset accounts capable of holding one or more digital math-based assets. In embodiments, such accounts may be associated with digital asset ownership and/or possession without physically holding a digital asset in any location. A digital asset software client, which may comprise part of a digital wallet or may be accessed using a digital wallet, may be used to generate the digital asset accounts. (124) In a step S6004, the computer system may be used to obtain one or more private keys corresponding to the one or more digital asset accounts. In embodiments, the private keys may be generated as part of the digital asset account creation process. (125) In a step S6006, the computer system may be used to divide each of the one or more private keys into a plurality of private key segments. In embodiments, such as with a multi-signature wallet, at least one private key for each digital asset account may be divided into private key segments. (126) In a step S6008, the one or more computers may be used to encrypt each of the plurality of private key segments. Encryption can comprise any of the techniques described herein, such as character substitution, scrambling, mapping, and/or hashing, to name a few. The computer system can apply one or more algorithms to perform the encryption. Symmetric and or asymmetric encryption algorithms may be applied. (127) In a step S6010, the one or more computers may be used to generate and/or associate each of the plurality of private key segments with a respective reference identifier. A reference identifier may be a number, alphanumeric sequence, or other unique sequence that can be used to identify key segments, which may be used for storage and/or retrieval of key segments. The reference identifier for each key segment may be stored on a reference identifier master list, which may be stored electronically and/or on a physical substrate. The reference identifier master list may associate with each other the reference identifiers for key segments corresponding to the same key, and/or may also associate a digital asset account identifier (e.g., a public key or public address) with the key segments. (128) In a step S6012, the one or more computers may be used to create one or more cards for each of the encrypted plurality of private key segments. Each card may have fixed thereon one of the encrypted plurality of private key segments along with the respective associated reference identifier. The cards may be paper, such as index cards, 8½ in.×11 in. sheets of paper, or other paper products. In other embodiments, the cards may include plastic or metal. The cards may be laminated. A writing device may fix the key segments and reference identifiers to the cards by techniques such as printing, etching, and/or magnetically encoding, to name a few. A scannable code, such as a bar code or QR code, may be used to write the keys to the cards. (129) In embodiments, collated sets of cards may be produced for a plurality of digital asset accounts. Each set may contain only one card per private key such that the private key segments for a single private key are divided among different sets of cards. (130) In embodiments, following creation of the one or more cards, quality control steps can be performed. A reading device may be used to read each of the cards to ensure readability. (131) In a step S6014, the one or more computers may be used to track storage of each of the one or more cards in one or more vaults. Vaults may be geographically remote. Vaults can include bank vaults and/or precious metal vaults. In embodiments, a main set of vaults and one or more sets of backup vaults may be used. A main set of vaults can be located in a geographically proximate area, such as a metropolitan area of a city, while backup sets of vaults may be located in geographically remote areas. The backup vaults may contain duplicate copies of the cards. Vault locations for each card or set of cards may be included on the reference identifier master list. (132) In embodiments, the process can further include receiving at the computer system a quantity of digital math-based assets, and storing those digital assets in the one or more securely stored digital asset accounts. In embodiments, storing the digital asset can comprise transferring the digital assets into accounts with securely stored private keys. Accordingly, storing can comprise generating electronic transfer instructions for an electronic transfer of the quantity of digital math-based assets to the one or more digital asset accounts and broadcasting the electronic transfer instructions to a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems. (133) FIG. 6B is a flow chart of another exemplary process for generating digital asset accounts and securely storing the keys corresponding to each account. (134) In a step S6022, a computer system comprising one or more computers may be used to generate one or more digital asset accounts capable of holding one or more digital math-based assets, as described with respect to step S6002 of FIG. 6A. (135) In a step S6024, the computer system may be used to obtain one or more private keys corresponding to the one or more digital asset accounts, as described with respect to step S6004 of FIG. 6A. (136) In a step S6026, the computer system may be used to encrypt each of the one or more private keys. (137) After encryption, in a step S6028, the computer system may be used to divide each of the encrypted private keys into a plurality of key segments. (138) In a step S6030, the one or more computers may be used to generate and/or associate each of the plurality of private key segments with a respective reference identifier. (139) In a step S6032, the one or more computers may be used to create one or more cards for each of the plurality of private key segments. (140) In a step S6034, the one or more computers may be used to track storage of each of the one or more cards in one or more vaults. (141) FIG. 6C is a flow chart of another exemplary process for generating digital asset accounts and securely storing the keys corresponding to each account. The exemplary process may generate and store keys for, a multi-signature digital asset account, where at least one of the private keys is divided into a plurality of key segments. (142) In a step S6042, a computer system comprising one or more computers may be used to generate one or more digital asset accounts capable of holding one or more digital math-based assets. (143) In a step S6044, the computer system may be used to obtain a first plurality of private keys corresponding to each of the one or more digital asset accounts. Each first plurality of private keys can comprise the private keys of a multi-signature account. (144) In a step 6046, the computer system may be used to divide a first private key of the first plurality of private keys into a second plurality of first private key segments. For a multi-signature digital asset account at least one of the private keys may be divided into private key segments. (145) In a step S6048, the computer system may be used to encrypt each of the second plurality of first private key segments. In embodiments, the second key may be encrypted. (146) In a step S6050, the computer system may be used to generate and/or associate each of the second plurality of first private key segments with a respective reference identifier. (147) In a step S6052, the computer system may be used to create one or more one or more cards for each of the encrypted second plurality of first private key segments wherein each of the one or more cards has fixed thereon one of the encrypted second plurality of first private key segments along with the respective associated reference identifier. In embodiments, the second key may be written, e.g. using the writing device, to one or more physical substrates, such as paper, plastic, and/or metal. In other embodiments, the second key may be stored electronically. (148) In a step S6054, the computer system may be used to track storage of each of the cards in one or more vaults, as well as to track storage of the second private key. A reference identifier master list may identify the storage locations of each key and key segment. (149) FIGS. 4B and 4C illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention where one or more computers 25 running accounting software to account for the assets and/or expenses of an account holder can be located either within the secure location 10 (e.g., FIG. 4B) or outside of the secure location 10 (e.g., FIG. 4C). In embodiments, such accounting software as well as possibly other software may be stored, accessed and/or operated on one or more networked computers 20 in the secure location 10. In embodiments, the accounting computer 25 may be the same or different from isolated computer 30 and/or networked computer 20 and/or a mining computer. (150) In embodiments, an accounting computer 25 may be a hardware security module, which may comprise hardware (e.g., one or more processors, computer-readable memory, communications portals, and/or input devices, to name a few) and/or software (e.g., software code designed to verify transactions, flag potentially erroneous transactions, and/or stop potentially erroneous or unauthorized transactions). Such a device may verify spending transactions before the transactions are executed. A hardware security module may flag transactions for review (e.g., by portal administrators), before the transactions may be confirmed. A hardware security module may be an offline device, which may be given a daily account activity log (e.g., a log of ETP redemptions and/or creations) to determine whether proposed transactions, particularly spending transactions, are valid. A protocol for identifying owners of a digital wallet may be used to verify that spending transactions will deliver the correct amount of assets to the correct address. In embodiments, a quorum of a specified size may be required to override a hardware security module. In embodiments, a transaction may be processed using both an isolated and a networked computer, as discussed herein. Such a transaction may be performed using an air-gapped digital wallet, such as described in the context of FIG. 4D, and isolated wallet computer 30′ within faraday cage 50 or the isolated transaction computer 32 in faraday cage 60 which are air gapped from network computer 20. In embodiments, an unsigned transaction may be performed on a networked computer, which may only contain one or more wallets capable of watching transactions and/or performing unsigned transactions. A non-networked, isolated computer may contain one or more complete wallets, which may be used to sign transactions. The transaction may be transferred to the isolated computer for signing. Hence, an air gap or other lack of a required communication connection may exist between the isolated and networked computer. In embodiments, the unsigned transaction data may be transferred manually, such as by saving the data from the networked computer to a removable storage medium (e.g., a USB flash drive, CD, CD-ROM, DVD, removable hard drive, disk, memory card, to name a few), and inputting or otherwise operatively connecting the storage medium to the isolated computer. The isolated computer may then access and sign the transaction data. The signed transaction data may then be transferred back to the networked computer using the same or different method of transfer as used for the unsigned transaction data. The networked computer may then access and upload, distribute, or otherwise act on the signed transaction data to complete the transaction. In embodiments, the isolated computer may generate and sign (e.g., with a private key) transaction instructions, which may then be transferred to the networked computer for distribution to the digital asset network. In embodiments, the networked computer and the isolated computer may be operatively connected, e.g., using a wired connection (e.g., a USB cable, Ethernet cable, Laplink cable, to name a few) or using a wireless connection (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, infrared, radio, to name a few). Such operative connection may replace the manual transfer of transaction data between the computers, and in embodiments, security measures, such as firewalls or automated separable physical connector devices (e.g., controlled from the isolated computer), may be employed to protect against unauthorized access, particularly to the isolated computer. (151) FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a process for retrieving securely stored private keys in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. (152) In exemplary embodiments, in step S7002, a computer system comprising one or more computers may be used to determine one or more digital asset account identifiers corresponding to one or more digital asset accounts capable of holding one or more digital math-based assets. (153) In a step S7004, the computer system may be used to access key storage information associated with each of the one or more digital asset account identifiers. In embodiments, the key storage information may comprise a reference identifier associated with one or more stored private key segments. (154) In a step 7006, the computer system may be used to determine, based upon the key storage information, storage locations corresponding to each of a plurality of private key segments corresponding to each of the one or more digital asset accounts. (155) In a step 7008, retrieval instructions for retrieving each of the plurality of private key segments may be issued or caused to be issued. (156) In a step 7010, each of the plurality of private key segments may be received at the computer system. (157) In a step 7012, the computer system may be used to decrypt each of the plurality of private key segments. (158) In a step 7014, the computer system may be used to assemble each of the plurality of private key segments into one or more private keys. (159) In embodiments, the process depicted in FIG. 7 may further comprise the step of accessing, using the computer system, the one or more digital asset accounts associated with the one or more private keys. In further embodiments, the process depicted in FIG. 7 may further comprise the steps of accessing, using an isolated computer of the computer system, wherein the isolated computer is not directly connected to an external data network, the one or more digital asset accounts associated with the one or more private keys; generating, using the isolated computer, transaction instructions comprising one or more transfers from the one or more digital asset accounts; transferring the transaction instructions to a networked computer of the computer system; and broadcasting, using the networked computer, the transaction instructions to a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems. (160) FIG. 8 describes an exemplary method of performing secure transactions. In a step S702, a digital wallet may be created on an isolated computer. In a step S704, a watching copy of the digital wallet, which may not include any private keys, may be created on the isolated computer. In a step S706, the watching copy of the digital wallet may be transferred from the isolated computer to a networked computer. In a step S708, an unsigned transaction may be created using the watching copy of the wallet on the networked computer. In a step S710, data associated with the unsigned transaction may be transferred from the networked computer to the isolated computer. In a step S712, the unsigned transaction data may be signed using the digital wallet on the isolated computer. In a step S714, the signed transaction data may be transferred from the isolated computer to the networked computer. In a step S716, the signed transaction data may be broadcast, using the watching copy of the wallet on the networked computer, to a digital asset network. In embodiments, the broadcast of a signed transaction may complete a transaction and/or initiate a verification process that may be performed by the network. (161) In embodiments, processes for generating digital asset accounts and/or storing associated keys may be performed by a secure system, e.g., an administrative portal. The system can comprise an electronic isolation chamber, such as a Faraday cage. The system can further comprise one or more isolated computers within the electronic isolation chamber and comprising one or more processors and computer-readable memory operatively connected to the one or more processors and having stored thereon instructions for carrying out the steps of (i) generating, using the one or more isolated computers, one or more digital asset accounts capable of holding one or more digital math-based assets; (ii) obtaining, using the one or more isolated computers, one or more private keys corresponding to the one or more digital asset accounts; (iii) dividing, using the one or more isolated computers, at least one of the one or more private keys for each digital asset account into a plurality of private key segments, wherein each private key segment will be stored; (iv) associating, using the one or more isolated computers, each of the plurality of private key segments with a respective reference identifier; and (v) transmitting, from the one or more isolated computers to one or more writing devices operatively connected to the one or more isolated computers, electronic writing instructions for writing a plurality of cards, collated into a plurality of sets having only one private key segment per digital asset account, and each card containing one of the plurality of private key segments along with the respective associated reference identifier. The system can further comprise one or more writing devices located within the electronic isolation chamber and configured to perform the electronic writing instructions, including collating the plurality of cards into the plurality of sets. The system can also comprise one or more reading devices located within the electronic isolation chamber and configured to read the plurality of private key segments along with the respective associated reference identifier from the one or more cards. The reading devices may be used for quality control, to ensure that the cards are readable. Cold Storage (162) In embodiments, a digital asset account holder may operate one or more computers to manage, process, and/or store the transactions and/or digital assets. In embodiments, a portion, consisting of some or all, of the digital assets may be stored in cold storage, which involves no outside connections. Cold storage may be a bank vault, a precious metal vault, a lockbox, or some other secure room or area. There may be no communication channels connecting to the cold storage area. In embodiments, electronic vaults may be used. Electronic vaults may comprise cloud storage, one or more hard drives, flash drives, memory cards or like storage technology, to name a few. Electronic vaults may hold one or more keys and/or key segments, which may be encrypted and/or encoded as described herein. (163) In embodiments, the cold storage may comprise a divided storage system. In a divided storage system, components or portions of components may be stored at multiple locations. Components may be at least digital wallets, public and/or private keys, or assets. (164) FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram of a cold storage vault system in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. In embodiments, each private key to be stored in vaults 70 for cold storage may be divided into one or more segments 80. In embodiments, each segment can be stored in a separate vault 70. In this manner, the risk of each of the segments 80 being reassembled into a complete key may be reduced due to the segregation of each piece of each key. Each vault may then be located at different locations, e.g., Locations A, B, and C. In embodiments, each vault (e.g., 70-Aa, 70-A2, 70-A3) may be located at different locations in the same general vicinity (e.g., the general vicinity of Location A, which may be New York City). Each vault may have a user entry log to provide a record of access to the vault and/or may employ security measures to ensure only authorized access. (165) Duplicate sets of the segmented private keys may then be made and stored in separate vaults (e.g., one duplicate copy divided between Vaults 70-B1, 70-B2, and 70-B3, and another duplicate copy divide between Vaults 70-C1, 70-C2, and 70-C3). Each set of segmented keys 80 may be located in the same general vicinity (e.g., Location B for Vaults 70-B1, 70-B2, and 70-B3 and Location C for Vaults 70-C1, 70-C2, and 70-C3), with each general vicinity being different from other general vicinities (e.g., Location B may be Philadelphia and Location C may be Indianapolis, Ind.). Locations may include domestic and/or international locations. Locations can be selected based on at least one or more of the following parameters: ease of access, level of security, diversity of geographic risk, diversity of security/terror risk, diversity of available security measures, location of suitable vaults in existence (e.g., custodian vaults for a trust associated with an ETP), space available at vaults, jurisdictional concerns, to name a few. In embodiments, three geographic locations can be used wherein Location A is within a short intraday time of transit (e.g., 1 hour), Location B is within a longer intraday time of transit (e.g., 3-4 hours), and Location C is within one or more day times of transit (e.g., 1-2 days). In embodiments, the location of the vaults may be within a distance that allows segments of key pairs to be retrieved within a redemption waiting period (e.g., 3 days). A complete key set (e.g., stored private keys parts 1-3) may be stored in each vault general location (e.g., Location A, Location B, Location C). (166) In FIG. 9A, three segments have been used, but other numbers of segments can also be used consistent with embodiments of the present inventions. FIG. 9B illustrates that any number of vault general locations (e.g., A-N) may be used, which may entail n number of complete key sets. In embodiments, the keys may be broken into any number of key segments, 1-N. In embodiments, in order to reassemble one complete key, all N segments may have to be reassembled together. (167) In embodiments, there may be two sets of segmented keys, as illustrated in FIG. 9C, which may be located in two general locations (e.g., A and B). In embodiments, the keys may be parsed into two segments (e.g., 80-1 and 80-2), as illustrated in FIG. 9C. (168) In embodiments, duplicate sets may not be embodied in same form as the original set and/or other duplicate sets. For example, two sets may be stored on paper, and a third set is stored on papyrus. In embodiments, at least one set of segmented keys can be stored on paper, while at least one set is stored on one or more disks, memory sticks, memory cards, tapes, hard drives, or other computer readable media. In embodiments, the same number of segments can be used for each set. In embodiments, a different number of segments can be used for at least two of the sets (e.g., 3 segments for 1 set, and 4 segments for 1 set). In embodiments, different types of coding and/or encryption can be used for at least two sets. FIG. 9D illustrates three sets of key copies, where the third copy 80 stored in vault 70-C may not be divided into segments. Such a key copy may be encrypted like any of the other key segments. (169) A cold storage back-up may be provided by a one-way electronic data recordation system. The system can function as a write-only ledger. Upon deposit of digital assets into cold storage, the corresponding private keys may be transmitted to the recordation system, which will store a record of the transaction. When digital assets are removed from a wallet, a record of the removal and/or wallet destruction can be sent to the system. In the event that wallet keys must be retrieved, the recordation system can be accessed to determine the wallet keys. Accessing the recordation system to retrieve keys can be designed to be a difficult operation, only to be performed in the event of an emergency need to recover wallet keys. Key Storage Service (170) Digital asset storage services and/or digital asset protection may be provided in accordance with the present invention. Digital asset storage may use any of the secure storage systems and methods described herein, including those described with respect to a digital asset ETP. In embodiments, a digital asset storage service may be provided to other entities (e.g., a trust associated with an ETP, authorized participants in the trust, retailers, banks, or other digital asset users), to provide secure storage of digital assets. Such a storage service may use any of the security measures described herein. In embodiments, a digital asset storage service may comprise, form a part of, and/or be associated with a digital asset insurance system, as described herein. (171) Digital asset protection can be digital asset insurance and/or digital asset warranties. Digital asset insurance may be insured key storage, which may entail secure storage of one or more keys, such as private keys, where the secure storage service may guarantee the return of the stored private key and will pay out some amount if the key cannot be returned. In embodiments, a digital asset warranty can be a warranty against key loss, which may be a warranty against key loss by a digital asset storage service. (172) A digital asset storage service and/or a digital asset protection system may be associated with and/or accessed through one or more digital wallets. In embodiments, digital asset protection and/or storage services may only be available when using a particular digital asset wallet and/or when employing particular storage mechanisms or procedures. In embodiments, a digital wallet may provide an option to request and/or accept protection and/or an option to request and/or accept storage of one or more keys associated with the wallet. In embodiments, a wallet may prompt and/or require a user to store the private key of the wallet, e.g., using the secure digital asset storage service. (173) FIG. 10A illustrates an exemplary system for providing secure digital asset storage and/or protection. A storage computer system 3320 may store in computer-readable media or otherwise be connected to one or more databases containing data 3335 relating to one or more digital asset or key storage policies. In embodiments, data 3335 can also include information relating to a stored or insured digital wallet, such as public keys, public addresses, and/or key storage information, which may comprise identification codes or other indicators of where keys or key segments are stored. The storage computer system 3320 may store key data 3325 in internal or external computer-readable memory comprising one or more databases. Key data 3325 can include public key data, information identifying a key owner or wallet owner, information (e.g., an identifying code) identifying or correlating a wallet's keys or key segments, and/or information identifying location and/or retrieval information for stored keys or key segments, to name a few. (174) The exemplary system illustrated in FIG. 10A can include a plurality of secure storage locations, such as vaults 3305-1, 3305-2, and 3305-3. Private keys or key segments 3310-1, 3310-2, and 3310-3 may be stored in each vault in accordance with the secure storage systems and methods discussed herein, such as cold storage vaulting in different locations. Vaults may be connected to a network 15 at times and disconnected at other times. The network 15 may be any data network or a plurality of connected networks, internal, such as an intranet, or external, such as the Internet. A plurality of keys corresponding to a multi-key wallet may be stored in separate vaults. In embodiments, one or more keys may be divided into segments, which can be stored in separate vaults. Keys may be divided whether from single private key wallets or multi-key wallets. (175) One or more users 3315 may be, e.g., customers and/or claimants of a digital asset storage and/or protection system. Users 3315 may obtain key storage for one or more digital wallets containing digital assets in one or more denominations. Users 3315 may access or otherwise participate in a digital asset storage and/or protection system using one or more user device. In embodiments, the same digital wallet may be accessed from a plurality of user devices using the same key combinations (e.g., private and public keys). (176) FIG. 10B shows another exemplary embodiment of a system for providing secure digital asset storage and/or protection. A plurality of vaults 3305-1 to 3305-N may be employed to store keys or key segments in segregated locations. In embodiments, vaults may be secure locations, such as safety deposit boxes, bank vaults, rooms with controlled access, to name a few. Vaults may be physical and/or electronic repositories for keys or key segments. In addition, each vault may have one or more backups 3355 (e.g., Q number of backups for vault 3305-1, R number of backups for vault 3305-2, and S number of backups for vault 3305-N). Vault backups may be other vaults or other secure storage facilities, units, or devices. Vault backups may utilize the same or different types of storage from each other and/or from the primary vault. For example, a primary vault may include printed paper copies of keys or key segments stored in a bank lockbox, while a backup may comprise an offline encrypted hard drive storing data corresponding to keys or key segments. Vault backups 3355 can be any of physical storage of printed or transcribed keys or key segments, remote cloud storage, hard drive, disk, CD, DVD, memory card, flash drive, tape drive, and/or tape library, to name a few. (177) Storage of Keys by a Digital Asset Storage Service (178) As discussed herein, a digital asset storage service may be provided to users of a digital asset network to provide secure storage of digital assets. In embodiments, the secure storage service may be used in conjunction with a digital asset protection plan, such as an insurance or warranty plan, although the storage service may also be used without insurance or warranties. FIGS. 11A-11B describe exemplary processes for storing private keys, which may be used solely as a key storage service or in conjunction with protection plans, such as insurance or warranty plans. (179) In embodiments, a user of a digital asset network may provide one or more keys or key segments to the key storage service for storage. Keys or key segments may be provided to the storage service via email or other electronic data transfer, any of which may be secure or otherwise encrypted. A user may use software to generate a wallet with one or more private keys and/or to divide the keys into segments. The software may include the ability to transmit, e.g., via a secure connection, the keys or key segments to the secure storage company. In embodiments, keys may be delivered to a key storage company in person, via mail, or via fax. Such keys may be stored in accordance with the secure and cold storage vault security mechanisms discussed herein, which may include dividing the keys into segments if not already divided. (180) Keys may also be generated at the secure storage company, e.g., at the secure storage site. Accordingly, a user may log into a website or otherwise connect to a portal for accessing wallet generation software. Such software may be running on one or more processors located at the secure storage company. The user may use the wallet generation software to create a wallet with one or more private keys. The user may also use such software to split one or more keys into key segments. Each key or key segment may then be printed, transcribed, or otherwise prepared for storage. In embodiments, the software may be programmed to transmit each key or key segment to a different printer, printing device, or electronic storage device, any of which may be located in different rooms, on different premises, in different geographies, and/or in separate vaults, to name a few. Thus, the key storage service may then store each key or key segment in separate locations, in accordance with the secure storage mechanisms discussed herein, such as the cold storage vault systems. Accordingly, the key storage company may never have access to an assembled key or to the required plurality of keys to a multi-key wallet. (181) Upon a user's request for retrieval of a stored key or keys, the secure key storage company may send to the user originals or copies, physically or electronically, of the keys or key segments. In embodiments, the key storage company may never reassemble keys or access a digital wallet itself. The secure key storage company may charge fees at setup and/or at retrieval, as well as recurring storage fees. (182) FIG. 11A describes an exemplary embodiment of a process for secure key storage and arranging for insurance or warranties against lost private keys, which process may be performed using a digital asset storage system, as discussed herein. The digital asset storage system may comprise and/or form a part of a digital asset protection system. FIG. 11A refers to the storage of private keys, but the process may apply to the storage of both private and public keys. (183) FIG. 11A is a flow chart of an exemplary process for securely storing private key information, which may be performed by a secure digital asset storage system. In a step S3422, a request to store a private key may be received at the secure digital asset storage system. In embodiments, such a request may comprise a request for insured private key storage. Such a request may originate from one or more other computers or electronic devices, such as a mobile phone, digital asset transaction kiosk, and/or personal computer, to name a few. (184) In a step S3424, a user may provide identification information, which may be received at the storage system Identification information may comprise any of a name, contact information (e.g., address, telephone number, e-mail address, to name a few), government ID information (e.g., an image of a driver's license, a driver's license ID number, a passport number, to name a few), biometric information (e.g., a voice sample, current photograph, eye scan, fingerprint, to name a few), username, password, and/or one or more security questions, to name a few. The identification information may be provided by and/or correspond to the requestor of private key storage and/or the private key owner. In embodiments, the digital asset insurance system may receive and/or store a user's identification information. (185) In a step S3426, the storage system may obtain a private key to be stored. The storage system may receive the key or fetch it, e.g., from a user electronic device, such as a mobile phone. In embodiments, the storage system may also obtain a public key to be stored. (186) In a step S3428, the storage system may cipher the private key, as described herein. In embodiments, the private key may not be ciphered before dividing it into segments. In other embodiments, the private key may be encrypted. (187) In a step S3430, the digital asset storage system may divide the ciphered private key into any number of segments. In the case of a multi-key wallet, the keys may not be divided into segments. However, keys to a multi-key wallet may be encrypted and/or ciphered. (188) In a step S3432, the storage system may encrypt each private key segment. In embodiments, encryption and/or ciphering may occur only before or only after dividing a key into segments. In embodiments, the key segments may not be encrypted after the segments are created. The key segments may be ciphered or not processed further. (189) In a step S3434, the storage system may transfer each encrypted private key segment to a different electronic vault for storage. In embodiments, the vaults may not be electronic, and the key segments may be printed or otherwise transcribed on a physical substrate and stored in the vaults. Any number of vaults may be used (e.g., one vault for each key segment, multiple vaults for redundant copies of each key segment, one or more vaults with two or more key segments stored together, to name a few). A code, such as a bar code or QR code, may be provided along with the key segments (e.g., printed with a physically transcribed copy of a key segment electronically saved with an electronic key segment, or appended to an electronic key segment, to name a few). The code may identify the key segments (e.g., which key segments are part of the same key) and/or the order of the key segments. (190) In a step S3436, the storage system may store, in one or more databases, key storage plan information (e.g., a subscription for key storage costing $1.99/month), user identification information, private key segment vault location information, and decryption and deciphering instructions. The databases may be computer-readable databases or physical (e.g., paper) databases that may be scanned and then read by one or more computers. In embodiments, the stored information may be sent to a user and/or an storage system administrative coordinator, which may be a computer that can handle retrieval of stored keys. (191) In a step S3438, the digital asset storage system may send confirmation of private key storage (e.g., over a data transfer network) to the user (e.g., requestor of private key storage or other person associated with the received identification information) and/or a third party. Confirmation of storage may be recorded by the storage system and/or another entity associated with the storage system. (192) FIG. 11B illustrates that physical back-ups of the secured private key may be employed by a secure digital asset storage system. In a step S3442, a request to store a private key may be received at the storage system. (193) In a step S3444, the storage system may receive user or digital wallet owner account identification information. (194) In a step S3446, the storage system may obtain (e.g., receive or fetch) a private key. (195) In a step S3448, the storage system may cipher the private key. In embodiments, no ciphering may occur before dividing the key into segments. (196) In a step S3450, the storage system may divide the private key (or ciphered private key) into segments. (197) In a step S3452, the storage system may cipher each private key segment. (198) In a step S3454, the storage system may print each ciphered private key segment. One or more copies of the key segments may be printed and/or otherwise transcribed onto any substrate and/or multiple substrates (e.g., paper, plastic, metal, to name a few). A code, such as a QR code or bar code, may be used to identify corresponding key segments and/or the order of the key segments. Such a code may be printed or otherwise provided with the key segments. (199) In a step S3456, the digital asset storage system may store each ciphered private key segment, as discussed herein. The key segments may be stored in electronic vaults (e.g., hard drives, tape drives, solid state memory, to name a few). Separate vaults may be used for each key segment, although multiple key segments corresponding to multiple different private keys may be stored in the same vault. (200) In a step S3458, the storage system may store each printed key segment in a physical vault, which may be separate vaults for each key segment. (201) In a step S3460, the storage system may store, in one or more databases, key storage plan information, user identification information, private key segment vault location information, deciphering instructions, and decryption instructions, where applicable. (202) In a step S3462, the storage system may send confirmation of private key storage to the user. (203) Recovering Stored Keys from a Digital Asset Key Storage Service (204) A user of a secure storage service or system may request access to a stored key, which may be a means of recovering a lost key. (205) FIG. 12A is a flow chart describing an exemplary process for recovering a key, which may be performed by one or more computers. In embodiments, the process may entail recovering (e.g., retrieving from storage) a plurality of keys or key segments. (206) In a step S3502, a user may submit a claim for a lost private key, which may be received by a computer system of a secure storage service storing a copy of the user's private key. A claim may be a request for retrieval of one or more stored keys. (207) In a step S3504, the storage system, using the computer system, may correlate the received claim to one or more locations where private key segments are stored. For example, the computer system may access a database of policy information to determine where (e.g., in which vaults) a claimants keys or key segments are stored. (208) In a step S3506, a message, which may constitute instructions, may be transmitted to one or more storage facilities to retrieve the private key segments. A computer system may automatically generate such a message based upon the information pertaining to stored keys or key segments. Such a key retrieval message can include a security code or other authorization to access a secure storage location. In embodiments, the computer system may employ security measures, such as a secure code or digital signature, to provide verification and/or authentication of a retrieval message. (209) In a step S3508, the private key segments may be verified. Keys or key segments may be retrieved from their respective storage locations. Quality control measures may verify that the correct key segments were retrieved and/or that the keys or key segments are readable, e.g., by a specially programmed scanning device, such as a QR scanner. (210) In a step S3510, the private key segments may be transmitted to a device and/or account corresponding to the user. One or more secure transmissions may be used. Two-factor authentication may be required of the recipient before a transmission is sent and/or opened by the recipient. In embodiments, the system may decrypt, reassemble, and/or decipher private keys and/or key segments before returning the keys and/or key segments to a user. In embodiments, a user may be provided with the option of having the system perform the decrypting, reassembling, and/or deciphering steps. In embodiments, software may be provided to a user to enable such steps to be performed by a user or under a user's control. In embodiments, the computer system may never decrypt keys or key segments that were encrypted by a user. Accordingly, in step S3510, the user may be provided with key segments and/or reassembled keys, which may be in various states of security (e.g., ciphered, segmented, and/or encrypted). (211) In a step S3512, the system may receive confirmation that the user received the private keys or key segments. A user device may automatically generate and/or transmit a confirmation upon receipt of the keys or key segments, upon reassembling thereof, upon opening a corresponding digital asset wallet, or upon instruction for a user, to name a few. Such confirmation may provide an indication that the secure storage service and/or protection service met its obligation, e.g., to the customer. (212) FIG. 12B illustrates another exemplary process for recovering a key. Such process may be performed by one or more computers. The process may be considered the same as the process of FIG. 12A, except with the addition of a user authentication step S3524. (213) Thus, in a step S3522, a user may submit a claim for a lost private key, which may be received by a secure storage service storing a copy of the user's private key. (214) In a step S3524, the secure storage system may authenticate the identity of the claimant. Authentication may involve any of receipt of any of a user's identification information, such as name, username, password, biometric information, or the like. In embodiments, three forms of identification information may be required. In embodiments, a claimant may receive a phone call, which may be auto-generated and auto-executed by the system, which may provide the claimant with a code to input at a user device. In embodiments, the user may be required to repeat a phrase, which may be a unique phrase. Voice analysis and/or recognition techniques may be employed. The user may be required to submit a current picture or video. The system may compare the received identification information to a database of authorized user identification information in order to authenticate the identity of the claimant. (215) In a step S3526, the system may correlate the received claim to one or more locations where private key segments may be stored. (216) In a step S3528, a message, which may constitute instructions, may be transmitted to one or more storage facilities to retrieve the private key segments. (217) In a step S3530, the private key segments may be verified. (218) In a step S3532, the private key segments may be transmitted to a device and/or account corresponding to the user. In embodiments, decryption, reassembly, and or deciphering of private keys and/or key segments may occur before or after returning the keys and/or key segments to a user and may be performed by the system or by a user, who may use software provided by the system. (219) In a step S3534, the system may receive confirmation that the user received the private key segments. (220) Another exemplary process for recovering a key is provided in FIG. 12C. Such process may be performed by one or more computers. The process may be considered the same as the process of FIG. 12B, except with the addition of steps to check the account balance of the account and a determination step of whether to proceed with the key retrieval. (221) Thus, in a step S3542, a user may submit a claim for a lost private key, which may be received by a secure storage service storing a copy of the user's private key. (222) In a step S3544, the secure storage system may authenticate the identity of the claimant, in manners described for step S3524 of FIG. 12B. (223) In a step S3546, the system may check the account balance of the account. (224) In a step S3548, the system may determine whether to proceed with the requested key retrieval. In embodiments, retrieval may be halted if an account balance is above a threshold or below a threshold. (225) In a step S3550, the system may correlate the received claim to one or more locations where private key segments may be stored. (226) In a step S3552, a message, which may constitute instructions, may be transmitted to one or more storage facilities to retrieve the private key segments. (227) In a step S3554, the private key segments may be verified. (228) In a step S3556, the private key segments may be transmitted to a device and/or account corresponding to the user of the account. In embodiments, decryption, reassembly, and or deciphering of private keys and/or key segments may occur before or after returning the keys and/or key segments to a user and may be performed by the system or by a user, who may use software provided by the system. (229) In a step S3558, the system may receive confirmation that the user received the private key segments. ETP (230) In embodiments, an ETP can be provided using a digital math-based asset, such as bitcoins, Namecoins, Litecoins, PPCoins, Tonal bitcoins, IxCoins, Devcoins, Freicoins, I0coins, Terracoins, Liquidcoins, BBQcoins, BitBars, and PhenixCoins, to name a few. An ETP may be a special purpose entity, statutory trust, business trust, or other corporate form established under the laws (e.g., of a state of the United States) that continuously issues and/or redeems its shares in exchange for a portfolio of specified assets, such as digital assets, currencies, physical commodities, securities and/or other assets. The ETP may issue equity securities which it may register with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The ETP may list the equity securities for trading in the secondary market at intraday prices on a stock exchange. Each issued share of an ETP may represent a ratable undivided interest in its underlying portfolio of assets. In embodiments, shares of an ETP may be created only in large blocks or lot sizes, such as creation units. In embodiments, only large market participants may be authorized participants ("APs") who may obtain creation units in exchange for a deposit of a specified amount of assets into the ETP's portfolio. APs may hold or sell into the secondary market the individual shares comprising the creation units issued. (231) In embodiments, an AP can be a person or entity who is a registered broker-dealer or other securities market participant such as a bank or other financial institution which is not required to register as a broker-dealer to engage in securities transactions, is a participant in a third-party clearing agency, such as the DTC, has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the trustee and the sponsor, and/or has established an AP custody account. In embodiments, only APs may place orders to create or redeem one or more baskets of trust shares. For example, a basket of shares can be a block of 10,000 shares, 20,000 shares, 30,000 shares, 40,000 shares, 50,000 shares, 75,000 shares, 100,000 shares, and/or some other denomination of shares. (232) In embodiments, an Authorized Participant Agreement can be an agreement entered into by an AP, the sponsor and/or the trustee which provides the procedures for the creation and redemption of baskets of trust shares and for the delivery of the digital math-based assets, e.g., bitcoins, Namecoins, Litecoins, PPCoins, Tonal bitcoins, IxCoins, Devcoins, Freicoins, I0coins, Terracoins, Liquidcoins, BBQcoins, BitBars, and PhenixCoins, required for such creations and redemptions. (233) In embodiments, an AP custody account can be a segregated account for digital math-based assets, e.g., a segregated bitcoin account, owned by an AP and established with the trustee and/or custodian by an Authorized Participant Custody Account Agreement. An AP custody account can be used to facilitate the deposit and withdrawal of digital math-based assets, such as bitcoins, Namecoins, Litecoins, PPCoins, Tonal bitcoins, IxCoins, Devcoins, Freicoins, I0coins, Terracoins, Liquidcoins, BBQcoins, BitBars, and PhenixCoins, to name a few, by an AP in creation and redemption processes, as discussed herein by way of example with respect to FIGS. 17A-B and 19A-C. (234) In embodiments, an Authorized Participant Custody Account Agreement can be the agreement between an AP and the trustee which can establish an AP custody account. (235) In embodiments, in order to initiate the issuance of shares, an AP may place a creation order with the trustee and/or administrator of the ETP. Upon the trustee's acceptance of the order, the trustee and/or administrator, using the trust computer system, may notify the AP of the exact amount or quantity of portfolio assets that is required to be deposited into the ETP's account in exchange for one or more creation baskets, which are valued at their current net asset value. In embodiments, the trustee and/or administrator may hold the ETP's portfolio assets on behalf of all shareholders. In embodiments, the trustee and/or administrator may be authorized to make transfers from the trust account to third parties only under certain specific circumstances, such as to pay for the ETP's permitted operational expenses or to redeem creation units tendered for redemption by an AP. A redemption of creation units may be the reverse of a creation; the AP may place a redemption order with the trustee. Upon the trustee's and/or administrator's acceptance of the order, the AP may tender to the trustee the stated number of creation units for redemption and in exchange may receive the pro rata amount or quantity of portfolio assets represented by such shares. The trustee and/or administrator may then cancel and/or instruct a third party clearing agency (e.g., DTC) to cancel all shares comprising the creation units so delivered. This continuous issuance and redemption feature of an ETP provides an arbitrage mechanism for APs, who may either create or redeem creation units when the current trading price of the individual shares on the secondary market deviates from the underlying net asset value of such creation units, thereby reducing such deviation between the trading price and the underlying net asset value. (236) In embodiments, the trust may have an investment objective for shares to reflect the performance of a blended price of digital math-based assets, e.g., a blended bitcoin price of bitcoins, less expenses of the trust's operations. The shares can be designed for investors who want a cost-effective and convenient way to invest in digital math-based assets with minimal credit risk. (237) In embodiments, the trust can directly hold digital math-based assets, such as bitcoins, Namecoins, Litecoins, PPCoins, Tonal bitcoins, IxCoins, Devcoins, Freicoins, I0coins, Terracoins, Liquidcoins, BBQcoins, BitBars, and PhenixCoins, using the trust's hardware and/or software security system, which in embodiments may include storage of the trust's digital assets and/or the private keys relating to the digital wallets holding the trust's digital assets in one or more locations in, for example, high security vaults. (238) In embodiments, the trust may hold any combination assets, including digital math-based assets, physical commodities, securities and/or other assets. A trust agreement may specify and/or limit which assets a particular trust may hold. ETP Participants (239) As illustrated in FIG. 13, in exemplary embodiments, an ETP may include one or more participants, such as one or more market makers 205, purchasers 210, trustees 215, custodian 220, administrator 225, sponsor 230, listing exchange 235, calculation agent 240, marketing agent 245, third-party clearing agency 250 (e.g., the DTC or NSCC), attorneys 255, accountants 260, and/or authorized participants 265, to name a few. In embodiments, one or more of these roles may be performed by the same entity (e.g., the same entity may be the custodian and the administrator). In embodiments, more than one entity may perform the same role or part of a role, such as more than one market maker may be used for the same ETP. Various combinations of entities can be used consistent with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. (240) In embodiments, an ETP may involve an underlying trust and one or more of the entities discussed herein. FIG. 13 provides an overview of at least some of the possible participants in an ETP. A sponsor 230 may establish the ETP, which generally may be established as a common law or statutory trust under state law. One trust may be created or multiple trusts for different ETPs may be established at one time. A single trust established as a series trust may also create multiple series for different ETPs. The sponsor 230 may have contractual rights involving the trust. The sponsor 230 may pay SEC registration fees and may provide seed capital for the trust, to name a few. Additionally, the sponsor 230 may prepare, sign, and/or file trust registration statements and/or other formation documents, periodic SEC reports, and/or registration statement updates. The sponsor 230 may create free-writing prospectuses and other promotional materials about the trust and may file such materials with the SEC, as required by government regulation. The sponsor 230 may participate in marketing activities for the trust, such as road shows. The sponsor 230 may maintain the trust's public website for viewing by the holders of the trust's securities, prospective purchasers of its shares, and/or any entity desirous of viewing the trust's public website. (241) An initial purchaser 210 may provide seed capital to the trust in exchange for a set number of creation units of the same value. A market maker 205 may undertake to buy or sell creation units in the trust at specified prices at all times. (242) A custodian 220 can safe keep the trust's assets and can engage one or more sub-custodians to do so in different locations. In embodiments, the one or more sub-custodians may comprise different entities. In embodiments, the one or more sub-custodians may comprise different aspects of the same entity or may be affiliated entities. A custodian 220 may hold copies of segmented private keys in one or more vaults. (243) An administrator 225 can keep books and records for the trust, conduct other ministerial duties and/or may calculate the trust's daily net asset value, daily share price, and/or other pertinent information about the trust, the trust's assets, and/or the trust shares. (244) The trustee 215, the custodian 220 and/or the administrator 225 may be the same person or entity, may be different operations of the same person or entity, may be different persons or entities, or may be multiple persons or entities performing the same and/or overlapping functions. (245) A listing exchange 235 is a venue where shares registered with the SEC may be listed and traded during business days. The listing exchange 225 can track using one or more computers and publish electronically using one or more computers an estimated intraday indicative value ("IIV") of a trust regularly, e.g., every 15 seconds. A calculation agent 240 using one or more computers may also perform daily calculations of trust assets using methods known in the art and may provide the IIV. The trustee 215 and/or the administrator 225 may also serve as the calculation agent 240 and may be the same person and/or entity, different operations of the same person and/or entity, and/or may be different persons. (246) A marketing agent 245 may also be engaged to provide services to the trust relating to the public marketing of its shares for sale. The marketing agent 245 may review marketing documents for regulatory compliance, e.g., rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") and/or relevant regulatory authority. The marketing agent may file the trust's marketing materials with FINRA and/or relevant regulatory authority. (247) The processes of clearance and settlement of trust shares may be performed by a clearing agency or a registered third-party entity 250, such as the Depository Trust Company ("DTC") and/or the National Securities Clearing Corporation ("NSCC"). Shares may be available only in book-entry form, meaning that individual certificates may not be issued for the trust's shares. Instead, shares may be evidenced by one or more global certificates that the trustee may issue to a clearing agency or a registered third-party entity 250, e.g., DTC. The global certificates may evidence all of the trust's shares outstanding at any time. As a result, in embodiments, shares may be only transferable through the book-entry system the third-party clearing agency 250. Shareholders may hold and/or transfer their shares directly through the third-party clearing agency 250, if they are participants in the clearing agency 250, or indirectly through entities that are participants in the clearing agency 250 (e.g., participants in DTC). Transfers may be made in accordance with standard securities industry practice. (248) An index provider 270 may license its intellectual property to the trust for pricing, portfolio selection, and/or other services, and may, using one or more computers, calculate and/or upkeep the index during the term of the license. In embodiments, for example, an index of digital asset values (such as bitcoin values) or blended digital asset prices (such as blended bitcoin prices) may be used to price the digital assets transferred to and/or from the trust and/or held by the trust. Other forms of valuation of the digital assets (such as bitcoins) can also be used as discussed herein. (249) Lawyers 255 and accountants 260 may provide services to the sponsor 230 and/or the trust and/or other participants in the trust. (250) In embodiments, transactions with the trust may be restricted to one or more APs 265. The trust may establish requirements for becoming an AP, e.g., must be an entity of a certain size, financially or otherwise, must be a large market investor, like a broker-dealer and/or a bank, must seek and obtain formal approval from the trustee, must enter into an agreement with the trustee and/or other such requirements known in the art, to name a few. In embodiments, APs may be broker-dealers and/or banks APs may enter into an AP agreement with the trust and/or the sponsor 230, which may include rules for the issuance and/or redemption of creation units. Depending on the nature of the trust's intended assets, an AP may be required to hold and deliver specific commodities, e.g., a digital math-based asset, directly to the trust. (251) In embodiments, a trustee 215 may be generally responsible for the day-to-day administration of the trust. A trustee 215 (or its designee, such as the custodian 220 and/or administrator 225) may perform one or more of the following tasks associated with the trust: establishing and/or having established, using one or more computers, wallets for digital math-based assets (e.g., bitcoins, Namecoins, Litecoins, PPCoins, Tonal bitcoins, IxCoins, Devcoins, Freicoins, I0coins, Terracoins, Liquidcoins, BBQcoins, BitBars, and PhenixCoins, to name a few) to be used by the trust associated with an ETP holding such digital math-based assets (e.g., bitcoins, Namecoins, Litecoins, PPCoins, Tonal bitcoins, IxCoins, Devcoins, Freicoins, I0coins, Terracoins, Liquidcoins, BBQcoins, BitBars, and PhenixCoins, to name a few); establishing and/or having established, using one or more computers, digital wallets for custody and other accounts to be used on behalf of participants in the trust, e.g., AP custody accounts 315, sponsor custody accounts 310, trust custody accounts 300, trust expense account 305, and/or vault accounts 320, to name a few; transferring and/or having transferred, using one or more computers, digital math-based assets from and/or to one or more digital wallets associated with one or more digital wallets associated with one or more accounts, including AP custody accounts 315, trust custody accounts 300, trust expense accounts 305, sponsor custody account 310, and/or vault accounts 320, to name a few; determining and/or having determined, using one or more computers, expenses and fees to be paid by the trust, including, e.g., sponsor fees, legal fees, accounting fees, extraordinary expenses fees, and/or transaction fees, to name a few; paying and/or having paid, using one or more computers, expenses and fees to be paid by the trust, including, e.g., sponsor fees, legal fees, accounting fees, extraordinary expenses, and/or transaction fees, to name a few; calculating or having calculated, using one or more computers, an ANAV, an ANAV per share, a NAV, and/or a NAV per share; receiving and/or processing, using one or more computers, orders from APs to create and/or redeem creation units and/or baskets and/or coordinating the processing of such orders with a clearing agency or a registered third-party entity 250; transferring and/or having transferred and/or facilitating transfers, using one or more computers, of digital math-based assets of the trust as needed into and/or out of custody accounts and/or vault accounts to cover redemptions and/or to pay expenses and fees to be paid by the trust, including, e.g., sponsor fees, legal fees, accounting fees, extraordinary expenses fees, and/or transaction fees, to name a few; selling and/or arranging for sale remaining digital math-based assets of the trust at termination of the trust and/or distributing the cash proceeds to the shareholders of record; supervising and/or arranging for the supervision of the safekeeping of the digital math-based assets deposited with the trust by APs in connection with the creation of creation units and/or baskets; administering and/or having administered and/or maintaining and/or having maintained custody accounts on behalf of the trust, APs, the sponsor and/or others; administering and/or having administered and/or maintaining and or having maintained and/or supervising the maintenance, upkeep and/or transfer of private key information to and/or from vaults; and/or generating and/or having generated, using one or more computers, encryption, splitting, QR coding (or other bar coding) and printing the paper tokens, to name a few. (252) As described in greater detail herein with respect to FIGS. 5 and 17, an AP may provide assets to the trust in exchange for shares in the trust, and an AP may redeem shares in the trust for assets. Secondary Market Activities (253) FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary secondary market for shares in the trust in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. In embodiments, the secondary market can include one or more listing stock exchanges 235 (e.g., NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, LSE, to name a few), one or more market makers 205, one or more brokers and/or other licensed to sell securities 400, authorized participants 265, other market liquidity providers 405, individual investors 410, institutional investors 420 and private investors 430, to name a few. (254) As described earlier, in the primary market APs 265 may obtain and/or redeem shares in the trust through the creation and redemption redeem processes. APs 265 may then sell shares in a secondary market. APs 265 may also buy shares in the secondary market. In an exemplary secondary market for shares in the trust for a digital math-based asset ETP, e.g., a Bitcoin ETP, a listing stock exchange 235 may be the primary listing venue for individual ETP shares. In embodiments, the listing stock exchange 235 may be required to file listing rules with the SEC if no applicable listing rules already exist. The listing exchange 235 may enter into a listing agreement with the sponsor 230. In embodiments, the listing exchange 235 may appoint the lead market maker and/or other market makers 205. The market makers 205 may facilitate the secondary market trading of shares in the trust underlying the ETP. Market makers 205 may facilitate creations and/or redemptions of creation units through one or more APs. In embodiments, such creations and/or redemptions may be related to market demand, e.g., to satisfy market demand. (255) Still referring to FIG. 14, individual investors 410, institutional investors 420, and/or private investors 430 may buy and/or sell one or more shares in the trust. In embodiments, these investors may buy and/or sell shares through brokers 400 or others licensed to sell securities. Brokers 400 and/or others licensed to sell securities may receive cash and/or other assets from investors in order to buy one or more shares in the trust. Brokers 400 and/or others licensed to sell securities may receive one or more shares from investors to sell for cash and/or other assets. (256) Other market liquidity providers 405 may also participate in the secondary market. In embodiments, other market liquidity providers 405 may buy and/or sell one or more shares on a list stock exchange 235. In embodiments, other market liquidity providers 405 may buy and/or sell one or more creation units through one or more APs 265. Other market liquidity providers 405 may include, by way of example, arbitragers, prop traders, "upstairs", private investors, dark pools, to name a few. ETP Setup (257) In an exemplary embodiment, the ETP may be based on an ownership stake in a digital asset investors trust, such as a Bitcoin investors trust. A trust may be created as a common law trust or a statutory trust that may elect, grantor trust status. It will be appreciated by those in the art that other forms of trust are possible, including but not limited to master trusts, owner trusts, and revolving asset trusts. Such a trust may register its shares with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to sell shares to the public. A trust may hold portfolio assets that may require the sponsor or administrator of the trust to register as a commodity pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC"). (258) In embodiments, the trust's assets may be digital math-based assets, such as bitcoins, held in one or more digital wallets maintained by and/or for the trustee 215. Other forms of asset storage and security are discussed herein. In embodiments, the trust assets can include other forms of digital math-based assets, such as other forms of digital assets, digital math-based assets, peer-to-peer electronic cash system, digital currency, synthetic currency, or digital crypto-currency. Exemplary digital assets can include bitcoins, Namecoins, Litecoins, PPCoins, Tonal bitcoins, IxCoins, Devcoins, Freicoins, I0coins, Terracoins, Liquidcoins, BBQcoins, BitBars, and PhenixCoins, to name a few. In embodiments, the trust's assets can include additional assets besides digital math-based assets, such as, other commodities, currencies, futures, derivatives, and/or securities, to name a few. (259) The trust's assets may be held in various forms of storage using any of the security systems and methods described herein. In embodiments, the trust may employ a hardware and/or software security system to protect the digital math-based assets, such as bitcoin assets. In embodiments, the trustee 215, the administrator 225, the custodian 220, and/or some other entity may perform operations related to creations and redemptions from a secure administrative portal. In embodiments, digital asset accounts and/or digital wallets may be created after a request for a deposit is made, at the time the trust's security measures are set up (e.g., 10,000 wallets created at the outset), at some intermediate point during the life of the trust, or at any other time where digital wallets are deemed necessary or desirous, e.g., to ensure that the amount of assets in any given wallet remains below some threshold. (260) At set up of a trust, seed baskets and/or initial baskets may be issued to one or more initial purchasers 210 in connection with the formation of the trust. (261) In embodiments, creations may involve the transfer of assets to the trust, and redemptions may involve the withdrawal of assets from the trust, as discussed herein. In embodiments, the trust may be passive, such as not actively managed, in which case it may be subject to the additions or reductions in the asset inventory caused by creations and/or redemptions. In embodiments, the trust may restrict issuance and/or redemption of shares to creation units. In embodiments, creation units may describe the specific number of shares that may be exchanged for digital assets of the same value. Creation units may be lot sizes of a pre-defined number of shares. In embodiments, creation units may be large lot sizes of shares. For example, in embodiments, a creation unit may be 10,000 shares, 20,000 shares, 30,000 shares, 40,000 shares, 50,000 shares, 75,000 shares, 100,000 shares, and/or some other denomination of shares. In embodiments, the creation unit may be based on some fractional amount of shares. In embodiments, a creation unit may correlate to a creation deposit (for creations) or withdrawal proceeds (for redemptions) that comprise a lot size of assets, securities, to name a few. For example, in embodiments a creation of 50,000 shares may correlate to a creation deposit of 10,000 digital assets (e.g., bitcoins). In embodiments, a creation unit may correlate to a creation deposit or withdrawal proceeds that comprise a lot size of fractional denominations of assets, e.g., 100 Satoshis, 200 Satoshis, 10,000 Satoshis, or some other denomination of Satoshi. (262) In embodiments, one or more creation units may be created in a process in which one or more creation deposits is transferred to the trust in exchange for issuance a specified set number of shares in the fund, e.g., 50,000 shares. For a redemption, as described herein, an AP may redeem one or more creation units in exchange for the related withdrawal proceeds and resulting in the cancellation of a corresponding set number of shares. In embodiments, an AP may only transact in whole creation units. Thus, the AP may only deposit assets equal to one or more whole creation units. Similarly, the AP may relinquish shares amounting to one or more whole creation units in order to redeem those creation units. In embodiments, transactions involving fractional amounts of a creation unit may be allowed. (263) Transactions may occur on a daily basis. In embodiments, transactions may occur multiple times each day. In embodiments, the frequency of transactions may be limited by rule so as to limit the number of transactions, e.g., one transaction per week, three transactions in a given month, to name a few. In embodiments, transactions may be limited by rule to occurring during certain time periods, such as only on a given day of the week (e.g., Mondays) or only on a given day of the month (e.g., the first day of the month), after 3 P.M., to name a few. In embodiments, transactions may be limited to occurring on business days. (264) The trust may accept only a single commodity, currency or other asset. In embodiments, multiple types of commodities, currencies or assets may be accepted, for example, like a basket currency model. Those in the art will appreciate that the asset may be a commodity, currency and/or other asset which may be physical, digital, or otherwise existing. (265) In embodiments, only an AP may obtain shares in the trust. Thus, in the primary market for shares only APs can participate. However, in a secondary market, APs may sell or otherwise transfer shares in whatever manner and for whatever consideration they choose. In embodiments, APs may sell shares for cash and/or other remuneration. A shareholder can own beneficial interest in shares in the trust. In embodiments, an AP's ability to transfer shares may be limited by securities laws, FINRA, and/or corporate compliance procedures, to name a few. Shares in a trust may include units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of a trust. (266) Administration of the trust may involve the use of one or more accounts, including one or more custody accounts. In embodiments, referring to FIG. 15A, such accounts may include AP custody accounts 315, trust custody accounts 300, vault accounts 320, sponsor custody accounts 310, and/or trust expense accounts 305, to name a few. (267) A custody account can be a segregated account operated by the trustee on behalf of another involved with the trust, e.g., sponsor or AP, to name a few. In embodiments, a custody account may be a digital wallet, a digital asset account, and/or a Bitcoin account. In embodiments, a custody account may be created, e.g., by the trustee, for each new transaction, e.g., creation, redemption, payment of sponsor's fee, to name a few. Referring to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15A, a trust custody account 300 may be owned by the trust. The trust custody account 300 may be the primary holder of the trust's assets, e.g., bitcoins. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the trust custody account 300 may store public and private keys for one or more digital wallets holding the trust's digital assets, e.g., bitcoins. In embodiments, referring to FIG. 15B, the trust custody account 300 may comprise one or more temporary digital wallets 325 and/or one or more vault accounts 320. Vault accounts 320 may be digital wallets. Vault accounts 320 may be stored in a secure manner as discussed herein. Vault accounts 320 may be used for longer-term storage of digital assets. Temporary digital wallets 325 may be hot storage, which may be accounts and/or wallets that are accessed with greater frequency than vault accounts 320 in order to, for example, perform transactions. In embodiments, the trust custody account 300 may be a segregated account, segregating the assets it holds from all other assets held by the custodial operations of the trustee. The trust custody account 300 may facilitate the acceptance of creation deposits from an AP custody account 315, the distribution of assets, e.g., bitcoins, to an AP as part of a redemption, and/or the distribution of assets to a trust expense account 305 and/or a sponsor custody account 310. The trust expense account 305 may be owned by the trustee 215. In embodiments, a trust expense account 305 can be a segregated digital asset account, such as a segregated Bitcoin account, of the trustee 215 to which the trustee can transfer digital assets, e.g., bitcoins, from a trust custody account 300 in order to pay expenses of the trust not assumed by the sponsor 230. A trust expense account 305 can be established with the trustee 215 by a trust agreement. (268) In embodiments, trust expense account 305 may be used by the trustee 215 to pay extraordinary expenses that have not been assumed by the sponsor 230. Indirect payment of such expenses may occur when assets are distributed to the trustee's trust expense account 305. The trustee 215 may then sell or otherwise transfer assets from the trust expense account in order to satisfy expenses. A sponsor custody account 310 may be used to accept payments by the trust of a sponsor's fee. In embodiments, payments may be made in digital math-based assets, such as bitcoins. Payment of the sponsor's fee may be a periodic, e.g., monthly, event. One or more AP custody accounts 315-1 . . . 315-N may be owned by one or more APs, 265-1 . . . 265-N. AP custody account 315 may be used to receive deposits of assets from an AP for use in a creation, as detailed in FIGS. 17A and 17B and/or may be used to receive distributions of assets to an AP during a redemption, as detailed in FIG. 19A. (269) It should be appreciated by those of skill in the art that each of these accounts may be made up of one or more accounts, and/or one or more digital wallets. (270) The trustee and/or administrator and/or custodian may use one or more trust computers in performance of the processes and/or tasks described herein. A trust computer system may be located at an administrative portal. As illustrated in FIG. 16, a trust computer system may contain exchange transaction data 500, which may, for one or more transactions (e.g., each transaction), store exchange data, currency data, time data, price data, and/or volume data, to name a few. A trust computer system may contain trust account data 510, which may, for one or more accounts, store account types, public keys, correlation numbers, private keys and/or private key IDs (which may indicate the location of stored private keys and/or key segments), transaction history data, and/or account balance data, to name a few. A trust computer system may also contain expense data 520 and/or fee data 530. (271) Still referring to FIG. 16, a trust computer system may contain a blended digital asset price module 540, a NAV module 545, an expense module 550, a creation module 555, a redemption module 560, a fee module 565, an IIV module 570, a wallet module 575, a key parser module 580, and/or a key segment generator module 585, to name a few. Investments into ETP (272) In embodiment, the trust for the ETP can create and/or redeem shares from time to time. In some embodiments, the creation and/or redemption must be in whole baskets, e.g., a block of a fixed number of shares, e.g., 50,000 shares. The creation and/or redemption of baskets can require, respectively, the delivery to the Trust or the distribution from the Trust of the number of bitcoins represented by the baskets being created and/or redeemed, the amount of which can be based on the combined NAV of the underlying assets relating to the number of shares included in the baskets being created and/or redeemed. In embodiments, an initial number of bitcoins required for deposit with the Trust to create Shares can be a fixed amount per basket. In embodiments, the number of bitcoins required to create a basket or to be delivered upon the redemption of a basket may change over time, due to, e.g., the accrual of trust's expenses, the transfer of the trust's bitcoins to pay sponsor's fee and/or the transfer of the trust's bitcoins to pay any trust expenses not assumed by the Sponsor, to name a few. (273) In embodiments, the number of whole and fractional bitcoins in the deposit required for a basket ("Creation Basket Deposit") may be determined by dividing the number of bitcoins held by the trust by the number of baskets outstanding, as adjusted for the number of whole and fractional bitcoins constituting estimated accrued but unpaid fees and expenses of the trust. Fractions of a bitcoin smaller than a Satoshi (i.e., 0.00000001 of a bitcoin) which are included in the Creation Basket Deposit amount are disregarded in the foregoing calculation. All questions as to the composition of a Creation Basket Deposit will be conclusively determined by the Trustee. The Trustee's determination of the Creation Basket Deposit shall be final and binding on all persons interested in the Trust. (274) In embodiments, baskets may be created and/or redeemed only by APs, such as APs who pay a transaction fee for each order to create and/or redeem Baskets and/or have the right to sell the shares included in the Baskets they create to other investors. In embodiments, the Trust may or may not issue fractional baskets. (275) In embodiments, a method for purchasing shares of a trust associated with an exchange traded product holding digital math-based assets may comprise receiving, at a trust computer system from an AP computer system, a request from an AP to purchase shares in the trust; providing or creating, at the trust computers system, one or more digital wallets associated with a trust custody account to hold digital math-based assets, each digital wallet have a respective public key and a respective private key; providing, from the trust computer system to the AP computer system, each respective public key; receiving, at the trust computers systems, into the one or more digital wallets a first amount of digital math-based assets, from one or more digital wallets associated with an AP; sending, from the trust computer system to a digital asset network, an asset notification to provide for the asset transfer recorded on a public transaction ledger of a digital asset network to reflect the transfer of the first amount of digital math-based assets; receiving, at the trust computer system, confirmation from the digital asset network, that the transfer is valid; and sending instructions to a third-party clearing entity to transfer a first amount of shares in the trust to the AP. (276) FIG. 17A is a flow chart of a process for investing in the trust in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. In embodiments, the process depicted in FIG. 17A may be performed by the trustee, the administrator, the custodian, and/or one or more computers operated by one or more of those entities or another entity. In exemplary embodiments, in step S102, a request may be received from a prospective AP to become an AP and/or to purchase shares in the trust. At this point the prospective AP may be made an AP with the trust for the ETP. In a step S104, authorization may be provided, e.g., from the trustee, to purchase shares in the trust. In embodiments, step S104 may begin a settlement process. In embodiments, the settlement process will comprise a window, e.g., a 3-day window, during which an AP may hedge its position in the market. In embodiments, the AP may obtain digital assets amounting to a creation deposit to create the creation unit. For example, the AP may purchase bitcoins required for the creation deposit, or may otherwise have sufficient bitcoins, e.g., stored in a digital wallet, to settle a creation unit order. In a step S106, the trustee may create one or more new digital wallets to receive assets from an AP. In a step S108, the trust may receive assets, e.g., from an AP. In embodiments, the assets may comprise one or more creation units. In embodiments, the assets may be deposited by the AP directly into an AP custody account. Where assets are not deposited directly into an AP custody account, in a step S110 the trustee may move the assets into an AP custody account. In a step S112, the trustee may transfer assets to one or more trust digital wallets. In embodiments, these digital wallets may be vault digital wallets which may be intended to hold assets for long term storage. In a step S114, the trustee may send an asset notification to provide for the asset transfer recorded on a network's transaction ledger or may otherwise update or cause to be updated the network's transaction ledger to reflect the transfer. In step S116, the trustee may transfer or direct the transfer, e.g., by a third-party clearing agency 250 (e.g., the DTC), of shares in the trust to the AP. In step S118, the trustee may delete the wallet or wallets into which the AP initially transferred the assets. (277) In an exemplary embodiment, the fund asset can be a digital asset. In exemplary embodiments, the digital asset can be a bitcoin. To obtain shares in the trust, an AP may convert cash or anything of value to one or more digital assets. This conversion may be performed independently of the ETP or may be performed through an entity or system related to the ETP or may be performed through the ETP. In an exemplary embodiment, the AP obtains digital assets through an exchange. The AP may also have stored digital assets, e.g., an inventory of assets, which it may choose to deposit with the ETP. The AP may then deposit the digital assets with the ETP in exchange for one or more creation units of shares. Deposit of digital assets may occur via a public registry. The transfer of digital assets may occur as a peer-to-peer ("P2P") transaction, also known in the art as an end-user to end user transaction. (278) In embodiments, the AP may first place a creation order with the trustee, e.g., by transmitting the creation order to an administrative operations division of the trustee. In embodiments, as described above, shares may only be issued in creation units and/or in exchange for digital assets of pre-defined amounts. For example, one creation unit may consist of 50,000 shares and may be issued by the trustee in correlation with a deposit of the requisite amount of digital assets into the trust's account. (279) The trustee may accept the AP's creation order, which may begin a settlement period, e.g., a 3-day settlement period, during which the AP may engage in a settlement process. The settlement process may allow an AP time to hedge, with one possible goal being to avoid or limit risk. In embodiments, no-limit risk may be applicable. In embodiments, a goal of the hedging process may be to protect, e.g., from price movements, the AP's position in the digital assets being delivered to the trust. (280) In embodiments, the trustee, using one or more computers, may establish one or more digital wallets for each creation. In embodiments, the one or more digital wallets may comprise an AP custody account, which may receive assets deposited by an AP. In embodiments, an AP custody account may remain open throughout the process, and new digital wallets within the account may be created as needed and/or desired to fulfill orders and allow transfers. In embodiments, the trust may provide its own digital wallet system, which may include an interface and a programmed back end, or the trust may use an existing system. In embodiments, an AP may identify the public address of the digital wallet from which it will transfer assets to the trust. (281) At or before the close of the settlement window, the AP may instruct the trustee to transfer the required digital assets from the AP custody account for deposit into the trust. Upon such transfer from the AP to the trust, the AP may have satisfied its obligation. The trust, through a third-party clearing agency 250 (e.g., the DTC), may then issue shares in the required number of creation units to the AP. (282) In an exemplary embodiment, digital assets may be transferred from the AP to the trust by transferring the assets first from the AP's one or more outside digital wallets to the AP custody account's one or more digital wallets and, second, from the AP custody account's one or more digital wallets to the trust custody account's one or more digital wallets. In embodiments, both the transferor and the transferee's digital wallets may be required to report the transaction(s) to a registry or other system or entity in order for the transaction(s) to complete. In embodiments, there may be a time window within which both wallets must report the transaction(s). In embodiments, a transaction ledger will be updated to reflect the transfer(s). (283) FIG. 17B is a flow chart of a process for investing in the trust in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. In embodiments, the process depicted in FIG. 17B may be performed by the trustee of the trust, the administrator of the trust on behalf of the trust, the custodian, and/or one or more computers operated by one or more of those entities or another entity. In exemplary embodiments, in step S122, a trust computer system including one or more computers may determine share price information based at least in part upon a first quantity of digital math-based assets held by a trust at a first point in time and a second quantity of shares in the trust at the first point in time. In embodiments, the share price information may then be transmitted from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices. In embodiments, the step S122 may further comprise the steps of determining, by the trust computer system, a fifth quantity of digital math-based assets held by the trust that are attributable to shareholders; determining, by the trust computer system, a sixth quantity of digital math-based assets by subtracting from the fifth quantity a seventh quantity of digital math-based assets associated with trust expenses; and dividing the sixth quantity by an eighth quantity of outstanding shares. In embodiments, the share price information, may be a quantity of digital math-based assets per share and/or per a basket of shares corresponding to a number of shares associated with one creation unit of shares. In embodiments, the basket of shares may comprise one or more quantities of shares selected from the group consisting of: 5,000 shares, 10,000 shares, 15,000 shares, 25,000 shares, 50,000 shares, and 100,000 shares. (284) In a step S124, the trust computer system may receive, from one or more authorized participant user devices of an authorized participant, an electronic request to purchase a third quantity of shares. (285) In a step S126, the trust computer system may determine a fourth quantity of digital math-based assets based at least in part upon the share price information and the third quantity of shares. (286) In a step S128, the trust computer system may be used to obtain one or more destination digital asset account identifiers corresponding to one or more destination digital asset accounts for receipt of digital math-based assets from the authorized participant. In embodiments, the one or more destination digital asset account identifiers may comprise one or more digital asset account addresses and/or public keys. (287) In a step S130, the one or more destination digital asset account identifiers and an electronic amount indication of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets may be transmitted from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices. (288) In a step S132, an electronic transfer indication of a transfer of digital math-based assets to the destination digital asset account may be received at the trust computer system. In embodiments, the electronic transfer indication may further comprise an identification of one or more origin digital asset accounts. (289) In a step S134, the trust computer system may verify, using a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems, a receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets in the one or more destination digital asset accounts. In embodiments, step S134 may further comprise the steps of accessing, using the trust computer system, a plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger; analyzing, using the trust computer system, each of the plurality of updates for a first confirmation of the receipt by a node in a network associated with the digital math-based asset; and determining, using the trust computer system, a final confirmation of the receipt after detecting first confirmations of the receipt in a predetermined number of the plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger. In embodiments, the plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger may comprise new blocks added to a bitcoin blockchain. (290) In a step S136, the trust computer system may be used to issue or cause to be issued the third quantity of shares to the authorized participant. (291) In embodiments, the process depicted in FIG. 17B may further comprise the step of transferring, using the trust computer system, the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets into one or more digital asset accounts associated with a trust custody account. In further embodiments, the process depicted in FIG. 17B may further comprise the step of transmitting, from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices, an electronic receipt acknowledgement indicating the receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets. In still further embodiments, the process depicted in FIG. 17B may further comprise the step of transmitting or causing to be transmitted, to the one or more authorized participant user devices, an electronic share issuance indication of the issuing of the third quantity of shares. (292) In embodiments a system for determining and/or providing a blended digital math-based asset price can comprise one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media operatively connected to the one or more processors and having stored thereon instructions for carrying out the steps of: (i) determining, by a trust computer system including one or more computers, share price information based at least in part upon a first quantity of digital math-based assets held by a trust at a first point in time and a second quantity of shares in the trust at the first point in time; (ii) receiving, at the trust computer system from one or more authorized participant user devices of an authorized participant, an electronic request to purchase a third quantity of shares; (iii) determining, by the trust computer system, a fourth quantity of digital math-based assets based at least in part upon the share price information and the third quantity of shares; (iv) obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more destination digital asset account identifiers (e.g., one or more digital asset account addresses, and/or one or more digital asset account public keys, to name a few) corresponding to one or more destination digital asset accounts for receipt of digital math-based assets from the authorized participant; (v) transmitting, from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices, the one or more destination digital asset account identifiers and an electronic amount indication of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets; (vi) receiving, at the trust computer system, an electronic transfer indication of a transfer of digital math-based assets to the destination asset account; (vii) verifying, by the trust computer system using a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems, a receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets in the one or more destination digital asset accounts; and (viii) issuing or causing to be issued, using the trust computer system, the third quantity of shares to the authorized participant. Deposit Distribution Waterfalls Among Wallets (293) The creation process involves the deposit of digital assets into the trust's accounts. During a creation, assets or other funds may be deposited into one or more trust accounts. In embodiments, a trust may limit the number of assets or amount of funds stored in each of its wallets, e.g., for security reasons to reduce exposure if any one wallet is compromised. In multi-wallet structures, various asset distributions among the wallets are possible, and various distribution methods or waterfalls may be employed. (294) In embodiments, wallets may be filled in a pre-determined order. In embodiments, wallets may be filled according to one or more desired capacities or account balances, e.g., deposit 10,000 bitcoins in each wallet before proceeding to deposit in the next wallet. (295) FIGS. 18A and 18B are flow charts of various exemplary processes for assigning digital assets (e.g., bitcoins) obtained at creation and distributing them among digital wallets in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. (296) For example, with reference to FIG. 18A, an exemplary creation distribution waterfall is illustrated. In embodiments, these steps may be performed using AP computer systems, operated by one or more APs requesting creation units, and trust computer systems, operated by the trustee, custodian and/or administrator on behalf of the trust. (297) In step S220, a fixed number of digital wallets to be stored in one or more vaults can be created in advance of anticipated use. In creating the digital wallets, as described herein e.g., in relation to FIG. 5A, the private key for each wallet may be parsed into two or more segments and/or encoded and stored in paper form. In embodiments, the key segments may be further encrypted before storing in paper form. The corresponding public key may be kept readily available for the administrator and/or custodian to access. (298) In step S222, an AP using an AP computer system can send to the trustee, custodian and/or administrator using a trust computer system, which in turn receives, assets (e.g., digital math assets such as bitcoins) to be deposited into the trust. For example, the trust computer system can send electronically to the AP computer system a public key associated with a trust custody account to receive the digital assets. The AP can then enter the public key into an AP digital wallet on the AP computer system to send the required digital assets (e.g., bitcoins) from the AP account to the trust custody account using the AP's private key and the public key associated with the trust custody account. The trust computer system can then acknowledge (e.g., electronically) receipt of the transferred digital assets in the trust custody account. In embodiments, one or more AP accounts and/or one or more trust custody accounts can be used. The trust custody account can be an AP custody account and/or a vault account, as appropriate, to name a few. (299) In embodiments, in step S224, after receipt of digital assets deposited into the trust, digital assets deposited by an AP into the trust, can be transferred using the trust computer system to one or more digital wallets associated with an AP trust custody account. In embodiments, the initial transfer of assets may be made directly one or more AP accounts into one or more AP custody accounts. (300) In step S226, the digital assets in the digital wallets associated with the AP trust custody account may be transferred using the trust computer system in whole or part into one or more of the previously created digital wallets whose private key segments are stored in vaults. In embodiments, the digital assets may be distributed by the trust computer system to trust wallets, such as discussed in the context of FIG. 18B herein, or according to another distribution algorithm. (301) With reference to FIG. 18B, an exemplary creation distribution waterfall is illustrated. In embodiments, these steps may be performed using AP computer systems, operated by one or more APs requesting creation units, and trust computer systems, operated by the trustee, custodian and/or administrator on behalf of the trust. (302) In step S240, an AP custodial digital wallet can be created using the trust computer system to receive assets from an AP digital wallet on an AP computer system. (303) In step S242, an AP using an AP computer system can send to the trustee, custodian and/or administrator using a trust computer system (which in turn receives) assets (e.g., digital math assets such as bitcoins) to be deposited into the trust. For example, the trust computer system can send electronically to the AP computer system a public key associated with a trust custody account to receive the digital assets. The AP can then enter the public key into an AP digital wallet on the AP computer system to send the required digital assets (e.g., bitcoins) from the AP account to the trust custody account using the AP's private key and the public key associated with the trust custody account. The trust computer system can then acknowledge (e.g., electronically) receipt of the transferred digital assets in the trust custody account. In embodiments, one or more AP accounts and/or one or more trust custody accounts can be used. The trust custody account can be an AP custody account and/or a vault account, as appropriate, to name a few. (304) In step S244, after receipt of digital assets deposited into the trust, digital assets deposited by an AP into the trust, can be transferred using the trust computer system to one or more digital wallets associated with an AP trust custody account. In embodiments, the initial transfer of assets may be made directly one or more AP accounts into one or more AP custody accounts. (305) In embodiments, the creation distribution methodology/algorithm can depend at least in part upon one or more of the following criteria or parameters: setting a maximum amount of digital assets stored in each wallet (e.g., limiting to 10,000 bitcoins in each wallet); setting a minimum amount of digital assets stored in each wallet (e.g., at least 100 bitcoins in each wallet); setting a maximum ratio of maximum amount to minimum amount of digital assets stored in each wallet (e.g., a 10-to-1 ratio); setting a random amount of digital assets to be stored in each wallet, wherein the random amount is greater than a minimum amount and less than a maximum amount; limiting the number of uses of each wallet (e.g., never using the same wallet more than once); resetting the maximum amount and the minimum amount of digital assets stored in each wallet based at least in part on increased or decreased volume of digital assets held by the trust; setting a maximum amount of digital assets transferred to each wallet in any given transaction (e.g., limiting to 10,000 bitcoins in each wallet); setting a minimum amount of digital assets transferred to each wallet in any given transaction (e.g., at least 100 bitcoins in each wallet); setting a maximum ratio of maximum amount to minimum amount of digital assets transferred to each wallet in any given transaction (e.g., a 10-to-1 ratio); setting a random amount of digital assets to be transferred to each wallet in any given transaction, wherein the random amount is greater than a minimum amount and less than a maximum amount; limiting the number of transfers to a given wallet (e.g., never using the same wallet more than once, never make more than two transfers to the same wallet during a year period, to name a few); resetting the maximum amount and the minimum amount of digital assets transferred to and/or from each wallet based at least in part on increased or decreased volumes of digital assets held by the trust; and/or performing transfers to one or more wallets, e.g., vault wallets, at random and/or varied times of day (e.g., make a transfer at 4:00 PM ET on one day and make a transfer at 4:18 PM ET the following day; make a transfer to one wallet at 4:00 PM ET and another wallet at 5:13 PM ET the same day). Redemptions from ETP (306) In embodiments a method for redeeming shares in a trust associated with an exchange traded product holding digital math-based assets may comprise receiving, at a trust computer system from an AP computer system, a redemption order from an AP to redeem a first number of shares in the trust; determining, using the trust computer system, one or more trust wallets to access to satisfy the redemption order; generating, using the trust computer system, instructions to a custodian to retrieve at least one copy of each private key segment corresponding to the one or more trust wallets; sending the instructions to the custodian; reassembling, using the trust computer system, the one or more trust wallets using the at least one copy of each private key segment; transferring, using the trust computer system, from the one or more trust wallets a first number of digital math-based assets to an AP wallet associated with the AP; generating, using the trust computer system, instructions to the third-party clearing agency to cancel the first number of shares in the trust of the AP; and sending the instructions to the third-party clearing agency. In embodiments, the trustee using the trust computer system may approve the redemption order and/or send confirmation (e.g., electronically) of the order. (307) In embodiments, the redemption distribution from the trust may consist of a transfer to the redeeming AP's Authorized Participant Custody Account of the number of the bitcoins held by the trust in the Trust Custody Account evidenced by the shares being redeemed. In embodiments, fractions of a bitcoin included in the redemption distribution smaller than a Satoshi (i.e., 0.00000001 of a bitcoin) may be disregarded. In embodiments, redemption distributions may be subject to the deduction of any applicable tax or other governmental charges that may be due. (308) FIG. 19A is a flow chart of a process for redeeming shares in the trust in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. In embodiments, the processes depicted in FIG. 19A may be performed by the trustee, the administrator, the custodian, and/or a trust computer system comprising one or more computers operated by one or more of those entities or another entity. (309) In step S202, the trust computer system may receive a request, e.g., a redemption order, from an AP computer system for an AP to redeem shares in the trust. In embodiments, the trustee using the trust computer system may approve the redemption order and/or send confirmation (e.g., electronically) of the order. In embodiments, a settlement process entailing, for example, a 3-day settlement window, may be triggered. Other durations of settlement periods may be used as convenient. In embodiments, the trust computer system may receive from the AP computer system one or more public keys associated with AP wallets and/or AP accounts to which redemption proceeds are designated by the AP to be distributed. For example, public key information may be sent electronically from the AP computer system to the trust computer system using, e.g., a digital wallet, e-mail, text message, a digital asset exchange, electronic communications, to name a few. In embodiments, the trustee may designate one or more existing trust custody wallets and/or create one or more new wallets using the trust computer system to be used as AP custody accounts. In embodiments, the trustee may determine the number of digital assets (e.g., bitcoins) required for the redemption, e.g., by using the trust computer system to multiply the number of shares to be redeemed by the NAV value per share less any transaction fees associated with the redemption. In embodiments, depending upon the timing of the redemption, an ANAV value per share may be used in lieu of the NAV value per share. The trust may request and/or receive, e.g., through the third-party clearing agency 250 (e.g., the DTC), shares to be redeemed. (310) In step S204, the trust computer system may determine one or more wallets to access to satisfy the redemption. The determination as to how many and which wallets should be used to redeem assets may be based at least in part on one or more of the parameters discussed herein (see, e.g., Redemption Distribution Waterfalls Among Wallets). (311) In step S206, the trustee may instruct the custodian to retrieve from one or more vaults a copy of each private key segment comprising one or more private keys corresponding to the digital wallets that will be accessed to satisfy the redemption. In embodiments, special security measures may be implemented to limit the risk of one or more key segments being lost, damaged and/or stolen in transport. For example, bonded armored cars can be used to transport key segments. The timing of key segment retrieval and transport may be spaced so that only one segment is transported at a time. The timing and/or route of retrieval may also be randomized and/or varied to avoid predictability of transport of key segments from the vault to the administrative portal. (312) In step S208, the trustee, administrator and/or custodian using the trust computer system may use the retrieved private key segments to reassemble the private keys. In embodiments, this may be performed by decrypting the private key segments and reassembling the segments into a complete private key. In embodiments, the retrieved private key segments may be scanned using key reader 40, and decrypted (as necessary) using decryption software on the isolated computer 30 as part of the trust computer system, and combined and associated with the corresponding public key to regenerate a trust wallet. (313) In embodiments, as described in a step S208′ in FIG. 19B, the trustee, administrator, and/or custodian using the trust computer system may decrypt the private key segments, reassemble the key segments into full keys, and/or reverse any cipher that was previously applied. In embodiments, these sub-steps of step S208′ may be performed in any order which will result in a properly reassembled private key. In embodiments, they are performed in the reverse order of the steps used to secure and store the keys. In embodiments, the key segments are decrypted first, then reassembled into a complete key, then deciphered. The complete deciphered key may then be used to access and/or transact using a digital wallet. (314) In step S210, the trust computer system may identify and/or correlate the one or more private keys with the associated public keys to create one or more digital wallets to access the digital assets. In embodiments, preassembled wallets may be generated on one or more isolated transaction computers 32 to hold public key and private key information and transfer instructions awaiting closing. In embodiments, the use of preassembled wallets may expedite the wallet generation process associated with digital math based assets. In embodiments, the trust computer system may include one or more digital asset miners (e.g., bitcoin miners) to allow for prompt transfer of ledger information to reassembled digital wallets. In embodiments, digital math-based assets earned by the digital asset miners may be added to the trust and/or paid to the administrator and/or sponsor as a fee. (315) In step S212, the trust computer system may reassemble, regenerate, or otherwise access the one or more trust custody account digital wallets (which may, in embodiments, be vault wallets) using the private and/or public keys. The trust computer system may transfer, from the one or more vault wallets to one or more digital wallets in the AP custody account, the assets being redeemed, and then transfer such assets being redeemed to the AP's one or more outside digital wallets. In embodiments, the AP wallet may be an AP custodial wallet. In embodiments, the trust computer system may delete or destroy one or more wallets involved in the transaction, e.g., the AP custody wallet and/or any vault wallets that were emptied, to name a few. (316) In step S214, the trustee may cancel and/or instruct to cancel, e.g., using the third-party clearing agency 250 (e.g., DTC), the AP's shares corresponding to the number of assets withdrawn and delivered to the AP. (317) In embodiments, in step S216, the AP may convert the assets to some other asset or currency or use them to conduct one or more transactions. (318) In embodiments, security measures, such as described with respect to FIG. 8, may be implemented. In embodiments, a wallet created on the isolated computer 30 may be copied in part to create a watching wallet that may create unsigned transactions and/or broadcast already signed transactions. In embodiments, the watching wallet may not contain private key data. The watching wallet may be loaded onto the networked computer 20. The networked computer 20 may then be used to create one or more unsigned transactions. The unsigned transaction data may be transferred from the networked computer 20 to the isolated computer 30. Such transfer may be manual, such as by downloading the unsigned transaction data to a removable storage device comprising computer readable medium (e.g., a USB flash drive, CD, CD-ROM, DVD, removable hard drive, disk, memory card, to name a few), physically disconnecting the storage device from the networked computer 20, operatively connecting the storage device to the isolated computer 30, and uploading the unsigned transaction data to the isolated computer 30. In embodiments, networked computer 20 may be connected, directly or indirectly, to isolated computer 30, which connection may comprise security measures, such as a firewall, designed to prevent unauthorized access of the isolated computer 30. After receiving the unsigned transaction data, the digital wallet on the isolated computer 30 may be used to sign the transaction. The signed transaction data may then be transferred from the isolated computer 30 to the networked computer 20 in any of the manners described herein. The networked computer 20 may then broadcast the signed transaction data to the network, which may complete the transaction. (319) FIG. 19C is a flow chart of another exemplary process for redemption of shares in an ETP. (320) In a step S2022, a trust computer system comprising one or more computers may determine share price information based at least in part upon a first quantity of digital math-based assets held by a trust at a first point in time and a second quantity of shares in the trust at the first point in time. In embodiments, the share price information may be transmitted to one or more authorized participant user devices. The share price information can comprise a net asset value per share, an adjusted net asset value per share, and/or a net asset value per a basket of shares (e.g., where the number of shares comprising the basket of shares may be associated with one creation unit of shares), to name a few. In embodiments, the basket of shares can comprise any of 5,000 shares, 10,000 shares, 15,000 shares, 25,000 shares, 50,000 shares, or 100,000 shares, to name a few. (321) In a step S2024, the trust computer system may receive from one or more authorized participant user devices of an authorized participant, an electronic request (e.g., a redemption order) to redeem a third quantity of shares. (322) In a step S2026, the trust computer system may determine a fourth quantity of digital math-based assets based at least in part upon the share price information and the third quantity of shares. Determining the fourth quantity of digital assets can comprise obtaining a net asset value per share; determining a digital math-based asset value of the third quantity of shares based upon the net asset value per share; determining transaction fees (e.g., denominated in a unit of the digital math-based asset) and/or expenses associated with the electronic request to redeem shares; and determining the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets by subtracting the transaction fees from the digital math-based asset value of the third quantity of shares. (323) In a step S2028, the trust computer system may obtain one or more destination digital asset account identifiers corresponding to one or more destination digital asset accounts for receipt by the authorized participant of a transfer of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets from the trust. The destination digital asset accounts may correspond to an authorized participant custody account. (324) In a step S2030, the trust computer system may obtain one or more origin digital asset account identifiers corresponding to one or more origin digital asset accounts for the transfer. In embodiments, the origin digital asset accounts may be securely stored accounts, as described herein. The origin digital asset accounts may correspond to a trust custody account. (325) In a step S2032, the trust computer system may initiate the transfer of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets from the one or more origin digital asset accounts to the one or more destination digital asset accounts. Initiating a transfer of assets from the trust can comprise retrieving or causing to be retrieved (e.g., issuing retrieval instructions) one or more private keys associated with the one or more origin digital asset accounts, and accessing the one or more origin digital asset accounts using at least the one or more private keys. (326) Retrieving keys can comprise issuing retrieval instructions for retrieving a plurality of encrypted private keys corresponding to the one or more origin digital asset accounts; receiving, at the trust computer system, the plurality of encrypted private keys; and obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more private keys by decrypting the plurality of private keys. (327) In other embodiments, retrieving keys can comprise issuing, using the trust computer system, retrieval instructions for retrieving a plurality of private key segments corresponding to the one or more origin digital asset accounts; receiving, at the trust computer system, the plurality of private key segments; and obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more private keys by assembling the plurality of private keys. (328) In still other embodiments, retrieving keys can comprise issuing, using the trust computer system, retrieval instructions for retrieving a plurality of encrypted private key segments corresponding to the one or more origin digital asset accounts; receiving, at the trust computer system, the plurality of encrypted private key segments; and obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more private keys by decrypting the plurality of private key segments and assembling the segments into one or more private keys. (329) For a multi-signature digital asset account, retrieving keys can comprise issuing, using the trust computer system, retrieval instructions for retrieving a plurality of encrypted private key segments corresponding to the one or more origin digital asset accounts; receiving, at the trust computer system, the plurality of encrypted private key segments; obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more first private keys by decrypting the plurality of private key segments and assembling the segments into one or more first private keys; and obtaining, using the trust computer system, at least one second private key corresponding to the one or more origin digital asset accounts. (330) In a step S2034, the trust computer system may broadcast the transfer to a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems. (331) In a step S2036, the trust computer system may verify, using the decentralized electronic ledger, a receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets at the one or more destination digital asset accounts. Transaction verification can comprise accessing, using the trust computer system, a plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger (e.g., new blocks added to a bitcoin blockchain); analyzing, using the trust computer system, each of the plurality of updates for a first confirmation of the receipt by a node in a network associated with the digital math-based asset; and determining, using the trust computer system, a final confirmation of the receipt after detecting first confirmations of the receipt in a predetermined number of the plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger. (332) In a step S2038, the trust computer system may cancel or cause to be canceled (e.g., by issuing instructions to a third-party clearing agency) the third quantity of shares from the authorized participant. (333) In embodiments, the process can include determination of and/or institution of a settlement period associated with the electronic request to redeem shares. (334) In embodiments, the trust computer system may be operated by a trustee and/or an administrator of the trust. (335) In embodiments a system for determining and/or providing a blended digital math-based asset price can comprise one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media operatively connected to the one or more processors and having stored thereon instructions for carrying out the steps of (i) determining, by a trust computer system comprising one or more computers, share price information based at least in part upon a first quantity of digital math-based assets held by a trust at a first point in time and a second quantity of shares in the trust at the first point in time; (ii) receiving, at the trust computer system from the one or more authorized participant user devices of the authorized participant, an electronic request to redeem a third quantity of shares; (iii) determining, by the trust computer system, a fourth quantity of digital math-based assets based at least in part upon the share price information and the third quantity of shares; (iv) obtaining, by the trust computer system, one or more destination digital asset account identifiers corresponding to one or more destination digital asset accounts for receipt by the authorized participant of a transfer of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets from the trust; (v) obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more origin digital asset account identifiers corresponding to one or more origin digital asset accounts for the transfer; (vi) initiating, using the trust computer system, the transfer of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets from the one or more origin digital asset accounts to the one or more destination digital asset accounts; (vii) broadcasting, using the trust computer system, the transfer to a decentralized electronic ledger maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems; (viii) verifying, by the trust computer system using the decentralized electronic ledger, a receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets at the one or more destination digital asset accounts; and (ix) canceling or causing to be canceled, using the trust computer system, the third quantity of shares from the authorized participant. Redemption Distribution Waterfalls Among Wallets (336) In embodiments, a redemption distribution waterfall may be implemented using one or more computers based at least in part on one or more parameters. In embodiments, such parameters may include at least one or more of the following: the order in which the wallet was created (e.g., first wallet created is first wallet used, last wallet created is last wallet used, to name a few); the order in which the wallet was filled (e.g., first wallet filed is first wallet used, last wallet created is last walled used, to name a few); a random order in which the wallet was created; a random order in which the wallet was filled; a random selection of the wallet; the vault in which the wallet is stored; the custodian of a vault storing the pair segments associated with a wallet; the amount of digital assets needed for a redemption compared to available in the wallet; the relative amount of digital assets held in the wallet (e.g., use the largest wallets first, use the smallest wallets first, to name a few); and/or the risk that a wallet has been compromised, to name a few. Examples of Financial Products Associated with ETPs Holding Digital Assets (337) In embodiments, insurance may be provided for digital assets. Such insurance may be provided to individual users of digital assets (including vendors), groups of users, exchanges, exchange agents, trusts providing exchange traded products associated with digital assets, to name a few. Insurance may be provided for a digital asset wallet and/or the contents of a digital asset wallet (e.g., insurance for 100 Bitcoins stored in a digital wallet). Such insurance may involve secure storage of the private key to a wallet and/or the public key. In embodiments, the blended digital math-based asset price as discussed herein may be used as a benchmark for such insurance. (338) In embodiments, a digital asset kiosk, such as a digital math-based asset kiosk, may be used to perform one or more transactions associated with digital assets. The transactions may require an appropriate money transmit business in order to meet regulatory requirements. In embodiments, a person or entity must use a money transmit business registered in the person or entity's domicile. NAV Calculation (339) In embodiments, an ETP may use a blended digital math-based asset price as a benchmark. Accordingly, a net asset value ("NAV") of shares in a trust for an exchange traded product holding digital math-based assets may be calculated based in part upon a blended digital math-based asset price or a digital asset index, which may in turn comprise a plurality of blended digital math-based asset prices. A NAV may be determined by obtaining, using one or more computers from one or more exchange computers, a value of digital math-based assets held by the trust at a defined time; calculating or obtaining, using the one or more computers, a blended digital asset value of the digital math-based assets during the predefined period of time; calculating, using the one or more computers, the value of the digital math-based assets held by the trust at a defined time by multiplying the units of each digital math-based asset held by the trust by the price per unit of each such digital math-based asset; determining or obtaining, using the one or more computers, estimated accrued but unpaid expenses, including sponsor fees, incurred by the trust since the last payment of a sponsor fee up to, but not included, the date on which the valuation is made; calculating, using the one or more computers, the adjusted net asset value of the trust by subtracting the estimated accrued but unpaid fees and expenses since the last payment of a sponsor fee up to, and included, the last valuation date of the digital math-based assets held by the trust on such date; determining or obtaining, using the one or more computers, estimated unpaid fees and expenses incurred by the trust since the last valuation date; calculating, using the one or more computers, net asset value of the trust by subtracting estimated accrued but unpaid fees and expenses incurred since the last valuation date form the adjusted net asset value of the trust; calculating, using the one or more computers, net asset value per share of the trust by dividing the net asset value of the trust by a number of outstanding shares of the trust; storing in one or more databases on computer readable media operatively connected to the one or more computers the accrued but unpaid fees and expenses, adjusted net asset value, net asset value and the net asset value per share of the trust; and publishing, from the one or more computers to one or more publication systems, the net asset value and the net asset value per share of the trust. In embodiments a time period of 12 hours, 24 hours, or 36 hours may be used. (340) In embodiments, NAV of a trust or its equivalent can be calculated by a computer system comprising one or more computer. For example, in embodiments, a NAV can be calculated using one or more computers on a daily basis (for each evaluation day, e.g., a day on which the trust shares are available to be created, redeemed and/or exchanged). In embodiments, a NAV can use one or more formulas to estimate a fair market value of a unit of a digital asset and/or a share in a trust at a given point in time. In embodiments, an industry standard formula can be used to calculate a NAV. In embodiments, a proprietary formula can be used to calculate a NAV. For example, one or more computers may calculate a digital asset price using data from the largest exchanges in the digital asset exchange market. In embodiments, a blended digital asset price can be calculated by one or more computers using an averaged price. (341) In embodiments, a blended digital asset price can be the price for digital assets determined each valuation day at a set time, such as, e.g., 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. In embodiments, a blended digital math-based asset price may be obtained from a blended digital math-based asset index, which may be accessed via an API. In embodiments, the system may calculate a blended digital asset price, by obtaining transaction data from one or more exchanges selected from a list of exchanges approved by, e.g., the sponsor, to determine either the average of the high and low prices on each exchange or the weighted (based on volume of shares traded) average of the transaction prices for the prior fixed time period (e.g., 12 or 24 hours) of trading activity on such one or more exchanges. In embodiments, the system may then average the price for each exchange, using weighting based on each exchange's volume during the period. Other methodologies can be used by the system to calculated the blended digital asset prices. For example, three exchanges, four exchanges, five exchanges, ten exchanges, or any number of exchanges as may be appropriate in view of the market for the math-based assets may be selected to determine the blended digital asset price. In embodiments, a time period of other than 12 or 24 hours may also be used depending upon the volume and volatility of the math-based asset price. For example, in a low volume period the time period may be increased to, e.g., 36 hours, while in a high volatility period the time period may be decreased to, e.g., 4 hours. In embodiments, a blended digital math-based asset price may be calculated by computing a volume weighted exponential moving average of actual transactions (e.g., considering price and volume of each executed transaction) from one or more digital asset exchange. In embodiments, the moving average may be taken over a period such as 2 hours. In embodiments, other periods may be used, such as 24 hours, 1 hour, 30 minutes, and/or 15 minutes, to name a few. (342) FIG. 20A is a flow chart of processes for calculating the NAV value of shares in a trust holding digital assets in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In embodiments, these processes may be performed by a calculation agent 240, by one or more computers, and/or by some other entity using one or more computers. In a step S402, the one or more computers may obtain from one or more exchanges the value of digital assets during a predefined period of time. In a step S404 a blended digital asset value may be calculated for the predefined period of time. In embodiments, the blended digital asset value may also be obtained from an external computer system, such as an electronic published index system. In a step S406, the value of digital assets held by the trust may be calculated. In a step S408, the ANAV may be calculated. In embodiments, the ANAV may be calculated by subtracting estimated accrued but unpaid fees and expenses from the calculated value of digital assets held by the trust. In a step S410, the accrued daily expense may be calculated. In a step S412, the NAV may be calculated. In a step S414, the NAV per share (NAV/share) may be calculated. (343) FIG. 20B is a flow chart of processes for calculating the NAV value of shares in a trust holding bitcoins in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In embodiments, these processes may be performed by a calculation agent 240, by one or more computers, and/or by some other entity using one or more computers. In a step S402′, the one or more computers may obtain from one or more exchanges the value of bitcoins during a predefined period of time. In a step S404′ a blended bitcoin value may be calculated for the predefined period of time. In a step S406′, the value of bitcoins held by the trust may be calculated. In a step S408′, the ANAV may be calculated. In embodiments, the ANAV may be calculated by subtracting estimated accrued but unpaid fees and expenses from the calculated value of bitcoins held by the trust. In a step S410′, the accrued daily expense may be calculated. In a step S412′, the NAV may be calculated. In a step S414′, the NAV per share (NAV/share) may be calculated. (344) FIG. 21A is a flow chart of additional processes associated with the evaluation day for calculating NAV value of shares in a trust holding digital assets in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The processes described by FIG. 21A may be performed by one or more computers operated by one or more entities, such as a calculation agent 240. In a step S502, the unpaid and accrued unpaid fees and expenses since the last evaluation day, which may include each category of fees and/or expenses, may be calculated. In a step S504, the number of digital assets to redeem for expenses may be calculated from the blended digital asset value and the unpaid and accrued unpaid fees and expenses since the last evaluation day. In a step S506, the calculated number of digital assets may be transferred from the trust to corresponding accounts, e.g., a sponsor account for the sponsor fee. In a step S508, the remaining number of digital assets held by the trust may be calculated. In a step S510, the NAV may be calculated. In a step S512, the value of the NAV per share may be calculated. (345) FIG. 21B is a flow chart of additional processes associated with the evaluation day for calculating NAV value of shares in a trust holding bitcoins in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The processes described by FIG. 21B may be performed by one or more computers operated by one or more entities, such as a calculation agent 240. In a step S502′, the unpaid and accrued unpaid fees and expenses since the last evaluation day, which may include each category of fees and/or expenses, may be calculated. In a step S504′, the number of bitcoins to redeem for expenses may be calculated from the blended bitcoin value and the unpaid and accrued unpaid fees and expenses since the last evaluation day. In a step S506′, the calculated number of bitcoins may be transferred from the trust to corresponding accounts, e.g., a sponsor account for the sponsor fee. In a step S508′, the remaining number of bitcoins held by the trust may be calculated. In a step S510′, the NAV may be calculated. In a step S512′, the value of the NAV per share may be calculated. (346) The NAV and NAV per Share can be published daily after its calculation using one or more computers. A third party agent can be employed to perform the calculation and to electronically publish it. In embodiments, the following process can be used: (347) Step 1: Valuation of Digital Assets (348) In embodiments, a NAV and NAV per Share, can be struck using one or more computers each evaluation day (e.g., each day other than a Saturday or Sunday or any day on which the listing exchange 235 is not open for regular trading). (349) The NAV and NAV per Share striking can occur at or as soon as reasonably practicable after a predetermined time of day (e.g., 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) each evaluation day and can be conducted by the trustee. (350) The first step for striking the NAV may be the valuation of the digital assets held by the Trust. In embodiments, the calculation methodology for valuing the Trust's digital assets can be as follows: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?Value of digital assets=(# of digital assets held by trust)×(blended digital asset price)in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? (351) If the blended digital asset price is unavailable on any given day, the sponsor can instruct the use of the prior day's blended digital asset price or, if the prior day's blended digital asset Price is deemed unfair/unsuitable, such other price as it deems fair. (352) Step 2: Calculation of ANAV (353) Once the value of the digital assets in the trust has been determined on an evaluation day, the trustee, using one or more computers, can subtract all estimated accrued but unpaid fees (other than the fees accruing for such day on which the valuation takes place computed by reference to the value of the Trust or its assets), expenses and other liabilities of the trust from such NAV of the trust. The resulting figure is the adjusted net asset value ("ANAV") of the trust. The ANAV can be used to calculate fees of trustee and/or sponsor. (354) In embodiments, the ANAV can calculated using the following methodology: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?ANAV=(value of digital assets)−(estimated accrued but unpaid fees/expenses/liabilities)in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? Step 3: Calculation of Daily Expense (355) Once the NAV has been determined, any fees or expenses that accrued since the last striking of the NAV can be calculated using one or more computers based on the evaluation day ANAV. (356) All fees accruing for the day (and each day since the last evaluation day) on which the valuation takes place computed by reference to the value of the trust or its assets can be calculated by one or more computers using the ANAV calculated for such evaluation day. (357) In embodiments, in arrears using the average of the daily ANAV for the prior month, the daily expense fee (for each day since prior evaluation day) can be estimated on a daily basis using the following methodology: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?Daily Expense\=(Sponsor's Fee)+(other fees)+(other expenses or liabilities accruing since the prior Evaluation Day)in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? Step 4: Calculation of NAV and NAV Per Share (358) In embodiments, the trustee can calculate using one or more computers the NAV, by subtracting from the ANAV the Daily Expense. (359) In embodiments, the trustee can also calculate using one or more computers the NAV per share by dividing the NAV of the trust by the number of the shares outstanding as of the close of trading. In embodiments, the number of shares outstanding as of the close of trading may be obtained from the NYSE Arca (which includes the net number of any Shares created or redeemed on such evaluation day). (360) Calculation Methodology: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?NAV=ANAV−(Daily Expense)in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?NAV per Share=NAV÷(# of Shares outstanding)in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? The Blended Digital Asset Price (361) A blended digital asset price, such as a blended digital math-based asset price, can be calculated, using one or more computers, each evaluation day. Systems and methods for calculating a blended digital asset price are described in U.S. application Ser. No. 14/313,873, filed Jun. 24, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. (362) The calculation can occur as of and at or as soon as reasonably practicable after 3:00 p.m. Eastern time each evaluation day (time could also be noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m.—simply needs to be sufficient time before NAV striking to complete the calculations). (363) The blended digital asset price can be the functional equivalent of a rules-based index and therefore has rules to populate the universe of data inputs and rules on calculation using such inputs. As discussed herein, the blended digital asset price can be used to create an index, to be electronically published. The index can, in turn, also serve as a price benchmark or can be used to create derivative products. Accordingly, in embodiments, a blended digital math-based asset index may be a benchmark for a derivative product, an exchange traded derivative product, a fund, a company, an exchange traded fund, a note, an exchange traded note, a security, a debt instrument, a convertible security, an instrument comprising a basket of assets including one or more digital math-based assets, and/or an over-the-counter product, to name a few. (364) In embodiments, a blended digital asset price may be obtained from a digital asset index. For example, one or more computers may access (e.g., via an API) one or more blended digital math-based asset values from a computer or database of underlying digital asset index values. In embodiments, digital asset index values may be interpolated to determine a value at a requested point in time, e.g., 4 p.m. E.T. (365) Eligible Data Inputs for a Blended Digital Asset Price (366) In embodiments, data for the blended digital asset price can be drawn from the largest exchanges that publicly publish transaction data and principally utilize acceptable currencies, e.g., currencies other than the Chinese Yuan. In this example, the Yuan denominated exchanges may not be included because of manipulation of that currency and unreliability thereof. In embodiments, additional currency denominations may be added or excluded at one or more future dates, which may be dates following the initial formation of the trust. (367) The sponsor can approve each eligible exchange (which, in embodiments, can be no fewer than three to five exchanges at any given time). (368) Selection of Data Inputs for a Blended Digital Asset Price (369) The rules for the blended digital asset price can provide for the use in calculation of the data from the three largest exchanges (by volume) on the sponsor approved list. (370) In embodiments, this determination of the three exchanges for use can be done on a weekly basis, (e.g., on each Monday) based at least in part on the volume on each such exchange during the prior week. In embodiments, this determination could be done on a different periodic basis (e.g., on a daily basis or a monthly basis) or on a when needed basis (e.g., whenever some circumstances occurs requiring a change of determination). (371) In embodiments, so long as exchange selection is not on a daily basis, to the extent an exchange that has been selected for inclusion experiences a halt in trading for more than 24 consecutive hours (e.g., a lack of any recorded transactions during the prior 24 hours, regardless of the reason), that exchange can be replaced by the next largest exchange (by volume) on the sponsor approved list. In embodiments, this determination can be made automatically by one or more computers as part of an algorithm. (372) In embodiments, in the instance of a replacement, the restoration of daily volume on the halted exchange to a level more than the daily volume on the exchange that substituted for it could trigger a reversal of the substitution, if such restoration occurred prior to the next scheduled reconstitution of the included exchanges. (373) In embodiments, an exchange may be removed where there is a significant drop in trading on that exchange (e.g., 90% drop in trading volume) during a relevant time period (e.g., prior 24 hours, prior week, prior month, to name a few). (374) FIG. 22 illustrates an exemplary process for determining qualified or approved exchanges in accordance with the present invention. In embodiments, this process may be used to determine qualified money transmit businesses instead of exchanges and/or a combination thereof. The process may be programmed with computer code, which may be run on one or more processors. The process can utilize pre-defined criteria, rules, parameters, and/or thresholds to determine qualified exchanges. Such criteria can include transaction volume criteria, denomination types, geographic location, exchange data availability, exchange accessibility information (e.g., considerations of political or regulatory restrictions), regulatory compliance data, exchange customer data, and/or exchange owner data, to name a few. Thresholds can be expressed as absolute values and/or percentages. (375) In a step S2402, one or more computers may obtain exchange transaction data for an exchange, where the data covers at least one tracking period. The exchange data may be received via electronic transmission (e.g., over the Internet) and/or electronically accessed (e.g., using one or more APIs). The tracking period may be any period of time over which the exchange will be assessed for approval for use in the calculation of a blended digital asset price, such as 15 minutes, 1 hour, 12 hours, 24 hours, and/or 1 week, to name a few. (376) In a step S2404, the one or more computers may determine whether a volume traded on the exchange during the tracking period satisfies a threshold volume. In embodiments, a threshold volume may be 500 units of digital assets. In embodiments, a threshold volume may be expressed as a percent (e.g., a percent of the digital assets in circulation). The threshold may be modified periodically to help increase or decrease the number of qualified exchanges. (377) In a step S2406, the one or more computers may determine whether the exchange transacts in an approved currency. The computers may either test for an approved currency (e.g., by comparing to a database of approved currencies) or for an unapproved currency (e.g., by comparing to a database of unapproved currencies). In embodiments, only one currency may be approved, and the test for that currency may be hard-coded in exchange approval software. Currencies may be approved or unapproved based on considerations of reliability and/or stability, to name a few. (378) In a step S2408, the one or more computers may determine whether qualified transaction data is available for the exchange for a threshold aggregate period of time. Qualified transaction data may be data from a reference period during which a threshold number of transactions occurred (e.g., at least 3 transactions) and/or a maximum volatility threshold was not exceeded (e.g., the high and low price during the reference period did not fluctuate by more than 50% compared to the respective average high and low prices during that reference period of the other top (e.g., top 4) potential qualified exchanges by volume). In embodiments, transaction data may be evaluated from a plurality of reference periods to determine whether the data satisfies qualification criteria for a In embodiments, transaction data to be qualified must satisfy qualification criteria for at least a specified period of time, which may be sub-divided into reference periods. For example, qualified transaction data may be determined for reference periods of 15 minutes, and to be a qualified exchange, the exchange must have qualified transaction data for an aggregate of at least 10 hours (40 reference periods) over a 24-hour tracking period. In embodiments, if an exchange satisfies each of the criteria examined in this exemplary process, it may be considered a qualified exchange for the tracking period over which it was examined. The determination of qualified exchanges may be performed at the end of each tracking period or on a rolling basis (e.g., re-evaluated at the end of each reference period). (379) Description of Electronic Data Pulled from Inputs (380) For each exchange on the approved list, the prior 24 hours of data setting forth each trade on the exchange by execution price and quantity transacted can be obtained, e.g., received and/or retrieved. Such transaction data may be obtained In embodiments, one or more digital asset prices, such as, e.g., closing price, traded value, bid price, ask price, and/or spot price, to name a few, may be obtained. In embodiments, only the highest and lowest exchange prices and their respective transaction volumes may be obtained. In embodiments, all exchange price and transaction data may be obtained. In embodiments, a shorter period of time than 24 hours may be used, e.g., 12 hours, 3 hours, to name a few, or a longer period of time such as 48 hours may be used, to insure a sufficient volume of transaction data is considered. (381) Application of Electronic Data (382) For each of the exchanges included in the calculation for any given evaluation day, an average price for such date can be used. In embodiments, using each average exchange price for such date, a blended and weighted average price for all exchanges can be extracted and used as the blended digital asset price. (383) In embodiments, a blended digital asset price may be calculated by first calculating each selected exchange's daily average and then blending (e.g., averaging) the averages into a blended digital asset price. The daily average may be a time-weighted (e.g., exponential) moving mean and/or volume weighted mean. In other embodiments, a blended digital asset price may be calculated using the data from the selected exchanges (e.g., the top 3 qualified exchanges) without first determining single exchange averages. (384) Single Exchange Average (385) In embodiments, a single exchange averages may be used instead of a blended digital asset price. In other embodiments, single exchange averages may be combined into a blended digital asset price. (386) In embodiments, the single exchange average may be calculated by one or more computers using the unweighted mean average of the high and low trading prices for such day (the average price of each trade during the day—which could be subject to manipulation through outlier price trades). (387) In embodiments, the single exchange average may be calculated by one or more computers using the weighted mean average of the high and low trading prices for such day (e.g., the trading price for each share traded that day, rather than for each executed trade regardless of share size). (388) In embodiments, the single exchange average may be calculated by one or more computers using the median average of the high and low trading prices for such day. (389) In embodiments, the single exchange average may be calculated by one or more computers using the weighted median average of the high and low trading prices for such day. (390) In embodiments the single exchange average may be calculated by one or more computers using any of a median, weighted median, average, and/or weighted average (by volume, time, or otherwise), any of which may be taken of high and low trading prices for a time period (e.g., 1 day, 1 hour, 15 minutes, to name a few), of the second highest and second lowest trading prices for a time period, and/or of all trades during a time period. For example, all transaction price data for a time period may be weighted by the volume transacted at the prices and/or by time (e.g., linearly or exponentially) in order to give greater weight to the more recent price data. Coefficients or other factors may be used to adjust the weighting so as to dampen or exacerbate any price fluctuations. For example, in embodiments, a coefficient for exponential weighting may be 0.69. In other embodiments, such a coefficient may be approximately 0.5, approximately 0.6, approximately 0.7, approximately 0.8, approximately 0.9, to name a few. Accordingly, in embodiments, a coefficient of exponential weighting can fall with a range 0.5-0.9, within a range 0.6-0.8, or within a range 0.7-0.8, to name a few. (391) Blended Digital Asset Price (392) In embodiments, the blended digital asset price can be calculated by the average of the single exchange averages. In embodiments, the average may be weighted by volume. An average may weight different exchanges differently in order to account for differences in ease of access of funds from an exchange and/or ease of transacting on the exchange. As described herein, a blended digital asset price may be calculated as part of providing a generated digital asset index. (393) In embodiments, the blended digital asset price may be calculated as illustrated in FIG. 23A. In step S602, one or more computers may obtain the highest and lowest digital asset prices for each sub-period of a prior time period for N approved exchanges available. In embodiments, N may be the 3 largest approved exchanges. In step S604, each of these values may be averaged, using one or more computers, to determine a blended digital asset price for the prior sub-period. In embodiments, the blended digital asset price may be calculated for a 12-hour period or for a 24-hour period. In embodiments, the blended digital asset price may be calculated using a mean average transaction price weighted by volume. (394) FIG. 23B illustrates a process for calculating the blended digital asset price using a 12-hour sub-period. In a step S606, one or more computers may obtain the highest and lowest digital asset prices for each hour of a prior 12-hour time period for a specified number N of the approved exchanges available. In a step S608, each of the values may be averaged, using one or more computers, to determine a blended digital asset price for the 12-hour period. (395) FIG. 23C illustrates a process for calculating the blended digital asset price using a 24-hour sub-period. In a step S610, one or more computers may obtain the highest and lowest digital asset prices for each hour of a prior 24-hour time period for a specified number N of the approved exchanges available. In a step S612, each of the values may be averaged, using one or more computers, to determine a blended digital asset price for the 24-hour period. (396) FIG. 23D illustrates a process for calculating the blended digital asset price using a 12-hour sub-period. In a step S614, one or more computers may obtain the highest and lowest digital asset prices for each hour of a prior 12-hour time period for the three largest of the approved exchanges available. In a step S616, each of the values may be averaged, using one or more computers, to determine a blended digital asset price for the 12-hour period. (397) FIG. 23E illustrates another process for calculating a blended digital asset price. In a step S620, one or more computers may determine one or more reference exchanges. The reference exchanges may be the top N (e.g., 3) qualified exchanges by volume exchanged during a tracking period. A tracking period may be any period of time, such as 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, or 12 hours, to name a few. Reference exchanges may be selected from a list of approved or qualified exchanges (e.g., approved by the sponsor). An exemplary process for approving exchanges to determine qualified exchanges is described herein with respect to FIG. 22. Reference exchanges may be determined each tracking period or may be determined over longer periods. For example, the reference exchanges may be determined at a fixed time each day. In a step S622, for each reference exchange, the one or more computers can determine highest and lowest exchange prices, as well as the corresponding volumes of digital assets exchanged at those high and low prices during a reference period. In embodiments, the reference period may be a different amount of time than the tracking period during which the reference exchanges are determined. In a step S624, one or more computers may calculate a blended digital asset price by averaging the high and low prices from each reference exchange, weighted by the respective volume of digital assets traded at each high and low price during the reference period. (398) FIG. 23F illustrates another exemplary process for calculating a blended digital asset price. In a step S620, one or more reference exchanges may be determined, as described with respect to FIG. 23E. In a step S622*a, for each reference exchange, the one or more computers can determine second highest and second lowest exchange prices, as well as the corresponding volumes of digital assets exchanged at those second highest and second lowest prices during a reference period. In a step S624, one or more computers may determine a weighted average of the determined second highest and second lowest prices from each reference exchange, where the weighted average is weighted by volume exchanged at each price, as discussed with respect to FIG. 23E. (399) FIG. 23G illustrates another exemplary process for calculating a blended digital asset price. In a step S620, one or more reference exchanges may be determined, as described with respect to FIG. 23E. In a step S622b, for each reference exchange, the one or more computers can determine a median price and corresponding volumes of digital assets exchanged at that price during a reference period. In a step S624, one or more computers may determine a volume weighted average of the determined median prices from each reference exchange, as discussed with respect to FIG. 23E. (400) FIG. 23H illustrates another exemplary process for calculating a blended digital asset price. In a step S620, one or more reference exchanges may be determined, as described with respect to FIG. 23E. In a step S622c, for each reference exchange, the one or more computers can determine prices for all exchange transactions and corresponding volumes of digital assets exchanged at those prices during a reference period. In a step S624, one or more computers may determine a volume weighted average of the determined exchange prices from the one or more reference exchanges, as discussed with respect to FIG. 23E. In embodiments, the digital asset prices from each reference period may be weighted by time, e.g., so as to preference more recent reference periods. Such weighting may be exponential weighting, such as an exponentially time-weighted moving average. Other moving averages may be employed, with or without weighting, such as a simple moving average, a cumulative moving average, a weighted moving average, and/or a volume weighted moving average, to name a few. Transaction data may be weighted by both volume and time, for example, by applying a volume weighted average as well as an exponential time-weighted moving average. Accordingly, an exponential volume-weighted moving average may be employed, applying an exponential weighting to transaction volumes over shifting period of time (e.g., a trailing 2-hour window). (401) FIG. 24 illustrates an exemplary system for providing a digital asset index in accordance with the present invention. A digital asset index system may include one or more user devices 2005 (e.g., 2005-1 to 2005-N), one or more digital asset kiosks 2010, one or more reference transmitters 2015 (e.g., 2015-1 to 2015-R), a digital asset indexer 2020, a digital asset index publisher 2025 (e.g., Winkdex, Bloomberg, Google, Yahoo, to name a few), one or more exchanges 2030, one or more exchange agents 2035, and/or an exchange traded product computer system 2040, to name a few. Any of the components involved in a digital asset index system may be connected directly (e.g., through wired or wireless connections) or indirectly, such as through a data network 2002. Any of the components of a digital asset index system can comprise or include a computer system comprising one or more computers. Accordingly, any of the components may have at least one or more processors, computer-readable memory, and communications portals for communicating with other components of the system and/or outside entities. (402) Still referring to FIG. 24, a user device 2005 may be a mobile phone, smart phone, PDA, computer, tablet computer, and/or other electronic device that can receive communications. A user device 2005 may run software, such as a digital wallet, for accessing a digital asset index or may access a digital asset index through a general Internet browser. A digital asset kiosk 2010 may also access a published digital asset index, as discussed herein. A digital asset indexer 2020 may generate one or more digital asset indices, and a digital asset index publisher 2025 may provide access to the one or more digital asset indices. For example, a digital asset index publisher 2025 may publish an index to a website, to a scrolling sign, and/or to software (e.g., an application such as a digital wallet client on a user device), to name a few. A digital asset indexer 2025 may deliver index data (which may include index values and other information, such as times corresponding to the values) and/or one or more index values to one or more destinations, such as user devices 2005 and/or computer systems, including third-party computer systems. Delivering index data can include transmission via a data network 2002, which can include transmission by email and/or SMS, to name a few. An application programming interface ("API") may be used to provide access to a digital asset index from one or more third-party devices or computer systems. An embeddable widget may be provided to enable display on a third-party website of digital asset index data and/or index visualizations (e.g., graphs, charts, and/or accompanying visualization options, such as time range). (403) Still referring to FIG. 24, data from one or more reference transmitters 2015 may be used to generate an index, as discussed herein. Transmitters may be money service businesses or money transmit businesses in the United States. Transmitters 2015 may be part of a digital asset exchange 2030. Exchanges 2030 outside the United States may function like transmitters, e.g., performing all or part of the roles ascribed herein to transmitters 2015, but without the same money transmit licenses as required in the United States. (404) FIG. 25A is another flow chart of an exemplary process for providing a blended digital math-based asset price in accordance with the present invention. (405) In a step S822, one or more computers may access from one or more electronic databases stored on computer-readable memory, electronic digital math-based asset pricing data associated with a first period of time for a digital math-based asset from a plurality of reference digital math-based asset exchanges (e.g., four exchanges). In embodiments, the electronic pricing data can include transaction prices and/or bid and ask prices, to name a few. In embodiments, the one or more computers may access transaction data, including transaction volume data. (406) In a step S824, the one or more computers may determine a plurality of qualified digital math-based asset exchanges (e.g., three exchanges) from the plurality of reference digital math-based asset exchanges. In embodiments, the plurality of qualified exchanges may be determined by evaluating, by the one or more computers, electronic exchange selection criteria, which may comprise one or more electronic exchange selection rules. (407) In a step S826, a blended digital math-based asset price for the first period of time may be calculated, using the one or more computers, using a volume weighted average of the electronic digital math-based asset pricing data from the plurality of qualified exchanges for the first period of time. (408) In a step S828, the one or more computers may store in one or more databases the blended digital math-based asset price for the first period of time. In embodiments, the databases may be remotely located, e.g., in a cloud computing architecture. In embodiments, the databases may store one or more other blended digital math-based asset prices corresponding to one or more other periods of time. (409) In a step S830, the one or more computers may publish to one or more other computers the blended digital math-based asset price for the first period of time. As described herein, publishing can comprise transmitting the price to one or more computer, transmitting the price to one or more user electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone), providing the price to an electronic display (e.g., a scrolling display), and/or providing the price to a website, to name a few. In embodiments, the price may be published from the database of blended digital math-based asset prices. In other embodiments, the price may be published by the calculating computer directly, e.g., from working memory. (410) FIG. 25B is a flow chart of another exemplary process for electronically generating an index of digital asset prices. (411) In a step S842, a first plurality of constituent digital math-based asset exchanges may be determined, using the one or more computers, for a first period of time (e.g., a 24-hour period). In embodiments, electronic digital math-based asset pricing data and associated volume data may be obtained, at the one or more computers, for a first tracking period for each of a plurality of reference digital math-based asset exchanges. In embodiments, the total volume of transactions made on the respective exchange during the tracking period may be calculated, by the one or more computers, for each of the plurality of reference digital math-based asset exchanges. In embodiments, a first plurality of constituent digital math-based asset exchanges may be determined, by the one or more computers, by ranking the plurality of reference digital math-based asset exchanges by total volume for the tracking period and selecting a second plurality of the reference digital math-based asset exchanges (e.g., three) according to the largest total volumes, wherein the second plurality is less than the first plurality. (412) In embodiments, the process for determining the first plurality of constituent digital math-based asset exchanges can further comprise determining, by the one or more computers, for each of the plurality of reference digital math-based asset exchanges whether the total volume of transactions made on the respective exchange during the tracking period satisfies a threshold volume; determining, by the one or more computers, whether the digital math-based asset exchange transacts in an approved currency; and determining, by the one or more computers, for each of the plurality of reference digital math-based asset exchanges whether qualified transaction data is available from the respective digital math-based asset exchange for a threshold aggregate period of time, wherein qualified transaction data is data from a calculation period during which (1) a threshold number of transactions occurred and (2) a maximum volatility threshold was not exceeded, and wherein a calculation period is a subperiod of the tracking period. (413) In a step S844, electronic digital math-based asset pricing data may be obtained, using the one or more computers, for each of the first plurality of constituent digital math-based asset exchange for a first subperiod of the first period of time (e.g., a 2-hour period within the first period of time). In embodiments, electronic digital math-based asset pricing data (e.g., transaction prices, bid and ask prices, transaction volume data, to name a few) may be obtained, using the one or more computers, for each of the first plurality of constituent digital math-based asset exchange for a second subperiod of the first period of time. (414) In a step S846, a blended digital math-based asset price may be determined, using the one or more computers, for the first subperiod, by calculating an exponential volume-weighted moving average of the digital math-based asset pricing data for each of the first plurality of constituent digital math-based asset exchange for the first subperiod. In embodiments, a blended digital math-based asset price may be determined, using the one or more computers, for the second subperiod, by calculating an exponential volume-weighted moving average of the digital math-based asset pricing data for each of the first plurality of constituent digital math-based asset exchange for the second subperiod. In embodiments, the exponential moving average utilizes a coefficient between 0.6 and 0.8. (415) In a step S848, the blended digital math-based asset price may be stored, using the one or more computers, for the first subperiod in a blended price database stored on computer-readable memory operatively connected to the one or more computers. In embodiments, the blended digital math-based asset price may be stored, using the one or more computers, for the second subperiod in the blended price database. In embodiments, the blended price database may comprise at least blended digital math-based asset prices at a specified interval, e.g., prices every 15 seconds, every minute, and/or once per day, such as at a specified time each day, to name a few. Accordingly, prices at the intervals may be interpolated from the blended digital asset prices closest in time. (416) In a step S850, blended digital math-based asset price for the first subperiod may be published, by the one or more computers. In embodiments, blended digital math-based asset prices may be published, by the one or more computers, for a plurality of consecutive subperiods during the first period of time. In embodiments, the blended digital math-based asset price for the first subperiod or for the plurality of consecutive subperiods may be published from the blended price database. In embodiments, the blended digital math-based asset price may be published to one or more user devices. In embodiments, the blended digital math-based asset price may be electronically published through a dedicated website and/or through one or more electronic access points. The blended digital asset price can be published, using one or more computers, on the trust's website and distributed to APs. The blended digital asset price may form the basis of a digital asset index, as discussed herein. In embodiments, no intraday blended digital asset price may be required to be published throughout the day. (417) Still referring to step S850, a graphical representation of blended digital math-based asset prices may be generated, by the one or more computers. The graphical representation may include the blended digital math-based asset prices for the plurality of consecutive subperiods during the second period of time. The graphical representation may be provided from the one or more computers to the one or more second computers. In embodiments, the graphical representation includes a graphical representation of the digital math-based asset pricing data for each of the first plurality of constituent digital math-based asset exchanges for the plurality of consecutive subperiods during the second period of time. In embodiments, the graphical representation further includes a second graphical representation of volume data for each of the first plurality of constituent digital math-based asset exchanges for the plurality of consecutive subperiods during the second period of time. (418) In still other embodiments, an API for accessing the blended digital math-based asset price may be provided, by the one or more computers to one or more third computers. An electronic API request to access a blended digital math-based asset price for a subperiod may be received, by the one or more computers from the one or more third computers, and the blended digital math-based asset price for the first subperiod may be provided by the one or more computers to the one or more third computers. (419) In embodiments, generating a blended digital asset price and/or a blended digital asset price index can comprise accessing transaction data from a plurality of exchanges, as described herein. Such processes can include data normalization, which can convert data to a consistent and/or uniform format. For example, digital asset price data from one exchange may be provided in units of bitcoin, while price data from another exchange may be provided in units of milli-bitcoin, and data from another exchange may be provided in satoshis. Upon accessing the data from the different exchanges, the data may be converted to a common format, such as milli-bitcoin. In embodiments, time data may also be converted to a common format, e.g., 24-hour time, and/or a common time zone, e.g., GMT. (420) In an exemplary embodiment, a blended digital asset price may be calculated by blending the trading prices in U.S. dollars for the top three (by volume) qualified exchanges during the previous two-hour period using a volume-weighted exponential moving average. Constituent exchanges of the index can be selected according to rules, such as requiring that the exchanges have electronic trading platforms on which users may buy or sell digital assets with other users in exchange for U.S. dollars. The value of the index (including a daily spot price) can be determined using exchange transaction data on a moving average basis over a trailing two-hour period. The computer code used to generate the index may weight exchange transactions by volume on a proportional basis. In order to reflect the latest in pricing information, the most recent transactions may be weighted exponentially greater than earlier transactions in the two-hour period. Example of ETP Process (421) Without meaning to limit the scope of the present invention, the following examples illustrate exemplary embodiments in accordance with the present invention and set forth the basic operation of the trust on a day-to-day basis by reflecting exemplary creations, redemptions, payments of the sponsor's fee, netting of transfers, trustee instructions and actions, and the creation and activation of cold storage digital wallets from the cold storage vault security system. (422) Each of these examples assume the following facts: There are two authorized participants (AP1 and AP2). The Trust is comprised of 5,000,000 outstanding shares, represented by underlying assets totaling 999,370.51327457 bitcoins. Assuming a blended bitcoin price of $200.00, the trust NAV is $199,728,984.50 as of the open of business on Day 1. For the purpose of this example, the blended bitcoin price does not change. Each creation unit is represented by 9,986.44922498 bitcoins. While the trust will be formed at 10,000 bitcoins per 50,000 share creation units on the purchase of the seed baskets, the operation of the trust and accumulation of accrued expenses will reduce the bitcoins per creation unit rate over time. Of the 10,000 cold storage digital wallets generated by the trustee in the formation of the trust, the following is a breakdown of their use status: 1,000 wallets are in use in cold storage, with 999 wallets holding 1,000 bitcoins and one partially filled wallet holding 370.51327457 bitcoins; 422 cold storage wallets have expired due to use for spot checking or activation by recall of paper tokens; and 8579 wallets remain inactive in cold storage. The partially filled cold storage digital wallets has index number 02814 and holds 370.51327457 bitcoins. The sponsor's fee is 1.00% per annum. (423) In the exemplary embodiments described in the following examples, the trust operates by rounding only to the nearest Satoshi, which is one hundred-millionth of a bitcoin. As a result, transactions in bitcoins will be reflected to eight decimal places. To assist in the orderly netting and administration of the administrative portal and the cold storage security system, a three business day settlement period is used. The sponsor's fee represents the trust's only expected regular charge. These examples do not include extraordinary expenses, meaning that the sponsor's fee will be the only expense accruing on a daily basis. This will be reflected in the reduction of the bitcoins represented by a creation unit on each of the three days of the example. Example 1 (424) In Example 1, the following particular facts are assumed: (425) AP1 places a creation order for three creation unit. AP2 places a redemption order for one creation unit. No Sponsor's Fee or extraordinary expenses payable on settlement date. The trust composition is: 5,000,000 outstanding Shares, representing 999,370.51327457 bitcoins. bitcoins per creation unit: 9,986.44922498. Amount of bitcoins in only partially-filled cold storage digital wallets (Index Number 02814): 370.51327457. (426) On day T, AP1 and AP2 place their orders for three creation units and one redemption, respectively. Trustee accepts the creation and redemption orders and confirms such receipt to AP1 and AP2. (427) On day T+1, trustee calculates expected netting to be 1 creation unit (i.e., 3 creation units created less 1 creation unit redeemed; no expected Sponsor's Fee or extraordinary expense payments). Trustee determines that no paper tokens need to be retrieved for withdrawals or distributions of bitcoins on the settlement date. The trustee determines and identifies 20 cold storage digital wallets from the Index Number-Public Key list for deposit activation for settlement date creations. (428) On day T+2, AP1 submits a creation wallet address supplement identifying the public key from which AP1 can deposit its creation deposit of 29,959.34767494 bitcoins. Using the administrative portal, trustee generates a wallet for the AP1 custody account and provides such wallet's public key to AP1 to receive the creation deposit. AP2 submits a redemption wallet address supplement identifying the public key to which AP2 can receive its redemption proceeds of 9,986.44922498 bitcoins. Using the administrative portal, trustee generates a wallet for the AP2 custody account and provides such wallet's public key to AP2 as the account distributing bitcoins. AP1 delivers 29,959.34767494 bitcoins to the public key identified for its AP1 custody account. Trustee acknowledges receipt of such creation deposit. AP2 delivers 50,000 shares to the trust through the third-party clearing agency (e.g., DTC) clearance process. Trustee acknowledges receipt of such share tender. (429) On day T+3 (Settlement Date), for netting purposes and using the administrative portal, trustee generates a wallet for the trust custody account and transfers 9,986.44922498 bitcoins from the AP1 custody account to such wallet in the trust custody account. Using the administrative portal, the trustee transfers 9,986.44922498 bitcoins from a trust custody account to the newly created wallet in the AP2 custody account; transfers such bitcoins from the AP2 custody account to wallet associated with the Public Key identified by AP2 as its outside account; and instructs the third-party clearing agency (e.g., the DTC) to cancel the 50,000 shares tendered by AP2, in settlement of the redemption. Using the administrative portal, trustee transfers 629.48672543 bitcoins from the AP1 custody account to partially-filled cold storage digital wallets (Index Number 02814) in cold storage; transfers 1,000 bitcoins each from AP1 custody account to 19 additional newly-activated cold storage digital wallets in cold storage; transfers 343.41172453 bitcoins from AP1 custody account to the newly activated cold storage digital wallets (Index Number 08649) in cold storage; and instructs the third-party clearing agency (e.g., the DTC) to transfer 150,000 newly issued shares to AP1 and to cancel the 50,000 shares tendered by AP2, in settlement of the creation. (430) At the end of this process, there is a net gain of 100,000 shares (2 creation units) issued and 19,972.89844996 bitcoins deposited into the trust; 20 cold storage digital wallets activated, no cold storage digital wallets expired. All temporary wallets are discarded after use. Amount of bitcoins in only partially-filled cold storage digital wallets (Index Number 08649): 343.41172453. Example 2 (431) Example 2 is treated as the next business day after settlement of Example 1. In Example 2, the following additional particular facts are assumed: AP1 places a creation order for two creation units. AP2 places a redemption order for two creation units. Sponsor's Fee of 837.22012681 bitcoins is due. The trustee can have calculated the sponsor's fee and the sponsor can have confirmed this calculation and provided a Public Key for its outside account prior to Day T. No extraordinary expenses are due payable on settlement date. The trust composition is: 5,100,000 outstanding shares, representing 1,019,343.41172453 bitcoins. The bitcoins per creation unit is: 9,985.35481959 (reduced because of four days of accrued but unpaid Sponsor's Fee). Amount of bitcoins in only partially-filled cold storage digital wallet (Index Number 08649): 343.41172453. (432) On day T, AP1 and AP2 place their orders for two creation units and two redemption units, respectively. Trustee accepts the creation and redemption orders and confirms such receipt to AP1 and AP2. (433) On day T+1, trustee calculates expected netting of 19,970.70963918 (i.e., 2 creation units created less 2 creation units redeemed less expected sponsor's fee, with no expected extraordinary expense payments). Trustee determines that one public key must be retrieved through paper tokens for sponsor's fee distributions on the settlement date and requests that the custodian deliver the paper token for the selected Index Number (cold storage digital wallet 00185) from sets A1, A2 and A3. The Trustee determines that only partially-filled cold storage digital wallet Index Number 08649 can be required for deposit activation for remainder bitcoins from the sponsor's fee distribution. (434) On day T+2, AP1 submits a creation wallet address supplement identifying the public key from which it can deposit its creation deposit of 19,970.70963917 bitcoins. Using the administrative portal, trustee generates a wallet for the AP1 custody account and provides such wallet's public key to AP1 to receive the creation deposit. AP2 submits a redemption wallet address supplement identifying the public key to which it can received its redemption proceeds of 19,970.70963917 bitcoins. Using the administrative portal, trustee generates a wallet for the AP2 custody account and provides such wallet's public key to AP2 as the account distributing bitcoins. Custodian delivers to trustee (or trustee collects from custodian's premises) the paper tokens for the selected Index Number (cold storage digital wallet 00185) from sets A1, A2 and A3. Trustee scans the QR codes, decrypts and reassembles the Private key and decrypts the public key for cold storage digital wallet 00185. AP1 delivers 19,970.70963917 bitcoins to the public key identified for its AP1 custody account. Trustee acknowledges receipt of such creation deposit. AP2 delivers 50,000 shares to the trust through the third-party clearing agency 250 (e.g., the DTC) clearance process. Trustee acknowledges receipt of such share tender. (435) On day T+3, settlement occurs. For netting purposes and using the administrative portal, Trustee generates a Wallet for the trust custody account and transfers 19,970.70963917 bitcoins from the AP1 Custody Account to such Wallet in the trust custody account. Using the administrative portal, the trustee transfers 19,970.70963917 bitcoins from the trust custody account to the newly created wallet in the AP2 custody account; transfers such bitcoins from the AP2 custody account to wallet associated with the public key identified by AP2 as its outside account; and instructs the third-party clearing agency (e.g., the DTC) to transfer 100,000 newly issued shares to AP1, in settlement of the creation, and to cancel the 100,000 shares tendered by AP2, in settlement of the redemption. Using the administrative portal, trustee generates a wallet in the sponsor custody account and transfers 837.22012681 bitcoins from Index Number cold storage digital wallets 00185 to the newly created sponsor custody account wallet. Trustee also transfers such bitcoins from the sponsor custody account to the public key identified by sponsor as its outside account; and transfers 162.77987319 bitcoins from Index Number cold storage digital wallet 00185 to the partially filled index number cold storage digital wallet 08649 in cold storage. (436) At the end of this process, there is no net change of shares issued. bitcoins deposited with the Trust is reduced by 837.22012681. No new cold storage digital wallets activated by deposit; one cold storage digital wallets expired after recall from cold storage and use. All temporary wallets discarded after use. Amount of bitcoins in only partially-filled cold storage digital wallet (Index Number 08649): 506.19159772. Example 3 (437) Example 3 is treated as the next business day after settlement of Example 2. In Example 3, the following additional particular facts are assumed: AP2 places a redemption order for four creation units. AP1 does not place any order. No Sponsor's Fee or extraordinary expenses payable on settlement date. The trust composition is: 5,100,000 outstanding shares, representing 1,018,506.19159772 bitcoins. bitcoins per creation unit is: 9,985.08121824 (reduced because of four days of accrued but unpaid Sponsor's Fee). Amount of bitcoins in only partially-filled cold storage digital wallet (index Number 08649): 506.19159772. (438) On day T, AP2 place its redemption order for four creation units. Trustee accepts the redemption order and confirms such receipt to AP2. (439) On day T+1, trustee calculates expected netting (none). Trustee determines that 40 public keys need to be retrieved through paper tokens for redemption distributions on the settlement date and requests that the custodian deliver the paper tokens for the selected Index Numbers from sets A1, A2 and A3. The trustee determines that only partially-filled cold storage digital wallets Index Number 08649 can be required for deposit activation for remainder bitcoins from the redemption proceeds withdrawal. (440) On day T+2, AP submits "redemption wallet address supplement" identifying the public key to which it can received its redemption proceeds of 39,940.32487295 bitcoins. Using the administrative portal, trustee generates a wallet for the AP2 custody account and provides such wallet's public key to AP2 as the account distributing bitcoins. Custodian delivers to trustee (or trustee collects from custodian's premises) the paper tokens for the selected 40 cold storage digital wallets by Index Number from Sets A1, A2 and A3. Trustee scans the QR codes, decrypts and reassembles the Private Keys and decrypts the Public Keys for the 40 cold storage digital wallets by Index Number. AP2 delivers 200,000 shares to the Trust through the third-party clearing agency (e.g., the DTC) clearance process. Trustee acknowledges receipt of such share tender. (441) On day T+3 (Settlement Date), using the administrative portal, the trustee transfers 1,000 bitcoins from each of 39 of the cold storage digital wallets pulled from cold storage to the newly created wallet in the AP2 custody account, totaling 39,000 bitcoins; transfers 940.32487295 bitcoins from the remaining cold storage digital wallet pulled from cold storage to the newly created wallet in the AP2 custody account; transfers 59.67512705 bitcoins from the remaining cold storage digital wallet to partially-filled cold storage digital wallet (Index Number 08649); transfers the total of 39,940.32487295 such bitcoins from the wallet in AP2 custody account to the public key identified by AP2 as its outside account; and instructs the third-party clearing agency (e.g., the DTC) to cancel the 200,000 shares tendered by AP2, in settlement of the redemption. (442) At the end of this process, there is a reduction of 20,000 shares issued by the trust and a reduction of 39,940.32487295 bitcoins deposited with the trust. No new cold storage digital wallets activated by deposit; forty cold storage digital wallets expired after recall from cold storage and use. All temporary wallets discarded after use. Amount of bitcoins in only partially-filled cold storage digital wallet (Index Number 08649): 565.86672477. (443) Now that embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements thereon can become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. The spirit and scope of the present invention is to be construed broadly. ### Claims 1. A computer-implemented method comprising the steps of: (a) determining, by a trust computer system including one or more computers, share price information based at least in part upon a first quantity of digital math-based assets held by a trust at a first point in time and a second quantity of shares in the trust at the first point in time, the trust computer system being operatively connected to a decentralized digital asset network that uses a decentralized electronic ledger in the form of a blockchain maintained by a plurality of physically remote computer systems to track at least one of asset ownership or transactions in a digital math based asset system; (b) receiving, at the trust computer system from one or more authorized participant user devices of an authorized participant, the one or more authorized participant user devices being operatively connected to the decentralized digital asset network, an electronic request to purchase a third quantity of shares; (c) determining, by the trust computer system, a fourth quantity of digital math-based assets based at least in part upon the share price information and the third quantity of shares; (d) obtaining, using the trust computer system, one or more destination digital asset account identifiers that provide access through the decentralized digital asset network to one or more destination digital asset accounts for receipt of digital math-based assets from the authorized participant; (e) transmitting, from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices, the one or more destination digital asset account identifiers and an electronic amount indication of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets; (f) receiving, at the trust computer system, an electronic transfer indication of a transfer of digital math-based assets to the one or more destination digital asset accounts as accessed through the decentralized digital asset network using the one or more destination digital asset account identifiers; (g) verifying, by the trust computer system using the decentralized electronic ledger, a receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets in the one or more destination digital asset accounts; and (h) issuing or causing to be issued, using the trust computer system, the third quantity of shares to the authorized participant. 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of: (i) transmitting, from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices, the share price information. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the share price information is a quantity of digital math-based assets per share. 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the share price information is a quantity of digital math-based assets per a basket of shares corresponding to a number of shares associated with one creation unit of shares. 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the basket of shares comprises one or more quantities of shares selected from the group consisting of: 5,000 shares, 10,000 shares, 15,000 shares, 25,000 shares, 50,000 shares, and 100,000 shares. 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining step (a) further comprises the steps of: (i) determining, by the trust computer system, a fifth quantity of digital math-based assets held by the trust that are attributable to shareholders; (j) determining, by the trust computer system, a sixth quantity of digital math-based assets by subtracting from the fifth quantity a seventh quantity of digital math-based assets associated with trust expenses; and (k) dividing the sixth quantity by an eighth quantity of outstanding shares. 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic transfer indication further comprises an identification of one or more origin digital asset accounts. 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more destination digital asset account identifiers comprise one or more digital asset account addresses. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more destination digital asset account identifiers comprises one or more digital asset account public keys. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the verifying step (g), further comprises the steps of: (i) accessing, using the trust computer system, a plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger; (j) analyzing, using the trust computer system, each of the plurality of updates for a first confirmation, by a node in the decentralized digital asset network, of the receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets in the one or more destination digital asset accounts; and (k) determining, using the trust computer system, a final confirmation of the receipt after detecting first confirmations of the receipt in a predetermined number of the plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger. 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of updates to the decentralized electronic ledger comprise new blocks added to the blockchain. 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the first confirmation by a node in the decentralized digital asset network is obtained by a proof of work at the node. 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the first confirmation by a node in the decentralized digital asset network is obtained by a proof of stake at the node. 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the first confirmation by a node in the decentralized digital asset network is obtained by a proof of burn at the node. 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a trustee of the trust operates the trust computer system. 16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein an administrator of the trust operates the trust computer system on behalf of the trust. 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of: (i) transferring, using the trust computer system, the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets into one or more digital asset accounts associated with a trust custody account and accessed through the decentralized digital asset network. 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of: (i) transmitting, from the trust computer system to the one or more authorized participant user devices, an electronic receipt acknowledgement indicating the receipt of the fourth quantity of digital math-based assets. 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of: (i) transmitting or causing to be transmitted, to the one or more authorized participant user devices, an electronic share issuance indication of the issuing of the third quantity of shares. 20. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the decentralized digital asset network is governed by a cryptologic protocol. 21. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the decentralized digital asset network is governed by an algorithmic protocol. 22. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the blockchain is a bitcoin blockchain.	9892460	US 9892460 B1	2018-02-13	61,147,982	Systems, methods, and program products for operating exchange traded products holding digital math-based assets	G06Q40/04		Winklevoss; Cameron Howard et al.	WINKLEVOSS IP, LLC	14/318456	2014-06-27	Robinson; Kito R	Tibljas; Shacole	1/1	WINKLEVOSS IP, LLC	11.08473	USPAT	75,377
United States Patent 9912659 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent March 06, 2018 Inventor(s) Widdows; Matt ## Locking systems with multifactor authentication and changing passcodes ### Abstract A computer-based locking system using changing passcodes includes an application server and an application in electronic communication with the application server. The application runs on a computing device. The application may request an input passcode from the application server based on a lock ID. The application server retrieves an algorithm from a database using the lock ID and generates the input passcode using the algorithm with a time as the input. A lock includes a passcode interface and a locking mechanism with the passcode interface being capable of capturing the input passcode. The lock executes the algorithm locally to generate a local passcode based on current time. The lock releases the locking mechanism in response to the input passcode matching the local passcode. Inventors: Widdows; Matt (Scottsdale, AZ) Applicant: Widdows; Matt (Scottsdale, AZ) Family ID: 61257310 Appl. No.: 15/488264 Filed: April 14, 2017 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: H04L29/06 (20060101); H04W12/06 (20090101); G06F7/04 (20060101); G06F15/16 (20060101); G06F17/30 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC H04L63/0846 (20130101); H04L63/068 (20130101); H04L63/0853 (20130101); H04W12/06 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search USPC: None ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 7012503 12/2005 Nielsen N/A N/A 8260262 12/2011 Ayed N/A N/A 9077716 12/2014 Myers et al. N/A N/A 9210150 12/2014 Grim et al. N/A N/A 9305412 12/2015 Winkelman N/A N/A 9455839 12/2015 Conrad et al. N/A N/A 9501883 12/2015 Handville et al. N/A N/A 2008/0207335 12/2007 DiMichele N/A N/A 2011/0128121 12/2010 Shachar 340/5.24 G07C 9/00309 2012/0299700 12/2011 Davis 340/5.54 G07C 9/00571 2014/0019699 12/2013 Cohen 711/163 G06F 12/14 2014/0051425 12/2013 Ahearn et al. N/A N/A 2014/0236350 12/2013 Woodard 700/237 G06Q 50/16 2014/0375422 12/2013 Huber 340/5.61 G07C 9/00174 2015/0179012 12/2014 Sharpe 340/5.28 G07C 9/00904 #### FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Application Date Country CPC 2014112695 12/2013 WO N/A 2016089832 12/2015 WO N/A Primary Examiner: Chen; Eric Attorney, Agent or Firm: Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. ### Background/Summary FIELD ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) The subject matter of the present disclosure is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. A more complete understanding of the present disclosures, however, may best be obtained by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements. (2) FIG. 1 illustrates a system for generating lock passcodes and unlocking locks, in accordance with various embodiments; (3) FIG. 2 illustrates a process for generating passcodes to unlock a lock at a predetermined time, in accordance with various embodiments; (4) FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a lock operable with changing passcodes installed in a door, in accordance with various embodiments; and (5) FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a lock operable with changing passcodes hanging from a structure, in accordance with various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (6) The detailed description of exemplary embodiments herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show exemplary embodiments by way of illustration and their best mode. While these exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosures, it should be understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical, chemical, and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosures. Thus, the detailed description herein is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation. For example, the steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions may be executed in any order and are not necessarily limited to the order presented. Furthermore, any reference to singular includes plural embodiments, and any reference to more than one component or step may include a singular embodiment or step. Also, any reference to attached, fixed, connected or the like may include permanent, removable, temporary, partial, full and/or any other possible attachment option. Additionally, any reference to without contact (or similar phrases) may also include reduced contact or minimal contact. (7) Referring now to FIG. 1, a system 100 for generating changing lock passcodes and operating locks is shown, in accordance with various embodiments. System 100 may include an application server 102 in communication with a computing device 104 over a network 103. Although the singular is used to describe application server 102, an application server as described herein may operate as a single computing device, a set of computing devices, or a distributed computing cluster, for example. Similarly, computing device 104 may be one or more computing devices capable of running a web application or native application to communicate with application server 102. Application server 102 and/or computing device 104 may thus have one or more processor configured to execute instructions retained in memory. In that regard, application server 102 and/or computing device 104 may thus include servers, computers, laptops, notebooks, hand held computers, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, smart phones (e.g., iPhone®, BlackBerry®, Android®, etc.) tablets, wearables, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or any other device capable of sending and/or receiving data over the network 103. (8) Network 103 may be any suitable electronic link capable of carrying communication between two or more computing devices such as application server 102 and computing device 104. For example, network 103 may be local area network using TCP/IP communication or wide area network communicating at least in part over the Internet. Network 103 may also be an internal network isolated from the Internet in various embodiments for enhanced security. A network may be unsecure. Thus, communication over the network may utilize data encryption. Encryption may be performed by way of any of the techniques now available in the art or which may become available (e.g., Twofish, RSA, El Gamal, Schorr signature, DSA, PGP, PKI, GPG, or other symmetric and asymmetric cryptography systems). (9) The application running on computing device 104 and in communication with application server 102 may thus receive and/or generate a code for user 106 to input into one or more locks 110 comprising locking units or systems. Each lock 110A, 110B, and 110C contains a corresponding passcode interface 112, locking mechanism 114, and algorithm 116. (10) In various embodiments, algorithm 116 may be executed on a processor and memory configured to execute a predetermined set of processing steps based in part on a local time as measured by the lock. Each lock 110 may thus include processors and one or more tangible, non-transitory memories and be capable of implementing logic to run the algorithm. The processor can be a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, other processing devices, or any combination thereof. (11) Algorithm 116 of each lock may be unique. For example, an algorithm performing a processing step on the lock serial number as part of passcode generation may ensure a unique output when combined with a one-to-one algorithm. Algorithm 116 of each lock may also be selected from a group of algorithms such that algorithm 116 for each lock may not be unique but the algorithm for each lock may still be unknown to attackers. The time used as an input to algorithm 116 may be the current time or a future time. In that regard, a user may request a passcode for a future date and time (e.g., 2:00 pm on Jan. 17, 2020) and the passcode generated based on the future time will be valid at the identified lock at that future time. A user present at the lock when requesting the passcode may use the current time as the requested time so that the current time is used in algorithm 116 and the passcode works immediately, but not in the future. In order to further facilitate transmission and/or entry of the passcode, the time may be rounded to the next 10 minute mark by both application server 102 and lock 110A. (12) As an example, algorithm 116A may include applying an MD5 hash function to the current POSIX time plus the number 104936. Algorithm 116B may include multiplying the time by 3 and applying a SHA1 algorithm, performing a string conversion, and appending the lock serial number to the end of the resulting string. Algorithm 116C may include taking the first 6 digits of the serial number of lock 110C and adding it to the first six digits of the current POSIX time. (13) These algorithms are given as examples of algorithms 116 for passcode generation, though any suitable algorithm may be used to generate a passcode based off time or other variables. For example, steps in an algorithm 116 may include division, subtraction, hash functions, lookup tables, quadratic functions, exponential functions, or string concatenation, string truncation, string shifting algorithms, or other suitable algorithms to generate a passcode. Arguments for use in processing may include a current time, a lock serial number, a lock ID, a constant, manufacture date, manufacture time, the initial synchronization time, or other suitable variables. The passcodes output from algorithms 116 may be numeric, alphanumeric, or may include special characters as desired. Algorithm 116 selected for each lock is repeatable by application server 102 given an input time. In that regard, lock 110 may calculate a matching passcode independently from application server 102 (or an application running on computing device 104). The locks 110 may use internal processors to compare a passcode input by a user at passcode interface 112 with a local passcode calculated locally by lock 110 using algorithm 116. (14) In various embodiments, application server 102 may be in communication with a lock parameter database 108. The lock parameter database may be maintained on application server 102 or on a separate server available for communication over a private network. The lock parameter database may associate a lock ID with the algorithm 116 installed on the lock having the lock ID. A unique number, a number that repeats rarely, or a number that repeats on another lock that is remote and unlikely to be discovered may thus be assigned to the lock and used as an ID. For example, a lock ID such as a serial number may be assigned to each lock 110. The lock ID may be stored in the database in association with an algorithm. Application server 102 may receive a request to a passcode that contains the lock ID, and generate a passcode using algorithm 116 retrieved from lock parameter database 108 based on the lock ID. For example, the application server may use a database interface library to submit a SQL query for the lock having lock ID number 234ikds001875, "select \* from lock\_algorithms where lock\_ID=234ikds001875." In that regard, the lock ID may be used as a key field in lock parameter database 108. (15) Any databases discussed herein may include relational, hierarchical, graphical, blockchain, object-oriented structure and/or any other database configurations. Common database products that may be used to implement the databases include DB2 by IBM® (Armonk, N.Y.), various database products available from ORACLE® Corporation (Redwood Shores, Calif.), MICROSOFT® Access® or MICROSOFT® SQL Server® by MICROSOFT® Corporation (Redmond, Wash.), MySQL by MySQL AB (Uppsala, Sweden), MongoDB®, Redis®, Apache Cassandra®, or any other suitable database product. Moreover, the databases may be organized in any suitable manner, for example, as data tables or lookup tables. Each record may be a single file, a series of files, a linked series of data fields or any other data structure. (16) Association of certain data may be accomplished through any desired data association technique such as those known or practiced in the art. For example, the association may be accomplished either manually or automatically. Automatic association techniques may include, for example, a database search, a database merge, GREP, AGREP, SQL, using a key field in the tables to speed searches, sequential searches through all the tables and files, sorting records in the file according to a known order to simplify lookup, and/or the like. The association step may be accomplished by a database merge function, for example, using a "key field" in pre-selected databases or data sectors. Various database tuning steps are contemplated to optimize database performance. For example, frequently used files such as indexes may be placed on separate file systems to reduce In/Out ("I/O") bottlenecks. (17) More particularly, a "key field" partitions the database according to the high-level class of objects defined by the key field. For example, certain types of data may be designated as a key field in a plurality of related data tables and the data tables may then be linked on the basis of the type of data in the key field. The data corresponding to the key field in each of the linked data tables is preferably the same or of the same type. However, data tables having similar, though not identical, data in the key fields may also be linked by using AGREP, for example. In accordance with one embodiment, any suitable data storage technique may be utilized to store data without a standard format. Data sets may be stored using any suitable technique, including, for example, storing individual files using an ISO/IEC 7816-4 file structure; implementing a domain whereby a dedicated file is selected that exposes one or more elementary files containing one or more data sets; using data sets stored in individual files using a hierarchical filing system; data sets stored as records in a single file (including compression, SQL accessible, hashed via one or more keys, numeric, alphabetical by first tuple, etc.); Binary Large Object (BLOB); stored as ungrouped data elements encoded using ISO/IEC 7816-6 data elements; stored as ungrouped data elements encoded using ISO/IEC Abstract Syntax Notation (ASN.1) as in ISO/IEC 8824 and 8825; and/or other proprietary techniques that may include fractal compression methods, image compression methods, etc. (18) In various embodiments, application server 102 may generate lock passcodes for transmission to computing device 104 using algorithm 116 retrieved from lock parameter database 108. The lock passcodes may also be calculated by the application running on computing device 104, though such a configuration may trade off processing burden on application server 102 for overall security of system 100 as the algorithms 116 may be more easily detected. (19) In various embodiments, the application running on computing device 104 and/or application server 102 may provide the passcode to user 106 for entry into passcode interface 112 by graphical display, sms, email, push notification, or other suitable communication channels. (20) User 106 may submit the passcode to lock 110 via passcode interface 112. Passcode interface may include a touch screen or keypad suitable for entering a passcode. For example, passcode interface may include a telephone-styled numeric keypad with \* and # keys to signify the beginning and/or end of a passcode. Other keypad configurations are also suitable to passcode entry provided they contain the numbers, letters, and/or symbols used in the passcode. The computing device 104 may also be configured to transmit to the lock the passcode without requiring manual entry. For example, application server 102 may authenticate a user and enable the computing device 104 to transmit to a lock 110 a passcode using 802.11 wireless standards, Bluetooth® low energy (BLE), near field communication (NFC), or other suitable transmission channels. In that regard, passcode interface 112A of lock 110A, for example, may include a wireless communication interface capable of communicating with computing device 104. Locking mechanism 114 may unlock in response to a passcode entered at passcode interface 112 matching a passcode calculated locally by lock 110 using algorithm 116. In various embodiments, locking mechanism 114 may also unlock in response to a fixed master passcode being entered at passcode interface 112. (21) With reference to FIG. 2, an exemplary process for operating locks with changing passcodes is shown for execution on system 100, in accordance with various embodiments. The passcodes may change based on time or in response to a triggering event. In that regard, the term changing passcodes as used herein may encompass rolling, converting, switching, shifting, transforming, varying, reconfiguring, recalculating, or otherwise changing passcodes. Locks 110 and application server 102 may have their clocks synchronized (Block 202). Clock synchronization may occur at the factory prior to shipping locks 110. Different clocks may lose time at varied rates. The clock on each lock 110 may be a configured to lose time at the same rate as a clock on application server 102. Additionally, each lock 110 may be configured to check each passcode input at passcode interface 112 against locally calculated codes across a range of times. Thus for each code input at passcode interface 112A, lock 110A may generate multiple passcodes over a range of times for comparison to the input code. The range of times may accommodate for the variation between times as read at lock 110A and application server 102 over time. Lock 110A may also monitor the time at which passcodes generated from the time match and use the time that generated the matching passcode to update its own time. (22) In various embodiments, synchronization may also be completed on a periodic basis. For example, locks 110 may be synchronized at a discrete time (e.g., initialization), once a month, once a year, or at other intervals. Locks 110 may be synchronized using a lock management application capable of running on a computing device similar to computing device 104 and in communication with the lock over either a wired or wireless protocol. In that regard, lock 110A may receive a time update, firmware update, or other update without lock 110A having direct and/or any Internet connectivity. Locks 110 may thus be functional without having internet connectivity. A lock 110 may also be configured to self-synchronize by taking as input an initial passcode based on the time and assigned algorithm, and then applying the algorithm to a series of times as inputs until a match is found. The lock 110 may then set its clock to the time that generated the match. The lock 110 may also have a data port such as a usb, firewire, micro-usb, serial, or other port capable of receiving time updates from a time update device plugged into the port. (23) Application server 102 may receive a request for a passcode for lock 110A from an application running on computing device 104 (Block 204). The request for the passcode may identify a lock 110A by a lock id or serial number. Application server 102 may retrieve or identify the algorithm 116A associated with the lock ID or serial number for lock 110A in lock parameter database 108. (24) In various embodiments, application server 102 and/or the application running on computing device 104 may authenticate a user 106, validate the lock ID, and/or check any access parameters associated with the lock ID (Block 206). Application server 102 may authenticate users by receiving security data from the application running on computing device 104 and comparing it against known values. The security data used for authentication may include, for example, one or more of a passcode, password, one-time password, security questions, biometric identifier, device ID or device fingerprint of the computing device 104. The user account for the user as logged-in to application running on computing device 104 may include characteristics, security groupings, categorizations, security clearances, or other characteristics of the user suitable for use in determining whether the user is authorized to receive a passcode for lock 110A. (25) In various embodiments, application server 102 may also check access parameters for lock 110A. Access parameters may be submitted to application server 102 by lock owners using a computing device 104 in communication with application server 102. Lock owners may thus set access parameters such as, for example, available dates and times, unavailable dates and times, groups of individuals authorized for access, unauthorized groups, individual authorizations, or other suitable limits. The limits may be based on the user characteristics associated with user accounts registered with application server 102. The limits may also be based on unrelated criteria. For example, access to the locks may be restricted for dates ranging from Dec. 24, 2017 to Jan. 1, 2018. Application server 102 may return an error message or otherwise decline to provide a passcode in response to the user authentication failing, the access parameters restricting the requested use, or an invalid lock ID. (26) In various embodiments, application server 102 may generate a passcode based at least in part on time (Block 208). Application server 102 may use algorithm 116A retrieved from the database to calculate the passcode. The time used by the application server 102 may be a POSIX time considering decimal places up to minutes, for example. For example, the time may include all or a subset of the date, hour, minute, second. Although time may be a preferred seed value for calculating passcodes due to the independently trackable value of time, other dynamic seed values may also be used. For example, a user may provide a seed value to application server 102. The server may provide to the user a passcode based on the seed value, and the user may provide both the seed value and the resulting passcode to lock 110A. The application server 102 may transmit the passcode to the application running on computing device 104. (27) In various embodiments, user 106 and/or computing device 104 may input the passcode in passcode interface 112A of lock 110A (Block 210). As described above, the user may key in the passcode using a keypad of passcode interface 112A. Lock 110A may capture the input passcode entered via passcode interface 112A and store the input passcode in memory temporarily for evaluation. (28) In various embodiments, lock 110A may generate a local passcode using algorithm 116A stored in lock 110A (Block 212). The local passcode may be calculated by lock 110A independently from the input passcode, which was calculated by application server 102 and/or computing device 104. The algorithm 116A used by lock 110A to generate the local passcode may be deterministic such that the same local passcode results from the same input used by application server 102. The lock 110A may thus use the time to generate the local passcode. Multiple times within a range may be used as inputs to generate local passcodes for comparison to the input passcode and determine whether the input passcode is valid. (29) In various embodiments, lock 110A may determine whether the input passcode matches the local passcode (Block 214). The comparison may be completed by a processor of lock 110A disclosed above. The lock may evaluate the input passcode compared to one or more locally calculated local passcodes to identify a match. The user may input another input passcode on the passcode interface 112A of lock 110A in response to the lock 110A rejecting the previously input passcode as not matching. Lock 110A may release locking mechanism 114A in response to the input passcode matching at least one locally calculated local passcode (Block 216). Locking mechanism 114A may include an electronically actuated locking mechanism such as a solenoid configured to change from a locked to an unlocked state in response to the local passcode matching the input passcode. Locking mechanism 114A may also include a fully or partially manually powered locking mechanism where a user provides mechanical force by depressing an unlock button or switch, for example. (30) Referring now to FIG. 3, a lock 300 operable using changing passcodes of the present disclosure is shown installed in door 302, in accordance with various embodiments. Lock 300 may include a housing 304 that engages door 302 in a fixed position. Housing 304 may retain and protect a power source, processor, and a locking mechanism. The power source may include one or more of a battery, a solar interface, a wired interface, or other suitable source for electricity. The processor may operate to generate updated passcodes as disclosed herein and compare the locally generated passcodes to passcodes input at keypad 308. (31) In various embodiments, housing 304 may include an electromechanical actuator suitable to rotate knob 306 in response to matching a passcode input using keys 310 of keypad 308 to a changing passcode calculated by lock 300. Knob 306 may also mechanically released to enable manual rotation in response to matching a passcode input using keys 310 of keypad 308 to a changing passcode calculated by lock 300. Rotation of knob 306 may trigger translation of a latch into or out of door 302 and/or a strike disposed in a door frame and shaped to receive the latch and retain door 302 in a closed position. Keypad 308 is illustrated as having numeric keys 0-9, though additional keys and/or symbols may be added to keypad 308 to increase passcode options. (32) With reference to FIG. 4, a lock 400 operable using changing passcodes of the present disclosure is shown hanging from structure 402, in accordance with various embodiments. Lock 400 may include housing 404 that retains and protect a power source, processor, and a locking mechanism similar to that described above in lock 300 of FIG. 3. Structure 402 may be a handle, a fence, a pole, a latch, or another structure defining an opening suitable to receive and securely retain shank 407. (33) In various embodiments, shank may unlock and translate away from housing 404 to open the closed loop and release lock 400 from structure 402. Shank 407 may unlock in response to a passcode input at keypad 408 using keys 410 as described herein. In that regard, lock 400 may lock a storage unit or locker. Shank 407 may also unlock in response to a key inserted and twisted in a typical key interface. Lock 400 may further include an openable base 406 that covers a cavity suitable to retain a key in response to a locally generated passcode matching a passcode input at keypad 408 using keys 410. In that regard, lock 400 may store a house key at a house currently for sale with the key retrievable by individuals having a correct passcode for a given time. (34) Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described herein with regard to specific embodiments. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of the disclosures. (35) The scope of the disclosures is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless explicitly so stated, but rather "one or more." Moreover, where a phrase similar to "at least one of A, B, or C" is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. Different cross-hatching is used throughout the figures to denote different parts but not necessarily to denote the same or different materials. (36) Systems, methods and apparatus are provided herein. In the detailed description herein, references to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "an example embodiment", etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. After reading the description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure in alternative embodiment (37) Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for." As used herein, the terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. ### Claims 1. A computer-based locking system using changing passcodes, comprising: an application server; an application running on a computing device and in electronic communication with the application server, wherein the application is configured to request an input passcode from the application server based on a lock ID, wherein the application server is configured to store a plurality of lock IDs each in association with a unique lock algorithm selected from a plurality of predetermined algorithms, wherein the application server is configured to retrieve an associated lock algorithm from a database using the lock ID, and wherein the application server is configured to generate the input passcode from a time using the associated lock algorithm; and a lock comprising a passcode interface, a locking mechanism, and an electromechanical actuator, wherein the lock ID corresponds to the lock, wherein the passcode interface is configured to capture the input passcode, wherein the lock is configured to execute the associated lock algorithm locally to generate a plurality of local passcodes based on a plurality of times includes a current time and times near the current time, and wherein the lock is configured to release the locking mechanism by actuating the electromechanical actuator to trigger translation of the locking mechanism into an open position, in response to the input passcode matching at least one local passcode from the plurality of local passcodes. 2. The computer-based locking system of claim 1, wherein the application server uses a current time as the time to generate the input passcode from the time using the associated lock algorithm. 3. The computer-based locking system of claim 1, wherein: the request from the application includes a future time; and the application server uses the future time as the time to generate the input passcode from the time using the associated lock algorithm. 4. The computer-based locking system of claim 1, wherein the passcode interface comprises a keypad. 5. A method comprising: storing, by the application server, a plurality of lock IDs each in association with a unique lock algorithm selected from a plurality of predetermined algorithms; receiving, by an application server, a request for an input passcode based on a lock ID, retrieving, by the application server, an associated lock algorithm from a database using the lock ID; generating, by the application server, the input passcode from a time using the associated lock algorithm; capturing, by a lock, the input passcode entered into a passcode interface; executing, by the lock, the associated lock algorithm locally to generate a plurality of local passcodes based on a plurality of times including a current time and times near the current time; and releasing, by the lock, a locking mechanism by actuating an electromechanical actuator to trigger translation of the locking mechanism into an open position, in response to the input passcode matching at least one local passcode from the plurality of local passcodes. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the application server uses a current time as the time to generate the input passcode from the time using the associated lock algorithm. 7. The method of claim 5, wherein: the request for the input passcode includes a future time; and the application server uses the future time as the time to generate the input passcode from the time using the associated lock algorithm. 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the passcode interface comprises a keypad. 9. A lock comprising: a locking mechanism comprising a shank configured to translate away from the lock to release the lock and translate towards the lock to secure the lock; and a passcode interface in communication with the locking mechanism, wherein the passcode interface is configured to capture an input passcode, wherein the lock is configured to execute an algorithm locally to generate a plurality of local passcodes based on a plurality of times including a current time and times near the current time, and wherein the lock is configured to release the locking mechanism by translating the shank away from the lock, in response to the input passcode matching at least one local passcode from the plurality of local passcodes. 10. The lock of claim 9, wherein a clock maintained in the lock is synchronized with an application server. 11. The lock of claim 9, further comprising a processor configured to execute the algorithm locally to generate the local passcode based on the time and compare the local passcode to the input passcode. 12. The lock of claim 9, wherein the passcode interface comprises a keypad. 13. The lock of claim 9, wherein the passcode interface comprises a wireless communication interface configured to communicate with a mobile computing device.	9912659	US 9912659 B1	2018-03-06	61,257,310	Locking systems with multifactor authentication and changing passcodes	H04L63/0846;H04L63/068;H04L63/0853;H04W12/068;G07C9/00571;G07C9/00174	G07C2209/08;H04L2463/082;G07C2009/00825	Widdows; Matt		15/488264	2017-04-14	Chen; Eric		1/1	Widdows; Matt	5.40174	USPAT	7,884
United States Patent 9922375 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent March 20, 2018 Inventor(s) Neveu; Alan ## Systems and methods of parsing receipts ### Abstract According to another aspect, a computer system is provided. The computer system includes a memory; at least one processor in data communication with the memory; an optical character recognition (OCR) component executable by the at least one processor; and a receipt parsing component executable by the at least processor. The receipt parsing component is configured to receive an image of a receipt; request execution of the OCR component to convert the image to text; identify a value of a vendor element in the text; identify values of additional elements in the text based on the value of the vendor element; and store the vendor elements and the additional elements in a data store. Inventors: Neveu; Alan (Wilmington, NC) Applicant: CERTIFY, INC. (Portland, ME) Family ID: 61598602 Assignee: Certify, Inc. (Portland, ME) Appl. No.: 14/493059 Filed: September 22, 2014 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06Q40/00 (20120101); G06K9/18 (20060101); G06Q30/00 (20120101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06Q40/12 (20131203); G06K9/18 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search USPC: 705/30 ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 7419094 12/2007 Grear et al. N/A N/A 7552190 12/2008 Freishtat et al. N/A N/A 7647257 12/2009 Allen et al. N/A N/A 7792709 12/2009 Trandal 705/26.1 G06Q 30/0601 2003/0120526 12/2002 Altman et al. N/A N/A 2004/0167808 12/2003 Fredericks et al. N/A N/A 2005/0015316 12/2004 Salluzzo N/A N/A 2005/0197825 12/2004 Hagerman et al. N/A N/A 2005/0205660 12/2004 Munte N/A N/A 2006/0136585 12/2005 Mayfield et al. N/A N/A 2006/0206506 12/2005 Fitzpatrick N/A N/A 2007/0055597 12/2006 Patel et al. N/A N/A 2007/0192222 12/2006 Mika et al. N/A N/A 2007/0198450 12/2006 Khalsa N/A N/A 2007/0219879 12/2006 Furlong et al. N/A N/A 2008/0008303 12/2007 Maes N/A N/A 2008/0228600 12/2007 Treyz et al. N/A N/A 2008/0243564 12/2007 Busch et al. N/A N/A 2008/0313063 12/2007 Testa et al. N/A N/A 2009/0119574 12/2008 Gitlin 715/209 G06F 17/2247 2009/0150265 12/2008 Keld N/A N/A 2009/0291665 12/2008 Gaskarth et al. N/A N/A 2010/0017316 12/2009 Joseph et al. N/A N/A 2010/0094732 12/2009 Smith N/A N/A 2010/0145810 12/2009 Pourfallah et al. N/A N/A 2010/0306080 12/2009 Trandal 705/26.8 G06Q 10/10 2011/0218893 12/2010 Keld N/A N/A 2011/0295750 12/2010 Rammal N/A N/A 2012/0317003 12/2011 McGrane N/A N/A 2012/0323747 12/2011 Kantikovit et al. N/A N/A 2013/0129218 12/2012 Barrett et al. N/A N/A 2013/0179208 12/2012 Chung et al. N/A N/A 2013/0226318 12/2012 Procyk et al. N/A N/A 2014/0012722 12/2013 Keld N/A N/A 2015/0120388 12/2014 Tan et al. N/A N/A 2015/0302531 12/2014 Thier et al. N/A N/A 2015/0347987 12/2014 Ali N/A N/A #### OTHER PUBLICATIONS www.certify.com website: ReceiptParse description from web archives dated Sep. 28, 2013 (https://web.archive.org/web/20130728073915/http://www.certify.com/ReceiptParseAutoFill.aspx). cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Ade; Garcia Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C. ### Background/Summary NOTICE OF MATERIAL SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT PROTECTION (1) Portions of the material in this patent document are subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and of other countries. The owner of the copyright rights has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office publicly available file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The copyright owner does not hereby waive any of its rights to have this patent document maintained in secrecy, including without limitation its rights pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 1.14. BACKGROUND Technical Field (2) The technical field of this disclosure relates generally to systems that track business expenses and, more specifically, to automated expense report systems. Discussion (3) Tracking and reporting business expenses is an onerous and labor intensive process. Business people who travel or otherwise incur business expenses with regularity must complete a variety of tasks on a repeated basis to account properly for these expenses. Some of the tasks required to account properly for business expenses include organizing documentary proof of the expenses (e.g., receipts), recording facts that are descriptive of the expenses and the situation under which they were incurred, authoring expense reports including lists of expense and including the supporting materials described above, and submitting the expense reports for processing and eventual payment. (4) Conventional business expense tracking and reporting systems have automated some activities associated with tracking and reporting business expenses. However, many technical issues associated with business expense tracking and reporting remain unresolved. For example, although some conventional expense reporting systems attempt to use optical character recognition (OCR) technology to extract information from receipt images, such attempts have met with limited success, due to in large part to the extreme variance in receipt formatting styles. Also, because much of the information needed to account properly for business expenses comes from disparate sources, conventional expense reporting systems often lack much of the information needed to generate accurate and comprehensive business expense reports. These unresolved issues further affect conventional systems ability to enforce of a routine and predictable expense reporting process. SUMMARY (5) Various aspects provide facilities to reliably generate expense reports according to a regular schedule. According to some aspects, these expense reports include data drawn automatically from a variety of data sources, thus decreasing the amount of data entry required by users. These data sources may include external systems that provide data in sundry formats, including graphical formats that are further processed, according to some aspects, to automatically and reliably isolate and identify values of receipt elements that conventional technology cannot. (6) More specifically, some embodiments manifest an appreciation that OCR technology is difficult to apply to receipts because receipts have irregular formatting and fonts and suffer from poor quality printing materials (e.g., low quality ink and paper). These problems are further exacerbated by the high significance of small details (e.g., decimal versus comma, slash versus the number one, etc.) within receipts. (7) According to one aspect, a computer system is provided. The computer system includes a memory, at least one processor in data communication with the memory, and a merging component executable by the at least one processor. The merging component is configured to identify a first element of a plurality of elements of expense report information, each element of the plurality of elements having a weight, the first element being descriptive of a first characteristic of a transaction; identify a second element of the plurality of elements of expense report information, the second element being descriptive of the first characteristic of the transaction; and generate a set of expense report information including an element of the plurality of elements of expense report information having a weight larger than weights of other elements of the plurality of elements of expense report information. (8) According to one embodiment, the first element is received from a first data source and the second element is received from a second data source and the merging component is further configured to assign a first weight to the first element based on a type of the first element and the first data source and assign a second weight to the second element based on a type of the second element and the second data source, wherein the merging component is configured to generate the set of expense report information at least in part by comparing the first weight to the second weight. In another embodiment, the computer system further comprises a financial institution interface component configured to receive transaction information descriptive of the transaction and a receipt entry user interface component configured to receive receipt information descriptive of the transaction, wherein the first data source is the financial institution interface component and the second data source is the receipt entry user interface component. In another embodiment, the computer system further comprises a partner interface component configured to receive partner information descriptive of the transaction, wherein the merging component is configured to generate the set of expense report information at least in part by generating an element of the set of expense report information from the partner information. (9) In another embodiment, the transaction information includes a third element descriptive of a second characteristic of the transaction, the receipt information includes a fourth element descriptive of a third characteristic of the transaction, and the partner information includes a fifth element descriptive of a fourth characteristic of the transaction, and the merging component is configured to generate the set of expense report information at least in part by generating elements of the set of expense report information from the third, fourth, and fifth elements. In another embodiment, the computer system further comprises an expense report entry user interface component configured to receive expense report information descriptive of the transaction, wherein the merging component is configured to generate the set of expense report information at least in part by generating an element of the set of expense report information from the expense report information. In another embodiment, the computer system further comprises a receipt parsing component configured to generate parsed receipt information descriptive of the transaction, wherein the merging component is configured to generate the set of expense report information at least in part by generating an element of the set of expense report information from the parsed receipt information. (10) According to another aspect, a method for automatically merging expense report information using a computer system is provided. The method includes acts of identifying, by the computer system, a first element of a plurality of elements of expense report information, each element of the plurality of elements having a weight, the first element being descriptive of a first characteristic of a transaction; identifying a second element of the plurality of elements of expense report information, the second element being descriptive of the first characteristic of the transaction; and generating a set of expense report information including an element of the plurality of elements of expense report information having a weight larger than weights of other elements of the plurality of elements of expense report information. (11) According to one embodiment, the method further includes acts of receiving the first element from a first data source; receiving the second element from a second data source; assigning a first weight to the first element based on a type of the first element and the first data source; and assigning a second weight to the second element based on a type of the second element and the second data source, wherein generating the set of expense report information includes comparing the first weight to the second weight. In another embodiment, the act of receiving the first element includes an act of receiving the first element via a financial institution interface component configured to receive transaction information descriptive of the transaction and receiving the second element includes receiving the second element via a receipt entry user interface component configured to receive receipt information descriptive of the transaction. In another embodiment, the method further includes an act of receiving partner information descriptive of the transaction via a partner interface component, wherein generating the set of expense report information includes generating an element of the set of expense report information from the partner information. In another embodiment, the transaction information includes a third element descriptive of a second characteristic of the transaction, the receipt information includes a fourth element descriptive of a third characteristic of the transaction, and the partner information includes a fifth element descriptive of a fourth characteristic of the transaction, and the act of generating the set of expense report information includes an act of generating elements of the set of expense report information from the third, fourth, and fifth elements. (12) In another embodiment, the method further comprises receiving expense report information descriptive of the transaction via an expense report entry user interface component, wherein generating the set of expense report information includes generating an element of the set of expense report information from the expense report information. In another embodiment, the method further comprises generating parsed receipt information descriptive of the transaction using a receipt parsing component, wherein generating the set of expense report information includes generating an element of the set of expense report information from the receipt information. (13) According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium is provided. The medium stores sequences of computer executable instructions to implement a method for automatically merging expense report information. The sequences of instructions include instructions to identify a first element of a plurality of elements of expense report information, each element of the plurality of elements having a weight, the first element being descriptive of a first characteristic of a transaction; identify a second element of the plurality of elements of expense report information, the second element being descriptive of the first characteristic of the transaction; and generate a set of expense report information including an element of the plurality of elements of expense report information having a weight larger than weights of other elements of the plurality of elements of expense report information. (14) According to one embodiment, the sequences of instructions further include instructions to receive the first element from a first data source; receive the second element from a second data source; assign a first weight to the first element based on a type of the first element and the first data source; and assign a second weight to the second element based on a type of the second element and the second data source and wherein the instructions to generate the set of expense report information include instructions to compare the first weight to the second weight. In another embodiment, the instructions to receive the first element include instructions to receive the first element via a financial institution interface component configured to receive transaction information descriptive of the transaction and the instructions to receive the second element include instructions to receive the second element via a receipt entry user interface component configured to receive receipt information descriptive of the transaction. In another embodiment, the sequences of instructions further include instructions to receive partner information descriptive of the transaction via a partner interface component and wherein the instructions to generate the set of expense report information include instructions to generate an element of the set of expense report information from the partner information. In another embodiment, the transaction information includes a third element descriptive of a second characteristic of the transaction, the receipt information includes a fourth element descriptive of a third characteristic of the transaction, and the partner information includes a fifth element descriptive of a fourth characteristic of the transaction, and the instructions to generate the set of expense report information include instructions to generate elements of the set of expense report information from the third, fourth, and fifth elements. In another embodiment, the sequences of instructions further include instructions to receive expense report information descriptive of the transaction via an expense report entry user interface component and wherein the instructions to generate the set of expense report information include instructions to generate an element of the set of expense report information from the expense report information. (15) According to another aspect, a computer system is provided. The computer system includes a memory; at least one processor in data communication with the memory; an optical character recognition (OCR) component executable by the at least one processor; and a receipt parsing component executable by the at least processor. The receipt parsing component is configured to receive an image of a receipt; request execution of the OCR component to convert the image to text; identify a value of a vendor element in the text; identify values of additional elements in the text based on the value of the vendor element; and store the vendor elements and the additional elements in a data store. (16) According to one embodiment, the receipt parsing component is configured to identify the value of the vendor element at least in part by searching the text for at least one regular expression. In another embodiment, the at least one regular expression includes metacharacters. In another embodiment, the receipt parsing component is configured to identify the values of the additional elements by identifying the additional elements as being associated with the value of the vendor element, searching the text for regular expressions associated with the additional elements, and locating the values using receipt format information associated with the additional elements that specifies locations for the values relative to the regular expressions. In another embodiment, the receipt parsing component is further configured to identify a category for a transaction described by the receipt. In another embodiment, the receipt parsing component is configured to identify the category using at least one of the value of the vendor element and the values of the additional elements. In another embodiment, the receipt parsing component is configured to receive the image from an external system. (17) According to another aspect, a method of parsing receipt information using a computer system is provided. The method includes acts of receiving, by the computer system, an image of a receipt; requesting execution of an optical character recognition (OCR) component to convert the image to text; identifying a value of a vendor element in the text; identifying values of additional elements in the text based on the value of the vendor element; and storing the vendor elements and the additional elements in a data store. (18) According to another embodiment, the act of identifying the value of the vendor element includes an act of searching the text for at least one regular expression. In another embodiment, the act of searching the text includes an act of searching for metacharacters. In another embodiment, the act of identifying the values of the additional elements includes acts of identifying the additional elements as being associated with the value of the vendor element, searching the text for regular expressions associated with the additional elements, and locating the values using receipt format information associated with the additional elements that specifies locations for the values relative to the regular expressions. In another embodiment, the method further includes an act of identifying a category for a transaction described by the receipt. In another embodiment, the act of identifying the category includes an act of identifying the category using at least one of the value of the vendor element and the values of the additional elements. In another embodiment, the act of receiving the image includes an act of receiving an image from an external system. (19) According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium is provided. The medium stores sequences of computer executable instructions to implement a method for parsing receipt information. The sequences of instructions include instructions to receive an image of a receipt; request execution of an optical character recognition (OCR) component to convert the image to text; identify a value of a vendor element in the text; identify values of additional elements in the text based on the value of the vendor element; and store the vendor elements and the additional elements in a data store. (20) According to one embodiment, the instructions to identify the value of the vendor element include instructions to search the text for at least one regular expression. In another embodiment, the instructions to search the text include instructions to search for metacharacters. In another embodiment, the instructions to identify the values of the additional elements include instructions to identify the additional elements as being associated with the value of the vendor element, search the text for regular expressions associated with the additional elements and to locate the values using receipt format information associated with the additional elements that specifies locations for the values relative to the regular expressions. In another embodiment, the sequences of instructions further include instructions to identify a category for a transaction described by the receipt. In another embodiment, the instructions to identify the category include instructions to identify the category using at least one of the value of the vendor element and the values of the additional elements. (21) According to another aspect, a computer system is provided. The computer system includes a memory; at least one processor in data communication with the memory; and a reporting component executable by the at least processor and configured to execute a user interface component configured to receive schedule information, the schedule information including a company-wide schedule specifying an expense report generation date and at least one reminder; store the schedule information in a data store; send the at least one reminder to a plurality of users prior to the expense report generation date; and generate, on the expense report generation date, a plurality of expense reports respectively corresponding to the plurality of users. (22) According to one embodiment, the at least one reminder includes customized text. In another embodiment, the schedule information includes schedule information specifying a date relative to the expense report generation date and the reporting component is configured to send the at least one reminder on the date relative to the expense report generation date. In another embodiment, the at least on reminder includes a plurality of reminders and the reporting component is configured to send the at least one reminder at least in part by sending one or more reminders of the plurality of reminders after the expense report generation date. In another embodiment, the schedule information includes schedule information specifying a date relative to the expense report generation date and the reporting component is configured to send the one or more reminders on the date relative to the expense report generation date. In another embodiment, the schedule information includes at least one employee-specific schedule specifying an employee-specific expense report generation date for at least one employee user and the reporting component is further configured to generate, on the employee-specific expense report generation date, at least one expense report corresponding to the at least one employee user. In another embodiment, the schedule information includes date adjustment information specifying an adjustment date relative to the expense report generation date and the reporting component is configured to generate each expense report of the plurality of expense reports to include transactions dated prior to or on the adjustment date and no transactions dated after the adjustment date. (23) According to another aspect, a method for managing automatic generation of expense reports using a computer system is provided. The method includes acts of executing, by the computer system, a user interface component configured to receive schedule information, the schedule information including a company-wide schedule specifying an expense report generation date and at least one reminder; storing the schedule information in a data store; sending the at least one reminder to a plurality of users prior to the expense report generation date; and generating, on the expense report generation date, a plurality of expense reports respectively corresponding to the plurality of users. (24) According to another embodiment, the act of sending the at least one reminder includes an act of sending customized text. In another embodiment, the act of storing the schedule information includes an act of storing schedule information specifying a date relative to the expense report generation date and sending the at least one reminder includes sending the at least one reminder on the date relative to the expense report generation date. In another embodiment, the act of sending the at least one reminder includes an act of sending one or more reminders after the expense report generation date. In another embodiment, the act of storing the schedule information includes an act of storing schedule information specifying a date relative to the expense report generation date and sending the one or more reminders includes sending the one or more reminders on the date relative to the expense report generation date. In another embodiment, the act of storing the schedule information includes an act of storing schedule information including at least one employee-specific schedule specifying an employee-specific expense report generation date for at least one employee user and the method further comprises generating, on the employee-specific expense report generation date, at least one expense report corresponding to the at least one employee user. In another embodiment, the act of storing the schedule information includes storing schedule information including date adjustment information specifying an adjustment date relative to the expense report generation date and generating each expense report includes generating each expense report to include transactions dated prior to or on the adjustment date and no transactions dated after the adjustment date. (25) According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium is provided. The medium stores sequences of computer executable instructions to implement a method for managing automatic generation of expense reports. The sequences of instructions include instructions to execute a user interface component configured to receive schedule information, the schedule information including a company-wide schedule specifying an expense report generation date and at least one reminder; store the schedule information in a data store; send the at least one reminder to a plurality of users prior to the expense report generation date; and generate, on the expense report generation date, a plurality of expense reports respectively corresponding to the plurality of users. (26) According to another embodiment, the instructions to send the at least one reminder include instructions to send customized text. In another embodiment, the instructions to store the schedule information include instructions to store schedule information specifying a date relative to the expense report generation date and the instructions to send the at least one reminder include instructions to send the at least one reminder on the date relative to the expense report generation date. In another embodiment, the instructions to send the at least one reminder include instructions to send one or more reminders after the expense report generation date. In another embodiment, the instructions to store the schedule information include instructions to store schedule information including at least one employee-specific schedule specifying an employee-specific expense report generation date for at least one employee user and the sequences of instructions further include instructions to generate, on the employee-specific expense report generation date, at least one expense report corresponding to the at least one employee user. In another embodiment, the instructions to store the schedule information include instructions to store schedule information including date adjustment information specifying an adjustment date relative to the expense report generation date and the instructions to generate each expense report include instructions to generate each expense report to include transactions dated prior to or on the adjustment date and no transactions dated after the adjustment date. (27) Still other aspects, embodiments and advantages of these example aspects and embodiments, are discussed in detail below. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing information and the following detailed description are merely illustrative examples of various aspects and embodiments, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed aspects and embodiments. Any embodiment disclosed herein may be combined with any other embodiment. References to "an embodiment," "an example," "some embodiments," "some examples," "an alternate embodiment," "various embodiments," "one embodiment," "at least one embodiment," "this and other embodiments" or the like are not necessarily mutually exclusive and are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of such terms herein are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS (1) Various aspects of at least one embodiment are discussed below with reference to the accompanying figures, which are not intended to be drawn to scale. The figures are included to provide an illustration and a further understanding of the various aspects and embodiments, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, but are not intended as a definition of the limits of any particular embodiment. The drawings, together with the remainder of the specification, serve to explain principles and operations of the described and claimed aspects and embodiments. In the figures, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure. In the figures: (2) FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an expense report system within the context of several external entities with which the expense report system interoperates; (3) FIG. 2 is an illustration of a user interface configured to communicate receipt information; (4) FIG. 3 is an illustration of a user interface configured to communicate expense report information; (5) FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a distributed computer system; (6) FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a receipt parsing process; (7) FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a merging process; (8) FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an expense report generation process; (9) FIG. 8 is a receipt image; (10) FIG. 9 is an illustration of a user interface configured to communicate company-wide schedule information; (11) FIG. 10 is an illustration of a user interface configured to communicate date adjustment information; (12) FIG. 11 is an illustration of a user interface configured to communicate exceptions to a company-wide schedule; and (13) FIG. 12 is an illustration of a user interface configured to communicate notification and reminder information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (14) Some embodiments disclosed herein include apparatus and processes that implement a system configured to reliably parse receipt element values from images of physical documents (e.g., receipts). For example, according to some embodiments, a specially configured computer system (i.e., an expense report system) is configured to receive receipt information in the form of an image file (e.g., a .tiff, .png, .bmp, .jpeg, .pdf, .html, .txt or other type of image file). The image file may depict alphanumeric text, logos, drawings, pictures, or other visual objects. In these embodiments, the expense report system is configured to process the image file using optical character recognition (OCR) technology to generate receipt information in the form of textual information (e.g. a file including Unicode characters). In some embodiments, the receipt information may include, in addition to the textual information, supplemental information descriptive of visual objects not recognized by conventional OCR processing (e.g., a .tiff version of a logo on a receipt). Additionally, in these embodiments, the expense report system is configured to filter this receipt information to identify one or more regularized expressions that indicate receipt elements that are important to successfully parsing the receipt information. In at least one embodiment, the expense report system is configured to adapt subsequent parsing of the receipt information based on the presence of one or more regularized expressions within the receipt information. In this embodiment, the subsequent parsing reliably identifies receipt element values within the receipt information. These receipt element values are subsequently used to automatically generate expense reports. (15) In some embodiments, the expense report system is further configured to receive and merge values of receipt and expense elements of expense reports from multiple data sources so that the most comprehensive and accurate set of receipt and expense element values available is used for subsequent expense report generation processes. In these embodiments, the expense report system is configured to receive expense report information from external systems such as financial institution systems, data entry systems, customer systems, and partner systems. Additionally, in these embodiments, the expense report system is configured to parse the expense report information received from the external systems into receipt and expense element values. In at least one embodiment, the expense report system is configured to assign a weight to each receipt and expense element based on the receipt or expense element type and the data source of the receipt or expense element value. In this embodiment, the expense report system is configured to store the receipt and expense elements, their values, and their assigned weights for subsequent expense report generation processes. In some embodiments, the expense report system is configured to settle conflicts between multiple receipt and expense element for a transaction by assigning the receipt or expense element having the greatest weight to the transaction. (16) In some embodiments, the expense report system is configured to provide an interface through which the expense report system communicates schedule information. This schedule information specifies times at which the expense report system is to execute expense report generation processes using previously processed and stored expense report information. This schedule information may also specify groups or individuals who are required (or not required) to review generated expense reports according to target time frames. The schedule information may further specify messages to be sent to the groups or individuals who comply (or do not comply) with the target time frames. In these embodiments, the expense report system is configured to store any schedule information received via the interface and to execute expense report generation and communication processes in accord with the stored schedule information. (17) Examples of the methods and systems discussed herein are not limited in application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The methods and systems are capable of implementation in other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Examples of specific implementations are provided herein for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. In particular, acts, components, elements and features discussed in connection with any one or more examples are not intended to be excluded from a similar role in any other examples. (18) Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Any references to examples, embodiments, components, elements or acts of the systems and methods herein referred to in the singular may also embrace embodiments including a plurality, and any references in plural to any embodiment, component, element or act herein may also embrace embodiments including only a singularity. References in the singular or plural form are not intended to limit the presently disclosed systems or methods, their components, acts, or elements. The use herein of "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," "involving," and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. References to "or" may be construed as inclusive so that any terms described using "or" may indicate any of a single, more than one, and all of the described terms. In addition, in the event of inconsistent usages of terms between this document and documents incorporated herein by reference, the term usage in the incorporated references is supplementary to that of this document; for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the term usage in this document controls. (19) Expense Report System (20) Some embodiments disclosed herein implement an expense report system using one or more computer systems, such as the computer systems described below with reference to FIG. 4. According to these embodiments, the expense report system extracts receipt element values from receipt information, merges expense report information received from a variety of data sources into a central data store, and generates expense reports using the expense report information stored in the central data store. FIG. 1 illustrates an example expense report system 100 within the context of several external entities that interoperate with the expense report system 100. As shown, FIG. 1 includes the expense report system 100, users 110 and 132, computer systems 102, 104, 106, 108, and 134, and communications networks 112 and 136. The expense report system 100 includes a receipt parsing component 114; additional interface components 116, 118, 120, 122, and 124; a merging component 126; a reporting component 130; and an expense report data store 128. In at least one embodiment, the receipt parsing component 114 implements a ReceiptParse® process, which is commercially available from Certify, Inc. of Portland, Me. In another embodiment, the merging component 126 implements an AutoMerge™ process, which is commercially available from Certify, Inc. In another embodiment, the reporting component 130 implements a ReportExecutive™ process, which is commercially available from Certify, Inc. (21) As illustrated in FIG. 1, the expense report system 100 and the computer systems 102, 104, 106, and 108 communicate (i.e. transmit or receive) information via the network 112. Similarly, the expense report system 100 and the computer system 134 communicate via the network 136. The networks 112 and 136 may include any communication networks through which computer systems communicate information. For example, each of the networks 112 and 136 may be a public network, such as the Internet, and may include other public or private networks such as LANs, WANs, extranets, intranets, and cloud computing systems. Each of the networks 112 and 136 may also include cellular networks such as LTE, 4G, HSDPA/HSUPA, TD-SCDMA, W-CDMA, CMDA, WiFi, Bluetooth, EvDO, GSM, and iDEN networks. Although shown as two networks in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the networks 112 and 136 may be combined include a single network or may include three or more networks. (22) According to some embodiments illustrated by FIG. 1, each of the computer systems 102, 104, 106, and 108 is configured to communicate expense report information with the expense report system 100 via the network 112. For example, when executing according to this configuration, the computer system 102 transmits one or more images of receipts to the expense report system 100 via the network 112. In this embodiment, a user interface is provided by the computer system 102, and the user 110 interacts (e.g., provides input or receives output) with the user interface to identify the receipt information for transmission to the expense report system 100. In some examples, this user interface is a browser-based user interface served by the expense report system 100 to the computer system 102 via the network 112. In other examples, the user interface includes specialized client programs that execute outside of a browser environment, such as an application program executing on a mobile computing device. The user interface may be implemented using a variety of technologies and may include sundry elements (e.g., screens, windows, buttons, boxes, etc) arranged according to various user interface metaphors. FIG. 2 illustrates elements provided by one example of the user interface. (23) More specifically, FIG. 2 shows a screen 200 that is configured to communicate receipt information according to one embodiment. The screen 200 includes a wallet area 202 that displays receipt information associated with a user. The wallet area 202 includes a receipts area 204, a receipt image area 206, and an add receipts link 208. The receipts area 204 displays a list of information descriptive of receipts previously entered into the expense report system 100. The receipt image area 206 displays an image of the receipt currently selected in the receipts area 204, if such an image is stored in the expense report system 100 (e.g., in the expense report data store 128). The add receipts link 208, when actuated by the user, provides additional screens configured to receive one or more identifiers of receipt information locally stored on the computer system 102. Responsive to receiving the one or more identifiers, the computer system 102 transmits the identified receipt information (e.g., an image of a receipt) to the expense report system 100 via the network 112. (24) In another embodiment, the financial institution computer systems 104 transmit transaction information descriptive of transactions (e.g., credit or debit card transactions) to the expense report system 100 on a periodic or on-demand basis. The transaction information included in these transmissions may describe transactions conducted by users of the expense report system 100. In one embodiment, the financial institution computer systems 104 receive configuration information that associates cards (e.g., credit or debit cards) with users of the expense report system 100. For example, this configuration information may specify identifiers of credit cards that belong to a corporate card program of a customer company. According to this embodiment, the financial institution computer systems 104 identify transactions conducted using the cards associated with the users prior to transmitting transaction information descriptive of the transactions as described above. (25) In another embodiment, the customer computer systems 106 transmit a variety of customer information to the expense report system 100 on a periodic or on-demand basis. This customer information may include configuration information descriptive of users of the expense report system, approval routing paths, project lists, and general ledger account codes. (26) In another embodiment, the partner computer systems 108 transmit partner information to the expense report system 100 on a periodic or on-demand basis. This partner information may include transaction information descriptive of transactions related to travel (e.g., airfare, rental car, and hotel transaction information). As described further below regarding the merging component 126, in some situations, the transaction information received from the financial institution computer systems 104 may be more authoritative than, and thus supersede, the information received from the partner computer systems 108. (27) According to various embodiments illustrated by FIG. 1, the user 132 interacts with a user interface of the computer system 134 to review and submit expense reports. In some embodiments, this user interface is a browser-based user interface served by the expense report system 100 via the network 136. In other embodiments, the user interface includes specialized client programs that execute outside of a browser environment, such as an application program executing on a mobile device. The user interface may be implemented using a variety of technologies and may include sundry elements (e.g., screens, windows, buttons, boxes, etc) arranged according to various user interface metaphors. FIG. 3 illustrates elements provided by one example of this user interface. (28) More specifically, FIG. 3 shows a screen 300 that is configured to communicate expense report information according to one embodiment. When executing according to this configuration, the screen 300 includes an expense report area 302 that identifies and summaries the expense report being displayed. The expense report area 302 includes an expenses area 304, an add expense area 306, and a wallet area 308. The expenses area 304 displays expense report line items included within the expense report identified in the expense report area 302. The add expense area 306 provides a group of user interface elements configured to receive input from a user that specifies new expense report line items. The wallet area 308 displays receipt information available for inclusion with the expense report identified in the expense report area 302. (29) In some embodiments illustrated by FIG. 1, the expense report system 100 includes several interface components that are configured to communicate with the computer systems 102, 104, 106, 108, and 132. These interface components include the receipt parsing component 114, the financial institution interface component 116, the recipe entry user interface components 118, the report entry user interface components 120, the customer company interface component 122, and the partner company interface components 124. Each of these interface components is configured to receive expense report information and store the expense report information in the expense report data store 128. Additionally, each of these interface components may both restrict input to a predefined set of values and validate any information entered prior to using the information or providing the information to other components. Moreover, each of these interface components may validate the identity of an external entity prior to, or during, interaction with the external entity. These functions may prevent the introduction of erroneous data into the expense report system 100 or unauthorized access to the expense report system 100. (30) In one example, the receipt parsing component 114 is configured to receive images of receipts from external systems, parse receipt information from the received images, and store the parsed information in the expense report data store 128. Further, in some embodiments, the receipt parsing component is configured to categorize receipts based on historical information stored in the expense report data store 128. This historical information may be include expense report information (e.g., receipt information) that spans users, departments, and even customer companies, thus enabling the receipt parsing component to learn and categorize expense report information with a high degree of accuracy. Example processes executed by the receipt parsing component 114 are described further below with reference to FIG. 5. (31) In another example, the financial institution interface 116 receives transaction information from financial institutions via the financial institution computer systems 104 and the network 112. This transaction information may describe transactions to be expensed. Responsive to receipt of the transaction information, the financial institution interface 116 stores internal representations of the transaction information in the expense report data store 128. (32) In another example, the receipt entry user interfaces 118 receive receipt information from users via the computer system 102 and the network 112. This receipt information describes receipts of transactions that may be expensed. In this example, the user may interact with sundry types of user interfaces provided by the computer system 102 to input the receipt information. Examples of these user interfaces include text messaging applications, image capture applications, specialized client applications, browser based applications, and email applications. These types of user interfaces may provide receipt information as attachments to messages, uploaded data files, or as any other logical and physical grouping of data. In response to receipt of the receipt information, the receipt entry user interfaces 118 store internal representations of the receipt information in the expense report data store 128. (33) In another example, the report entry user interfaces 120 receive expense report information from users via the computer system 102 and the network 112. This expense report information describes expense reports of transactions that may be expensed. In this example, user may interact with sundry types user interfaces provided by the computer system 102 to input the expense report information. Examples of these user interfaces include text messaging applications, image capture applications, specialized client applications, browser based applications, and email applications. These types of user interfaces may provide expense report information as attachments to messages, uploaded data files, or as any other logical and physical groupings of data. Responsive to receipt of the expense report information, the report entry user interfaces 124 store internal representations of the expense report information in the expense report data store 128. (34) In another example, the customer company interface 122 receives customer information from customer companies via the customer computer systems 106 and the network 112. This customer information may include configuration information descriptive of users of the expense report system, approval routing paths, project lists, and general ledger account codes. Responsive to receipt of the customer information, the customer company interface 122 stores internal representations of the customer information in the expense report data store 128. (35) In another example, the partner company interfaces 124 receive partner information from partners via the partner computer systems 108 and the network 112. This partner information may include transaction information descriptive of transactions related to travel (e.g., airfare, rental car, and hotel transaction information). Responsive to receipt of the partner information, the partner company interfaces 124 store internal representations of the partner information in the expense report data store 128. (36) As described above, the expense report system 100 receives expense report information from a variety of data sources (e.g., the interface components 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, and 124 that receive various expense report information from a plurality of external systems). Two or more of these data sources may provide expense report information describing the same transaction. In some instances, this expense report information may describe different elements of the same transaction. In other instances, this expense report information may describe the same element of the same transaction (i.e., two or more data sources may provide "duplicate" expense report information). Duplicate expense report information may include values that agree (e.g., are equal) and values that conflict (e.g., are not equal). (37) In some embodiments illustrated by FIG. 1, the merging component 126 is configured to resolve conflicting values within duplicate expense report information and merge expense report information received from various data sources into a unified set of expense report information for each transaction to be included in an expense report. In these embodiments, each set of merged expense report information describes a transaction using the most comprehensive and trustworthy information available to the expense report system 100. In some embodiments, when executing according to this configuration, the merging component 126 merges expense report information by identifying elements of expense report information within the expense report data store 128 that have not been subject to previous auto merge processing, assigning weight values to these unmerged elements, and storing the merged elements and their assigned weights in the expense report data store 128. Example processes executed by the merging component 126 are described further below with reference to FIG. 6. (38) In another embodiment illustrated by FIG. 1, the reporting component 130 is to configured to receive schedule information, store the schedule information in the expense report data store 128, and execute expense report generation processes according to the schedule information. Example processes executed by the reporting component 130 are described further below with reference to FIG. 7. (39) In another embodiment illustrated by FIG. 1, the expense report system 100 is configured to communicate payment instructions to the financial institution computer systems 102. When executing according to this configuration according to one embodiment, the financial institution interface 116 generates and transmits ACH payment instructions to the financial institution computer systems 104 to reimburse users for expenses they paid on behalf of their employer. These ACH payment instructions may transfer, for example, funds from an account of the employer to a checking or saving account of the user. In another embodiment, the financial institution interface 116 generates and transmits ACH payment instructions to the financial institution computer systems 104 to pay corporate credit card program balances. These ACH payment instructions may transfer, for example, funds from an account of the corporation to a payment account of the financial institution who issued the corporate credit cards. (40) In another embodiment illustrated by FIG. 1, the expense report data store 128 is configured to store expense report information. This expense report information may include receipt information (in the form of image information, textual information, supplemental information, or other forms of receipt information), partner information, customer information, configuration information, information that identifies and summaries individual expense reports, information descriptive of elements of expense reports (i.e., receipt elements and expense elements), schedule information, transaction information, cross-reference information, or any other information required by the expense report system 100 to perform the processes and functions disclosed herein. Additional expense report information stored within the expense report data store is described further below with reference to FIGS. 5-7. (41) Information may flow between the components illustrated in FIG. 1, or any of the elements, components and subsystems disclosed herein, using a variety of techniques. Such techniques include, for example, passing the information over a network using standard protocols, such as TCP/IP, HTTP, or HTTPS, passing the information between modules in memory and passing the information by writing to a file, database, data store, or some other nonvolatile data storage device, among others. In addition, pointers or other references to information may be transmitted and received in place of, in combination with, or in addition to, copies of the information. Conversely, the information may be exchanged in place of, in combination with, or in addition to, pointers or other references to the information. Other techniques and protocols for communicating information may be used without departing from the scope of the examples and embodiments disclosed herein. (42) Within the expense report system 100, data may be stored in any logical construction capable of storing information on a computer readable medium including, among other structures, flat files, indexed files, search engine indexes, hierarchical databases, relational databases or object oriented databases. These data structures may be specifically configured to conserve storage space or increase data exchange performance. In addition, various examples organize the data into particularized and, in some cases, unique structures to perform the functions disclosed herein. In these examples, the data structures are sized and arranged to store values for particular types of data, such as integers, floating point numbers, character strings, arrays, linked lists, and the like. (43) Computer System (44) As discussed above with regard to FIG. 1, various aspects and functions described herein may be implemented as specialized hardware or software components executing in one or more computer systems. There are many examples of computer systems that are currently in use. These examples include, among others, network appliances, personal computers, workstations, mainframes, networked clients, servers, media servers, application servers, database servers, and web servers. Other examples of computer systems may include mobile computing devices (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, and personal digital assistants) and network equipment (e.g., load balancers, routers, and switches). Examples of particular models of mobile computing devices include iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches running iOS operating system available from Apple, Android devices like Samsung Galaxy Series, LG Nexus, and Motorola Droid X, Blackberry devices available from Blackberry Limited, and Windows Phone devices. Further, aspects may be located on a single computer system or may be distributed among a plurality of computer systems connected to one or more communications networks. (45) For example, various aspects, functions, and processes may be distributed among one or more computer systems configured to provide a service to one or more client computers, or to perform an overall task as part of a distributed system. Additionally, aspects may be performed on a client-server or multi-tier system that includes components distributed among one or more server systems that perform various functions. Consequently, embodiments are not limited to executing on any particular system or group of systems. Further, aspects, functions, and processes may be implemented in software, hardware or firmware, or any combination thereof. Thus, aspects, functions, and processes may be implemented within methods, acts, systems, system elements and components using a variety of hardware and software configurations, and examples are not limited to any particular distributed architecture, network, or communication protocol. (46) Referring to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a block diagram of a distributed computer system 400, in which various aspects and functions are practiced. As shown, the distributed computer system 400 includes one or more computer systems that exchange information. As used herein, the terms "communicate" and "exchange" in the context of computer systems are interchangeable both refer to transmitting or receiving information. More specifically, the distributed computer system 400 includes computer systems 402, 404, and 406. As shown, the computer systems 402, 404, and 406 are interconnected by, and may exchange data through, a communication network 408. The network 408 may include any communication network through which computer systems may exchange data. To exchange data using the network 408, the computer systems 402, 404, and 406 and the network 408 may use various methods, protocols and standards, including, among others, Fibre Channel, Token Ring, Ethernet, Wireless Ethernet, Bluetooth, IP, IPV6, TCP/IP, UDP, DTN, HTTP, FTP, SNMP, SMS, MMS, SS7, JSON, SOAP, CORBA, REST, and Web Services. To ensure data transfer is secure, the computer systems 402, 404, and 406 may transmit data via the network 408 using a variety of security measures including, for example, SSL or VPN technologies. While the distributed computer system 400 illustrates three networked computer systems, the distributed computer system 400 is not so limited and may include any number of computer systems and computing devices, networked using any medium and communication protocol. (47) As illustrated in FIG. 4, the computer system 402 includes a processor 410, a memory 412, an interconnection element 414, an interface 416 and data storage element 418. To implement at least some of the aspects, functions, and processes disclosed herein, the processor 410 performs a series of instructions that result in manipulated data. The processor 410 may be any type of processor, multiprocessor or controller. Example processors may include a commercially available processor such as an Intel Xeon, Itanium, Core, Celeron, or Pentium processor; an AMD Opteron processor; an Apple A4 or A5 processor; a Sun UltraSPARC processor; an IBM Power5+ processor; an IBM mainframe chip; or a quantum computer. The processor 410 is connected to other system components, including one or more memory devices 412, by the interconnection element 414. (48) The memory 412 stores programs (e.g., sequences of instructions coded to be executable by the processor 410) and data during operation of the computer system 402. Thus, the memory 412 may be a relatively high performance, volatile, random access memory such as a dynamic random access memory ("DRAM") or static memory ("SRAM"). However, the memory 412 may include any device for storing data, such as a disk drive or other nonvolatile storage device. Various examples may organize the memory 412 into particularized and, in some cases, unique structures to perform the functions disclosed herein. These data structures may be sized and organized to store values for particular data and types of data. (49) Components of the computer system 402 are coupled by an interconnection element such as the interconnection element 414. The interconnection element 414 may include any communication coupling between system components such as one or more physical busses in conformance with specialized or standard computing bus technologies such as IDE, SCSI, PCI and InfiniBand. The interconnection element 414 enables communications, including instructions and data, to be exchanged between system components of the computer system 402. (50) The computer system 402 also includes one or more interface devices 416 such as input devices, output devices and combination input/output devices. Interface devices may receive input or provide output. More particularly, output devices may render information for external presentation. Input devices may accept information from external sources. Examples of interface devices include keyboards, mouse devices, trackballs, microphones, touch screens, printing devices, display screens, speakers, network interface cards, etc. Interface devices allow the computer system 402 to exchange information and to communicate with external entities, such as users and other systems. (51) The data storage element 418 includes a computer readable and writeable nonvolatile, or non-transitory, data storage medium in which instructions are stored that define a program or other object that is executed by the processor 410. The data storage element 418 also may include information that is recorded, on or in, the medium, and that is processed by the processor 410 during execution of the program. More specifically, the information may be stored in one or more data structures specifically configured to conserve storage space or increase data exchange performance. The instructions may be persistently stored as encoded to signals, and the instructions may cause the processor 410 to perform any of the functions described herein. The medium may, for example, be optical disk, magnetic disk or flash memory, among others. In operation, the processor 410 or some other controller causes data to be read from the nonvolatile recording medium into another memory, such as the memory 412, that allows for faster access to the information by the processor 410 than does the storage medium included in the data storage element 418. The memory may be located in the data storage element 418 or in the memory 412, however, the processor 410 manipulates the data within the memory, and then copies the data to the storage medium associated with the data storage element 418 after processing is completed. A variety of components may manage data movement between the storage medium and other memory elements and examples are not limited to particular data management components. Further, examples are not limited to a particular memory system or data storage system. (52) Although the computer system 402 is shown by way of example as one type of computer system upon which various aspects and functions may be practiced, aspects and functions are not limited to being implemented on the computer system 402 as shown in FIG. 4. Various aspects and functions may be practiced on one or more computers having a different architectures or components than that shown in FIG. 4. For instance, the computer system 402 may include specially programmed, special-purpose hardware, such as an application-specific integrated circuit ("ASIC") tailored to perform a particular operation disclosed herein. While another example may perform the same operation using a grid of several general-purpose computing devices running MAC OS System X with Intel processors and several specialized computing devices running proprietary hardware and operating systems. (53) The computer system 402 may be a computer system including an operating system that manages at least a portion of the hardware elements included in the computer system 402. In some examples, a processor or controller, such as the processor 410, executes an operating system. Examples of a particular operating system that may be executed include a Windows-based operating system, such as, Windows NT, Windows 2000 (Windows ME), Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Phone, or Windows 7 operating systems, available from the Microsoft Corporation, Android operating system available from Google, Blackberry operating system available from Blackberry Limited, a MAC OS System X operating system or an iOS operating system available from Apple, one of many Linux-based operating system distributions, for example, the Enterprise Linux operating system available from Red Hat Inc., a Solaris operating system available from Oracle Corporation, or a UNIX operating systems available from various sources. Many other operating systems may be used, and examples are not limited to any particular operating system. (54) The processor 410 and operating system together define a computer platform for which application programs in high-level programming languages are written. These component applications may be executable, intermediate, bytecode or interpreted code which communicates over a communication network, for example, the Internet, using a communication protocol, for example, TCP/IP. Similarly, aspects may be implemented using an object-oriented programming language, such as .Net, Ruby, Objective-C, SmallTalk, Java, C++, Ada, C# (C-Sharp), Python, or JavaScript. Other object-oriented programming languages may also be used. Alternatively, functional, scripting, or logical programming languages may be used. (55) Additionally, various aspects and functions may be implemented in a non-programmed environment. For example, documents created in HTML, XML or other formats, when viewed in a window of a browser program, can render aspects of a graphical-user interface or perform other functions. Further, various examples may be implemented as programmed or non-programmed elements, or any combination thereof. For example, a web page may be implemented using HTML while a data object called from within the web page may be written in C++. Thus, the examples are not limited to a specific programming language and any suitable programming language could be used. Accordingly, the functional components disclosed herein may include a wide variety of elements (e.g., specialized hardware, executable code, data structures or objects) that are configured to perform the functions described herein. (56) In some examples, the components disclosed herein may read parameters that affect the functions performed by the components. These parameters may be physically stored in any form of suitable memory including volatile memory (such as RAM) or nonvolatile memory (such as a magnetic hard drive). In addition, the parameters may be logically stored in a propriety data structure (such as a database or file defined by a user mode application) or in a commonly shared data structure (such as an application registry that is defined by an operating system). In addition, some examples provide for both system and user interfaces that allow external entities to modify the parameters and thereby configure the behavior of the components. (57) Expense Report Processes (58) FIGS. 5-7 illustrate example expense report processes in accordance with various embodiments. These expense report processes may be executed by a wide variety of computer systems. For instance, according to some embodiments, these expense report processes are executed by an expense report system, such as the expense report system 100 described above with reference to FIG. 1. (59) FIG. 5 illustrates an example receipt parsing process 500 according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the receipt parsing process 500 is executed by a receipt parsing component, such as the receipt parsing component 114 described above with reference to FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the receipt parsing process 500 includes acts of receiving an image of a receipt, converting the image to text, identifying a value of a vendor receipt element, identifying values of other receipt elements, classifying the transaction described by the receipt, and storing receipt information. The receipt parsing process 500 begins at 502. (60) In act 504, a receipt image is received. In at least one embodiment, when executing the act 504, the receipt parsing component receives the receipt image from an external system, such as the computer system 102 illustrated in FIG. 1. The receipt parsing component may receive the receipt image via data transfer mechanisms known in the art, such as via FTP, HTTP, etc. The received receipt image may depict a receipt of a transaction conducted on behalf of a business entity (e.g., a customer company associated with a user). The receipt image may include receipt elements needed to process an expense report referring to the transaction described by the receipt. Table 1 lists examples of receipt elements that may be included within the receipt image. (61) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Receipt Element Description Date Date/Time Amount Floating Point Currency Type Integer Vendor String Location String Vendor Location ID String Reimbursable Boolean Description String Lodging Check-in Date Date/Time Lodging Check-out Date Date/Time Rental Pick-up Date Date/Time Rental Drop-off Date Date/Time Travel From Location String (airport code) Travel To Location String (airport code) Card ID Integer (62) FIG. 8 illustrates one example of a receipt image 800. As shown in FIG. 8, the receipt image 800 includes several receipt elements. These receipt elements include a vendor 802, a vendor location 804, a date 806, a credit card ID 808, and an amount 810. (63) Returning to FIG. 5, in act 506, the receipt image is converted to text using conventional OCR processing. In at least one embodiment, when executing the act 506, the receipt parsing component converts the receipt image by executing an OCR processing component. (64) Next, in acts 508-512, the value of the vendor receipt element is identified. In at least one embodiment, when executing the acts 508-512, the receipt parsing component searches the converted text of the receipt image for the presence of one or more regular expressions associated with vendors and stored within an expense report data store (e.g., the expense report data store 128 described above with reference to FIG. 1). According to these embodiments, the receipt parsing component identifies the value of the vendor receipt element of a receipt by evaluating one or more regular expressions with reference to the converted text of the receipt to determine whether the regular expression is present within the converted text. These regular expressions may include literal characters and metacharacters. A regular expression is present in the converted text where the permutation of literal characters and metacharacters specified in the regular expression is disposed somewhere within the converted text. Literal characters must be expressly present in the converted text. Metacharacters must also be present in the converted text but are able to assume any set of characters or any set of specified characters, depending on the coding of the regular expression. (65) More particularly, according to one embodiment illustrated by FIG. 5, the receipt parsing component determines whether the vendor receipt element has been identified (e.g., has a non-null value) in act 508. If so, the receipt parsing component proceeds to act 514. Otherwise, the receipt parsing component retrieves, from the expense report data store, the next regular expression used to search for vendor receipt elements in act 510. Next, in act 512, the receipt parsing component uses the retrieved regular expression to search for the vendor receipt element in the converted text and returns to the act 508. (66) For example with reference to FIG. 8, to identify the value of the vendor receipt element included in the receipt image 800, the receipt parsing component may evaluate regular expressions including "((STA?BUCKS))" and "((AM?NO)(?=[A,U]))." Where the converted text of the receipt image 800 includes a string formed by concatenating "STA", any character, and "BUCKS," the receipt parsing component identifies the value of the vendor receipt element as STARBUCKS. However, in this example the converted text of the receipt image 800 includes no such string. Therefore, the receipt parsing component does not identify the value of the vendor receipt element as STARBUCKS. Continuing with this example, where the converted text of the receipt image 800 includes a string formed by concatenating "AM", either an "A" or a "U", and "NO," the receipt parsing component identifies the value of the vendor receipt element as AMANO. In this example, the converted text of the receipt image 800 includes such as string. Therefore, the receipt parsing component identifies the value of the vendor receipt element as AMANO. The use of regular expression based searches ameliorates the sporadically unpredictable conversion results of conventional OCR technology as applied to receipt images. (67) In acts 514-520, other receipt and expense elements associated with the identified vendor receipt element are identified. In at least one embodiment, when executing the acts 510-520, the receipt parsing component first identifies a set of receipt elements associated with receipts generated by the vendor indicated by the identified value of the vendor receipt element. For instance, the receipt parsing component may access a cross-reference in the expense report data store that associates values of vendor receipt elements with other receipt elements normally present in receipts generated by the vendor indicated by the identified value of the vendor receipt element. This cross-reference may also include, for each receipt element, vendor-specific receipt format information and a set of regular expressions used to identify values of the receipt elements within converted text. This receipt format information may specify a location of a value of a receipt element within converted text relative to the set of regular expressions. Table 2 illustrates one example of the cross-reference described above. (68) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Vendor Receipt Element Regular Expression Format Information AMANO Date "Exit Time" Next String AMANO Amount "Total" Next String AMANO Location ((AM?NO)(? = [A,U])) Next String (4) AMANO Card ID "Account #" Next String (69) Continuing with this embodiment, the receipt parsing component identifies values for each member of the set of the receipt elements based on the set of regular expressions and the receipt format information associated with the member. (70) More particularly, according to one embodiment illustrated by FIG. 5, the receipt parsing component identifies, within the act 514, a set of receipt elements associated with the vendor receipt element identified in acts 508-512. In act 516, the receipt parsing component retrieves the regular expression used to search for the next member of the set of receipt elements. In act 518, the receipt parsing component uses the retrieved regular expression to search for the next member of the set of receipt elements in the converted text. In act 520, the receipt parsing component determines whether any unprocessed members of the set of receipt element remain. If so, the receipt parsing component returns to the act 516. Otherwise, the receipt parsing component proceeds to the act 522. (71) According to one example illustrated with reference to FIG. 8, the receipt parsing component first determines that the following set of receipt elements is associated with the AMANO vendor {location, date, card ID, amount}. Next the receipt parsing component identifies a set of regular expressions and receipt format information for each member of the set of receipt elements. (72) Next, the receipt parsing component identifies the value of the vendor location receipt element based on the "((AM?NO)(?=[A,U]))" regular expression and receipt format information specifying that the value of the vendor location receipt element follows the "((AM?NO)(?=[A,U]))" regular expression. Next, the receipt parsing component identifies the value of the date receipt element based on the "Exit Time" regular expression and receipt format information specifying that the value of the date receipt element follows the "Exit Time" regular expression. Next, the receipt parsing component identifies the value of the card last ID element based on the "Account #" regular expression and receipt format information specifying that the value of the card ID element follows the "Account #" regular expression. Next, the receipt parsing component identifies the value of the Amount receipt element based on the "Total" regular expression and receipt format information specifying that the value of the Amount receipt element follows the "Total" regular expression. Although in this example, the receipt format instructions specify that values follow regular expression, other relative locations (e.g., before, between, 3 strings before, 3 strings after, etc.) may be specified without departing from the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein. (73) In some embodiments, the evaluation of a regular expression includes evaluation of non-textual elements. For example, in at least one embodiment, when executing the acts 508 through 520, the receipt parsing component may compare logos, bar codes (including matrix bar codes), or other visual objects presented in a receipt image to determine any of the receipt elements discussed here. Thus evaluation of regular expressions, as disclosed herein, is not keyed on any specific type of data. (74) In some embodiments, when executing acts 514-520, the receipt parsing component is configured to evaluate a plurality of nested regular expressions to identify and process values of some receipt elements. For example, some receipt images include dates in a format illustrated by the following: "Aug.12′13". In at least one embodiment, the receipt parsing component identifies such dates using the following regular expression: "(Jan\|Feb\|Mar\|Apr\|May\|Jun\|Jul\|Aug\|Sep\|Oct\|Nov\|Dec)(\sl).\d\d(\sl′)d\d" Next, the receipt parsing component stores a normalized value in the Date receipt element for this receipt. In subsequent processing, the receipt parsing component uses the following regular expression to detect normalized date values: "(\d{1,2}/\d{1,2}\/\d\d\d\d)\|(20\d\d(−l/)(0\|1)\d(−l/)(0\|1\|2\|3)\d)" In this way, some embodiments are able to change dozens of various date formats into one normalized date format that is easily identifiable and usable in subsequent processing. (75) In other embodiments, when executing the act 514-520, the receipt parsing component is configured to communicate with external computer systems (e.g., the partner computer systems 108 described above with reference to FIG. 1) where necessary to determine values of some expense elements. For example, when executing according to this configuration in one embodiment, the receipt parsing component identifies a telephone number as easily and accurately recognizable from the receipt image and, where the telephone number is recognized, identifies specifics about the vendor via a reverse telephone number lookup service. In other words, in this embodiment, the receipt parsing component retrieves a value for a Location expense element where the Location receipt element is not included in the receipt image. In this embodiment, the receipt parsing component transmits a request for location information to a partner system via a partner company interface (e.g., one of the partner company interfaces described above with reference to FIG. 1). For example, the partner company may provide a reverse telephone number lookup service. The request may include information identifying the location (e.g., a telephone number included in the receipt image). In response to receiving a response to the request including location information from partner computer system, the receipt parsing component stores the location information as the value of the Location expense element for the transaction. (76) In acts 522-528, the transaction described by the receipt is classified. In some embodiments, each distinct transaction is identified using a combination of the Date, Amount, and Vendor fields. In at least one embodiment, when executing the acts 522-528, the receipt parsing component determines, based on the expense elements identified in the converted text and the user, how the transaction described by the receipt should be classified within the account hierarchy of a customer company associated with the user. More particularly, in some embodiments, the receipt parsing component accesses, within the act 522, a categorization hierarchy stored in the expense report data store to classify the transaction. The categorization hierarchy may include historically based reference values sourced from different sets of users associated various customer companies and may reflect a configurable order of preference for types of categorization references used to automatically categorize transactions. For example, in at least one embodiment, this order of preference from most preferred to least preferred includes user-specific categorization preferences, company-specific categorization preferences, and system default (cross-company specific) categorization preferences. In this embodiment, the user-specific categorization preferences have reference values learned from historical categorization selections made by the user who conducted the transaction. The company-specific categorization preferences have reference values learned from historical categorization selections made by a group of users who are employees of the same customer company as the user to who conducted the transaction. The system default categorization preferences have reference values learned from historical categorization selections made by all users of the system or a subset thereof. (77) Further, in this embodiment, the receipt parsing component first attempts, within the act 524, to find a user-specific categorization preference within the categorization hierarchy for the transaction within the expense report data store using the expense elements identified in acts 508 through 520 and the identity of the user. If the receipt parsing component finds a user-specific categorization preference, the receipt parsing component categorizes the transaction according to the user preference and proceeds to act 530. Otherwise, the receipt parsing component attempts, within act 526, to find a company-specific categorization preference using the expense elements identified in acts 508 through 520 and the identity of the company associated with the user. If the receipt parsing component finds a company-specific categorization preference, the receipt parsing component categorizes the transaction according to the company preference and proceeds to the act 530. Otherwise, the receipt parsing component categorizes, within act 528, the transaction according to a system default categorization preference. (78) For example, in one embodiment, the receipt parsing component determines values for a Category ID expense element and a Justification expense element in the act 522-528. The Category ID expense element indicates a transaction category, such as lodging check-in/check-out, rental pick-up/drop-off, etc. The Justification expense element indicates a reason for the transaction. In this embodiment, the receipt parsing component matches key values of expense elements for transactions being processed to values of key expense elements for historical transactions previously verified by a user. Where the key expense elements match, the receipt parsing component stores the values of the Category ID expense elements and the Justification expense elements of the historical transactions within the Category ID expense elements and the Justification expense elements in the transactions being processed. In this embodiment, the key expense elements may include expense elements such as Vendor ID, User ID, Date, and other expense elements in the previously verified transactions. In this way, the receipt parsing component is able to inspect historical behavior of the user and apply a Category ID and Justification where the user has repeatedly verified the same Category ID and Justification for what appears to be a similar transaction in the past. (79) In act 530, the receipt information is stored. In at least one embodiment, when executing the act 530, the receipt parsing component stores the receipt information in the expense report data store. (80) The receipt parsing process 500 ends at 532. Processes in accord with the receipt parsing process 500 enable expense report systems to extract receipt information from receipt images more effectively than conventional OCR processing. Moreover, the stored receipt information can be subsequently used to generate expense reports, thereby saving data entry time and cost. (81) FIG. 6 illustrates an example merging process 600 according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the merging process 600 is executed by a merging component, such as the merging component 126 described above with reference to FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the merging process 600 includes identifying information sources, applying weights, and storing weighted information. The data merging process 600 begins at 602. (82) In act 604, unmerged elements of expense report information are identified. In at least one embodiment, when executing the act 604, the merging component accesses the expense report data store to identify elements of expense report information that have not been processed by the merging component. Table 3 lists elements of expense report data that may be identified in the act 604. (83) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Expense Element Description User ID Integer User-Department ID Integer Prepaid Expense Boolean Category ID Integer Expense Report ID Integer Receipt ID Integer Card ID Integer Date Date/Time Amount Floating Point Currency Type Integer VAT amount Floating Point PST amount Floating Point HST amount Floating Point Justification String Reimbursable Boolean Reimbursable amount Floating Point Validation Required Boolean Booked amount Floating Point Billable Boolean Imported Boolean Location String Vendor String Expense Input Method ID Integer Mobile Device ID Integer Vendor ID Integer Lodging Check-in Date Date/Time Lodging Check-out Date Date/Time Lodging Vendor String Meal Attendees Integer Meal Attendees Detail String Mileage Floating Point Mileage From Location String Mileage To Location String Mileage Rate Integer MapURL String Rental Vendor String Rental Pick-up Date Date/Time Rental Drop-off Date Date/Time Travel From Location String (airport code) Travel To Location String (airport code) Travel Vendor String Per Diem Start Date Date/Time Per Diem End Date Date/Time Hourly Rate Hours Floating Point User Defined Element ID Integer User Defined Element String Receipt File Name String Receipt Upload Date Date/Time Receipt Input Method ID Integer Receipt Tag String (84) Each of these unmerged elements of expense report information may be a member of a set of expense report information that describes a transaction to be included in an expense report. In addition, each element of expense report information in the set may describe one or more characteristics of the transaction. In some embodiments, the merging component identifies unmerged elements of expense report information by identifying elements of expense report information not assigned with a weight value. (85) According to one example now described with reference to FIG. 8, the expense report system receives partner information via a partner interface component (e.g., the partner interface 124) that describes a parking transaction having a value of "Natalie's Parking Service" for its Vendor expense element, a value of 7523 for its Category ID expense element, a value of "Aug. 17, 2014" for its Date expense element, and a value of $8.00 for its Amount expense element. In response to receiving this partner information, the partner interface stores, within the expense report data store, a Vendor expense element for the parking transaction having a value of "Natalie's Parking Service" and a weight of null, a Category ID expense element for the parking transaction having a value of 7523 and a weight of null, a Date expense element for the parking transaction having a value of "Aug. 17, 2014" and a weight of null, and an Amount expense element for the parking transaction having a value of $8.00 and a weight of null. Prior to generating an expense report covering the parking transaction, the expense report system receives the receipt image 800 via the receipt parsing component. In response to receiving this receipt information, the receipt parsing component stores, within the expense report data store, a Vendor expense element for the parking transaction having a value of "Natalie's Parking Service" and a weight of null, a Category ID expense element for the parking transaction having a value of 8675309 and a weight of null, a Date expense element for the parking transaction having a value of "Aug. 17, 2014" and a weight of null, and an Amount expense element for the parking transaction having a value of $8.00 and a weight of null. (86) Prior to generating an expense report covering the parking transaction, the expense report system also receives input from a user via a receipt entry user interface component (e.g., one of the receipt entry user interfaces 118) that specifies a Vendor expense element for the parking transaction having a value of "Natalie's Parking Service," a Category ID expense element for the parking transaction having a value of 4322453, a Date expense element for the parking transaction having a value of "Aug. 17, 2014," and an Amount expense element for the parking transaction having a value of $8.00. In response to receiving this receipt information, the receipt entry user interface stores, within the expense report data store, a Vendor expense element for the parking transaction having a value of "Natalie's Parking Service" and a weight of null, a Category ID expense element for the parking transaction having a value of 4322453 and a weight of null, a Date expense element for the parking transaction having a value of "Aug. 17, 2014" and a weight of null, and an Amount expense element for the parking transaction having a value of $8.00 and a weight of null. In this example, the merging component, when executing the act 604, would identify each of the elements described above as being an unmerged element. (87) Next, in act 606-612, a weight value is assigned to each unmerged element of expense report information. In some embodiments, when executing the act 606-612, the merging component identifies a weight value for each unmerged element of expense report information by accessing a cross-reference in the expense report data store that associates a combination of data source and element type with weight values. Table 4 illustrates one example of the cross-reference described above. (88) TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Element Type Data Source Weight Amount Partner 50 Amount Receipt Parse 75 Amount User Receipt Entry 99 (89) In these embodiments, the merging component assigns a weight value to each unmerged element that is equal to the weight value associated with a combination of the data source and the element type of the unmerged element. (90) In some embodiments, the merging component references additional information when assigning weight values. For example, according to at least one embodiment, the merging component assigns different weight values to particular expense elements where other expense elements are present within the same data source. For example, with reference to Table 4, an Amount expense element sourced from a Partner data source may have a weight of 60 (rather than 50 as shown in Table 4) where the Partner data source also provides a Vendor ID expense element. Thus embodiments are not limited to the dimensions (i.e., Element Type and Data Source) listed in Table 4 when determining the appropriate weight value to assign to an expense element. (91) More particularly, according to one embodiment illustrated by FIG. 6, the merging component retrieves, within the act 606, the next unmerged element of expense report information from the unmerged elements of expense report information identified in the act 604. In act 608, the merging component identifies, within the cross-reference stored in the expense report data store, a weight value associated with the type and data source of the unmerged element of expense report information identified in act 606. In act 610, the merging component stores the identified weight value as the weight value of the unmerged element. In act 612, the merging component determines whether additional unmerged elements of expense report information remain. If so, the merging component returns to the act 606. Otherwise, the merging component proceeds to the act 614. (92) Continuing the example described above with reference to FIG. 8, the merging component executing the acts 606-612 would find entries in the cross-reference that associate a first weight with the Category ID expense element received via the partner interface component, a second weight with the Category ID receipt element received via the receipt parsing component, and a third weight with the Category ID receipt element received via the receipt entry user interface component. In this example, the first weight is less than the second weight and the second weight is less than the third weight. (93) Next, in act 614, unmerged elements of expense report information describing a transaction are merged into a unified set of expense report information describing the transaction. In some embodiments, when executing the act 614, the merging component generates a set of expense report information that includes elements having the highest weights and stores the set of expense report information for subsequent expense report generation processing. This subsequent processing may include validation of the set of expense report information by the user. (94) Continuing the example described above with reference to FIG. 8, the merging component executing the act 614 combines all of the expense and receipt elements stored in the expense report system interface for the parking transaction into a unified set of expense report information. To resolve the conflict between the duplicate Category ID expense and receipt elements described above, the merging component compares the first, second, and third weights to determine the largest weight and stores, within the unified set of expense report information, the Category ID element having the greatest weight (i.e., the Category ID receipt element having the third weight). (95) The merging process 600 ends at 616. Processes in accord with the merging process 600 enable expense report systems to incorporate expense report information from a variety of data sources to automatically generate expense reports using the most accurate and reliable data available. In this way, processes in accord with the merging process 600 increase the efficiency of the expense report system by increasing the accuracy of automatically generated expense reports, thereby decreasing the amount of rework required after initial generation of the expenses reports. (96) FIG. 7 illustrates an example expense report generation process 700 according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the expense report generation process 700 is executed by a reporting component, such as the reporting component 130 described above with reference to FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the expense report generation process 700 includes receiving schedule data, issuing reminders and notifications, and generating expense reports. The expense report generation process 700 begins at 702. (97) In act 704, a user interface is provided. In some embodiments, when executing the act 704, the reporting component provides a user interface that communicates schedule information with a user. More specifically, in at least one embodiment, the reporting component provides a user interface that communicates both company-wide and employee-specific schedule information. In this embodiment, the user interface receives, within act 706, input from administrative users that establishes the company-wide schedule. Further, in this embodiment, the user interface receives, within the act 706, input from employee users that establishes employee-specific schedules. In some embodiments, the user interface receives, within the act 706, input that disables the employee-specific schedule functionality for some or all employee users, thereby forcing employee users to adhere to the company-wide schedule. (98) FIGS. 9-12 illustrate examples of user interface screens provided by the reporting component and through which the reporting component receives schedule information when executing the act 704. More specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates of a user interface screen 900 that is configured to communicate company-wide schedule information with a user (e.g., the user 132 described above with reference to FIG. 1) using radio buttons with embedded text boxes and list boxes. The user interface screen 900 may both display and receive schedule information. In response to receiving schedule information in the form of input from the user indicating a selection of one of the radio buttons, the user interface screen 900 activates the selected radio button and configures the company-wide schedule to conform to the schedule information associated with the selected radio button. (99) As shown in FIG. 9, the user interface screen 900 provides several options for specifying an expense report generation date (referred to as a "Build Day" in FIG. 9). In some embodiments, the expense report generation date is a configurable parameter set by administrative users of the expense report system and stored in the expense report data store. In these embodiments, each schedule (company-wide or employee-specific) maintained within the expense report system may have a distinct expense report generation date accessible via the user interface screen 900. (100) FIG. 10 illustrates a user interface screen 1000 that is configured to communicate date adjustment information with the user using a text box. The user interface screen 1000 may both display and receive schedule information. In response to receiving schedule information in the form of input from the user indicating a number of days to adjust the date range of automatically generated expense reports, the user interface screen 1000 stores the number days to adjust the date range entered by the user in the expense report data store. As described further below, the reporting component uses the adjustment information to safely buffer expense report start and end dates so that recent transactions are settled before being included in an automatically generated expense report. According to various embodiments, each schedule maintained within the expense report system may have distinct date adjustment information that is accessible via the user interface screen 1000. (101) FIG. 11 illustrates a user interface screen 1100 that is configured to communicate types of employees who may setup employee-specific schedules using check boxes. The user interface screen 1100 may both display and receive schedule information. In response to receiving schedule information in the form of input from the user indicating selection of one or more check boxes, the user interface screen 1100 stores, within the expense report data store, the types of employees who may, or who may not, setup employee-specific schedules. (102) FIG. 12 illustrates a user interface screen 1200 that is configured to communicate reminders, notifications, and expense report generation options using check boxes and text boxes. The user interface screen 1200 may both display and receive schedule information. In response to receiving schedule information in the form of input from the user indicating which reminders, notifications, and expense report generation options to implement, the user interface screen 1200 stores information identifying the selected options and customized text in the expense report data store. (103) As shown in FIG. 12, the user interface screen 1200 provides several options for notifying and reminding employee users to enter or otherwise provide expense report information prior to an expense report generation date (referred to as a "Build Day" in FIG. 12). In some embodiments, the expense report generation date is a configurable parameter set by administrative users of the expense report system and stored in the expense report data store. In these embodiments, each schedule maintained within the expense report system may have a distinct expense report generation date. Also as illustrated in FIG. 12, the user interface screen 1200 provides several options for notifying and reminding employee users to review and submit generated expense reports after the expense report generation date. (104) In some embodiments, the reporting component is configured to provide a user interface screen 1200 for each schedule maintained within the expense report system. In these embodiments, the reminders, notifications, and expense report generation options selected in the user interface screen 1200 for each schedule apply to the users associated with the schedule. Thus the user interface screen 1200 may communicate reminders, notifications, and expense report generation options for a company-wide schedule applicable to most of the employee users of a company and may communicate reminders, notifications, and expense report generation options for an employee-specific schedule applicable to only a few employee users of the company. (105) In act 708, the schedule is monitored. In at least one embodiment, when executing the act 708, the reporting component periodically checks schedule information stored in the expense report data store against current date and time information. In act 710, the reporting component determines whether any reminders or notifications are due by comparing the current date and time information to the schedule information stored in the expense report data store. If one or more reminders or notifications are due, the reporting component proceeds to act 712. Otherwise, the reporting component proceeds to act 714. (106) In act 712, reminders and notifications are issued. In at least one embodiment, when executing the act 712, the reporting component issues reminders and notifications according to the currently selected options. As shown in FIG. 12, these selected options may specify that customized text be included in the reminder or notification. (107) In act 714, the reporting component determines whether any expense reports are due by comparing the current date and time information to the schedule information stored in the expense report data store. If one or more expense reports are due, the reporting component proceeds to act 716. Otherwise, the reporting component returns to the act 708. (108) In act 716, expense reports are generated. In at least one embodiment, when executing the act 716, the reporting component generates expense reports according to the company-wide or employee-specific schedule. In generating the expense reports, the report executive will include transactions that were not processed in a previous expense report and that have a Date expense element that is older than the current date minus the number of days specified in the date adjustment information. (109) The expense report generation process 700 ends at 718. Processes in accord with the expense report generation process 700 enable expense report systems to generate expense reports according to a consistent company-wide schedule while maintain flexibility with regard to the schedule for particular types of employees. In addition, processes in accord with the expense report generation process 700 enable expense report systems to automatically issue reminders and notifications to increase schedule compliance by users. (110) Processes 500, 600, and 700 each depict one particular sequence of acts in a particular embodiment. The acts included in these processes may be performed by, or using, one or more computer systems specially configured as discussed herein. Some acts are optional and, as such, may be omitted in accord with one or more embodiments. Additionally, the order of acts can be altered, or other acts can be added, without departing from the scope of the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, as described above, in at least one embodiment, the acts are performed on particular, specially configured machines, namely an expense report system configured according to the examples and embodiments disclosed herein. (111) Having thus described several aspects of at least one example, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. For instance, examples and embodiments disclosed herein may also be used in other contexts. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the scope of the examples discussed herein. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only. ### Claims 1. A method of parsing receipt information using a computer system, the method comprising: receiving, by the computer system, an image of a receipt; requesting execution of an optical character recognition (OCR) component to convert the image to text; accessing a plurality of regular expressions associated with a plurality of vendor elements; identifying a string of characters in the text that match a character pattern specified by at least one regular expression of the plurality of regular expressions, wherein the at least one regular expression includes metacharacters; capturing a value of a vendor element from the text, wherein the value of the vendor element comprises the string of characters that match the character pattern; accessing reference data specifying additional elements associated with the value of the vendor element and information to identify values of the additional elements; capturing the values of the additional elements in the text based on the reference data, wherein the act of capturing the values includes: searching the text for regular expressions associated with the additional elements; and locating the values of the additional elements using receipt format information associated with the additional elements that specifies locations for the values relative to the regular expressions; and storing the value of the vendor element and the values of the additional elements in a data store. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a category for a transaction described by the receipt. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the category includes identifying the category using at least one of the value of the vendor element and the values of the additional elements. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the image includes receiving an image from an external system. 5. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing sequences of computer executable instructions to implement a method for parsing receipt information, the sequences of instructions including instructions to: receive an image of a receipt; request execution of an optical character recognition (OCR) component to convert the image to text; access a plurality of regular expressions associated with a plurality of vendor elements; identify a string of characters in the text that match a character pattern specified by at least one regular expression of the plurality of regular expressions, wherein the at least one regular expression includes metacharacters; capture a value of a vendor element from the text, wherein the value of the vendor element comprises the string of characters that match the character pattern; access reference data specifying additional elements associated with the value of the vendor element and information to identify values of the additional elements; capture the values of the additional elements in the text based on the reference data, wherein capturing the values of the additional elements includes: searching the text for regular expressions associated with the additional elements; and locating the values of the additional elements using receipt format information associated with the additional elements that specifies locations for the values relative to the regular expressions; and store the value of the vendor element and the values of the additional elements in a data store. 6. The computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the sequences of instructions further include instructions to identify a category for a transaction described by the receipt. 7. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions to identify the category include instructions to identify the category using at least one of the value of the vendor element and the values of the additional elements. 8. A system comprising: a memory; at least one processor in data communication with the memory; an optical character recognition (OCR) component executable by the at least one processor; and a receipt parsing component executable by the at least one processor and configured to: receive an image of a receipt; request execution of the OCR component to convert the image to text; access a plurality of regular expressions associated with a plurality of vendor elements; identify a string of characters in the text that match a character pattern specified by at least one regular expression of the plurality of regular expressions, wherein the at least one regular expression includes metacharacters; capture a value of a vendor element from the text, wherein the value of the vendor element comprises the string of characters that match the character pattern; access reference data specifying additional elements associated with the value of the vendor element and information to identify values of the additional elements; capture the values of the additional elements in the text based on the reference data, wherein capturing the values of the additional elements includes: searching the text for regular expressions associated with the additional elements; and locating the values of the additional elements using receipt format information associated with the additional elements that specifies locations for the values relative to the regular expressions; store the value of the vendor element and the values of the additional elements in a data store; wherein the receipt parsing component is further configured to: identify a telephone number on the receipt and trigger a reverse telephone number lookup service to capture information on the vendor. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising identifying a telephone number on the receipt and triggering a reverse telephone number lookup service to capture information on the vendor.	9922375	US 9922375 B1	2018-03-20	61,598,602	Systems and methods of parsing receipts	G06Q40/12;G06V30/412	G06V30/10	Neveu; Alan	Certify, Inc.	14/493059	2014-09-22	Ade; Garcia		1/1	CERTIFY, INC.	10.131065	USPAT	22,234
United States Patent 9934138 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent April 03, 2018 Inventor(s) Bache; Vijay Kumar Ananthapur et al. ## Application testing on a blockchain ### Abstract A blockchain test configuration may provide a simple and secure infrastructure for testing applications. One example method of operation may comprise one or more of transmitting a request to a network of nodes to test a test package associated with an application. The method may also include receiving results based on the test of the test package and recording the results in a blockchain. Inventors: Bache; Vijay Kumar Ananthapur (Bangalore, IN), Bera; Jhilam (Bangalore, IN), Kumar; Arvind (Bangalore, IN), Sahoo; Bidhu (Bangalore, IN) Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY) Family ID: 61724879 Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY) Appl. No.: 15/371812 Filed: December 07, 2016 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06F9/44 (20060101); G06F11/36 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06F11/3688 (20130101); G06F11/3676 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search USPC: None ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 6931532 12/2004 Davis 380/273 G06F 21/6209 6941459 12/2004 Hind 380/273 G06F 17/227 6961849 12/2004 Davis 380/273 G06F 21/6227 6978367 12/2004 Hind 380/273 G06F 21/577 7823138 12/2009 Arguelles et al. N/A N/A 7913137 12/2010 Mukherjee 714/729 G01B 31/31854 8332201 12/2011 Briggs 703/15 G06F 17/5045 9015847 12/2014 Kaplan et al. N/A N/A 9223553 12/2014 Venkatasubramanian N/A G06F 11/0751 9778316 12/2016 Rajski N/A G01R 31/3177 2015/0332283 12/2014 Witchey 705/3 G06Q 30/018 2016/0218879 12/2015 Ferrin N/A N/A #### OTHER PUBLICATIONS Noyes, Charles, "BitAV: Fast Anit-Malware by Distributed Blockchain Consensus and Feedforward Scanning," arXiv preprint, arXiv:1601.01405, arXiv.org, Jan. 7, 2016. cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Bodden; Evral E ### Background/Summary TECHNICAL FIELD (1) This application relates to testing software applications and more specifically to testing software applications on a blockchain. BACKGROUND (2) Software automation testing has become more hardware intensive as the complexity and requirements of new software applications continues to increase. With the current best practices of implemented continuous integration (CI) and continuous testing (CT), regular builds and automation test-cases are increasingly important. To run automation test cases at a needed frequency requires a large hardware pool of resources which can exponentially increase as the test cases and number of applications increase. Currently, there are cloud-based test infrastructures that are available to provide the required elasticity, however, these options tend to be costly and resource intensive solutions. SUMMARY (3) One example embodiment may include a method that comprises a blockchain test configuration that may provide a simple and secure infrastructure for testing applications. One example method of operation may comprise one or more of transmitting a request to a network of nodes to test a test package associated with an application. The method may also include receiving results based on the test of the test package, and recording the results in a blockchain. (4) Another example embodiment may include an apparatus that comprises one or more of a transmitter configured to transmit a request to a network of nodes to test a test package associated with an application, a receiver configured to receive results based on the test of the test package, and a processor configured to record the results in a blockchain. (5) Still another example embodiment may include a non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that when executed causes a processor to perform one or more of: transmitting a request to a network of nodes to test a test package associated with an application, receiving results based on the test of the test package, and recording the results in a blockchain. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) FIG. 1 illustrates a logic block diagram of a test package blockchain configuration according to example embodiments. (2) FIG. 2 illustrates a system signaling diagram of a test package blockchain configuration according to example embodiments. (3) FIG. 3A illustrates a flow diagram of an example method of operation according to example embodiments. (4) FIG. 3B illustrates a flow diagram of an example method of operation according to example embodiments. (5) FIG. 4 illustrates an example network entity configured to support one or more of the example embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (6) It will be readily understood that the instant components, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of at least one of a method, apparatus, non-transitory computer readable medium and system, as represented in the attached figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the application as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments. (7) The instant features, structures, or characteristics as described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases "example embodiments", "some embodiments", or other similar language, throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "example embodiments", "in some embodiments", "in other embodiments", or other similar language, throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. (8) In addition, while the term "message" may have been used in the description of embodiments, the application may be applied to many types of network data, such as, packet, frame, datagram, etc. The term "message" also includes packet, frame, datagram, and any equivalents thereof. Furthermore, while certain types of messages and signaling may be depicted in exemplary embodiments they are not limited to a certain type of message, and the application is not limited to a certain type of signaling. (9) Software and related application automation testing requires varying hardware platforms (e.g., personal computers, laptops, mobile devices, operating systems, etc.) in large numbers as well as specific software/operating system versions. Furthermore, the testing should be performed in practical environments of different third party applications and test systems, which may not be possible in a simulated lab environment. Also, distributed peer nodes and protocols may not be available to execute the automated test cases and highly frequent changes in the application require frequent automated test case execution (for example, every 5-10 minutes). (10) One approach is to utilize a distributed peer proxy protocol mechanism (DPPP) which can be required for test task creation, distribution and execution. The DPP protocol may include a centrally distributed peer proxy node server (DPPNS) which communicates to multiple DPPN clients or DPPNC. A DPPNS is a command and control server which issues command to multiple DPPNCs which support a DPPNS mode of operation. The DPPNS is also capable of storing automated test results and communicating with an organization's production server and build systems. The DPPNS may compare the results of a production server/build verification server with testing results received from a DPPNC, flag the possible areas of issues to the organization and even create a 'fake' issue to simulate an actual environment. The DPP protocols permit any organization to participate as a DPPNS and DPPC. Ensuring the test cases are run completely may be performed by a smart contract which ensures test case operations. By running multiple test cases on multiple iterations, especially performance tests, the correct node in a peer-to-peer (P2P) node network should be running the test cases according to the contact requirements (e.g., CPU size, memory size, etc.). (11) In operation, when creating a test container package or just "package", the application/project may need to be stored for third party access purposes. This application and project will be publicly accessible to any P2P network. In the user container package, information of a proper test environment will also be available along with reward, requirements, expectations, etc. For example, the information can include a platform, GPU, CPU, RAM clock speed, number of cycles needed, time required, a minimum amount of testing required to receive the reward, etc. Also, information regarding test cases with valid and invalid data will be available in the test package. The information about the testing can be published to an entire P2P network in a ledger. Distribution of the entire testing task may be divided into peers which are available and eligible for testing as potential 'miners'. After completing an assigned task to one or more miners and/or receiving confirmations of the miners that accepted the test project, a project test report may be updated to all users in the P2P network with the blockchain infrastructure to share the amount of testing performed and any other results. (12) A runtime may be packaged as a container and distributed over a P2P network, such as a torrent. Distributed tasks among miners can vary with respect to processing ability of an individual miner processor. Among the miners, a crypto-currency (such as BITCOIN) can be shared with respect to completion of an assigned task. A submission node may submit requests for test execution. A submission may be performed with a contract document (i.e., smart contract) that provides all the information that is required to execute the test cases and the reward. The test runtime can also be packaged as a container. There are times where test cases need to be implemented in a specific environment and a particular operating system. In those situations, apart from providing the test cases, the complete runtime can be packaged as a container or a virtual machine and communicated over the P2P network using a communication protocol. The test packages are shared as a list of test cases or complete runtimes. The test acceptance criteria and test completeness can be captured while the test cases are executed. This is verified and validated using an algorithm, for example a consensus algorithm, before the transaction is posted on the blockchain. The nodes are selected based on the contract, which specifies the basic requirements for running the test cases. The test cases are distributed and sent to P2P nodes. Based on the contract, the nodes execute the test cases and send back the results. The master node, which submitted the request, would consolidate the test case execution, validation and verification, based on standard test completeness, and then will post the prorated transactions on the blockchain (via, for example, a crypto-currency). (13) FIG. 1 illustrates a logic block diagram of a test package blockchain configuration according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1, the network and/or system 100 used to perform the testing may include the submission node 110 (i.e., master, server, administrator), which a package is transmitted through the P2P network as a blockchain. Miners may receive an invite, request or other notification to retrieve and process the test package. The package may then be accessed and executed to initiate one or more test cases based on the contract that is provided in the package. The test results, when completed, are shared with the submission entity and transmitted through the P2P network. A blockchain records the transaction on the ledger and crypto-currency promised as per the contract is pro-rated based on a number of test cycles executed by one or more of the miners. Once the package is created, it may be shared as a contract 130 or the contract may be embedded as part of a larger package. The information in the contract 130 can be sent directly to any of the nodes 122, 124, 126 (and to other nodes not depicted) in the P2P network, which may accept part of, or the entire, test package requirements and stored test data 123, 125, 127, respectively, to perform the testing. Thereafter, the test results are shared 130 with the submission node 110, and may be written to the blockchain 140. (14) The contract (i.e., package) may include the application/app/process that needs to be tested and may be packaged into a container or other container technology image. The image can also include automation test cases, rules which define what kind of infrastructure on which this process should be executed (e.g., CPU, RAM, Clock speed, GPU, etc.). Additional contract information may include "# of crypto-currency units, etc.) that the executors/miners/peers will earn when they execute the test cases. The test package may be stored in the P2P blockchain network. The peers can subscribe to the pool, which receives the work package and begins executing the work package container. On completion of the execution, the test results are submitted back to the network for the requester to consume and/or share with other interested parties. The package, results, and other information may be stored in the blockchain. The crypto-currency promised by the contract may be transferred based on proration rules, for example, if a test requires a certain number of cycles to be completed, such as 100,000 cycles, and a miner peer device performs a certain number of those cycles, for example 10%, the account associated with that device may receive 10% of the total available crypto-currency for the work effort. (15) FIG. 2 illustrates a system signaling diagram of a test package blockchain configuration according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 2, the configuration 200 includes one or more peer nodes 210, a submission node (server) 220 and/or a blockchain 230. In operation, a test package 222 may be created based on testing requirements. The blockchain 230 may be updated to reflect the test package 223, which is accessible to certain peer nodes 210. The act of writing the test package to the blockchain may cause an alert or request to be sent to the peer nodes. The nodes which are used to execute the test package 226 may perform some or all of the testing and create a report or other file which may also be sent 228 to the submission node 220 and updated 232 in the blockchain 230. In an embodiment, the blockchain can be hosted on the peer node(s) 210 and/or the node 220. (16) FIG. 3A illustrates a flow diagram of an example method of operation according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 3A, the flow 300 comprises one or more of transmitting a request to a network of nodes, and the request is to test a test package associated with an application 312 and receiving results based on the test of the test package 314 and recording the results in a blockchain 316. The method may also include creating a contract that includes test information used to perform the test and including the contract and the request in the test package. The contract may include one or more of a reward for performing the test, a number of test cycles, an amount of central processing unit utilization, an amount of memory utilization and an amount of time. The test package may be an image container or other type of software container package. Also, transmitting the request can include using a distributed peer proxy node server to distribute the test package to a plurality of distributed peer proxy node client devices operating as the network of nodes. The method may also include comparing the received results to known results associated with the application, and creating an alert when the results are different from the known results and broadcasting the results to one or more client devices in the network. (17) FIG. 3B illustrates a flow diagram of an example method of operation according to example embodiments. The method 350 comprises one or more of receiving a request at a network, the request is to test one or more blocks in a blockchain associated with an application 352, and recording results in the blockchain based on the test of the one or more blocks in the blockchain, wherein the blockchain is stored in the network 354. Testing a block of a blockchain may be necessary to ensure integrity and accuracy. Testing may be performed at a per block level. The peers can identify blocks which require testing based on an established contract. The block may be tested for various purposes and may be done so even after the hash has been calculated and written (block completion). (18) The above embodiments may be implemented in hardware, in a computer program executed by a processor, in firmware, or in a combination of the above. A computer program may be embodied on a computer readable medium, such as a storage medium. For example, a computer program may reside in random access memory ("RAM"), flash memory, read-only memory ("ROM"), erasable programmable read-only memory ("EPROM"), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory ("EEPROM"), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a compact disk read-only memory ("CD-ROM"), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. (19) An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor may read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an application specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates an example network element 400, which may represent or be integrated in any of the above-described components, etc. (20) As illustrated in FIG. 4, a memory 410 and a processor 420 may be discrete components of a network entity 400 that are used to execute an application or set of operations as described herein. The application may be coded in software in a computer language understood by the processor 420, and stored in a computer readable medium, such as, a memory 410. The computer readable medium may be a non-transitory computer readable medium that includes tangible hardware components, such as memory, that can store software. Furthermore, a software module 430 may be another discrete entity that is part of the network entity 400, and which contains software instructions that may be executed by the processor 420 to effectuate one or more of the functions described herein. In addition to the above noted components of the network entity 400, the network entity 400 may also have a transmitter and receiver pair configured to receive and transmit communication signals (not shown). (21) Although an exemplary embodiment of at least one of a system, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium has been illustrated in the accompanied drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it will be understood that the application is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions as set forth and defined by the following claims. For example, the capabilities of the system of the various figures can be performed by one or more of the modules or components described herein or in a distributed architecture and may include a transmitter, receiver or pair of both. For example, all or part of the functionality performed by the individual modules, may be performed by one or more of these modules. Further, the functionality described herein may be performed at various times and in relation to various events, internal or external to the modules or components. Also, the information sent between various modules can be sent between the modules via at least one of: a data network, the Internet, a voice network, an Internet Protocol network, a wireless device, a wired device and/or via plurality of protocols. Also, the messages sent or received by any of the modules may be sent or received directly and/or via one or more of the other modules. (22) One skilled in the art will appreciate that a "system" could be embodied as a personal computer, a server, a console, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cell phone, a tablet computing device, a smartphone or any other suitable computing device, or combination of devices. Presenting the above-described functions as being performed by a "system" is not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way, but is intended to provide one example of many embodiments. Indeed, methods, systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may be implemented in localized and distributed forms consistent with computing technology. (23) It should be noted that some of the system features described in this specification have been presented as modules, in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, a module may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom very large scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A module may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, graphics processing units, or the like. (24) A module may also be at least partially implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified unit of executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions that may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified module need not be physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise the module and achieve the stated purpose for the module. Further, modules may be stored on a computer-readable medium, which may be, for instance, a hard disk drive, flash device, random access memory (RAM), tape, or any other such medium used to store data. (25) Indeed, a module of executable code could be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within modules, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network. (26) It will be readily understood that the components of the application, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the detailed description of the embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the application as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the application. (27) One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the above may be practiced with steps in a different order, and/or with hardware elements in configurations that are different than those which are disclosed. Therefore, although the application has been described based upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent. (28) While preferred embodiments of the present application have been described, it is to be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative only and the scope of the application is to be defined solely by the appended claims when considered with a full range of equivalents and modifications (e.g., protocols, hardware devices, software platforms etc.) thereto. ### Claims 1. A method, comprising: transmitting a request to a network of nodes to test a test package associated with an application; receiving results based on the test of the test package; and recording the results in a blockchain. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a contract comprising test information used to perform the test and including the contract and the request in the test package. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the contract comprises one or more of a reward for performing the test, a number of test cycles, an amount of central processing unit utilization, an amount of memory utilization and an amount of time. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the test package is an image container. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the request comprises using a distributed peer proxy node server to distribute the test package to a plurality of distributed peer proxy node client devices operating as the network of nodes. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: comparing the received results to known results associated with the application; and creating an alert when the results are different from the known results. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising broadcasting the results to one or more client devices in the network. 8. An apparatus, comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit a request to a network of nodes to test a test package associated with an application; a receiver configured to receive results based on the test of the test package; and a processor configured to record the results in a blockchain. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to create a contract comprising test information used to perform the test and including the contract and the request in the test package. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the contract comprises one or more of a reward for performing the test, a number of test cycles, an amount of central processing unit utilization, an amount of memory utilization and an amount of time. 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the test package is an image container. 12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transmitter transmits the request using a distributed peer proxy node server to distribute the test package to a plurality of distributed peer proxy node client devices operating as the network of nodes. 13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to compare the received results to known results associated with the application, and create an alert when the results are different from the known results. 14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transmitter is further configured to broadcast the results to one or more client devices in the network. 15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that when executed causes a processor to perform: transmitting a request to a network of nodes to test a test package associated with an application; receiving results based on the test of the test package; and recording the results in a blockchain. 16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to perform creating a contract comprising test information used to perform the test and including the contract and the request in the test package. 17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the contract comprises one or more of a reward for performing the test, a number of test cycles, an amount of central processing unit utilization, an amount of memory utilization and an amount of time. 18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the test package is an image container. 19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein transmitting the request comprises using a distributed peer proxy node server to distribute the test package to a plurality of distributed peer proxy node client devices operating as the network of nodes. 20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to perform at least one of: comparing the received results to known results associated with the application; creating an alert when the results are different from the known results; and broadcasting the results to one or more client devices in the network.	9934138	US 9934138 B1	2018-04-03	61,724,879	Application testing on a blockchain	G06F11/3688;G06F11/3676;H04L9/3236	H04L2209/56;H04L9/50	Bache; Vijay Kumar Ananthapur et al.	International Business Machines Corporation	15/371812	2016-12-07	Bodden; Evral E		1/1	International Business Machines Corporation	9.53866	USPAT	6,040
United States Patent 9934502 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent April 03, 2018 Inventor(s) Grassadonia; Brian et al. ## Contacts for misdirected payments and user authentication ### Abstract Disclosed herein are systems and methods for processing a payment request that use mobile devices to have money transferred. These mobile devices are capable of running a payment transfer application that facilitates a transfer of money. A user can then execute the payment transfer application using a mobile device to send money, through a payment processing system that runs the payment transfer application, to a recipient account. One or more techniques authenticate a user of the mobile device by multi factor authentication prior to processing requests for money transfer initiated by the user. Inventors: Grassadonia; Brian (San Francisco, CA), Omojola; Ayokunle (San Francisco, CA), Moring; Michael (San Francisco, CA), Andersen; Robert (San Francisco, CA), Perito; Daniele (San Francisco, CA), Stipech; Kristopher (San Francisco, CA) Applicant: SQUARE, INC. (San Francisco, CA) Family ID: 61711503 Assignee: Square, Inc. (San Francisco, CA) Appl. No.: 15/419921 Filed: January 30, 2017 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06Q20/32 (20120101); H04W12/06 (20090101); H04W48/02 (20090101); H04L12/927 (20130101); H04L12/24 (20060101); H04L29/06 (20060101); G06F17/30 (20060101); G06Q20/40 (20120101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06Q20/3226 (20130101); G06F17/30312 (20130101); G06Q20/4014 (20130101); H04L41/22 (20130101); H04L47/803 (20130101); H04L67/42 (20130101); H04W12/06 (20130101); H04W48/02 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06Q (20/3226); G06Q (20/4014); G06F (17/30312); H04L (41/22); H04L (67/42); H04W (12/06); H04W (48/02) USPC: 705/50 ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 9275419 12/2015 Aguiar Marcano N/A G06Q 50/01 9300643 12/2015 Doane N/A H04L 63/08 9773212 12/2016 Hammad N/A G06Q 10/00 2011/0113029 12/2010 Kaal 707/723 H04L 67/104 2014/0019352 12/2013 Shrivastava 705/41 G06Q 20/3674 2017/0063825 12/2016 Jeong N/A H04L 63/08 Primary Examiner: Nigh; James D Attorney, Agent or Firm: Baker Botts L.L.P. ### Background/Summary BACKGROUND ### Description DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) Non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure are described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures which are schematic and are not intended to be drawn to scale. Unless indicated as representing the background art, the figures represent aspects of the present disclosure. (2) FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for processing mobile payments, according to an embodiment. (3) FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a process for authenticating a user accessing payment transfer application on a mobile device, according to an embodiment. (4) FIG. 3A illustrates a graphical user interface (GUI) for presenting a login process when a user is accessing payment transfer application on a mobile device, according to an embodiment. (5) FIG. 3B illustrates a graphical user interface for presenting a login process when a user is accessing payment transfer application on a mobile device, according to an embodiment. (6) FIG. 3C illustrates a database of a payment processing system (PPS) in communication with a mobile device, according to an embodiment. (7) FIG. 3D illustrates a graphical user interface for presenting a login process when a user is accessing payment transfer application on a mobile device, according to an embodiment. (8) FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process for processing mobile payment requests, according to an embodiment. (9) FIG. 5A illustrates a graphical user interface for presenting a mobile payment request, according to an embodiment. (10) FIG. 5B illustrates a graphical user interface for presenting a mobile payment request, according to an embodiment. (11) FIG. 6A illustrates a graphical user interface for presenting a mobile payment request, according to an embodiment. (12) FIG. 6B illustrates a graphical user interface for presenting a mobile payment request, according to an embodiment. (13) FIG. 6C illustrates a graphical user interface for presenting a mobile payment request, according to an embodiment. DESCRIPTION (14) Disclosed herein are systems and methods capable of addressing the above-described shortcomings and may also provide any number of additional or alternative benefits and advantages. For example, the various embodiments described herein generally relate to methods and systems that provide an efficient and secure technique for mobile payment transfer on a mobile device, based on authenticating a user (payor) of the mobile device, by multi factor authentication. In some embodiments, the methods and systems described herein use mobile devices that can execute a payment transfer application that facilitates a transfer of money between accounts. A user can then command the payment transfer application running on the mobile device to send money to a recipient account via a payment processing system that runs the payment transfer application. Although described herein as taking the form of a messaging application on mobile devices, it should be appreciated that some embodiments are not limited to such a form factor. For instance, in some instances, users may access the payment processing system and services via a website, where the payment processing system may comprise a webserver in communication with an application server configured to perform the various processes and tasks described herein. The user may access the payment processing system through a native application installed on the user's local device that was downloaded from a server of the payment processing system. Additionally or alternatively, the user may access the payment processing system through an Internet browser application through which the user may provide various process instructions to a webserver of the payment processing system. Other embodiments of the payment transfer application may include a messaging application executed by a mobile device through which the user interfaces with the payment processing system via a chat messaging interface on the user's mobile device. The payment processing system may then perform the various tasks and processes described herein, based upon the chat-based (e.g., SMS, iMessage®) instructions received from the user's mobile device. (15) It should be appreciated that as payments and transactions are described herein, the values and currencies associated with such transactions are not limited to a certain form or type of currency; the type of currency may be ordinary form of cash currency (e.g., dollars, euros, rupees) and the form of currency may be a cash currency or may be digital currency, sometimes referred to as cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, Ripple, or the like. In some instances, the type of currency transmitted on a sending-side of a transaction (e.g., dollars) may be different from the type of currency received on the recipient-side of the transaction (e.g., euros). The servers of the payment processing system may be configured to automatically convert the transaction value according to the respective transaction currency types or forms, according to a conversion factor, which the server may receive from one or more external data sources or may be programmed by an administrative user. Similarly, the server may have installed and execute a software application that is required to conduct transactions using a digital currency, such as executable routines that update a blockchain ledger to indicate an exchange in ownership over the converted digital currency value. (16) When a user having an account associated with a payment transfer application uses a new mobile device to execute the payment transfer application to conduct a transaction with that account, the user is required to enter login details to access the payment transfer application on the new mobile device. Upon the entry of the login details by the user, a payment processing system that runs the payment transfer application may execute a layer of security protocols to verify an identity of the user. For instance, in a first layer of security, upon entry of the login information in the payment transfer application, the user may receive a code on the new mobile device and/or e-mail account of the user. The user enters the code into a user interface of the payment transfer application on the new mobile device to verify that the account being accessed by the user belongs to the user. In a second layer of security, a payment processing system may send to the user a request to access to a contact list on the new mobile device. Upon approval by the user of the new mobile device, the payment processing system receives the contact list from the new mobile device. The payment processing system may then compare the contact list obtained from the new mobile device with a contact list retrieved from old mobile device of the user. The contact list of the old mobile device is stored in a user record within the payment processing system. When the results of a comparison show a significant overlap (e.g., a pre-determined percentage of contacts in both the contact lists are same), the payment processing system allows the user to access the payment transfer application of the new mobile device. (17) A new mobile device may generate an encrypted version of contacts stored in a memory of the new mobile device and then transmit the encrypted version of the contacts to a payment processing system. The new mobile device may use any suitable encryption technique to encrypt the contacts. In one embodiment, the encrypted version of contacts provide a hash value for each contact in the contact list of the new mobile device, and thus there is a hash value for each contact. The payment processing system may then compare the hash value of each contact on new mobile device with a hash value of contacts of the old mobile device of the user to determine if there is a significant overlap. Upon determining the significant overlap between the hash values of the new and old contacts, the payment processing system may authenticate the user. Moreover, by exchanging and storing hash values of contacts, contact lists, and/or transaction data, as opposed to the actual data, the payment processing system and administrators of the payment processing system are unable to view or otherwise access the actual data entries in a plaintext format, thereby protecting the privacy of the data yet still enabling the capability of comparing the contact data and/or transaction data. (18) In one example, a payment transfer application authenticates a user having two mobile devices, where the user is attempting to perform a transaction on the second mobile device using the payment transfer application. On the first (e.g., an initial) mobile device, the payment transfer application automatically generates hash values representing contact records stored on the first mobile device. The first mobile device transmits the hash values representing the contact records stored in the first mobile device to a server of a payment processing system. Upon the receipt of the hash values representing the contact records stored in the first mobile device from the first mobile device, the server may store the hash values representing the contact records stored in the first mobile device in a database of the payment processing system. When the user attempts to use the second mobile device (e.g., a later-activated device) for executing the payment transfer application, the payment transfer application on the second mobile device generates an authentication request. The second mobile device then transmits the authentication request to the server. Along with the authentication request, the second mobile device transmits hash values representing contact records stored in the second mobile device. Upon the receipt of the hash values representing the contact records stored in the second mobile device by the server, the server compares the hash values representing the contact records stored in the second mobile device with the hash values representing the contact records stored in the first mobile device. Upon determining that the hash values received from the second mobile device satisfy an overlap threshold with the hash values received from the first mobile device, the server grants access to the user to access the payment transfer application via the second mobile device. (19) In some implementations, the mobile device may transmit to the payment processing server a unique user identifier (user ID) for a recipient-user. The server may then generate a hash value for the recipient-user and then matches the hash value of the user ID with a stored hash value for the recipient-user received from the user contacts of the sending-user's mobile device. (20) In another example, a payment transfer application verifies a payment destination account for an outgoing transaction request initiated by a mobile device. In this example, a user is running a payment transfer application on the mobile device and requests the outgoing transaction (payment of funds from an account) using the payment transfer application. The payment transfer application of each mobile device in the system generates hash values representing contact records stored on the mobile devices. Each mobile device transmits the hash values to a server of a payment processing system. Upon the receipt of the hash values from a mobile device, the server may store the hash values in a database of the payment processing system. The hash values are associated with a user record of each respective associated with each respective mobile device stored in the database. The user records contain a history of payment requests indicating a respective recipient hash value associated with each respective payment request in the history of payment requests. When the user generates a payment request from the mobile device, the mobile device transmits the payment request to the server. The payment request contains a recipient contact and a corresponding hash value. Upon receiving the payment request from the mobile device, the server compares the recipient contact and the corresponding hash value with the hash values from the mobile device and the hash values in the history of payment requests stored in the user record. Upon determining that the recipient hash value in the payment request is not stored in the hash values from the mobile device and also not stored in the history of payment requests, the server may generate and transmit to the mobile device a message requesting confirmation of an identity of the recipient. Upon receiving a positive response from a user to the confirmation request, the server will then approve the payment request of the user and the payment will be transferred to the recipient. (21) In some instances, the improvements upon the login process described herein address shortcomings in the prior art, such as the. For example, logging into the system using prior art technologies may result in substantial back-and-forth network traffic and data processing obligations, due to the needs for system hardware components to process passwords or other credentials. However, the systems and methods described herein provide a user authentication methodology that may ease the burden on data processing and reduce the amount of network traffic exchanges between the network devices. As another example, the numerous amount of login attempt from users and external systems may establish a backlog or present a substantial timing burden when authenticating users or systems. The systems and methods of using hashed values of data stored on a user device (e.g., contacts in a contact list) may provide a significantly faster means of authenticating users, as improvement upon using user credentials or biometric inputs. This improve the speed at which login attempts are processed, which, in turn, reduces the backlog of authentication requests, and thus improves response time to other user login attempts and third-party software attempting to access to the system. In order to achieve such benefits, data stored locally on a user device should be used for authentication purposes. However, this data could be sensitive or large, which raises concerns of confidentiality and data processing sizes, and threatens to mitigate the potential benefits described herein. As such, it is often desirable to generate and use a hash value of the data entries to be processed for authentication purposes (e.g., hash value of each contact entry in contacts list). Using hash values could potentially resolve the confidentiality concerns by acting as cryptographic scheme, and could reduce the amount of data being exchanged and processed as the resulting hash value could be a smaller byte size compared to the original data entry. Let's add a few sentences here discussing the technical advantages and improvements over prior methods (22) The present disclosure is described in detail with references to embodiments illustrated in the drawings. Other embodiments may be used or other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description are not meant to be limiting of the subject matter presented here. Various embodiments will now be described in further detail. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will understand, however, that the embodiments discussed herein may be practiced without many of these details. Likewise, one skilled in the relevant art will also understand that the embodiments may include many other obvious features not described in detail herein. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail below, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description. (23) FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system 100 for processing mobile payments, according to an embodiment. The system 100 may include a first mobile device 102, a payment processing system (PPS) 104, a network 106, a second mobile device 108, a record server 110, a local database 112 of the first mobile device 102, and a second local database 109 of the second mobile device 108. The payment processing system PPS may include a PPS server 104, an Application Programming Interface (API 116), and a PPS database 118. (24) In some embodiments, the system 100 can use multiple mobile devices (such as the first mobile device 102 and or the second mobile device 108) to request that money be transferred over bank account or debit card networks. The system 100 includes a sender device, such as the first mobile device 102 and/or the second mobile device 108 connected to the network 106, where the sender device is capable of running an a payment processing application of the PPS system 104. A user may use the first mobile device 102 and/or the second mobile device 108 to send a payment (money) through the PPS system 104 to a recipient account. (25) The first mobile device 102, the PPS system 104, and the second mobile device 108 are connected to each other and communicate via the network 106. The network 106 may be a medium that also connects the PPS database 118 and the record server 110 of the system 100. The examples of the network 106 may include, but are not limited to, private or public LAN, WLAN, MAN, WAN, and Internet. The network 106 may include both wired and wireless communications according to one or more standards and/or via one or more transport mediums. The communication over the network 106 may be performed in accordance with various communication protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and IEEE communication protocols. In one example, the network 106 may include wireless communications according to Bluetooth specification sets, or another standard or proprietary wireless communication protocol. The network 106 may also include communications over a cellular network, including, e.g. a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), or EDGE (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) network. (26) The first mobile device 102 and/or the second mobile device 108 may be any portable or non-portable computing device with a processor/microcontroller and/or any other electronic component that performs one or more operations according to one or more programming instructions. The examples of the first mobile device 102 and/or the second mobile device 108 include, but are not limited to, a cellular phone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, a personal data assistant, a gaming console, or personal computer. The first mobile device 102 and/or the second mobile device 108 are capable of communicating with the PPS system 104 through the network 104 using wired or wireless communication capabilities. (27) The first mobile device 102 and/or the second mobile device 108 may include one or more input/output devices configured to allow user interaction with one or more programs configured to communicate with the PPS system 104 to perform financial payment transactions. In some embodiments, the user may have the payment transfer application installed on the first mobile device 102 from which user access and interact with the PPS system 104 to perform financial transactions. The payment transfer application may be a software stack running on an operating system (OS) of the first mobile device 102. The payment transfer application of the PPS system 104 may have a protocol layer and a user interface layer ("UI") where each layer may be responsible for specific functions. The protocol layer of the payment transfer application of the PPS system 104 may communicate with the OS of the first mobile device 102 and manages the connections of the first mobile device 102 over the communication network 106. The protocol layer may also communicate with the user interface layer and may be arranged to control the user interface layer to present information to the user via the user interface of the payment transfer application on the first mobile device 102 and to receive information from the user via the user interface of the payment transfer application on the first mobile device 102. (28) In some embodiments, the first mobile device 102 may run a web browser that accesses and presents a payment transfer web application to be executed by a processor of the first mobile device 102 or the PPS server 114 of the PPS system 104 and allows the user to perform financial transactions using the payment transfer web application on the first mobile device 102. In some embodiments, the first mobile device 102 may execute an application outside of a web browser, for example, an operating system-specific payment transfer application that accesses and presents information processed by the processor of the first mobile device 102 or the PPS system 104 to perform financial transactions. (29) The first mobile device 102 stores a list of contacts. The first mobile device 102 may also store data related to transactions performed by the user using the payment transfer application. The list of contacts and/or transaction data may be stored in the local database 112 associated to the first mobile device 102. In some embodiments, data such as the list of contacts and/or transaction data transmitted over the suitable communication network 106 from the first mobile device 102 to the local database 112 may be formatted and/or encrypted in accordance with a variety of different protocols such as security and communication protocols. For example, all or a portion of the communication network 106 may be a packet-based, Internet Protocol (IP) network that communicates the data from the first mobile device 102 to the local database 112 in Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) packets. In one example, the payments processed on the first mobile device 102 using the payment transfer application may be formatted, as transaction data in accordance with a formatting specification or protocol expected by the local database 112 and/or the PPS system 104, and then the formatted data may be transmitted by the first mobile device 102 to the local database 112. In another example, a processor of the first mobile device 102 may generate an encrypted value for each contact in the list of contacts, or otherwise translate the list of contacts as hash records, which may then be stored into the local database 112 and/or the PPS database 118. (30) The local database 112 may be hosted on any mobile device (such as the first mobile device 102). The local database 112 is capable of storing the transaction data and the list of contacts in plaintext format and/or encrypted version. Moreover, by exchanging and storing hash values of contacts, contact lists, and/or transaction data, as opposed to the actual data, the PPS system 104 and administrators of the PPS system 104 may be unable to view the actual data entries in a plaintext format, thereby protecting the privacy of the data but still enabling the capability of comparing the contact entries and/or transaction data. The local database 112 may be in communication with a processor, where the processor is capable of executing the various commands of the database management system. In some embodiments, the local database 112 may be part of the first mobile device 102. In some embodiments, the local database 112 may be a separate component in communication with the first mobile device 102 and the PPS system 104. (31) The local database 112 and/or the PPS database 118 may be in communication to each other via the network 106 and include a non-transitory machine-readable storage media capable of receiving, storing, updating, and/or querying contacts and transaction records stored in the local database 112. The local database 112 and/or the PPS database 118 may have a logical construct of data files that are stored in non-transitory machine-readable storage media, such as a hard disk or memory, controlled by software modules of a database program (for example, SQL), and a related database management system (DBMS) that executes the code modules (for example, SQL scripts) for various data queries and other management functions generated by the PPS server 114 and/or the first mobile device 102. (32) In some embodiments, the memory of the local database 112 and/or the PPS database 118 may be a non-volatile storage device for storing data and instructions to be used by a processor of the first mobile device 102 and/or the PPS server 114. The memory may be implemented with a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, a solid state device, or an attachment to a network storage. The memory may include one or more memory devices to facilitate storage and manipulation of program code, set of instructions, tasks, data, PDKs, and the like. Non-limiting examples of memory implementations may include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a secure digital (SD) card, a magneto-resistive read/write memory, an optical read/write memory, a cache memory, or a magnetic read/write memory. (33) In some embodiments, the memory of the local database 112 and/or the PPS database 118 may be a temporary memory, such that a primary purpose of the memory is not long-term storage. The memory in some examples, described as a volatile memory, meaning that the memory do not maintain stored contents when the first mobile device 102 is turned off. Examples of the volatile memories may include dynamic random access memories (DRAM), static random access memories (SRAM), and other forms of volatile memories known in the art. In some embodiments, the memory may be configured to store larger amounts of information than volatile memory. The memory may further be configured for long-term storage of information. In some examples, the memory may include non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of electrically programmable memories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM) memories. (34) In some embodiments, a processor operates the PPS system 104. The processor processes transfers conducted between the sender and recipient mobile or other electronic devices. The sender device can send money to the recipient device via the payment processing application of the PPS system 104. The payment processing system 104 can, based on the transfer request, transfer money between a sender card account to a recipient card account, and can communicate with the sender and recipient mobile or other electronic devices. The PPS system 104 may include one or more PPS servers 114, at least some of which can handle secure transactions to process all transactions with the sender and recipient mobile or other electronic devices. (35) One or more accounts (e.g., debit or credit card accounts) can be associated with a payment processing application installed on the first mobile device 102. An account can be a financial account managed by a card issuer and can be associated with a card number. In some implementations, the one or more accounts are stored at the PPS server 114. The PPS system 104 may communicate with a record server 110 of a debit card payment network. In some implementations, the PPS system 104 may communicate with a record server 110 of a credit card payment network, e.g., over the network 106 used to communicate with the sender device such as the first and the second mobile devices 102, 108 or over a different communication network. In some embodiments, to transfer money between the sender and the recipient, the PPS system 104 may identify debit card accounts, e.g., stored at the PPS servers 114, for the sender. The PPS system 104 may submit a request to an appropriate card issuer, e.g., the sender's card issuer, to transfer money. The appropriate card issuer may receive and process the request by transferring money to the appropriate card account. In some embodiments, to transfer money between the sender and the recipient, the PPS system 104 may receive a payment amount by processing a card, e.g., a credit card or a debit card, of the sender and hold the payment amount. The PPS system 104 may push the payment amount to a debit account of the recipient. Instead of holding the payment amount, the PPS system 104 may also forward the payment once the recipient links an account with the PPS system 104. (36) The PPS server 114 may be positioned between the first mobile device 102, the second mobile device 108, and the record server 110. The PPS server 114 is part of the PPS system 104, which may also include the Application Programming Interface (API) 116 and the PPS database 118. The PPS server 114 may use the API 114 to communicate with the mobile devices 102, 108 belonging to the user or the recipient over the network 106. The PPS database 118 may include information such a user profile, phone number, contacts lists, hash values of contacts lists, and account numbers of the user. In the exemplary system 100 seen in FIG. 1, the PPS server 114 may receive transmissions regarding payment requests that occur between a user using the first and the second mobile devices 102, 108 and the record server 110. In some embodiments, upon receiving a payment request from the user, and generating a payload, the PPS server 114 may forward the transaction to the record server 110 that is associated with a financial institute. In some embodiments, the PPS server 114 may directly contact the financial institute in order to facilitate the payment request and transaction. (37) The record server 110 may be hosted by a financial institute or a third party that provides a service to the financial institute. The record server 110 may maintain information regarding the balance of an account maintained by the user at the financial institute. Certain parties, such as the user who is an account owner or an administrator of the PPS system 104, may assume certain risks that an account holder does not have sufficient funds to fund a transaction, until the record server 110 authorizes the transaction. Upon receiving a payment request, the server 114 may forward associated information to the record server 110, which maintains an account corresponding to the balance of the user. In some embodiments, the financial institute may also generate an authorization response to forward to the record server 110, back through other devices in a payment stream and eventually to the PPS server 114 to confirm that the user or the recipient may complete the payment transaction. The PPS server 114 may either receive authorization from the financial institute or create a custom authorization or anti-fraud procedure in order to authorize the payment requests. (38) The PPS server 114 and/or the record server 110 may include one or more processors to control the operations of the PPS system 104. In some embodiments, a single processor may be employed. In some embodiments, a plurality of processors may be employed for configuring the PPS system 104 as a multi-processor system. The processor may include suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that are operable to execute one or more instructions to perform data transfer and other operations. The processor may be realized through a number of processor technologies known in the art. The examples of the processor include, but are not limited to, an x86 processor, an ARM processor, a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) processor, or a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processor. The processor may also include a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) that executes the set of instructions to perform one or more processing operations. (39) During operation of the system 100, a user may access a payment transfer application of the PPS system 104 on the first mobile device 102. Initially, the user may not have an account on the payment transfer application, and the user may register on the payment transfer application. The user may register on the payment transfer application installed on the first mobile device 102 by generating a username using a full name, a phone number, and/or e-mail address to access the account. (40) The first mobile device 102 may contain a list of contacts of the user in its phonebook directory. The list of contacts may include one or more of: name of each contact, a phone number of each contact, a username associated to the contact's payment transfer application, e-mail address of each contact, and bank account details for each contact. The list of contacts and their corresponding details may be stored on the first mobile device 102 or in the local database 112 linked to the first mobile device 102. (41) In some embodiments, a processor of the first mobile device 102 may transmit the list of contacts on the first mobile device 102 to the PPS server 114 of the PPS system 104. In one instance, a processor of the first mobile device 102 may transmit a list of contacts to the PPS server 114 when the user of the first mobile device 102 registers an account on the payment transfer application. In another instance, a processor of the first mobile device 102 may initially transmit a list of contacts to the PPS server 114 when the user of the first mobile device 102 registers an account on the payment transfer application, and subsequently further transmits an updated list of contacts from the first mobile device 102 to the PPS server 114 after pre-defined intervals of time (for example, every one week, or one month). In yet another instance, a processor of the first mobile device 102 may initially transmit the list of contacts to the PPS server 114 when the user of the first mobile device 102 registers an account on the payment transfer application, and subsequently further transmits each new contact added in a phone book of the first mobile device 102 by the user of the first mobile device 102 to the PPS server 114 as soon as the new contact is added in the phone book of the first mobile device 102. (42) In some embodiments, in order to transfer the list of contacts from the first mobile device 102 to the PPS server 114, a processor of the first mobile device 102 may retrieve the list of contacts from the local database 112 and then transmit the list of contacts to the PPS server 114. In some embodiments, in an effort to ensure privacy in P2P systems such as the system 100, because the communication in the P2P systems is controlled by the users of the system 100, not by a centralized network operator, the first mobile device 102 creates hash values for each contact of the list of contacts stored in first mobile device 102. The generated hash values for each contact of the list of contacts are sent between the first mobile device 102 and the server 114 rather than the details of the contacts indicated by the hash values, such that first mobile device 102 avoids the need to reveal the details of the list of contacts to the PPS server 114. In some embodiments, the first mobile device 102 may also store the hash values associated to each contact of the list of the contacts in the local database 112 along with the list of contacts. (43) The first mobile device 102 may generate a hash value for each contact in the list of contacts using a hashing technique. In some embodiments, the hashing technique compacts information to identifiers (hash values) in such a way that the content of the information in the contacts and/or the order of the information in contacts in the list of contacts are taken into account in generating hash values from a list of contacts by the first mobile device 102. In some embodiments, a single hash value may correspond to one contact item, such that the identification of matching hash values equates to an identification of matching contacts identified by the hash values. In some embodiments, using the hash values rather than the contacts details themselves reduces the amount of data transmitted over the network 106 and hides the content of the contacts as well. The hash values may be generated using a one-way hashing algorithm executed by the first mobile device 102 where the hash functions are non-reversible, meaning that the original content from which the hash was calculated cannot be recreated from the hash value, thereby protecting the original content details of the contact. It can therefore be seen that using the hash values provides a level of security to protect against the disclosure of details of the contact from the first mobile device 102 to the PPS server 114. (44) In some embodiments, the user may use a new mobile device, such as a second mobile device 108, to access its account on a payment transfer application. In such a case, the user may install the payment transfer application on the second mobile device 108. The PPS server 114 may then receive a request from user and/or the second mobile device 108 for authorizing the second mobile device 108 to become a trusted device for access to a payment transfer application service. The request may be generated in any suitable manner. For example, the user of the second mobile device 108 logs into a secure payment transfer application service installed on the second mobile device 108 where the request is generated. The user may log into the payment transfer application service by entering username and/or user ID of a service account on the payment transfer application installed on the second mobile device 108. When the user enters the login details into the service account, the request for authorizing the second mobile device 108 to become the trusted device for access to the payment transfer application service may be generated by the second mobile device 108 and then transmitted to the PPS server 114. (45) Upon the receipt of the authorization request by the PPS server 114, the PPS server 114 may implement a series of security protocols in order to verify that a service account of the payment transfer application being accessed by the user on the second mobile device 108 belongs to the user. For instance, in a first layer of security protocol implemented by the PPS server 114, the PPS server 114 may generate a security code that may be transmitted to a phone number of the second mobile device 108. The PPS server 114 may request a user of the second mobile device 108 to enter the code on a user interface of the payment transfer application installed on the second mobile device 108. (46) In some embodiments, the PPS server 114 may receive computer readable instructions that are used to render the code in a format that is readable by the second mobile device 108. In one example, the code may include a secret token, which may be for example a globally unique identifier (GUID), such as for example but not limited to a unique string of characters including, but not limited to letters or numbers or both. In another example, the code may also include one or more Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). The URL may be used to designate an address from which the second mobile device 108 may obtain instructions and/or information for use. The URL may also designate an address of the PPS server 114 to which the second mobile device 108 may send a set up message. In some embodiments, the code may be associated with an expiry time. The expiry time may be included in the code. In some embodiments, the expiry time may be recorded together with the secret token associated with the code at the PPS database 118 associated with the PPS server 114 when the code is generated. (47) The generated code by the PPS server 114 is then provided to a user of the second mobile device 108. The user may then enter the code into a user interface of the payment transfer application installed on the second mobile device 108. The second mobile device 108 may then transmit a set up message based on the entered code. In some embodiments, the code may include instructions and/or information for how and where to send the set up message. In other embodiments, the software on the second mobile device 108 may be hard-coded to use a specific web server, or URL, or location to send the set up message. Accordingly, in some embodiments, this technology can be used as a component of software and can be locked to a specific authentication server such as the PPS server 114 or service. In some embodiments, the setup message may be transmitted to the PPS server 114. In other embodiments, the set up message may be transmitted to the PPS system 104, and the PPS system 104 may transmit to one of the servers such as the PPS server 114. In some embodiments, the set up message may include a unique identifier (UID) of the second mobile device 108. The unique identifier may be a globally unique identifier of the second mobile device 108 and can include, for example, but is not limited to, an identifier generated based on the second mobile device 108 metadata or a unique identifier associated with the second mobile device 108 including but not limited to an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) address. (48) In some embodiments, where the code includes an expiry time, if the expiry time has lapsed, then the second mobile device 108 does not generate a set up message, and the process ends such that the second mobile device 108 does not become a trusted device for access to the payment transfer application service unless further action is taken such as repeating the process with a valid code. In other embodiments, the PPS server 114 may determine if the code has expired and if so, rejects it. In some such embodiments, the code may not have any expiry data or timestamp and is associated a secret code on the PPS server 114 side that can be produced at the time the code was generated. In various embodiments, the setup message may be encrypted that is sent to the PPS server 114. (49) On the receipt of the step up message by the PPS server 114, the PPS server 114 may then implement a second layer of security protocol in order to verify that a service account of a payment transfer application being accessed by the user on the second mobile device 108 belongs to the user. The second layer of security protocol implemented by the PPS server 114 corresponds to matching of contacts of the user in a phone book of the second mobile device 108 with a list of contacts associated to any previous devices of the user used for accessing the service account of the payment transfer application service. In some embodiments, there may only be one layer of security protocol implemented by the PPS server 114, in order to verify that the service account of the payment transfer application service being accessed by the user on the second mobile device 108 belongs to the user, and the only one security protocol may be matching of contacts of the user on the second mobile device 108 with a list of contacts stored in one or more previous devices of the user. (50) As part of the second layer of security protocol executed by the PPS server 114, the PPS server 114 may request access from the second mobile device 108 to a list of contacts stored in a phone book of the second mobile device 108. In some embodiments, the second mobile device 108 may have had automatically transmitted the list of contacts stored in a memory of the second mobile device 108 to the PPS server 114 prior to receiving the request from the PPS server 114 and when the user log on to the payment transfer application installed on the second mobile device 108. In some embodiments, the second mobile device 108, upon receiving the request from the PPS server 114, may create hash values for each contact in the list of contacts stored in a memory of the second mobile device 108, and the hash value for each contact may then be transmitted by the second mobile device 108 to the PPS server 114 rather than the usernames of the contacts indicated by the hash values, such that the second mobile device 108 avoids the need to reveal usernames and/or identification details of the list of contacts to the PPS server 114. In some embodiments, the second mobile device 108 may create hash values for each contact in the list of contacts stored in a memory of the second mobile device 108 and store the hash values in a second local database 109 associated with the second mobile device 108, and upon receiving the request from the PPS server 114, the hash values may then be retrieved from the local database by the second mobile device 108 and transmitted to the PPS server 114. (51) Similar to the local database 112 of the first mobile device 102, the second local database 109 of the second mobile device 108 may store a list of contacts in contacts data and data related to transactions performed using a payment transfer application. In some embodiments, data, such as the list of contacts and/or transaction data transmitted over the suitable communication network 106 from the second mobile device 108 to the second local database 109, may be formatted and/or encrypted in accordance with various protocols, such as security and communication protocols. For example, all or a portion of the communication network 106 may be a packet-based, Internet Protocol (IP) network that communicates the data from the second mobile device 108 to the second local database 109 as TCP/IP packets. In some implementations, contacts data and/or transaction data may be formatted in accordance with a data format specification or protocol expected by the second local database 109 and/or the PPS system 104, and then the formatted data may be transmitted by the second mobile device 108 to the second local database 109. (52) In some embodiments, the second local database 109 may be hosted on any mobile device (such as the second mobile device 108). The second local database 109 is capable of storing the transaction data and the list of contacts in a plaintext format and/or encrypted version. The second local database 109 may be in communication with a processor, where the processor is capable of executing the various commands of the database management system. In some embodiments, the second local database 109 may be part of the second mobile device 108; and, in some embodiments, the second local database 109 may be a separate device that is in communication with the second mobile device 108. (53) The second local database 109 and/or the PPS database 118 may be in communication to each other via the network 106, and may include a non-transitory machine-readable storage media capable of receiving, storing, updating, and/or querying contacts and transaction records stored in the second local database 109. The second local database 109 and/or the PPS database 118 may have a logical construct of data files that are stored in non-transitory machine-readable storage media, such as a hard disk or memory, controlled by software modules of a database program (for example, SQL), and a related database management system (DBMS) that executes the code modules (for example, SQL scripts) for various data queries and other management functions generated by the PPS server 114 and/or the second mobile device 108. (54) In some embodiments, the memory of the second local database 109 may be a non-volatile storage device for storing data and instructions to be used by a processor of the second mobile device 108 and/or the PPS server 114. The memory may be implemented with a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, a solid state device, or an attachment to a network storage. The memory may include one or more memory devices to facilitate storage and manipulation of program code, set of instructions, tasks, data, PDKs, and the like. Non-limiting examples of memory implementations may include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a secure digital (SD) card, a magneto-resistive read/write memory, an optical read/write memory, a cache memory, or a magnetic read/write memory. (55) In some embodiments, the memory of the second local database 109 may be a temporary memory, such that a primary purpose of the memory is not long-term storage. The memory described as a volatile memory, meaning that the memory do not maintain stored contents when the second mobile device 108 is turned off. Examples of the volatile memories may include dynamic random access memories (DRAM), static random access memories (SRAM), and other forms of volatile memories known in the art. In some embodiments, the memory may be configured to store larger amounts of information than volatile memory. The memory may further be configured for long-term storage of information. In some examples, the memory may include non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of electrically programmable memories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM) memories. (56) The PPS server 114 subsequently compares the hash values for each respective contact record of the user stored on the second mobile device 108 with the hash values for each respective contact record of the user obtained from a mobile device used by the user prior to using the second mobile device 108, for example, the first mobile device 102. In response to determining that hash values of contacts received from the second mobile device 108 satisfy a threshold amount of matches or exceed a contact similarity score based on a comparison between hash values obtained from the second mobile device 108 and the hash values obtained from the first mobile device 102, the PPS server 114 may grant the user of the second mobile device 108 access to the payment transfer application installed on the second mobile device 108. (57) Based on the comparison results of the hash values, where the PPS server 114 determines that the hash values of contacts received from the second mobile device 108 does not satisfy a threshold amount of matches based on a comparison between hash values obtained from the second mobile device 108 and the hash values obtained from the first mobile device 102, the PPS server 114 may then generate additional security layer of questions for the user of the second mobile device 108 and transmit the additional question to the second mobile device 108. For example, when the PPS server 114 determines that the hash values of contacts received from the second mobile device 108 does not satisfy a threshold amount of matches based on a comparison between hash values obtained from the second mobile device 108 and the hash values obtained from the first mobile device 102, the PPS server 114 may generate a list of one or more questions for the user, including but not limited to, details related to bank account, social security number, mother's name, father's name, date of birth, year of opening the account, or last three transactions performed by the user using the payment transaction application. The list of one or more questions generated by the PPS server 114 may then be transmitted by the PPS server 114 to the second mobile device 108. The user's answers to the questions may be transmitted by the second mobile device 108 to the PPS server 114. After receiving the answers provided by the user of the second mobile device 108 for the set of questions, the PPS server 114 will then match the answers provided by the user for the set of questions with answers to same set of questions previously provided by the user at the time of initial registration of service account of a payment transfer application, which are stored in the PPS database 118. Upon determining by the PPS server 114 that the answers provided by the user for the set of questions matches with the previously provided and verified answers by the user for the same set of questions, the PPS server 114 may authorize access for the user to the payment transfer application service on the second mobile device 108, in addition to the authorization of the second mobile device 108 to become the trusted device for access to the payment transfer application service for any future transactions. (58) In some embodiments, upon the PPS server 114 authorizing the access to the user of the payment transfer application service on the second mobile device 108, the user may want to request a payment transfer to another user (recipient) using second mobile device 108. The second mobile device 108 of the user and a device being used by the recipient may or may not be in direct communication with each other in order to transmit a payment request, payload, token, or other financial information associated with the payment request. (59) A processor of the second mobile device 108 and/or the PPS server 114 may generate instructions for the second mobile device 108 to populate a user interface and generate a payment request. The processor of the second mobile device 108 and/or the PPS server 114 may utilize the network 106 to communicate the payment request and other relevant information to device of the recipient via a message or an e-mail. (60) In some embodiments, when the user generates a request to transfer a payment to the recipient using the payment transfer application of the second mobile device 108, the PPS server 114 initiates a process for verifying recipient and the payment destination accounts of the recipient for outgoing transactions from the payment transfer application. Upon generation of the transfer request by the second mobile device 108, the second mobile device 108 may automatically transmit hash values for each respective contact stored on the second mobile device 108 to the PPS server 114 along with the transfer request. Upon the receipt of the transfer request by the PPS server 114 from the second mobile device 108, the PPS server 114 may generate a query and transmit the query to the second mobile device 108 to obtain the hash values for each respective contact stored on the second mobile device 108. Upon receiving the query from the PPS server 114, the second mobile device 108 may transmit the hash value for each respective contact stored on the second mobile device 108 or a local database associated with the second mobile device 108 to the PPS server 114. Upon receiving the query, the second mobile device 108 may first generate the hash value for each respective contact stored on the second mobile device 108 or a local database associated with the second mobile device 108 and then transmit the hash value for each respective contact to the PPS server 114. In an alternative embodiment, the second mobile device 108 may directly transmit a list of contacts to the PPS server 114 along with the transfer request, and the PPS server 114 may create a hash value for each respective contact for the list of contacts stored on the second mobile device 108. The PPS server 114 and/or the second mobile device 108 may generate hash values for contacts using a same set of rules and/or hash algorithm stored in the PPS database 118. (61) Upon receiving the hash values corresponding to each respective contact stored in the second mobile device 108 or upon generating the hash values for each of the contact details received from the second mobile device 108, the PPS server 114 stores the hash values of the plurality of contact records received from the second mobile device 108 in the PPS database 118. The plurality of hash values may be associated with a user record of the user of the second mobile device 108 stored in the PPS database 118. The user record of the user in the PPS database 118 may contain a history of one or more payment requests of the user indicating a respective recipient hash value associated with each respective payment request in the history of payment requests. (62) The PPS server 114 may receive a payment transfer request from the second mobile device 108 containing a recipient hash value for the payment request. Based on the recipient hash value in the payment request, the PPS server 114 may query a plurality of hash values corresponding to a plurality of contacts obtained from the second mobile device 108 and hash values of recipients in the history of payment requests stored in the user record in the PPS database 118. When the PPS server 114 determines that the recipient hash value in the payment request is stored in the hash values of recipients in the history of payment requests of the user, the PPS server 114 approves the payment transfer request of the user. When the PPS server 114 determines that the recipient hash value in the payment request is not stored in the plurality of hash values corresponding to a plurality of contacts obtained from the second mobile device 108 and is also not stored in the hash values of recipients in the history of payment requests, the PPS server 114 may generate and transmit a confirmation request to the second mobile device 108 of the user to confirm the recipient. (63) In some embodiments, the confirmation request generated by the PPS server 114 relates to an identity of the recipient, and the request may include details of the recipient including, but not limited to, name of the recipient, picture of the recipient, and/or bank account details of the recipient. The PPS server 114 may obtain the details about the recipient, such as the picture of the recipient, from an external database, by searching for social networking profiles of the recipient using input data provided by user related to the details of the recipient within the payment transfer request. Upon receiving the confirmation request from the PPS server 114, the user may input a response back to the PPS server 114. Upon receiving, by the PPS server 114, a positive confirmation from the user in response to the confirmation request, the PPS server 114 may then approve the payment transfer process request of the user, and the payment is transferred to the recipient mentioned on a payment transfer request. (64) In some embodiments, when the PPS server 114 determines that recipient contact is not mentioned in user list of contacts obtained from the second mobile device 108, the PPS server 114 may employ contacts of contacts search. While employing the contacts of contacts search, the PPS server 114 may examine contact lists of some or all of a user's contacts in order to identify contacts of the user's contacts that match with the recipient. In some embodiments, some or all of user's contacts may be registered with the PPS system 104 and therefore there may be a hash value stored of them in the PPS database 118 of the PPS system 104. When the PPS server 114 determines that the recipient hash value in the payment request matches with a hash value of any of the user's contacts of contacts, the PPS server 114 may approve the payment transfer request of the user. In some implementations, the PPS server 114 may determine a similarity score based on weighted values assigned to the hashed values, indicating the likelihood that a contact or set of contacts received from a recipient-user device are matched to a contact or set of contacts received from the sending-user device. (65) In some embodiments, when the PPS server 114 determines that the recipient hash value in the payment request matches a hash value of any of the contacts associated with the contacts of the user (a contact of one of the user's contacts), the PPS server 114 may determine a status of the contact whose hash value matches with the recipient. The status of the matching contact may be stored in the PPS database 118, if the matching contact is registered with the PPS system 104. The status details may include a profile of the matching contact. The profile may include information related to transaction records of the person and/or any feedback of the person provided by other members of the PPS system 104 as well external law enforcement agencies. Upon determining that the contact whose hash value matches with the recipient has been flagged by an administrator of the PPS system 104, the PPS server 114 may not approve the payment transfer request of the user to the recipient, and instead the PPS server 114 may generate and transmit a confirmation request to the second mobile device 108 of the user to confirm the recipient. (66) FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart process 200 for authenticating a user accessing payment transfer application on a mobile device in accordance with an embodiment. The steps of flowchart process 200 may be implemented using one or more modules of a PPS system such as a PPS server. FIG. 2 does not imply any limitations with regard to the environments or embodiments that may be implemented. Modifications to the depicted environment or embodiment shown in FIG. 2 may be made. (67) At step 202, a PPS server may receive hash values for each contact in a list of contacts on a first mobile device of a user. In some embodiments, initially, a user interested in using a payment transfer application of a PPS system might not have any relationship with the PPS system, so the user will register with the PPS system. The user may be asked by the PPS server to input a username and other identifying information, such as name, address, social security number, date of birth, and current and prior addresses for registering with the PPS system. (68) Upon registration with the PPS system, a user may execute a payment transfer application on the first mobile device. In some embodiments, upon execution of the payment transfer application on the first mobile device, the first mobile device may receive a request from the PPS server to create a hash value for each contact in the list of contacts stored on the first mobile device or a local database associated to the first mobile device. The first mobile device may then create the hash value for each contact stored on the first mobile device or the local database associated to the first mobile device. Upon creation of the hash value for each contact, the first mobile device may then transmit the hash value for each respective contact to the server and/or store the hash value for each respective contact in the list of contacts in the local database associated with the first mobile device along with the list of contacts. (69) In some embodiments, upon execution of the payment transfer application, the first mobile device may automatically create a hash value for each contact in the list of contacts, stored on the first mobile device or a local database associated to the first mobile device. The first mobile device may then automatically transmit the hash value for each respective contact in the list of contacts to the server and/or store the hash value for each respective contact in the list of contacts in the local database associated to the first mobile device along with the list of contacts. (70) Upon the transfer of the hash value for each contact in the list of contacts from the first mobile device to the PPS server, the first mobile device may receive instructions from the PPS server. The instructions from the PPS server may specify one or more rules based on which the first mobile device may periodically generate the hash value for contacts after pre-defined intervals of time. For example, the first mobile device may generate a hash value for an updated contact list on the first mobile device when there is new addition of contacts in the list of contacts on the first mobile device. The hash values generated for the updated contact list on the first mobile device may then be transmitted to the server and/or stored in the local database associated to the first mobile device, along with list of updated contacts after the pre-defined intervals of time. Upon the transfer of the hash value for each contact in the list of contacts from the first mobile device to the PPS server, the first mobile device may receive instructions to generate and transmit the hash value for each new contact added by the user into a list of contacts as soon as the new contact is added in the first mobile device. The hash value generated for each new contact by the first mobile device is transmitted by the first mobile device to the server and/or stored in the local database associated to the first mobile device along with details of the new contact. (71) At step 204, upon receiving the hash value for contacts on the first mobile device, the PPS server may store the hash values in the PPS database of the PPS system. In some embodiments, the PPS database may be a non-transitory machine-readable storage media capable of receiving, storing, and updating the first mobile device contact records and their corresponding hash values. The PPS database may include a logical construct of data files that are stored in non-transitory machine-readable storage media, such as a hard disk or memory. The logical construct of data files may be controlled by software modules of a database program (for example, SQL), and a related database management system (DBMS) that executes the code modules (for example, SQL scripts) for various data queries and other management functions received from the PPS server and/or the first mobile device. (72) At step 206, the PPS server may receive an authentication request from a second mobile device of the user. When the user logs into an account of a payment transfer application from a new mobile device (for example, the second mobile device), the PPS server may receive an authentication request from the second mobile device. (73) In some embodiments, the user may login into the account of the payment transfer application on the second mobile device by entering a login input that is transmitted to the PPS server (e.g., via the network). The login input may include at least one of symbolic, alphanumeric, graphical, audio, video, or any other type of input data. The login input may also include user information, such as name, age, gender, address, credit score information, or any other relevant information, such as personal information. The login input entered by the user may be stored in a local database of the second mobile device and/or transmitted by the second mobile device to the PPS server. (74) Upon the receipt of the authorization request by the PPS server, the PPS server may execute a series of security protocols generated by the PPS server to verify that the service account of the payment transfer application being accessed by the user on the second mobile device belongs to the user. For instance, in a first layer of security protocol executed by the PPS server, the PPS server may generate a security code that may be transmitted to a phone number of the second mobile device, and a user of the second mobile device may be requested to enter the code on a user interface of the payment transfer application. The user may then enter the code into the user interface of the payment transfer application on the second mobile device, and upon the receipt of the correct code by the PPS server, the PPS server may then execute a second layer of security protocol, in which the PPS server may generate and transmit a request to the second mobile device to forward a list of contacts and/or hash values for the list of contacts stored on the second mobile device or in a local database associated with the second mobile device. (75) At step 208, upon receiving the request from the PPS server, the second mobile device may generate hash values for contacts stored on the second mobile device. In some embodiments, the second mobile device may generate hash values for each contact on the second mobile device in accordance to a hash function. The hash function may be a function that take input contact records of any length as their inputs and generate hash value of specific length. The hash function may be configured with block ciphers that take contact records as their inputs. The hash function may perform a block encryption of the contacts, and finally output the result as a hash value. In one example, the PPS server may execute a one-way hashing algorithm to convert the input contact records into the hash values where the length of the resulting hash is chosen such that one hash value indicates one contact. (76) At step 208, upon the generation of the hash values for each contact on the second mobile device, the second mobile device may then transmit the hash values for each contact stored on the second mobile device to the PPS server. The PPS server may then transmit the hash values for each contact stored on the second mobile device of the user to a user record file stored in a PPS database of the PPS server. The user record file may contain information related to the user, such as username, account number, social security number, address, a list of other authorized devices of the user, and hash value of contacts stored in other authorized devices of the user. (77) At step 212, upon receiving the hash values for each contact on the second mobile device, the PPS server may initiate a query to the PPS database to retrieve the user record in order to identify previously stored hash value of contacts of other authorized devices of the user. Then the PPS server may compute a similarity contact score by comparing the hash values associated with the second mobile device with those of the second mobile device. In one example, the PPS server may derive the similarity contact score by counting a number of occurrences of each hash value for each contact obtained from the second mobile device of the user that appear in the previously stored hash value of contacts of other authorized devices of the user, such as previously stored hash values of contacts of the first mobile device of the user. In other words, the PPS server may compare the hash values for each respective contact record of the user stored on the second mobile device with the hash values for each respective contact record of the user obtained from the first mobile device of the user. (78) It should be appreciated that the PPS server may rely not just on a count of the number of occurrence of each hash value, but could be based on weighted factors, in addition or as an alternative to the count of hash values. For example, the PPS server may determine a contact score based upon the popularity of certain contacts or often-used contacts, where such contacts are weighted more heavily than other contacts; this weighting is particularly useful in the event that a user mobile device does not copy every contact to the second device, and thus there could be gaps in the total data available for comparison. (79) At step 214, the PPS server will then determine whether the similarity contact score exceeds a threshold value. For example, the PPS server may determine whether the count of a number of occurrences of each hash value for contacts on the second mobile device when compared with the hash values of contacts of the first mobile device of the user exceeds a threshold number of matches. In some embodiments, the threshold may include a value, a flag, or a variable input or set via the PPS server. The PPS server may receive or set a threshold number and stores the threshold number in the PPS database. Again, it should be appreciated that the PPS server may determine the contact score based upon weighted contacts, which are weighted according to the respective popularity of certain contacts that are often-used. (80) The PPS server compares the hash value of contacts stored on the second mobile device of the user and the hash value of contacts on the first mobile device of the user. When the comparison satisfies a threshold amount of matches, the PPS server may authenticate a user of the second mobile device to access a payment transfer application on the second mobile device at step 216. (81) When the PPS server determines that the hash values of contacts received from the second mobile device does not satisfy a threshold amount of matches, the PPS server may then generate additional questions for a user of the second mobile device and transmit the additional question to the second mobile device, at step 218. For example, when the PPS server may generate a list of one or more questions for the user, including but not limited to, details related to bank account, social security number, mother's name, father's name, date of birth, year of opening the service account of a payment transaction application, and last three transactions performed by the user using the payment transaction application. The list of one or more questions generated by the PPS server may be transmitted by the PPS server to the second mobile device of the user, and upon obtaining the answers provided by the user for the set of questions, the PPS server will then match the answers provided by the user for the list of one or more questions to answers previously provided by the user at the time of initial registration of an account of a payment transaction application that are stored in the PPS database. Upon determining, by the PPS server, that the answers provided by the user for the set of questions matches with the previously provided and verified answers by the user for the same set of questions, the PPS server authenticates the user to access the payment transfer application service on the second mobile device. (82) FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3D illustrate a graphical user interface (GUI) 304 for presenting a login process of a user accessing payment transfer application on a mobile device 300, according to an embodiment. (83) The mobile device 300 has a display 302. In some embodiments, the display 302 of the mobile device 300 may include a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma, or light emitting diode (LED) display. In some examples, the display 302 may provide some or all of the functionality of a user interface 304 of the mobile device 300. For instance, the display 302 may be a touch-sensitive and/or presence-sensitive display that can display a graphical user interface (GUI) 304 and detect input from a user in the form of user input gestures. A graphics subsystem may receive textual and graphical information and process the information for output to the display 302. (84) The display 302 includes a user interface 304 that allows a user of the mobile device 300 to interact with the mobile device 300. The examples of the user interface 304 include, but are not limited to, a keypad embedded on the mobile device 300, a keyboard, a mouse, a roller ball, buttons, stylus, or other devices that allow the user to interact with the mobile device 300. In some examples, the mobile device 300 does not include the user interface 304, and the user interacts with the mobile device 300 with the display 302 (e.g., by providing various user gestures). In some examples, the user interacts with the mobile device 300 with the user interface 304 and the display 302. (85) The user interface 304 may further contain multiple portions where each portion may be used for a specific purpose, such as sending and receiving messages via a communication service application, generating a message and interacting with a third party application, and loading an application, such as the PSS API. In one example, when the user of the mobile device 300 requests access a payment transfer application installed on the mobile device 300, the user may be prompted to enter login details 306 such as username, as displayed on the user interface 304 of the payment transfer application, depicted in FIG. 3A. Upon the entry of username, the PPS server may generate a message 308 indicating request to access to contacts, as displayed on the user interface 304 of the payment transfer application, depicted in FIG. 3B. (86) The user of the mobile device 300 will have an option on one of the portions of the user interface 304 to accept or deny the request message. Upon accepting the request message by the user of the mobile device 300, a hash value of contacts 312 are transmitted from the mobile device 300 to a database 310 of the PPS system, as depicted in FIG. 3C. A processor of the PPS system then compares, using a comparator 316, the hash value received from the mobile device 300 of the user with previously stored hash value of contacts 314 obtained from previous devices of the user. (87) Upon determining that the hash values of contacts received from the mobile device 300 satisfy a threshold amount of matches when compared with the hash values of contacts obtained from the previous devices of the user that are stored in the database 310, the PPS system processor authenticates the user of the mobile device 300 to access to the payment transfer application, and a home screen page 318 of the payment transfer application is launched on the display 302 of the mobile device 300, as depicted in FIG. 3D. (88) FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process 400 for generating and processing mobile payment requests, according to an embodiment. The steps of process 400 may be implemented using one or more modules of the PPS such as the PPS server. FIG. 4 does not imply any limitations with regard to the environments or embodiments that may be implemented. Modifications to the depicted environment or embodiment shown in FIG. 4 may be made. (89) At step 402, a PPS server may receive hash values for each contact in a list of contacts on a mobile device of a user. In some embodiments, a user interested in using a payment transfer application of a PPS system might not have any relationship with the PPS system, so the user will be registering with the PPS system for the first time. The user may be asked by the PPS server to input a username and other identifying information, such as name, address, social security number, date of birth, and current and prior addresses for registering with the PPS system. (90) Upon registration with the PPS system, a user may execute a payment transfer application on the mobile device. In some embodiments, upon execution of the payment transfer application on the mobile device, the mobile device may receive a request from the PPS server to create a hash value for each contact in the list of contacts stored on the mobile device or a local database associated to the mobile device. The mobile device may then create the hash value for each contact stored on the mobile device or the local database associated to the first mobile device. Upon creation of the hash value for each contact of the list of contacts, the mobile device may then transmit the hash value for each respective contact in the list of contacts to the server and/or store the hash value for each respective contact in the list of contacts in the local database associated to the mobile device along with the list of contacts. (91) In some embodiments, upon execution of the payment transfer application, the mobile device may automatically create a hash value for each contact in the list of contacts stored on the mobile device or a local database associated to the mobile device. The mobile device may then automatically transmit the hash value for each respective contact in the list of contacts to the server and/or store the hash value for each respective contact in the list of contacts in the local database associated to the mobile device along with the list of contacts. (92) Upon the transfer of the hash value for each contact in the list of contacts from the mobile device to the PPS server, the PPS server may transmit instructions to the mobile device. The instructions from the PPS server may specify one or more rules based on which the mobile device may periodically generate the hash value for contacts after pre-defined intervals of time. For example, is the mobile device may generate a new hash value for an updated contact list on the mobile device when there is a new addition of contacts in the list of contacts on the mobile device. The hash values generated for the updated contact list on the mobile device may then be transmitted to the PPS server and/or stored in the local database associated to the mobile device, along with list of updated contacts after the pre-defined intervals of time. In some embodiments, the mobile device may receive instructions, upon the transfer of the hash value for each contact in the list of contacts from the mobile device to the PPS server, based on which the mobile device may have to generate and transmit the hash value for each new contact added by the user into a list of contacts as soon as the new contact is added in the mobile device. The mobile device transmits the hash value generated for each new contact to the server and/or stored in the local database associated to the mobile device along with details of the new contact. (93) At step 404, upon receiving the hash value for contacts on the mobile device, the PPS server may store the hash values in the PPS database of the PPS system. In some embodiments, the PPS database maybe a non-transitory machine-readable storage media capable of receiving, storing, and updating the mobile device contact records and their corresponding hash values. The PPS database may include a logical construct of data files that are stored in non-transitory machine-readable storage media, such as a hard disk or memory. The logical construct of data files may be controlled by software modules of a database program (for example, SQL), and a related database management system (DBMS) that executes the code modules (for example, SQL scripts) for various data queries and other management functions received from the PPS server and/or the mobile device. (94) At step 406, the PPS server may receive a payment transfer request from the mobile device. The PPS server may receive the payment request from the mobile device by a communication application for initiating a payment transfer. The payment transfer request may include details related to an amount of money to be paid and identification of the recipient. In some embodiments, the payment transfer request may not include any identification of who will receive the payment (i.e., the recipient). The payment transfer request may be received by the PPS server through the communication application installed on the user's mobile device. In some embodiments, the user's mobile device communication application may be linked, directly or indirectly, to the PPS server and notify the PPS server of any payment requests originated from the user's mobile device. (95) In some embodiments, the PPS server may receive the payment transfer request through an electronic input source when the user interacts with an electronic input source to request a payment to be made. Non-limiting examples of an input source may be spoken words, e.g., various speech recognition software, various third-party applications native to user's mobile device, e.g., third-party instant messaging application or a third-party application from user's cell phone or other portable devices that support the same or similar operating systems, or inputting a corpus electronically from a computer implemented source such as another electronic device. (96) In some embodiments, the user may directly enter payment transfer request information into a mobile application native to user's mobile device and in direct communication with the PPS server or designated to communicate with the PPS server. For example, the PPS server may have a designated payment transfer request (for example, the PPS API) for the user and payment transfer request may be generated through the application. (97) At step 408, upon receiving the payment transfer request from the mobile device, the PPS server may initiate a comparison of the details of the recipient with information stored in a local database and/or a PPS database corresponding to a user profile. For instance, the mobile device may match the details of the recipient provided by the mobile device with the list of contacts or the hash values associated with the list of contacts stored in the mobile device and/or the PPS database under the user profile. The details of the recipient provided by the user of the mobile device in the payment transfer request may include username of the recipient and/or hash value of the recipient contact details. The mobile device will then match the hash value of the recipient contact details, with the list of hash values associated with the list of contacts stored in a mobile database and/or obtained from a PPS database of the PPS system. (98) In some embodiments, the mobile device may automatically identify a payment request to the recipient using information from a financial account associated with the user and stored in PPS database under the user profile and/or a local database associated to the mobile device of the user. For instance, if the user pays a same amount of money on substantially the same day each month or after a recurring event to the recipient, then the mobile device may identify the payment request as a recurring payment request to the recipient based on prior history of payments made by the user stored in the PPS database under the user profile and/or a local database associated to the mobile device of the user. In one example, the recurring payment is $1000 to pay for rent and occurs around the 5th day of every month. After a predetermined number of times for that payment, the mobile device and/or the PPS server may record the recurring payment in the local database associated to the mobile device of the user and/or the PPS database and expect a similar payment request to be generated for the recipient every month around the same time. (99) At step 410, upon determining that the recipient matches one of the contacts in the list of contacts stored in the database of the mobile device or if the recipient matches to be one the recipients in a payment history record of the user stored in the mobile database, the mobile device may send a notification to the PPS server that the recipient has matched one of the contacts or is in list of recipients of the prior payment history of the user. Upon receiving the notification from the mobile device, the PPS server may then approve the payment request of the user. (100) At step 412, upon determining that the recipient does not match one of the contacts in the list of contacts stored in the database of the mobile device or if the recipient does not match to be one of the recipients in a payment history record of the user stored in the mobile database, the mobile device may send a notification to the PPS server that the recipient has not matched any contacts of the mobile device, and/or is not in list of recipients in the prior payment history of the user. Upon receiving the notification, the PPS server matches the recipient with contacts of contacts of the user. For instance, the PPS server may examine contact lists of some or all of user's contacts obtained from the mobile device in order to identify contacts of the user's contacts that match with the recipient contact details or corresponding hash value. In some embodiments, some or all of the user's contacts may also be registered with the PPS system, and therefore there may be a hash value associated to some or all of the user's contact stored in the PPS database of the PPS system. (101) The PPS server may compute a similarity score among contact entries using any number of entries in a contact list. In some implementations, the PPS server may determine a similarity score based upon the contact entries received from two different mobile devices. In some implementations, the similarity score may be based upon contact list entries of a sending-user device and a recipient-user device, such that the PPS server reviews each user's contact list. In such implementations, the PPS server may compute a similarity score based on a full or subset of hash values for each user, such that the PPS server determines a similarity score indicating whether the sending-user is sending the payment to the correct, intended recipient. Here, the similarity score may be based on a predetermined number of matches, or summation of weighted values of frequently employed contacts from both contact lists, between the two contact lists. (102) In some implementations, the PPS server may determine the similarity score based upon the hash values of the recipient-user's contacts, at a predetermined degree of separation. For example, the PPS server may determine a similarity score between hash values for contacts from the sending-user device and hash values for contacts from the recipient-user device; the PPS server may then determine a supplemental similarity score (supplementing the initial similarity score) based upon hash values for contacts of the recipient-user device and a pre-stored hash values from the contacts list of one or more contacts of the recipient-user device. The PPS server may review the hash values for any number of contacts in the recipient-user device, at any iterative degree of separation. (103) At step 414, upon determining that the recipient (or recipient hash value) matches any contact of the contacts (or their corresponding hash values) of the user, the PPS server may approve the payment transfer request of the user to the recipient. As previously mentioned, in some implementations, rather determine whether a count of matches satisfies a match threshold, the PPS server may determine a similarity score satisfies a score threshold. (104) At step 416, upon determining that the recipient does not match any contact of the contacts of the user, the server may transmit a confirmation request to user to confirm identity of the recipient. When the user confirms the identity of the recipient, the PPS server may then approve the payment transfer request of the user. In some embodiments, the confirmation request related to identify of the recipient may include details of the recipient including but not limited to name of the recipient, picture of the recipient, and/or bank account details of the recipient. The PPS server may obtain the details about the recipient, such as the picture of the recipient, from an external database, by searching for social networking profiles of the recipient, using input data provided by the recipient by the user. Upon receiving, by the PPS server, a positive confirmation from the user in response to the confirmation request, the PPS server may then approve the payment transfer process request of the user, and the payment is then transferred to a recipient mentioned on the payment transfer request. (105) FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate a graphical user interface (GUI) 504 for presenting a mobile payment request from a mobile device 500, according to an embodiment. The mobile device 500 has a display 502. In some embodiments, the display 502 of the mobile device 500 may include a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma, or light emitting diode (LED) display. In some examples, the display 502 may provide some or all of the functionality of a user interface 504 of the mobile device 500. For instance, the display 502 may be a touch-sensitive and/or presence-sensitive display that can display a graphical user interface (GUI) 504 and detect input from a user in the form of user input gestures. (106) The display 502 includes the user interface 504 that allows a user of the mobile device 500 to interact with the mobile device 500. The examples of the user interface 504 include, but are not limited to, a keypad embedded on the mobile device 500, a keyboard, a mouse, a roller ball, buttons, stylus, or other devices that allow the user to interact with the mobile device 500. In some examples, the mobile device 500 does not include the user interface 504, and the user interacts with the mobile device 500 with the display 502 (e.g., by providing various user gestures). In some examples, the user interacts with the mobile device 500 with the user interface 504 and the display 502. (107) The user interface 504 may further have multiple portions where each portion may be used for a specific purpose such as sending and receiving messages via a communication service application, generating a message and interacting with a third party application and to load an application such as the PSS API. In one example, as displayed on the user interface 504 of the FIG. 5A, a message 506 showing a payment request for $100 to a recipient ("ABC") has been initiated by the user. The user may generate a payment request using an input unit such as a keyboard, mouse, pointer, or other input generating device to facilitate input of instructions. In one instance, the input unit may provide a portion of a user interface 504 for the mobile device 500, and may include an alphanumeric keypad for inputting alphanumeric and other key information along with a cursor control device such as a mouse, a trackpad, or stylus. (108) Upon generation of the payment request by the user, in some embodiments, a PPS server generates a payment authorization query to a record server, sometimes referred to as a "system of record" server. The record server communicates with a financial institute associated with the user in order to determine whether the user has sufficient funding to complete the payment request or not. Upon receiving authorization from the record server for the $100 payment, the PPS server determines whether the recipient (ABC) matches one of the contacts on the mobile device 500 of the user or not. In some embodiments, the PPS server may determine whether the recipient (ABC) matches one of the contacts on the mobile device 500 of the user or not prior to generating a payment authorization query to the record server. In this example, the PPS server determines that the recipient (ABC) matches one of the contacts of the user stored in the mobile device 500 and the payment request of the user is accepted, and therefore a message 508 is displayed as depicted in FIG. 5B indicating to the user that the money has been transmitted to the recipient. (109) In some other embodiments, the server, on receiving inputs from a record server based on the payment authorization query, may determine that the user does not have sufficient money to transfer, then the PPS server generates instructions for user's mobile device to display message that informs the user that the user does not have sufficient funding to complete the payment request. The PPS server may generate instructions to user mobile device to display options for the user to cure the monetary deficiency. Options are generated by the PPS server based on the user account information kept in the PPS database. For example, the user has previously registered two bank cards with the PPS. The PPS server generates instructions to user mobile device to provide the user with options to cure the funding deficiency using those bank cards. (110) FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate a graphical user interface (GUI) 604 for presenting a mobile payment request from a mobile device 600, according to an embodiment. The mobile device 600 has a display 602 where the display 602 includes a user interface 604 that allows a user of the mobile device 600 to interact with the mobile device 600. (111) In one example, as displayed on the user interface 604 of the FIG. 6A, a message 606 shows a payment request for $100 to a recipient ("XYZ") has been initiated by the user. The user may generate a payment request using an input unit such as a keyboard. Upon generation of the payment request by the user as depicted in the FIG. 6A, in some embodiments, the PPS server determines that the recipient matches one of the contacts in a list of contacts stored in a memory of the mobile device 600, or the recipient matches one of the recipients in a payment history record of the user stored in a PPS database, or the recipient matches any contact of the contacts of the user. The PPS server upon determining that the recipient does not match any contacts in the list of contacts of the mobile device 600, or with a list of recipients in a payment history record of the user stored in the PPS database, or with any contact of the contacts of the user, the PPS server may then transmit a message 608 indicating a confirmation request to user to confirm identity of the recipient, as displayed in the FIG. 6B. Upon receiving, by the PPS server, a positive confirmation from the user in response to the confirmation request message 608, the PPS server may then approve the payment transfer process request of the user, and a message 610 is displayed as depicted in FIG. 6C indicating to the user that the money has been transmitted to the recipient. (112) Although certain illustrative, non-limiting exemplary embodiments have been presented, various changes, substitutions, permutations, and alterations may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Further, the steps of the methods described herein may be carried out in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. Thus, the scope of the disclosure should not necessarily be limited by this description. (113) Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "transmitting," "receiving," "determining," "displaying," "identifying," "presenting," "establishing," or the like, may refer to the action and processes of a data processing system, or similar electronic device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the system's memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. The system or portions thereof may be installed on an electronic device. (114) The exemplary embodiments may relate to an apparatus for performing one or more of the functions described herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a special purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a machine (e.g., computer) readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs and magnetic-optical disks, read only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs) erasable programmable ROMs (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable ROMs (EEPROMs), magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions for operations on a processor, and each coupled to a bus. (115) The exemplary embodiments described herein are described as software executed on at least one server, though it is understood that embodiments may be configured in other ways and retain functionality. The embodiments may be implemented on known devices such as a personal computer, a special purpose computer, cellular telephone, personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a digital camera, a digital tablet, an electronic gaming system, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit element(s), and ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device such as a PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, or the like. In general, any device capable of implementing the processes described herein may be used to implement the systems and techniques according to this disclosure. (116) The exemplary embodiments may relate to an apparatus for performing one or more of the functions described herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes or be selectively activated or reconfigured by computer executable instructions stored in non-transitory computer memory medium or non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. (117) It is to be appreciated that the various components of the technology may be located at distant portions of a distributed network or the Internet, or within a dedicated secured, unsecured, addressed/encoded or encrypted system. Thus, it should be appreciated that the components of the system may be combined into one or more devices or co-located on a particular node of a distributed network, such as a telecommunications network. As will be appreciated from the description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, the components of the system may be arranged at any location within a distributed network without affecting the operation of the system. Moreover, the components could be embedded in a dedicated machine. (118) Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links connecting the elements may be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof, or any other known or later developed element(s) that is capable of supplying or communicating data to and from the connected elements. The term "module" as used herein may refer to any known or later developed hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof that is capable of performing the functionality associated with that element. (119) All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein. (120) The use of the terms "a" and "an" and "the" and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising," "having," "including," and "containing" are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,") unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosure and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosure. (121) Presently preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. (122) Although the present technology has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred implementations, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the technology is not limited to the disclosed implementations, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present technology contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any implementation may be combined with one or more features of any other implementation. ### Claims 1. A method for authenticating a payment service user accessing an application executed by mobile devices, the method comprising: generating, by a first application executing on a first mobile device, a first plurality of hash values representing each of a first plurality of contact records stored on the first mobile device, receiving, by a server, from the first application, the first plurality of hash values wherein the server does not receive the first plurality of contact records in a plaintext format; storing, by the server, into a database the first plurality of hash values of the first plurality of contact records, wherein the first plurality of hash values is associated with a user record of the user stored in the database; upon the server receiving from a second mobile device an authentication request for the user to access the application executed by the second mobile device: generating, by a second application executing on the second mobile device, a second plurality of hash values representing each of a second plurality of contact records stored on the second mobile device, receiving, by the server, from the second application, the second plurality of hash values wherein the computer does not receive the second plurality of contact records in the plaintext format; granting, by the server, the user access to the second application executing on the second mobile device, in response to determining that the second plurality of hash values received from the second application satisfy a threshold amount of matches between the second plurality of hash values and the first plurality of hash values associated with the user record stored in the database; receiving, by the server, a payment request from the second application on the second mobile device, the payment request containing a recipient-user identifier and a corresponding hash value of the recipient-user identifier; querying, by the server, the user record to confirm availability of funds for the payment request and to identify a hash value of a contact record in the user record matching the hash value of the recipient-user identifier; and upon the server confirming the availability of funds for the payment request and identifying the hash value of the contact matching the hash value of the recipient-user identifier, transmitting, by the server, a payment confirmation message corresponding to the payment request to the second mobile device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user record comprises information regarding prior recipients in a payment history record of the user. 3. The method according to claim 2, upon declining the user access to the application, the method further comprises: generating, by the server, a graphical user interface (GUI) containing a credentials prompt requesting the user to input a set of user credentials; and transmitting, by the server, to the second user mobile device the graphical user interface containing the credentials prompt, wherein the user is granted access to the second application executed by the second mobile device, in response to the server determining that a set of purported credentials received from the second mobile device via the credentials prompt matches a set of credentials authenticating the user that are stored in a system database. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining that the second plurality of hash values received from the second application executing on the second mobile device satisfies the threshold amount of matches between the second plurality of hash values and the first plurality of hash values associated with the user record stored in the database further comprises: comparing, by the server, the second plurality of hash values against the first plurality of hash values stored in the database to determine a number of matches. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the server does not require a password to grant access to the application executed by the second mobile device. 6. A method for authenticating a user accessing an application executed by mobile devices, the method comprising: receiving, by a server, from a first application, a first plurality of hash values representing each of a first plurality of contact records stored in a first mobile device; upon the server receiving from a second mobile device an authentication request for the user to access the application executed by the second mobile device: generating, by a second application executing on the second mobile device, a second plurality of hash values representing each of a second plurality of contact records stored on the second mobile device, receiving, by the server, from the second application, the second plurality of hash values; computing, by the server, a contact similarity score based on a comparison of the second plurality of hash values with the first plurality of hash values associated with a user record stored in the database; granting, by the server, the user access to the second application executed on the second mobile device, in response to determining that the contact similarity score satisfies a threshold amount; receiving, by the server, a payment request from the second application on the second mobile device, the payment request containing a recipient-user identifier and a corresponding hash value of the recipient-user identifier; querying, by the server, the user record, to confirm availability of funds for the payment request and to identify a hash value of a contact record in the user record matching the hash value of the recipient-user identifier; and upon the server confirming the availability of funds for the payment request and identifying the hash value of the contact matching the hash value of the recipient-user identifier, transmitting, by the server, a payment confirmation message corresponding to the payment request to the second mobile device. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the user record comprises information regarding prior recipients in a payment history record of the user. 8. The method according to claim 7, upon declining the user access to the application, the method further comprises: generating, by the server, a graphical user interface (GUI) containing a credentials prompt requesting the user to input a set of user credentials; and transmitting, by the server, to the second user mobile device the graphical user interface containing the credentials prompt, wherein the user is granted access to the second application executed by the second mobile device, in response to the server determining that a set of purported credentials received from the second mobile device via the credentials prompt matches a set of credentials authenticating the user that are stored in a system database. 9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first application executing on the first mobile device generates hash values for each respective contact record stored on the first mobile device according to a hash function. 10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second application executing on the second mobile device generates hash values for each respective contact record stored on the second mobile device according to the hash function. 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the server does not receive the second plurality of contact records in the plaintext format. 12. The method according to claim 6, further comprising receiving, by the server, the second plurality of hash values representing each of the second plurality of contact records stored in the second mobile device. 13. The method according to claim 6, wherein the server does not require a password to grant access to the application executed by the second mobile device. 14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of storing instructions that, when executed by a server, cause the server to execute the operations of: generating, by a first application executing on a first mobile device, a first plurality of hash values representing each of a first plurality of contact records stored on the first mobile device, receiving, by a server, from the first application, the first plurality of hash values; upon the server receiving from a second mobile device an authentication request for the user to access the application executed by the second mobile device: generating, by a second application executing on the second mobile device, a second plurality of hash values representing each of a second plurality of contact records stored on the second mobile device, receiving, by the server, from the second application, the second plurality of hash values representing each of a second plurality of contact records stored in the second mobile device; computing a contact similarity score based on a comparison of the second plurality of hash values with the first plurality of hash values associated with a user record stored in the database; granting the user access to the second application executed by the second mobile device, in response to determining that the contact similarity score satisfies a threshold amount; receiving a payment request from the second application on the second mobile device, the payment request containing a recipient-user identifier and a corresponding hash value of the recipient-user identifier; querying the user record, to confirm availability of funds for the payment request and to identify a hash value of a contact record in the user record matching the hash value of the recipient-user identifier; and upon the server confirming the availability of funds for the payment request and identifying the hash value of the contact matching the hash value of the recipient-user identifier, transmitting a payment confirmation message corresponding to the payment request to the second mobile device. 15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the user record comprises information regarding prior recipients in a payment history record of the user. 16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the server does not receive the first plurality of contact records in a plaintext format. 17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first application executing on the first mobile device generates hash values for each respective contact record stored on the first mobile device according to a hash function. 18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the second application executing on the second mobile device generates the plurality of second hash values for each respective contact record stored on the second mobile device according to the hash function. 19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the server does not receive the second plurality of contact records in the plaintext format. 20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising receiving, by the server, the second plurality of hash values representing each of the second plurality of contact records stored in the second mobile device. 21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the server does not require a password to grant access to the application executed by the second mobile device. 22. A computing system for authenticating a user accessing an application executed by mobile devices, the system comprising: a database hosted on one or more servers comprising a non-transitory machine readable storage medium, the database configured to store a user record containing a plurality of hash values; and a server comprising a processor configured to: receive from a first application executing on a first mobile device associated with a user a first plurality of hash values representing each of a first plurality of contact records; receive from a second application executing on a second mobile device an authentication request for the user to access the application executed by the second mobile device; upon receiving the authentication request: compute a contact similarity score based on a comparison of the second plurality of hash values with the first plurality of hash values associated with a user record stored in the database; and grant the user access to the second application executed by the second mobile device, in response to the server determining that the contact similarity score satisfies a threshold amount; receive a payment request from the second application on the second mobile device, the payment request containing a recipient-user identifier and a corresponding hash value of the recipient-user identifier; query the user record, to confirm availability of funds for the payment request and to identify a hash value of a contact record in the user record matching the hash value of the recipient-user identifier; and upon the server confirming the availability of funds for the payment request and identifying the hash value of the contact matching the hash value of the recipient-user identifier, transmit a payment confirmation message corresponding to the payment request to the second mobile device. 23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the user record comprises information regarding prior recipients in a payment history record of the user. 24. The system according to claim 23, wherein upon declining the user access to the application, the server is further configured to: generate a graphical user interface (GUI) containing a credentials prompt requesting the user to input a set of user credentials; and transmit to the second user mobile device the graphical user interface containing the credentials prompt, wherein the server grants access to the second application executed by the second mobile device, in response to the server determining that a set of purported credentials received from the second mobile device via the credentials prompt matches a set of credentials authenticating the user that are stored in a system database. 25. The system according to claim 22, wherein the server does not receive the first plurality of contact records in a plaintext format. 26. The system according to claim 22, wherein the first application executing on the first mobile device generates hash values for each respective contact record stored on the first mobile device according to a hash function. 27. The system according to claim 22, wherein the server is further configured to store into the database the first plurality of hash values of the first plurality of contact records received from the second application executing on the first mobile device. 28. The system according to claim 27, wherein the first plurality of hash values is associated with the user record of the user stored in the database. 29. The system according to claim 22, wherein the second application executing on the second mobile device generates the plurality of second hash values for each respective contact record stored on the second mobile device according to the hash function. 30. The system according to claim 22, wherein the server does not require a password to grant access to the application executed by the second mobile device.	9934502	US 9934502 B1	2018-04-03	61,711,503	Contacts for misdirected payments and user authentication	H04W12/06;G06Q20/4014;G06Q20/10;G06Q20/3223;G06Q20/3226;G06F16/22		Grassadonia; Brian et al.	Square, Inc.	15/419921	2017-01-30	Nigh; James D		1/1	SQUARE, INC.	8.184132	USPAT	24,866
United States Patent 9935772 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent April 03, 2018 Inventor(s) Madisetti; Vijay K et al. ## Methods and systems for operating secure digital management aware applications ### Abstract A system and method for servicing secure data object management aware applications using a cloud-based host environment and a local secure container. The cloud-based host environment creates a controlled digital object from a master digital object, and activates a tether associated with the controlled digital object. The tether includes an access permission, and optionally an operation permission (e.g., view, delete, store, edit, and copy) and a command (e.g., timeout, destroy). The controlled digital object is stored to an isolated storage of the secure container. The tether contents control access and manipulation of the controlled digital object. Certain conditions (e.g., timeout period reached, anomalous data access pattern detected), cause the controlled digital object to be destroyed and/or the tether to be inactivated. In accordance with applicable law, the cloud-based host environment utilizes the tether to detect, identify, and/or thwart unauthorized host environments in possession of the controlled digital object. Inventors: Madisetti; Vijay K (Johns Creek, GA), Bahga; Arshdeep (Chandigarth, IN), Richter; Michael (Larchmont, NY) Applicant: Madisetti; Vijay K (Johns Creek, GA); Bahga; Arshdeep (Chandigarth, IN); Richter; Michael (Larchmont, NY) Family ID: 61711677 Appl. No.: 15/677453 Filed: August 15, 2017 ### Related U.S. Application Data continuation-in-part parent-doc US 15435590 20170217 US 9769213 child-doc US 15677453 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: H04L29/06 (20060101); H04L9/32 (20060101); H04L9/08 (20060101); H04L9/06 (20060101); H04L9/14 (20060101); H04L9/30 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC H04L9/3226 (20130101); H04L9/0637 (20130101); H04L9/0891 (20130101); H04L9/0894 (20130101); H04L9/14 (20130101); H04L9/30 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search CPC: H04L (9/3226); H04L (9/0894); H04L (9/30); H04L (9/0637); H04L (9/0891); H04L (9/14) ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 8613080 12/2012 Wysopal 726/19 G06F 11/3612 8745384 12/2013 Persaud 713/165 G06F 21/606 9432373 12/2015 Ryder N/A H04L 63/10 9544311 12/2016 Raepple N/A H04L 63/0884 9769213 12/2016 Madisetti N/A H04L 63/20 2014/0019753 12/2013 Lowry 713/155 H04L 63/062 2015/0012977 12/2014 Huh 726/4 G06F 9/468 2015/0026772 12/2014 Verma 726/4 H04L 63/0884 2015/0127937 12/2014 Ali 713/165 G06F 21/6218 2016/0217294 12/2015 Hornquist Astrand N/A G06F 21/6209 2016/0255080 12/2015 Griffin 713/155 H04L 63/0884 2016/0352518 12/2015 Ford N/A G06F 12/1408 2017/0039379 12/2016 Skipper N/A G06F 21/6209 2017/0046652 12/2016 Haldenby N/A G06Q 20/0655 2017/0134166 12/2016 Androulaki N/A H04L 9/14 2017/0286696 12/2016 Shetty N/A G06F 21/602 #### OTHER PUBLICATIONS Bahga et al., "A Cloud-based Approach for Interoperable Electronic Health Records (EHRs)", IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, vol. 17, No. 5, Published Sep. 2013. cited by examiner USPTO, "Notice of Allowance in related U.S. Appl. No. 15/435,590" May 17, 2017 (13 Pages). cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Le; Chau Attorney, Agent or Firm: Widerman Malek, PL ### Background/Summary RELATED APPLICATIONS (1) This application is a continuation-in-part and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/435,590 filed by the inventor of the present application on Feb. 17, 2017, and titled Method And System For Secure Digital Object Management which, in turn, claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/389,190 filed by the inventor of the present application on Feb. 19, 2016, and titled Method and System for Secure Digital Object and Document Management, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference except to the extent that disclosure therein is inconsistent with disclosure herein. FIELD OF THE INVENTION (1) The present invention relates to digital object architecture (DOA) and, more specifically, to systems and methods for maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of digital objects manipulated outside of a trusted computing environment. BACKGROUND (2) Protecting confidential and sensitive digital objects (for example, digitally stored and manipulated information such as software, applications, Internet of Things ("IoT") devices and endpoints, and other mechanisms that may contain information in digital form) has become increasingly challenging due to threats both internal and external to an entity that owns such digital objects. To deliver their intended value, these digital objects must remain available to be edited, shared, viewed, archived, and replicated. At the same time, the integrity of these digital objects must be maintained and their disclosure and/or loss must be prevented. (3) While known solutions in the art of automated document management, word processing, and information display provide basic security features such as access restrictions, authentication, authorization and encryption, such measures do not provide effective security mechanisms to prevent theft and/or copying of digital objects by insiders (i.e., persons and/or systems authorized to access stored objects) or by outsiders (i.e., persons and/or systems accessing these digital objects without authorization). As conducted by either an insider or an outsider, malicious leaking of digital objects may occur in the following forms: a) Copying digital objects on a USB drive b) Emailing digital objects to third parties c) Uploading digital objects to a cloud storage or an FTP server not trusted by the entity to whom the digital objects belong d) Copying the contents of a digital object and pasting those contents into a new digital object (e.g., an email) e) Printing the contents of digital objects f) Tampering or breaking into a hosting device and stealing storage media upon which digital objects are stored (4) Maintaining confidentiality of information becomes even more difficult when digital objects are shared (in editable form) among multiple users authorized to work on the digital objects in a collaborative manner. Existing approaches for access control and digital object sharing do not have the flexibility to share digital objects, such as documents, for limited time duration. Once shared, known solutions allow digital objects to be accessed by the receivers without workable limits. For example, revoking access to shared digital objects is possible in solutions where a centralized or cloud-based access control and management system is used and digital objects are shared from that system. However, this approach does not prevent the receiver from saving a copy of the digital object locally, from copying the contents to a new digital object on the local machine, and/or from emailing the contents to a third party. (5) Known access control approaches based on Access Control Lists (ACLs) and Role-based Access Control (RBAC) systems also fail to provide an effective line of defense against leaking of digital objects by a malicious insider who has the necessary authorizations to access the digital objects, or by an outsider who illicitly gains access to the digital objects. (6) This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION (7) With the above in mind, embodiments of the present invention are related to a method and system of protecting confidential and sensitive information stored in digital objects, such as software, applications, Internet of Things ("IoT") devices and endpoints, and other mechanisms that may contain information in digital form. In certain embodiments, the present invention may provide the following advantages: 1) Prevent loss and/or theft of digital objects due to either insiders or outsiders, and without perceptible loss of functionality relating to the digital objects. Such security includes the ability to identify, at an organizational level, certain threats at a particular location and/or a particular time instant or window, or both. Such security also employs patterns of access and/or usage as a library of patterns to assist in threat tracking and reaction/action based on context and threat levels. 2) Employ tracking and analytics capability within a cloud to identify behaviors involving a particular digital object over time based on activities on system-generated tethers, and also on threat location, for possible offensive action in a coordinated manner. 3) Allow proactive action with regard to threats to digital objects, including tracking of theft by insiders and/or outsiders, and also controlling destruction of a digital object prior to theft, loss, or disclosure. Both offensive and defensive approaches may be put in place through the use of analytics capabilities in the cloud. (8) The advantages described above are achieved by a secure data object management system, and associated methods, comprising a cloud-based host environment and a secure container on a local machine. The cloud-based host environment may create a controlled digital object from data and/or meta-data of a master digital object, and may store the master digital object to a cloud object store. The cloud-based host environment also may activate a tether associated with the controlled digital object. The tether may be adorned with at least one control condition, such as an access permission, an operation permission (e.g., view, delete, store, edit, and copy), and a command (e.g., timeout, destroy). (9) The secure container may receive the controlled digital object and store the controlled digital object to an isolated storage. The secure container may allow applications on the local machine to manipulate that controlled digital object only as permitted by the tether. For example, access to the controlled digital object may only be permitted upon detection of an access request satisfying the access permission of the tether. Similarly, manipulation of the controlled data object may only be permitted upon detection of an operation request satisfying the operation permission. Upon detection of certain conditions (e.g., timeout period reached, anomalous data access pattern detected), the secure container may delete the controlled digital object and/or the cloud-based host environment may sever the tether (e.g., set the state value equal to inactive, or the tether may be deleted or purged) to stop any further manipulation of the controlled data object. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a cloud-based host environment and a secure container according to an embodiment of the present invention. (2) FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary data analytics architecture (DAA) for the cloud-based host environment shown in FIG. 1. (3) FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary DAA for the secure container shown in FIG. 1. (4) FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary subsystem architecture for the analytics and reporting engine of FIG. 2. (5) FIG. 5 is a process flow illustrating an exemplary method for digital object creation according to an embodiment of the present invention. (6) FIG. 6 is a process flow illustrating an exemplary method for digital object sharing according to an embodiment of the present invention. (7) FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of exemplary system architectures for secure containers according to certain embodiments of the present invention. (8) FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of exemplary security layers according to certain embodiments of the present invention. (9) FIG. 9 is a table illustrating exemplary document access meta-data according to an embodiment of the present invention. (10) FIG. 10 is a table illustrating exemplary document access log records according to an embodiment of the present invention. (11) FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary operational scenarios for a secure digital object management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. (12) FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary data analytics architecture (DAA) for the cloud-based host environment shown in FIG. 1. (13) FIG. 13 is a table illustrating exemplary document access meta-data according to an embodiment of the present invention. (14) FIG. 14 a table illustrating exemplary document access log records according to an embodiment of the invention. (15) FIG. 15 is a process flow illustrating an exemplary method for blockchain network operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. (16) FIG. 16 is a process flow illustrating an exemplary method for digital object creation and update according to an embodiment of the present invention. (17) FIG. 17 is a process flow illustrating an exemplary method for encryption key derivation for a User Hierarchical Deterministic (HD) wallet and an Object HD wallet according to an embodiment of the invention. (18) FIG. 18 is a process flow illustrating an exemplary implementation of encryption key derivation for the Object HD wallet shown in FIG. 17. (19) FIG. 19 is a process flow illustrating an exemplary method for bidirectional authentication according to an embodiment of the invention. (20) FIG. 20 is a process flow illustrating an exemplary method for authentication vector derivation at a cloud-based host environment according to an embodiment of the invention. (21) FIG. 21 a process flow illustrating an exemplary method for authentication vector derivation at a secure container according to an embodiment of the invention. (22) FIG. 22 is a process flow illustrating an exemplary method for digital object sharing according to an embodiment of the present invention. (23) FIG. 23 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary DAA for the secure container shown in FIG. 22. (24) FIG. 24 is a process flow illustrating an exemplary method for micro-control of S-DOM aware applications according to an embodiment of the invention. (25) FIG. 25 is a block diagram representation of a machine in the example form of a computer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (26) The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art realize that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. (27) Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention. (28) In this detailed description of the present invention, a person skilled in the art should note that directional terms, such as "above," "below," "upper," "lower," and other like terms are used for the convenience of the reader in reference to the drawings. Also, a person skilled in the art should notice this description may contain other terminology to convey position, orientation, and direction without departing from the principles of the present invention. (29) Furthermore, in this detailed description, a person skilled in the art should note that quantitative qualifying terms such as "generally," "substantially," "mostly," and other terms are used, in general, to mean that the referred to object, characteristic, or quality constitutes a majority of the subject of the reference. The meaning of any of these terms is dependent upon the context within which it is used, and the meaning may be expressly modified. (30) Referring to FIGS. 1-25, a secure digital object management (S-DOM) system according to an embodiment of the present invention is now described in detail. Throughout this disclosure, the present invention may be referred to as a digital object management system, a digital object protection system, a DOM system, a management system, a protection system, an access control system, a device, a system, a product, and a method. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this terminology is only illustrative and does not affect the scope of the invention. (31) An embodiment of the invention, as shown and described by the various figures and accompanying text, provides a system and associated methods for employing tethers between a cloud-based host environment and a secure container on a local machine to achieve secure manipulation and management of digital objects. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention contemplates the use of computer instructions and/or systems configurations that may perform any or all of the operations involved in secure digital object management. The disclosure of computer instructions collectively identified by the named subsystems described herein is not meant to be limiting in any way. Also, the disclosure of systems configurations that include the named subsystems hosted in a cloud-based host environment and in some number of local machines is not meant to be limiting in any way. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that stored computer instructions and/or systems configurations may be configured in any way while still accomplishing the many goals, features and advantages according to the present invention. (32) Referring now to FIG. 1, for example, and without limitation, a secure digital object management (S-DOM) system, according to an embodiment of the present invention, may include a cloud-based host environment 100 configured in data communication with a local machine 102 (e.g., computer, or a smartphone) that may host a secure container 104 (e.g., implemented in software). The cloud-based host environment 100 may advantageously control the creation, lifecycle and destruction of digital objects (for example, and without limitation, data artifacts such as documents, software, video, images, music, and/or IoT devices). Such digital objects may be synchronized from the host environment 100 to the secure containers 104 hosted on the local machines 102, and also may be secured such that the digital objects may not be viewed, deleted, stored, edited, or copied without permission, knowledge and control of the host environment 100. The digital objects may be stored and replicated in the cloud-based host environment 100. (33) Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, and referring additionally to FIG. 2, an exemplary data analytics architecture of a cloud-based host environment 100 may include a cloud-object store 118 configured for storage of master digital objects 120. For example, and without limitation, the cloud-object store 118 may be implemented as a distributed file system (DFS). A document management service 116 may advantageously control the digital objects' 120 lifecycles. A meta-data database 124 within the host 100 may maintain information about the master digital objects 120 and their controlled instantiations of digital objects 212 (as described in more detail below), such as, for example, and without limitation, user IDs of the object owners, object creation timestamps, change logs recording changes in object state, transactions executed or attempted, and object permissions. An access-log 122 within the host 100 may record all digital object 120 accesses and transmissions. (34) The analytics and reporting engine 114 within the host 100 may employ big data tools and frameworks for batch or real-time analytics (as described in more detail below) on available databases and meta-databases, for instance, to analyze digital object access logs and network traffic and to identify anomalous data access and data transmission patterns. The host 100 may further include application programming interfaces (APIs) 110 for creating, updating, and deleting digital objects, and for operating authentication and authorization 112 and analytics and reporting 114 functions. These APIs 110 may be used for developing document management and analytics applications that operate within an organization's network. For implementing the components within the cloud-based host environment 100, micro-services architectures may be used whereby each service may perform a predefined set of actions and may communicate with other services through the use of inter-service communication mechanisms such as request-response (e.g. REST over HTTP), publish-subscribe (e.g. MQTT), remote procedure call (RPC) (e.g. Thrift), or notifications. In certain embodiments of the present invention, these services may be developed, deployed and scaled independently. (35) In certain embodiments of the present invention, security features for advantageously providing secure access to the cloud-based host environment 100 may include one or more of the following: 1) Authorization Services: As a matter of definition, authorization refers to digitally specifying access rights to protected resources using access policies. The host 100 may include authorization services such as policy management, role management and role-based access control. A role-based access control framework may be used to provide access to master data objects 120 in the host 100 to users based on the assigned roles and data access policies. The host may support "OAuth," an open standard for authorization that allows resource owners to share their private resources stored on one site with another site without handing out the credentials. 2) Identity Management Services: Identity management services may provide consistent methods for identifying persons and maintaining associated identity attributes for users across multiple organizations. For example, and without limitation, Federated Identity Management (FidM) may be enforced for the host 100. FidM provides the ability to establish trust relationships between various security domains to enable the passing of authentication, authorization and privacy assertions. 3) Authentication Services: The host 100 may support authentication services 112 configured to prevent digital objects from being accessed by unauthorized users. For example, and without limitation, authentication and authorization services 112 may include a Single Sign On (SSO) that may enable users to access multiple applications after signing in for a first time. In addition to SSO, One Time Password (OTP) security may also be enforced. OTPs may be delivered via SMS and email. One benefit of OTP is that such security regimes are not vulnerable to replay attacks. 4) Data Encryption: The host 100 may adopt a data encryption standard such as the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) for encrypting all data that is stored in the host. In addition to encryption of stored data, all transmission of data may be protected with Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology. (36) Referring now to FIG. 3, an exemplary data analytics architecture of a secure container 104 will now be discussed in detail. A secure container 104 may advantageously control access to digital objects 212. The secure container 104 may include a secure storage system 210 that may be isolated from the unsecured file system 216 of the local machine 102. Applications 214 on the local machine 102 may be configured to access and update digital objects 212 through a proxy or agent 200 included in and operated by the secure container 104. Digital objects 212 in the secure container 104 may be tethered 106 (through a two-way connection, as described in more detail below) to the host environment 100. Tethers 106 may be established between the objects 212 and the host environment 100 through the proxy 200. Tethers 106 may advantageously allow the host 100 to control access to and manipulation of objects 212 on the secure container 104. (37) Access rules and allowed operations 206 for the objects 212 on the local machine 102 may be determined by the host 100 and may be enforced using the tethers 106 through the proxy 200. Use of secure containers 104 having isolated storage 210 prevents unauthorized copying of objects 212 outside the containers 104 to the local storage 216. The access monitoring component 204 in the secure container 104 may log all object accesses and status changes (and/or attempted changes) and may report to the analytics engine 114 in the cloud-based host 100 through the tether connection(s) 106. Objects 212 may be automatically synchronized between the cloud-based host 100 and the secure container 104 by the file sync engine 208. Digital objects 212 may be deleted from the container 104 after access timeouts (computed, for example, and without limitation, as a delta between an object creation timestamp and a system date/time on the local machine 102). (38) Continuing to refer to FIG. 3, and a referring again to FIG. 2, for example, and without limitation, the tether 106 may be implemented as an identifiable two-way data connection (e.g., bi-directional communication link using TCP, UDP, Sockets, REST or other similar network/internet protocols, for instance) between a local object 212 on the local secure container 104 and a host object 120 on the cloud-based host environment 100. Tether identification may be accomplished using a unique tether identifier. Objects 212 may be coupled/connected via software pipes (or links over a network) to the host environment 100 through tethers 106. These two-way connections 106 may be used for control of objects 212 through conveyance of control conditions such as, for example, and without limitation, data, metadata, information and/or commands. Tether connections 106 may be of various kinds, including, for example, and without limitation, a persistent connection (TCP-based), UDP-based, or based on periodic data exchanges (REST-based), over wired and/or wireless networks. Objects 212 may be assigned unique IDs (either global, or only unique within a particular state, session or time context) which the host 100 may use for tracking through the tether connections 106. Object IDs may advantageously allow the host 100 to detect which objects 212 are false based on their ID and environment, and/or which objects 212 have been moved to new environments (either authorized or unauthorized). A group of digital objects 212 (for example, and without limitation, a group of documents in a single directory) may be associated with a single tether 106. (39) Tethers 106 between the objects 212 in local secure containers 104 and the host 100 may be established over an organization's network or networks approved by the organization. Tethers 106 may prevent false replays or other attacks where an attacker tries to create an impression that the object 212 is in a trusted environment (e.g., that object 212 is legitimate). Still referring to FIG. 2, in a direction of data communication from the container 104 to the host 100 over the tether 106, the secure container 104 may send object access monitoring data and object status changes and/or transactions data (executed or attempted) to the host 100. The container 104 may ping the host 100 for an active connection 106 (e.g., state value of "active"). Note: Objects 212 may self-destruct or may be locked at the direction of the secure container 104 if the tether 106 breaks or times out. The secure container 104 may send application 214 requests to the host 100 to approve or deny an operation and/or to rollback a change. In a direction of data communication from the host 100 to the container 104 over the tether 106, the host 100 may transmit commands to create, synchronize, update and/or delete digital objects 212 on the container 104. (40) Referring now to FIG. 4, exemplary subsystems of the analytics and reporting engine 114 of the cloud-based host environment 100 will now be discussed in detail. For example, and without limitation, an exemplary data analytics and reporting architecture may include raw data sources 130 that may comprise data access logs 146 and data streams 148 obtained from different tether connections 106. Data access connectors 132 may include tools and frameworks for collecting and ingesting data from various sources into the big data storage and analytics frameworks. In certain embodiments of the present invention, these frameworks may include source-sink connectors 150 (such as Apache Flume), publish-subscribe messaging frameworks 152 (such as Apache Kafka), database connectors 154 (such as Apache Sqoop), messaging queues (such as RabbitMQ) and custom connectors 156. A person of skill in the art will immediately recognize that the choice of the data connector may be driven by the type of data source. The data access connectors 132 may ingest data into a distributed filesystem 166 (such as HDFS) or a NoSQL database 168 (such as HBase). The data may be analyzed in batch mode or real-time mode. For batch analysis, frameworks such as MapReduce 158 (using Hadoop), scripting frameworks 162 (such as Pig), distributed acyclic graph frameworks 160 (such as Apache Spark), and machine learning frameworks 164 (such as Spark MLlib) may be used. For real-time analysis, stream processing frameworks 170 (such as Apache Storm) or in-memory processing frameworks 172 (such as Apache Spark) may be used. The analysis results may be stored by the connectors 140 either in relational 174 (SQL) or non-relational databases 176 (NoSQL). Alerting and reporting applications may be implemented using web frameworks 178 and visualization frameworks 180, and deployed on web and application servers 144 within the host environment 100. (41) Referring now to FIG. 5, a method aspect of the present invention for digital object creation is described in more detail. New objects 212 may be created within the secure container 104 only through the host 100. For example, and without limitation, at Step 1 (610) a user may create a digital object 120 (referred to as a master digital object) from the host 100. At Step 2 (620), the host 100 may create and distribute to the secure container 104 a controlled digital object 212. The controlled digital object 212 may be synchronized to the master digital object 120 on the host 100. The host 100 may, at Step 3 (630), setup a tether 106 for the object 212 between the secure container 104 and the host 100. At Step 4 (640), some user may access and manipulate (e.g., update) the digital object 212 on the secure container 104 through the proxy 200. Before any operation may be performed on the object 212, a check may be performed with the host environment 100 (over the tether connection 106). Objects may only be operated on in the presence of active tethers 106 and only the allowed operations (communicated over the tether 106) may be performed. Objects 212 may be disabled or destroyed and/or changes may be rolled back by commands sent by the host 100 over the tether 106. Other commands may also be sent by the host 100 via the tether 106. For example, and without limitation, modifications made to the digital object 212 on the secure container 104 may be synchronized with the host 100 (Step 5 (650)). (42) Referring now to FIG. 6, a method aspect of the present invention for digital object sharing is described in more detail. From the beginning at Step 1 (710), a digital object originator and/or owner (i.e., as shown, User A) may share an artifact (for example, and without limitation, a collaboratively drafted document) with other users (i.e., as shown, User B) by employing the host 100 to control the sharing of those objects. An object owner may set access timeouts while sharing digital objects. Owners may also revoke access permissions to shared objects (e.g., not necessarily involving deletion of a particular shared digital object). When an object is shared by User A, the object 212 may be synchronized in the receiver's local secure container 104 (Step 2 (720)) and a tether 106 may be established by the host 100 for the shared object 212 between the shared container 104 and the host 100 (Step 3 (730)). As collaborating users access and modify the controlled digital object 212 through the proxy 200 (Step 4 (740)), the host 100 may manage synchronization of the digital objects 212 within users' respective local secure containers 104. If the object owner (User A) specifies a timeout period, the tether 106 may become inactive (e.g., state value of "inactive") after timeout (Step 5 (750)) and the local copies of the object 212 within the secure containers 104 of the receivers may be destroyed (Step 6 (760)). In this way, the tether 106 may advantageously prevent spoofing which seeks to allow an object 212 to continue to exist in an uncontrolled state. (43) Continuing to refer to FIG. 6, when a digital object 212 is shared among multiple users through the host 100, the object 212 may be synchronized with the respective secure containers 104 of each of the receivers of the object 212. For example, and without limitation, each local copy of the object 212 may have a separate tether 106 associated with it. Objects 212 may only be operated on by a user and/or an application in the presence of active tethers 106. In the absence of active tethers 106, the digital object 212 within the local secure container 104 may self-destruct after a timeout period. This measure of self-destruction in the absence of active tethers 106 may advantageously safeguard the digital objects 212 when a malicious party may break the local machine 102 and physically remove the hard drive containing the digital object 212. (44) Referring now to FIG. 7, and referring additionally to FIGS. 2 and 3, exemplary deployment approaches for secure containers 104 are described in detail. For example, and without limitation, the local secure containers 104 may be deployed as described in the following embodiments: 1. Virtualization-based embodiment 300: In this approach, the secure container 104 may operate inside a virtual machine that may execute on top of a hypervisor installed in the host operating system (OS) on the local machine 102. The rendering software (such as word processing, spreadsheet application, published document viewers) may be pre-installed on the virtual machine image. The file system 210 of the virtual machine may be isolated from the file system 216 of the local machine 102. 2. Container-based embodiment 302: In this approach, the secure container 104 may operate inside a container 104 (e.g., Docker or Linux Container) that may execute on top of a container engine installed in the host OS on the local machine 102. The rendering software may be pre-installed on the container storage 210. As in the case of virtual machines, the container file storage 210 may be isolated from the local machine file system 216. 3. Remote Desktop-based embodiment 304: In this approach, the secure container 104 may operate inside a virtual machine in the cloud. The local machine 102 may establish a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine hosting the secure container 104. The rendering software may be pre-installed on the virtual machine image used for the secure container 104 instance in the cloud. Because the secure container 104 executes on separate instance, its file system 210 may be isolated from the local machine's file system 216. (45) Referring now to FIG. 8, and continuing to refer to FIG. 2, exemplary security layers for the present invention will be discussed in detail. Layer-1 400 may relate to the security of the cloud storage system 118. The security measures in this layer may include firewalls, authentication and authorization mechanisms, reporting of accesses and transmissions of digital objects and detection of suspicious activities and intrusions through the analysis of object access logs and network traffic. Layer-2 402 may relate to the security of the file system. The security measures in this layer may include tether connections for digital objects, the use of file permissions and access logs. Layer-3 404 may relate to the security of the local secure container 104. The security measures in this layer may include isolation of the secure container storage 210 from the local machine storage 216, access monitoring for digital objects and documents and the use of two-factor authentication mechanisms to access the secure container 104. Port blocking and software restriction policies may be setup to disable any form of internet access (browsing, emails, telnet, FTP, HTTP) to prevent leaks. The only enabled network connection may be between the secure container 104 and the host environment 100 in the cloud. To access a secure container 104, a user may authenticate with the container 104 using the user's credentials. Additional security may be enforced by the use of two-factor authentication. For example, and without limitation, the second factor may be one of the following: A) Universal Two Factor (U2F) physical security key B) Time-based OTP generated by an application (such as a smartphone app) C) NFC tags/keys that authenticate with a smartphone application (46) Access to the objects 212 within the containers 104 may be secured by an additional layer through the use of tethers 106. Objects 212 may be accessed only in the presence of active tethers 106 and tethers 106 may be setup only in the allowed networks. (47) The secure containers 104 may log all the accesses to the objects 212 and the operations performed, as well as changes in status attempted or completed. The host 100 may monitor the lifecycle of tether connections 106 for all the objects 212. The analytics and reporting engine 114 in the host 100 may analyze these logs and available databases for detecting suspicious activities and intrusions. (48) FIG. 9 illustrates an example of digital object access meta-data 500 and FIG. 10 illustrates an example digital object access log 600. The host 100 may issue commands to the local container 104 to provide privileges (e.g., access and/or transaction priority) and/or to take action such as, for example, and without limitation, the following: delete or destroy digital objects 212, and track digital objects 212 or their environment (e.g., location, address, GPS, other sensor information in case of Internet of Things (IoT)). Tethers 106 may receive location, address information, GPS location, or other context information (e.g., proximity to other devices) from the secure container, which may have the ability to monitor its surroundings and those of users who are permitted to and/or are attempting to use the secure container's facilities. Tethers 106 may also link smartphones or other biometric devices to add to the security of the activities that are permitted. A tethered-application on an approved user's smartphone may be required to be present prior to anyone accessing or editing a digital object. (49) Referring now to FIG. 11, exemplary advantageous scenarios for the present invention are described in detail. For each scenario, the related security measures in the present invention are listed. These scenarios may hinge on advancing confidentiality, integrity and availability of information, and also on providing intelligence/counter-intelligence/information warfare (both defensive and offensive) capabilities. (50) Confidentiality measures in the present invention may advantageously protect sensitive information so that such information does not reach unauthorized parties. The following scenarios are related to confidentiality: a) Prevent copying of digital objects to USB drive: A secure container's 104 file system 210 may be isolated from local machine's 102 file system 216. Digital objects 212 may not be copied/moved from the secure container 104 to the local machine 102. Applications on a local machine 102 may access and update the digital objects 212 through the proxy or agent 200 in the secure container 104. The digital objects 212 in a secure container 104 may be tethered (through two-way connections) 106 to the host environment 100 and may only be operated on by a user in the presence of active tethers 106. b) Prevent uploading digital objects to cloud storage or FTP server: Port blocking may be executed on the secure container 104 to disable any form of internet access (browsing, emails, FTP) to prevent leaks (i.e., unauthorized dissemination of information as a result of intentional or unintentional acts or omissions). The only enabled internet or network connection may be between the secure container 104 and the host environment 100 in the cloud. c) Prevent emailing of digital objects to third parties: Port blocking by the secure container 104 may prevent the digital objects 212 from being emailed to third parties. d) Prevent copying of digital objects contents to another artifact (e.g., document or email): Clipboard sharing between local machine 102 and secure container 104 may be blocked. New digital objects 212 may be created within the secure container 104 only through the host 100. e) Prevent unauthorized access and transmission of digital objects: A user may access only those digital objects 212 for which the user has permissions. Shared digital objects 212 may self-destruct when their tether(s) 106 become inactive. Digital objects 212 may only be operated on by a user or an application in the presence of active tethers 106. In the absence of active tethers 106 (e.g., state value of tether 106 is inactive), the digital objects 212 within the local secure container 104 may self-destruct after a timeout period. This capability may apply to any closed intranet system that does not communicate (and is not supposed to communicate) with any other system, and may address both internal and external attempts to illicitly transmit information. f) Prevent screen capturing of documents: Screen captures may be discouraged by the secure container 104 overlaying a dynamic watermarking layer over the rendering application 214 (e.g. a moving watermark over the screen that contains user ID, name, etc.) g) Prevent printing of documents: Port blocking and disabling spoolers by secure containers 104 may prevent printing of digital object 212 contents. (51) Integrity measures in the present invention may advantageously keep digitally-stored information accurate and reliable and prevent the information from being tampered or changed by unauthorized parties. The following scenario may be related to integrity: a) Protect digital objects from being corrupted or updated by unauthorized, malicious or negligent users: The integrity of digital objects 212 may be protected by the use of tethers 106 and the document management service 116 of the cloud-based host environment 100. Authorized users may access and work on the digital objects 212 only when active tether connections 106 are present between the digital objects 212 and the host 100. Digital objects 120 may be securely saved on the host 100 and also replicated. Digital object versioning may be done within the host 100 so that multiple versions of the same digital object 120, 212 may be stored. (52) Availability measures in the present invention may advantageously ensure that the digitally-stored information is available to authorized parties when needed. The following scenario may be related to availability: a) Protect digital objects from being deleted: In addition to stealing information, an insider or outsider may also seek to destroy information. Digital objects 212 may be replicated 120 on the cloud-based host environment 100 using the document management service 116. Such replication may minimize a bad actor's ability to destroy information. (53) Intelligence/counter-intelligence/information warfare measures in the present invention may advantageously collect and analyze information to detect suspicious activities and identify malicious insiders and/or external threats. Such measures also may advantageously gather information about an adversary through lawful injection of tracking or targeting programs on the adversary's systems. The following scenarios may be related to intelligence, counter-intelligence and information warfare: a) Detect suspicious activities and intrusions: The access monitoring component 204 in a secure container 104 logs all object 212 accesses and reports to the analytics engine 114 in the cloud 100 through the tether connections 106. The cloud-based host environment 100 may employ big data analytics capabilities to analyze object access and detect any suspicious activities or intrusions. b) Detect anomalous data access and data movement patterns: The host 100 may include analytics that may identify any behavior considered "anomalous". Such behavior may include cutting and pasting large portions of files, copying large numbers of files, or any other behavior that may give rise to suspicion. The system may be flexible so that new analytics may be added or tweaked as intelligence or security officers identify new conduct that should be deemed anomalous or set different thresholds for what constitutes such behavior. When an anomaly occurs, the intelligence or security officer may be alerted and may then determine whether the conduct merits a follow-up investigation. c) Identify potentially risky, malicious or negligent insiders: The big data analytics capabilities of the analytics and reporting engine 114 of the host 100 may be leveraged to identify potentially risky, malicious or negligent insiders. For each user, the system may compute a risk-score by analysis of the user's data access patterns and other behavior. Intelligence, counter-intelligence, or security officers may keep a strict vigil on the risky users so that corrective actions may be taken in a timely manner to prevent leaks. d) Provide early warnings of data exfiltration: Any attempts for data exfiltration to unauthorized third parties may be identified by the analytics and reporting engine 114 of the host 100 through analysis of object access logs 122 and network traffic. e) Provide offensive capabilities where intentional data leaks may be permitted to inject tracking or targeting programs on adversary systems: In certain circumstances (e.g., for the purposes of governments authorized by law to conduct such operations in accordance with applicable law such as, for example, and without limitation, pursuant to authorities in Title 10 (US Military activities) or Title 50 (US Intelligence Community activities), an agency may wish to permit the otherwise illicit transfer of certain files to clandestinely or covertly insert offensive, targeting or tracking programs on an adversary's systems. The document management service 116 of the cloud-based host 100 may provide such capability, which may include cyber weapons capability and/or an ability to collect data for law enforcement purposes (e.g., identify external threats). This is the manifestation of big-data analytics coupled with intelligence and counter-intelligence tradecraft, and information warfare doctrine. (54) An alternative embodiment of the present invention may complement certain features of the baseline embodiment described above (more specifically, in FIGS. 1 and 2) with support for processing of tether transactions using some combination of blockchain networks, encryption implementations, access patterns, and/or bidirectional authentication. Referring now to FIG. 12, for example, and without limitation, a secure digital object management (S-DOM) system employing any or all of these features, according to an embodiment of the present invention, may include a cloud-based host environment 100 configured in data communication with a local machine 102 that may host a secure container 104. Note: Features common both to the previously mentioned figures and to subsequently mentioned figures are consistently named and labeled hereinbelow. (55) As with the baseline embodiment of FIG. 2, the cloud-based host environment 100 of FIG. 12 may advantageously control the creation, lifecycle and destruction of digital objects by synchronizing and securing the digital objects from the host environment 100. The digital objects may be stored and replicated in the cloud-based host environment 100. An exemplary data analytics architecture of a cloud-based host environment 100 may include a cloud-object store 118 configured for storage of master digital objects 120. A document management service 116 may advantageously control the digital objects' 120 lifecycles. A meta-data database 124 within the host 100 may maintain information about the master digital objects 120 and their controlled instantiations of digital objects 212. An access-log 122 within the host 100 may record all digital object 120 accesses and transmissions. (56) The analytics and reporting engine 114 within the host 100 may employ big data tools and frameworks for batch or real-time analytics on available databases and meta-databases. The host 100 may further include application programming interfaces (APIs) 110 for creating, updating, and deleting digital objects, and for operating authentication and authorization 112 and analytics and reporting 114 functions. These APIs 110 may be used for developing document management and analytics applications that operate within an organization's network. For implementing the components within the cloud-based host environment 100, micro-services architectures may be used whereby each service may perform a predefined set of actions and may communicate with other services through the use of inter-service communication mechanisms as described above. In certain embodiments of the present invention, these services may be developed, deployed and scaled independently. (57) Still referring to FIG. 12, a secure container 104 may advantageously control access to digital objects 212. The secure container 104 may include a secure storage system 210 that may be isolated from the unsecured file system 216 of the local machine 102. Applications 214 on the local machine 102 may be configured to access and update digital objects 212 through a proxy or agent 200 included in and operated by the secure container 104. Digital objects 212 in the secure container 104 may be tethered 106 through a two-way connection to the host environment 100. Tethers 106 may be established between the objects 212 and the host environment 100 through the proxy 200. Tethers 106 may advantageously allow the host 100 to control access to and manipulation of objects 212 on the secure container 104. (58) Access rules and allowed operations 206 for the objects 212 on the local machine 102 may be determined by the host 100 and may be enforced using the tethers 106 through the proxy 200. Use of secure containers 104 having isolated storage 210 prevents unauthorized copying of objects 212 outside the containers 104 to the local storage 216. The access monitoring component 204 in the secure container 104 may log all object accesses and status changes (and/or attempted changes) and may report to the analytics engine 114 in the cloud-based host 100 through the tether connection(s) 106. Objects 212 may be automatically synchronized between the cloud-based host 100 and the secure container 104 by the file sync engine 208. Digital objects 212 may be deleted from the container 104 after access timeouts. (59) Continuing to refer to FIG. 12, the tether 106 may be implemented as an identifiable two-way data connection between a local object 212 on the local secure container 104 and a host object 120 on the cloud-based host environment 100. Tether identification may be accomplished using a unique tether identifier. Objects 212 may be coupled/connected via software pipes (or links over a network) to the host environment 100 through tethers 106. These two-way connections 106 may be used for control of objects 212 through conveyance of control conditions such as, for example, and without limitation, data, metadata, information and/or commands. Tether connections 106 may be of various kinds, including, for example, and without limitation, a persistent connection (TCP-based), UDP-based, or based on periodic data exchanges (REST-based), over wired and/or wireless networks. Objects 212 may be assigned unique IDs (either global, or only unique within a particular state, session or time context) which the host 100 may use for tracking through the tether connections 106. Object IDs may advantageously allow the host 100 to detect which objects 212 are false based on their ID and environment, and/or which objects 212 have been moved to new environments (either authorized or unauthorized). A group of digital objects 212 may be associated with a single tether 106. (60) Tethers 106 between the objects 212 in local secure containers 104 and the host 100 may be established over an organization's network or networks approved by the organization. Tethers 106 may prevent false replays or other attacks where an attacker tries to create an impression that the object 212 is in a trusted environment. Still referring to FIG. 12, in a direction of data communication from the container 104 to the host 100 over the tether 106, the secure container 104 may send object access monitoring data and object status changes and/or transactions data (executed or attempted) to the host 100. The container 104 may ping the host 100 for an active connection 106. Objects 212 may self-destruct or may be locked at the direction of the secure container 104 if the tether 106 breaks or times out. The secure container 104 may send application 214 requests to the host 100 to approve or deny an operation and/or to rollback a change. In a direction of data communication from the host 100 to the container 104 over the tether 106, the host 100 may transmit commands to create, synchronize, update and/or delete digital objects 212 on the container 104. (61) As a matter of definition, blockchain technology involves a distributed and public ledger which maintains records of all the transactions. Referring now to FIG. 15, for example, and without limitation, a blockchain network 900 is a truly peer-to-peer network in that it does not require a trusted central authority or intermediaries to authenticate and/or settle serviced transactions and/or to control the network infrastructure. Users may interact and transact with blockchain networks through Externally Owned Account (EOAs) 980, which are owned and controlled by the users. Each EOA has associated with it an account address 982, public-private keypair 984, and a balance 986 (in certain units of a cryptocurrency associated with the Blockchain network). EOAs do not have any associated code. All transactions on a blockchain network are initiated by EOAs. These accounts can send transactions 999 to other EOAs or contract accounts. Another type of accounts supported by second generation programmable Blockchain platforms are the Contract Accounts 988. A Contract Account 988 is created and owned by an EOA 980 and is controlled by the associated contract code 992 which is stored with the account. The contract code execution is triggered by transactions 999 sent by EOAs or messages sent by other contracts. (62) Blockchain networks can either be public or private. Public blockchain networks are free and open to all, and any user can create an account and participate in the consensus mechanism on a public blockchain and view all the transactions on the network. Private blockchain networks are usually controlled and operated by a single organization, and the serviced transactions can be viewed only by the users within the organization. Public blockchain networks are usually unpermissioned or permissionless, as any node can participate in consensus process. Some public blockchain networks adopt a permissioned model where the consensus process is controlled by a pre-selected set of nodes. Private blockchain networks usually adopt the permissioned model. While public blockchain networks can be considered as fully decentralized, private blockchain networks are partially decentralized. (63) Transactions sent to a blockchain network can be of two types: (1) transactions that transfer value from the sender account to another account, (2) transactions sent to a contract account to execute the contract code. When a transaction is sent to a blockchain network by a user, that transaction is cryptographically signed by the user's private key and is broadcast to the blockchain network. Nodes on the blockchain network, called 'miners,' validate the transactions and bundle the transactions into blocks. Blockchain networks use a distributed and decentralized consensus mechanism in which the nodes assemble the transactions into blocks and compete with each other (by performing computationally expensive calculations) to get their blocks added next to the blockchain. The consensus is based on choosing a block that has the most computation done upon it (i.e., the block with the highest total difficulty). The blocks produced by the miners are checked by other participating nodes for validity. (64) Because the miner nodes dedicate their computational resources for maintaining the blockchain network and mining new blocks, these nodes are given incentives in the form of some units of a cryptocurrency. The miners on a blockchain network compete to do a complex mathematical computation, and the miner that wins each round is the one whose block is added next to the chain. A mining reward is given to the miner whose block is added to the chain. The mining rewards serve two purposes: (1) they provide incentives to the nodes for supporting the network, and (2) they provide a way to generate and distribute new cryptocurrency into circulation as there is no central authority in the network to issue new cryptocurrency. (65) Continuing to refer to FIG. 12, a private and permissioned blockchain network 900 may be used for processing the transactions sent by the local proxy 200 to the cloud host 100 over tether connections 106. The blockchain service 902 within the cloud host may convert transaction requests received from the local proxy 200 into blockchain network specific transactions, and may process the results of these blockchain transactions so that the transaction results may be communicated back to the local proxy 200 over a tether connection 106. (66) Referring now to FIG. 16, a method aspect of the present invention for digital object creation is described in more detail. Note: Features common to both FIG. 5 and FIG. 16 are consistently named and labeled hereinbelow. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of digital object access meta-data 912 that features encryption key support as described below, and FIG. 14 illustrates an example digital object access log 914 of tether transactions records maintained by the cloud-based host environment, according to an embodiment of the invention. (67) Similar to the baseline embodiment described above (specifically, in FIG. 5), new controlled digital objects 212 may be created within the secure container 104 only through the host 100. For example, and without limitation, at Step 1 (610) a user may create a master digital object 120 from the host 100. Users registered with the secure digital object management system (S-DOM) can create objects from a host 100 dashboard. At Step 2 (612), the host 100 may create a new controlled digital object 212 on the cloud object store 118 and distribute the created controlled digital object 212 to the secure container 104. The controlled digital object 212 may be synchronized to the master digital object 120 on the host 100. (68) At this step (612), the meta-data associated with the controlled digital object 212 may be saved in a meta-data table within the meta-data database 124 in the host 100. The user may, at Step 3 (614), access a controlled digital object 212 using an S-DOM aware application installed on the local machine 102. As the controlled digital object 212 may be encrypted, the object 212 may be opened and interpreted only in the S-DOM aware application. When an object 212 is accessed in a S-DOM aware application, the application may cooperate with the local proxy 200 to setup a Tether connection. The local proxy 200, at Step 4 (616) then may setup a tether connection with the host 100. The local proxy 200, at Step 5 (618), may obtain the encryption key for the object 212 from the host 100 over the tether connection. After obtaining the encryption key, the object 212 may be decrypted and displayed in the S-DOM aware application. The object 212 may then be edited and saved. At Step 6 (620), the user may manipulate (e.g., update) the digital object 212 on the secure container using a S-DOM aware application. (69) Before an operation may be performed on the object 212, a check may be performed with the host environment 100 (over the tether connection 106). Objects may only be operated on in the presence of active tethers 106 and only the allowed operations (communicated over the tether 106) may be performed. Objects 212 may be disabled or destroyed and/or changes may be rolled back by commands sent by the host 100 over the tether 106. Other commands may also be sent by the host 100 via the tether 106. (70) When a file is edited and saved in the S-DOM aware application, the file may again by encrypted. At Step 8 (622), the local proxy may send a transaction for file update over the tether connection. At Step 9 (624), upon receiving the transaction, the cloud host 100 may create a blockchain transaction and may send the created transaction to the blockchain network 900. The blockchain network 900 may validate and process the transaction. When the transaction is approved by the blockchain network 900, the cloud-host may intimate the local proxy and the local syncher may then upload the object to the cloud host. At Step 9 (626) the cloud host may apply the updates to the master copy of the controlled digital object 120. (71) Consistency (72) Continuing to refer to FIG. 16, to ensure consistency of a shared digital object 120, where multiple users may access and modify the object, each event to update an object may be logged as a transaction on the blockchain network 900. These transactions may be sent over the tether connection 106 to the cloud host 100, which may create blockchain network specific transactions and may send the transaction to the blockchain network 900. The blockchain network 900 may validate and process the Tether transactions. Once a transaction to update a document is approved, the object may be synchronized from the local container 104 to the cloud host 100. The document management service 116 may compute and record the 'deltas' for the object 120 (i.e. changes from the previous version to the current version). The changes may then be applied to the master copy of the object 120 in the cloud host. The deltas for an object may allow rolling back an object to a previous version in a space-efficient manner. The blockchain network 900 may help in serializing the transactions for updating an object to ensure consistency when multiple users are working on the same object. (73) Dealing with Conflicting Updates (74) Continuing to refer to FIG. 16, conflicting updates can occur when two users simultaneously update the same controlled digital object 120. While processing a transaction for updating an object, the system may check if the transaction will result in a merge conflict. If so, the transaction may be denied. The user may then wait for the object to be synchronized again from the host 100 to the local secure container 104 and may reattempt the updates to the new version of the object. The use of Blockchain network 900 may add a consensus to the process of updating objects 120. A transaction to update an object may be approved only if there is consensus among the peers in the blockchain network 900. (75) Encryption Keys Management (76) Referring again to FIG. 12, creation, rotation and management of encryption keys using the present invention is described in more detail. The cloud host 100 may encrypt and store the controlled digital objects 120 in a cloud storage 118. The objects 120 may be encrypted and the cloud host service periodically may rotate the encryption keys. The cloud host 100 may distribute or synchronize the controlled digital objects 212 to a local secure container 104. Doing so may create local copies of these objects 212 in the local secure container 104. As the objects 212 are encrypted, these objects 212 cannot be interpreted in an application that is not S-DOM aware. Only an S-DOM aware application may open, interpret, edit and save the files in a local secure container 104, in the presence of active tether connections 106 from the local proxy 200 to the cloud host 100. The secure container 104 may allow applications on the local machine 102 to manipulate that controlled digital object 212 only as permitted by the tether 106. The key rotation policy may either be time-based rotation or session-based rotation. In time-based rotation, keys may be updated periodically. In session-based rotation, the keys may be updated for each new tether session. (77) Referring to FIG. 17, a method aspect of the present invention for key generation is described in more detail. An extension to Hierarchical Deterministic (HD) wallets, as illustrated, may add additional levels of security to counter leak of private extended keys. An HD wallet may contain a hierarchy of keys which may be derived in a tree structure. The master key in an HD wallet may be derived from a single root seed. HD wallets may use child key derivation (CKD) functions to derive children keys from parent keys. The children keys (public or private) may be derived from the parent keys, and a chain code which may add extra bits of entropy. The inputs to a CKD function may be a public or private key, a chain code and an index. The public or private and chain code may be combined to create an extended key (public or private). With a private extended key, it may be possible to derive the entire branch of keys in the sub-tree structure rooted at the private extended key. Whereas, with a public extended key only the public keys in the entire branch may be derived. (78) For each registered user in the S-DOM system, a 'User HD Wallet' may be created using the HD wallet mechanism described above. Next, for each object created by the user, a separate 'Object HD Wallet' may be created. The child keys in the Object HD Wallet 1004 may depend not just on their parent but also on the corresponding parent in the User HD Wallet 1002 (the key at the same path in the User HD wallet as the parent key). (79) Referring to FIG. 18, a method aspect of the present invention for the generation of child keys in the Object HD wallet 1004 is described in more detail. In a normal HD Wallet, the Child Key Derivation functions for private and public keys may be as follows: CKDpriv((kpar, cpar), i) ? (ki, ci) CKDpub((Kpar, cpar), i) ? (Ki, ci) where, child private key (ki) and child public key (Ki) depend on their parent's keys and the parent chain code. (80) For the Object HD Wallet 1004, enhanced child key derivation functions may be used as follows: CKDprivTough((kpar, cpar), kparsuper, i) ? (ki, ci) CKDpubTough((Kpar, cpar), Kparsuper, i) ? (Ki, ci) where, child private key (ki) and child public key (Ki) depend on their parent's keys, parent chain code and the corresponding key from the User HD Wallet 1002 (i.e., key at the same path as their parent). (81) For encrypting an object, a child private key may be used. The cloud host 100 may maintain a record of the path of the current child key being used for each object in the meta-data table. When the encryption key must be rotated, a new child key may be generated from the object's HD wallet and the derivation path of this new key may be updated in the meta-data table. (82) Benefits of using separate HD wallet for each user and each object may include the following: (83) Full encryption key need not be shared for an object from the cloud host 100 to the local proxy 200, over a tether connection. The cloud host may share the extended private key for the User HD wallet 1002 the first time the local proxy connects to the cloud host. The extended private key for the Object HD wallet 1004 may be shared when the object is first synced from the cloud host to the local secure container. Subsequently, the cloud host need only share the key derivation path over the tether connection with the local proxy. Given the knowledge of extended private keys for the User HD wallet 1002 and Object HD wallet 1004 and the key derivation path, the local proxy may generate the encryption key locally. (84) Because the child keys in the Object HD wallet 1004 depend not just on their parent but also on the corresponding parent in the User HD Wallet 1002, only the user who owns the object may generate the encryption key and decrypt the object. (85) Use of HD wallets may advantageously simplify the process for key rotation and management. When the key for an object must be rotated, a new child key in the object's HD wallet may be generated and the child key derivation path may be saved in the meta-data table. The new child key derivation path may be communicated to the local proxy over the tether connection. (86) Monitoring Access Patterns (87) Referring now to FIG. 12, a method aspect of the present invention for monitoring the access patterns for controlled digital objects is described in more detail. The cloud host 100, may monitor all tether connections 106 and may close the connections after a timeout period. Upon detection of certain conditions or patterns (for example, and without limitation, when a timeout period is reached or an anomalous data access pattern is detected), the cloud host 100 may sever the tether connection to stop any further manipulation of the controlled data object. When the tether connection 106 is closed, the secure container 200 may lock or delete the controlled digital object 212. The set of patterns may be added in the cloud host 100 in a pluggable manner. The set of patterns may be offered to end users as a subscription service. (88) Adaptive Patterns (89) Continuing to refer to FIG. 12, a method aspect of the present invention for adaptive learning of new patterns for detecting anomalous data access is described in more detail. The cloud host 100 may learn new patterns for detecting anomalous data access by analysis of data access logs 122. For example, and without limitation, the cloud host 100 may adopt an adaptive learning approach for learning new patterns by using inductive and deep learning methods. The set of patterns may be updated based on a weighted combination of short temporal window and long temporal window operations related to a single tether 106. The set of patterns may also be updated based on operations related to multiple tethers. (90) Securing Tethers (91) Continuing to refer to FIG. 12, a method aspect of the present invention for securing tether connections is described in more detail. A tether connection 106 may be implemented as an identifiable two-way data connection (e.g., bi-directional communication link using TCP, UDP, Sockets, REST or other similar network/internet protocols, for instance) between a local object 212 on the local secure container 104 and a host object 120 on the cloud host 100. Tether connections may be of various kinds, including, for example, and without limitation, a persistent connection (TCP-based), UDP-based, or based on periodic data exchanges (REST-based), over wired and/or wireless networks. (92) Referring now to FIG. 19, a method aspect of the present invention for bidirectional authentication to secure tether connections is described in more detail. To prevent spoofing of tether connections 106 and prevent man-in-the-middle attacks, bidirectional authentication may be used where the local proxy 200 and cloud host 100 authenticate each other. For example, and without limitation, a bidirectional authentication mechanism may involve the following data items: (93) User ID (UID) (94) Local Machine ID (MID) (95) Cipher Key (CK) may be used to encrypt the tether messages shared between the local proxy and cloud host. (96) Integrity Key (IK) may be used for integrity protection of the tether messages shared between the local proxy and cloud host. (97) Anonymity Key (AK) may be used in computing the Tether Authentication Number (TAN). (98) Sequence Number (SN)—A new SN may be generated on each Tether connection setup (99) Random Number (RN) may be generated using a random number generator (100) Message Authentication Code (MAC) (101) Tether Authentication Number (TAN) (102) At step 940, the local proxy 200 may initiate a tether session by sending a request to the cloud host 100 along with the User ID (UID) and Local Machine ID (MID). At step 942, the cloud host 100 may generate a random number (RN) and retrieves the next sequence number (SN). Referring now to FIG. 20 and continuing to refer to FIG. 19, a method aspect of the present invention for deriving authentication vectors at cloud host is described in more detail. The cloud host 100 may input the UID and RN to the authentication function f1 (960) and may feed the function f1 output to the authentication function f2 (962) to compute the RES field which may be used in a later process step. Similarly, the output of the authentication function f1 (960) may be given as input to authentication function f3 (964), f4 (966) and f5 (968) respectively to compute the Cipher Key (CK), Integrity Key (IK) and Anonymity Key (AK). Next the output of the authentication function f1 (960), Sequence Number (SN) and Local Machine ID (MID) may be given as input to the authentication function f6 (970) to compute the Message Authentication Code (MAC). The SN is then XORed with AK and concatenated to MID and MAC to compute the Tether Authentication Number (TAN). At step 942, the cloud host 100 may authenticate the host to the local proxy 200 by sending the RN and TAN. (103) Referring now to FIG. 21 and continuing to refer to FIG. 19, a method aspect of the present invention for deriving authentication vectors at the local proxy is described in more detail. At the local proxy, the UID and RN as given as input to the authentication function f1 (960) and its output may then be fed to authentication function f2 (962) to compute the RES field. Similarly, the output of the authentication function f1 (960) may be given as input to authentication function f3 (964), f4 (966) and f5 (968) respectively to compute the Cipher Key (CK), Integrity Key (IK) and Anonymity Key (AK). Next, the TAN and AK are XORed to get the SN. Next the output of the authentication function f1 (960), Sequence Number (SN) and Local Machine ID (MID) may be given as input to the authentication function f6 (970) to compute the Message Authentication Code (MAC). This MAC value may be compared with the MAC value obtained from the TAN field. If the MAC values match, the host 100 is successfully authenticated with the local proxy 200. At step 944, the local proxy may send the RES field that it computed to the cloud host 100. The cloud host 100 may compare the RES sent by local proxy 200 with own RES. If these RES values match, the local proxy is successfully authenticated with the cloud host 100. At step 946, the tether connection may be established and the cloud host 100 may send the tether ID to the local proxy 200. The local proxy and cloud host may then exchange messages securely over the tether connection. Each message may be encrypted by the Cipher Key (CK) and integrity protected by the Integrity Key (IK). (104) Use of Blockchain Network and Decentralized Storage Platform (105) Referring now to FIG. 22, a method aspect of the present invention for storing and managing the controlled digital objects using and a blockchain network and a decentralized storage platform is now described in more detail. In the blockchain based embodiment of the present invention, a private and permissioned blockchain network 900 may be used for processing the tether transactions and also for managing the controlled digital objects which may be stored in a decentralized storage platform. In this embodiment, the controlled digital objects may be stored on blockchain nodes 920 (or peers who participate in the blockchain network). (106) FIG. 22 shows an exemplary system for controlled digital object storage and management based on the Ethereum blockchain network 900 and blockchain nodes 920. Each blockchain node 920 may comprise an Ethereum client 922, a smart contracts compiler 924, Swarm client 926 and Whisper client 928. Swarm is a decentralized storage platform and content distribution service for the Ethereum blockchain platform. Swarm is designed to serve as a decentralized and redundant store of Ethereum's public record, and also to store and distribute Dapp code. Swarm is a peer-to-peer storage platform which is maintained by the peers who contribute their storage and bandwidth resources. Swarm is designed to dynamically scale up to serve popular content and, and features a mechanism to ensure the availability of the content which is not popular or frequently requested. (107) Blockchain based decentralized applications (Dapps) and smart contracts may be deployed on the blockchain nodes 920. The Dapps may use the Whisper communication protocol 930 to communicate with each other. With Whisper, Dapps may publish messages to each other. Whisper messages may be transient in nature and may feature a time-to-live (TTL) set. Each message may have one or more topics associated with it. The Dapps running on a node may inform the node about the topics to which they want to subscribe. Whisper may use topic-based routing where the nodes may advertise their topics of interest to their peers. Topics may be used for filtering the messages which may be delivered to a node which may then be distributed to the Dapps running on the node. (108) The consensus mechanism in the permissioned private blockchain network 900 may be controlled by a pre-selected set of nodes. Due to the permissioned model of consensus in a private chain, the consensus mechanism may be much faster than the consensus on public and unpermissioned blockchain networks. Benefits of using a private and permissioned blockchain network may include the following: (109) Immutable Record of Transactions: Blockchain is an immutable and durable data structure which may maintain a record of the transactions on a blockchain network. The transactions may be bundled into blocks and the blocks may be added to the blockchain through a consensus among the peers. Once a transaction is recorded in a block, that transaction cannot be altered or deleted as long as a majority of the computational power of the network is not controlled by peers who collude to alter the blockchain. The S-DOM system may use blockchain for recording and processing the tether transactions. The transactions logs may be used in system security audits and also identifying anomalous access patterns. (110) Secure and Transparent: Blockchain may provide greater security and transparency than centralized systems for device management. The transactions in a blockchain network may be viewed by any node in the network. Each node may keep a copy of all the transactions which may be bundled into blocks. While each miner on the network may create its own block, only the block which has a proof-of-work of a given difficulty is accepted to be added to the blockchain. The consensus mechanism may ensure that all the nodes agree on the same block to contain the canonical transactions. Blockchain may offer enhanced security as compared to centralized systems as every transaction is verified by multiple miners. The integrity of the transaction data recorded in the blocks may be protected through strong cryptography. In addition to the transaction data, each block may contain a cryptographic hash of itself and the hash of the previous block. Any attempts to modify a transaction would result in a change in the hash and would require all the subsequent blocks to be recomputed. This would be extremely difficult to achieve as long as the majority of miners do not cooperate to attack the network. Thus, blockchain when used for controlling updates to controlled digital objects may prevent the objects from being modified by unauthorized users. Any transactions sent by rogue or unauthorized users to update a controlled digital object will be rejected by the consensus mechanism on the blockchain. (111) Securing Data in Local Secure Container (112) Referring now to FIG. 23, a local secure container with enhanced data security features according to an embodiment of the invention, is described in more detail. In this embodiment of the local secure container, the encrypted controlled digital objects 212 may be broken down into fixed-size chunks and each chunk may then be encrypted and stored on the local filesystem. When an object 212 is synchronized from the host 100 to the local secure container 104, the data chunker 1202 may break the object into fixed size chunks. Each chunk may then be encrypted by the chunk encryptor 1204 and then stored on the local machine. The controlled digital objects 212 may be accessed using S-DOM aware applications 214 only. When a user accesses an object through the secure container's object browser 1212 using an S-DOM aware application 214, all the chunks associated with the object may be loaded, decrypted and assembled from the chunk store on the local file system to the in-memory container data store. The objects in the container data store may still be in an encrypted form. The local proxy then may setup a tether connection with the host 100. The local proxy 200 may obtain the encryption key for the object 212 from the host 100 over the tether connection. After obtaining the encryption key, the object 212 may be decrypted and displayed in the S-DOM aware application. The object 212 may then be edited and saved. (113) The secure container may provide a sandbox environment on a local machine. The local secure container may be implemented as a collection of software processes including the proxy/agent 200, an in-memory container data store 1200, data chunker 1202, chunk encryptor 1204, chunk decryptor 1208, chunk assembler 1210 and an object browser 1212. The secure container may additionally have S-DOM aware applications bundled into it. (114) While the applications which are not S-DOM aware may attempt to access the encrypted data chunks 1206 stored on the local file system, such applications would be unable to re-generate the objects 212 as the all the chunks are of a fixed size and such applications have no way to know the chunks that constitute an object. Furthermore, because the chunks themselves are encrypted, it adds to an additional level of security. Even if an attacker manages to identify the chunks that constitute an object and decrypt and assemble the chunks to generate an object 212, the resulting object would still be encrypted and the encryption key would have to be obtained from the host 100 over a valid tether connection. Thus copying, moving or sharing the encrypted data chunks 1206 would be of no use for an attacker or a malicious insider. (115) Micro-Control of S-DOM Aware Applications (116) Referring now to FIG. 22, a method aspect of the present invention for micro-control of features in S-DOM aware applications is described in more detail. When a controlled object 212 is accessed from a S-DOM aware application 214, the application may obtain the encryption key for the object from the host 100 via the tether connection. The host 100 may additionally send commands to enable or disable certain features (or operations) in the S-DOM aware application that accesses a controlled digital object 212. For example, and without limitation, the host 100 may send a command to disable the "Save" or "Print" options in the S-DOM aware application. When such commands are sent, the corresponding options may then be enabled or disabled S-DOM aware application. The menu options (and other operations) in the S-DOM aware applications may be tied to the commands sent over the tether connection such that these options may be enabled or disabled based on the context and allowed operations on an object. An S-DOM plugin or extension may be used within the application to allow such micro-control over the application features and operations. (117) In another embodiment, a set of keys (which are rotated periodically by the host) may be used for each object, where each key has a function (for example, and without limitation, to decrypt the object, enable/disable certain menu options, enable/disable allowed operations). The host may manage the keys for each object in the hierarchical structure. The host may share only those keys with the secure container which may be required to perform the allowed operations on an object. If certain operations are to be blocked (for example, editing or saving an object), the host may withhold the keys associated with such operations. (118) A skilled artisan will note that one or more of the aspects of the present invention may be performed on a computing device. The skilled artisan will also note that a computing device may be understood to be any device having a processor, memory unit, input, and output. This may include, but is not intended to be limited to, cellular phones, smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, personal digital assistants, etc. FIG. 25 illustrates a model computing device in the form of a computer 810 which is capable of performing one or more computer-implemented steps in practicing the method aspects of the present invention. Components of the computer 810 may include, but are not limited to, a processing unit 820, a system memory 830, and a system bus 821 that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit 820. The system bus 821 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI). (119) The computer 810 may also include a cryptographic unit 825. Briefly, the cryptographic unit 825 has a calculation function that may be used to verify digital signatures, calculate hashes, digitally sign hash values, and encrypt or decrypt data. The cryptographic unit 825 may also have a protected memory for storing keys and other secret data. In other embodiments, the functions of the cryptographic unit may be instantiated in software and run via the operating system. (120) A computer 810 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer 810 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may include computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, FLASH memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by a computer 810. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media. (121) The system memory 830 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 831 and random access memory (RAM) 832. A basic input/output system 833 (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 810, such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM 831. RAM 832 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 820. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 25 illustrates an operating system (OS) 834, application programs 835, other program modules 836, and program data 837. (122) The computer 810 may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only, FIG. 25 illustrates a hard disk drive 841 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 851 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 852, and an optical disk drive 855 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk 856 such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 841 is typically connected to the system bus 821 through a non-removable memory interface such as interface 840, and magnetic disk drive 851 and optical disk drive 855 are typically connected to the system bus 821 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 850. (123) The drives, and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 25, provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer 810. In FIG. 25, for example, hard disk drive 841 is illustrated as storing an OS 844, application programs 845, other program modules 846, and program data 847. Note that these components can either be the same as or different from OS 833, application programs 833, other program modules 836, and program data 837. The OS 844, application programs 845, other program modules 846, and program data 847 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they may be different copies. A user may enter commands and information into the computer 810 through input devices such as a keyboard 862 and cursor control device 861, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 820 through a user input interface 860 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor 891 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 821 via an interface, such as a graphics controller 890. In addition to the monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers 897 and printer 896, which may be connected through an output peripheral interface 895. (124) The computer 810 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 880. The remote computer 880 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 810, although only a memory storage device 881 has been illustrated in FIG. 25. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 25 include a local area network (LAN) 871 and a wide area network (WAN) 873, but may also include other networks 140. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet. (125) When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 810 is connected to the LAN 871 through a network interface or adapter 870. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 810 typically includes a modem 872 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN 873, such as the Internet. The modem 872, which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus 821 via the user input interface 860, or other appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 810, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 25 illustrates remote application programs 885 as residing on memory device 881. (126) The communications connections 870 and 872 allow the device to communicate with other devices. The communications connections 870 and 872 are an example of communication media. The communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. A "modulated data signal" may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Computer readable media may include both storage media and communication media. (127) Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention contemplates the use of data structures that may store information supporting any or all of the operations involved in inventory management. The disclosure of the exemplary data structures above is not meant to be limiting in any way. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that data structures may include any number of additional or alternative real world data sources, and may be configured in any way while still accomplishing the many goals, features and advantages according to the present invention. (128) Some of the illustrative aspects of the present invention may be advantageous in solving the problems herein described and other problems not discussed which are discoverable by a skilled artisan. (129) While the above description contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but as exemplifications of the presented embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the various embodiments. While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. (130) Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given. ### Claims 1. A method for securing digital objects using a secure data object management system comprising a host device in a cloud-based host environment, a plurality of nodes in a blockchain network, and a secure container in a local machine, each operable on a respective computing device comprising a processor device and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium accessible through the processor device, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor device, perform the method comprising: performing, by the host device in the cloud-based host environment, operations comprising: creating a master digital object at the host device, creating a controlled digital object comprising an encrypted version of the master digital object, creating an encryption key for the controlled object, and creating, by the host device, a tether associated with the controlled digital object between the host device and the secure container of the local machine, including a state value equal to active, a tether identifier, and at least one control condition comprising an access permission; performing, by the plurality of nodes in the blockchain network, operations comprising: receiving a transaction comprising an access request directed to the controlled object, and creating, upon detection of a consensus among two or more nodes of the blockchain network, the access permission directed to the access request; performing, by a proxy in the secure container of the local machine, operations comprising: receiving the controlled digital object from the host device in the cloud-based host environment, receiving the access request, at the local machine, directed to the controlled digital object, permitting, upon detection by the proxy of the access request satisfying the access permission of the active tether, access to the controlled digital object, wherein the step comprises receiving the encryption key for the controlled object from the host device, and decrypting the controlled object using the encryption key, and storing, by the proxy of the secure container, meta-data associated with the access request to the tether associated with the controlled digital object in the local machine. 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the blockchain network comprises a private and permissioned network. 3. The method according to claim 1 wherein creating, upon detection of a consensus among two or more nodes of the blockchain network, the access permission directed to the access request further comprises: converting the access request to a blockchain-network-specific transaction; and executing the blockchain-network-specific transaction to produce transaction results. 4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising performing, by the host device in the cloud-based host environment, operations comprising: creating a delta from the transaction results; and applying the delta to the master digital object at the host device. 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein creating the encryption key for the controlled object further comprises rotating a plurality of updated encryption keys, including the encryption key, within one of a time-based period and a session-based period. 6. The method according to claim 1 wherein creating the encryption key for the controlled object further comprises: creating a User Hierarchical Deterministic (HD) wallet for an originator of the access request directed to the controlled digital object on the local machine; and creating an Object HD wallet for the controlled digital object in the local machine. 7. The method according to claim 6 wherein receiving the encryption key for the controlled object from the host device further comprises: receiving a first extended private key for the User HD wallet; and receiving a second extended private key for the Object HD wallet. 8. The method according to claim 1 wherein permitting access to the controlled digital object further comprises: disassembling the controlled object into a plurality of chunks; encrypting each of the plurality of chunks; and storing, by the proxy of the secure container, the plurality of chunks in the local machine. 9. The method according to claim 8 wherein storing the meta-data associated with the access request to the tether associated with the controlled digital object in the local machine further comprises: decrypting each of the plurality of chunks; and assembling the plurality of chunks into the controlled object. 10. The method according to claim 1 wherein receiving the transaction comprising the access request directed to the controlled object further comprises receiving the transaction from at least one Externally Owned Account (EOA) comprising an account address, a public-private keypair, and a cryptocurrency balance. 11. The method according to claim 1 wherein receiving the transaction comprising the access request directed to the controlled object further comprises receiving the transaction from a Contract Account comprising an account address and a cryptocurrency balance. 12. The method according to claim 1 wherein creating, upon detection of the consensus among the plurality of nodes of the blockchain network, the access permission directed to the access request, further comprises: bundling, by the plurality of nodes, the transaction comprising the access request into a block comprising a plurality of broadcast transactions; and determining, by the plurality of nodes, a highest difficulty for the block comprising the transaction. 13. The method according to claim 12 wherein determining, by the plurality of nodes, the highest difficulty for the block comprising the transaction further comprises publishing messages between respective decentralized applications (Dapps) on each of a pair of the plurality of nodes. 14. The method according to claim 1 further comprising performing, by the proxy in the secure container of the local machine, operations comprising: disabling, upon detection by the proxy of the access request failing the access permission of the active tether, access to the controlled digital object. 15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the access permission is of an access type selected from the group consisting of Save, Edit, and Print. 16. A secure data object management (S-DOM) system comprising: a host device in a cloud-based host environment configured to: create a master digital object at the host device, create a controlled digital object comprising an encrypted version of the master digital object, create an encryption key for the controlled object, and create a tether associated with the controlled digital object between the host device and a secure container of a local machine, including a state value equal to active, a tether identifier, and at least one control condition comprising an access permission; a plurality of nodes in a blockchain network configured to: receive a transaction comprising an access request directed to the controlled object, and create, upon detection of a consensus among two or more nodes of the blockchain network, the access permission directed to the access request; and a proxy of the secure container in the local machine configured to: receive the controlled digital object from the host device in the cloud-based host environment, receive an access request, at the local machine, directed to the controlled digital object, permit, upon detection of the access request satisfying the access permission of the active tether, access to the controlled digital object, and comprising receipt of the encryption key for the controlled object from the host device, and decryption of the controlled object using the encryption key, and store, by the proxy of the secure container, meta-data associated with the access request to the tether associated with the controlled digital object in the local machine. 17. The S-DOM system according to claim 16 wherein the blockchain network comprises a private and permissioned network. 18. The S-DOM system according to claim 16 wherein the plurality of nodes in the blockchain network are further configured to convert the access request to a blockchain-network-specific transaction, and execute the blockchain-network-specific transaction to produce transaction results. 19. The S-DOM system according to claim 18 wherein the host device in the cloud-based host environment is further configured to create a delta from the transaction results, and apply the delta to the master digital object at the host device. 20. The S-DOM system according to claim 16 the host device in a cloud-based host environment is further configured to rotate a plurality of updated encryption keys, including the encryption key, within one of a time-based period and a session-based period. 21. The S-DOM system according to claim 16 wherein the host device in the cloud-based host environment is further configured to create a User Hierarchical Deterministic (HD) wallet for an originator of the access request directed to the controlled digital object on the local machine, and create an Object HD wallet for the controlled digital object in the local machine. 22. The S-DOM system according to claim 21 wherein the proxy of the secure container in the local machine is further configured to receive a first extended private key for the User HD wallet, and receive a second extended private key for the Object HD wallet. 23. The S-DOM system according to claim 16 wherein the proxy of the secure container in the local machine is further configured to disassemble the controlled object into a plurality of chunks, encrypt each of the plurality of chunks, and store the plurality of chunks in the local machine. 24. The S-DOM system according to claim 23 wherein the proxy of the secure container in the local machine is further configured to decrypt each of the plurality of chunks, and assemble the plurality of chunks into the controlled object. 25. The S-DOM system according to claim 16 wherein the plurality of nodes in the blockchain network are further configured to receive the transaction from at least one Externally Owned Account (EOA) comprising an account address, a public-private keypair, and a cryptocurrency balance. 26. The S-DOM system according to claim 16 wherein the plurality of nodes in the blockchain network are further configured to receive the transaction from a Contract Account comprising an account address and a cryptocurrency balance. 27. The S-DOM system according to claim 16 wherein the plurality of nodes in the blockchain network are further configured to bundle the transaction comprising the access request into a block comprising a plurality of broadcast transactions, and determine a highest difficulty for the block comprising the transaction. 28. The S-DOM system according to claim 27 wherein the plurality of nodes in the blockchain network are further configured to publish messages between respective decentralized applications (Dapps) on each of a pair of the plurality of nodes. 29. The S-DOM system according to claim 16 wherein the proxy in the secure container of the local machine is further configured to disable, upon detection by the proxy of the access request failing the access permission of the active tether, access to the controlled digital object. 30. A method for securing digital objects using a secure data object management system comprising a host device in a cloud-based host environment, a plurality of nodes in a blockchain network, and a secure container in a local machine, each operable on a respective computing device comprising a processor device and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium accessible through the processor device, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor device, perform the method comprising: performing, by the host device in the cloud-based host environment, operations comprising: creating a master digital object at the host device, creating a controlled digital object from the master digital object, and creating, by the host device, a tether associated with the controlled digital object between the host device and the secure container of the local machine, including a state value equal to active, a tether identifier, and at least one control condition comprising an access permission; and performing, by the plurality of nodes in the blockchain network, operations comprising: receiving a transaction comprising an access request directed to the controlled object, and creating, upon detection of a consensus among two or more nodes of the blockchain network, the access permission directed to the access request; performing, by a proxy in the secure container of the local machine, operations comprising: receiving the controlled digital object from the host device in the cloud-based host environment, receiving the access request, at the local machine, directed to the controlled digital object, permitting, upon detection of the access request satisfying the access permission of the active tether, access to the controlled digital object, and storing, by the proxy of the secure container, meta-data associated with the access request to the tether associated with the controlled digital object in the local machine.	9935772	US 9935772 B1	2018-04-03	61,711,677	Methods and systems for operating secure digital management aware applications	G06F21/6209;H04L9/0894;H04L9/3226;H04L9/3239;H04L9/30;H04L9/0891;H04L9/0637;H04L9/14;H04L9/0819;H04L63/20;H04L63/102;H04L63/0281	H04L9/50;H04L63/302	Madisetti; Vijay K et al.		15/677453	2017-08-15	Le; Chau		1/1	Madisetti; Vijay K,Bahga; Arshdeep,Richter; Michael	7.226301	USPAT	23,967
United States Patent 9947015 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent April 17, 2018 Inventor(s) Vildosola; Hector A et al. ## Analyzing digital images for authenticating memorabilia items ### Abstract A digital image of an item, created by a creator, can be received at an authentication server from a collector. The creator and collector can have profiles on the authentication server. The item can have an associated with the creator. The association can be a mark placed on the item. The co-location of the creator and the collector can be verified at the time of creation of the item. The digital image of the item can be transferred to the collector for verification of its authenticity. A record of ownership can be generated and stored in electronic storage with the digital image. The record of ownership can indicate that the collector owns the item. Inventors: Vildosola; Hector A (San Diego, CA), Vildosola; Armando (San Diego, CA), Vildosola; Eugenio (San Diego, CA), Vildosola; Diego (San Diego, CA) Applicant: Vildosola; Hector A (San Diego, CA); Vildosola; Armando (San Diego, CA); Vildosola; Eugenio (San Diego, CA); Vildosola; Diego (San Diego, CA) Family ID: 61872892 Appl. No.: 15/588581 Filed: May 05, 2017 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06T7/00 (20170101); G06Q30/00 (20120101); G06K19/10 (20060101); H04N7/18 (20060101); G06T7/70 (20170101); H04W4/02 (20180101); H04L29/08 (20060101); G06F17/30 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06Q30/0185 (20130101); G06K19/10 (20130101); G06T7/70 (20170101); H04L67/306 (20130101); H04N7/183 (20130101); H04N7/185 (20130101); H04W4/02 (20130101); G06F17/30268 (20130101); G06F17/30283 (20130101); G06F17/30525 (20130101) ### Field of Classification Search USPC: None ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 2014/0379585 12/2013 Buelloni 705/76 G06Q 20/02 2016/0132704 12/2015 Engels 340/10.42 G06Q 30/0185 2016/0210635 12/2015 Alyeshmerni N/A G06Q 20/40145 2017/0063553 12/2016 Saxena N/A H04L 9/3247 #### FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Application Date Country CPC 3145117 12/2016 EP N/A WO 2013173408 12/2012 WO G06Q 30/0185 Primary Examiner: Gilliard; Delomia L Attorney, Agent or Firm: Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. ### Background/Summary TECHNICAL FIELD ### Description DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS (1) The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, show certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, help explain some of the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. In the drawings, (2) FIG. 1 is an illustration of a system having one or more features consistent with the present description; (3) FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate some implementations having one of more features consistent with the present description; (4) FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate a process flow diagram for a method having one or more features consistent with the present description; (5) FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a process flow of a method having one or more features consistent with the present description; (6) FIGS. 5A-5D are process flow diagrams for a method having one or more features consistent with the present description; (7) FIGS. 6A-6N illustrate a process flow diagram for a method having one or more features consistent with the present description; (8) FIG. 7 shows a process flow having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter; (9) FIG. 8 shows a process flow having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter; (10) FIGS. 9A-9D show views of a graphical user interface having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter; (11) FIGS. 10A-10G show views of a graphical user interface having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter; (12) FIGS. 11A-11J show views of a graphical user interface having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter; (13) FIGS. 12A-12G show views of a graphical user interface having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter; and (14) FIGS. 13A-13F show views of a graphical user interface having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter; DETAILED DESCRIPTION (15) The presently described subject matter provides for a technical solution to allow creators of memorabilia to authenticate the memorabilia, track ownership of the memorabilia and continue to receive the benefit as the memorabilia moves from one collector to the next. The presently described subject matter also provides for a technical solution to allow collectors of memorabilia to ascertain the authenticity of memorabilia when receiving it from collectors or organizations that are not the creators of the memorabilia. The creation and transfer of items can be managed by a server, such as an memorabilia authentication server. The memorabilia authentication server can provide a platform supporting one or more operations of a memorabilia authentication application system distributed across multiple electronic devices. An initiation of an action by one user of the memorabilia authentication application system can cause the server to trigger actions on one or more electronic devices. For example, a request to transfer ownership of a item between two users can cause the triggering of a notification or an application on an electronic device associated with the creator of that item. (16) FIG. 1 is an illustration of a system 100 having one or more features consistent with the present description. The system 100 can be configured to facilitate authentication, monitoring, and tracking of memorabilia created by a memorabilia creator. The system 100 can include a server(s) 102. The server(s) 102 can comprise one or more processors 104 that are configured to perform one or more operations as described herein. (17) The system 100 can be configured to facilitate the creation of a certificate verifying the authenticity of an item created by an item creator. For example, a memorabilia item created by a celebrity, sports personality, or the like. The certificate can be referred to herein as a certificate, an authentication certificate, an electronic certificate, a record of ownership, or the like. The authentication certificate can be an electronic certificate 106 stored in electronic memory 108. The electronic certificate 106 can be associated with one or more verification items. The or more verification items can be used, by the server(s) 102, to verify the authenticity of a memorabilia item. The one or more verification items can include an information set about the memorabilia item. The information set about the memorabilia item can include a subject, type, shape, color, size, or the like, of the memorabilia item. The information set can include an indication of one or more characteristics of the memorabilia item, such as an indication of an autograph, a size of the autograph relative to the size of the memorabilia item, a color of the autograph, a message on the memorabilia item, or the like. The one or more verification items can include one or more images of the memorabilia item, one or more videos of the memorabilia item, or the like. (18) A certificate 106, stored in electronic memory 108, can be at least part of an ownership record for the item. The ownership record for the item can include a record of the title transfer of the item. The verification record can be referred to herein as an ownership record or a record of ownership. The record of ownership can be an entry in a database, a data object in a database, a data file within a storage repository, a table within a database, or the like. The ownership record can include information on every entity that owned the memorabilia item, details of the sales or exchanges of the memorabilia item, or the like. Each entry, or transaction, in the verification record can have a unique identifier. In some examples, the certificate 106 can include one or more of an identity of each prior owner of the memorabilia item, an indication of a location of each transfer of ownership of the memorabilia item, an indication of an amount paid for each transfer of ownership, an indication of the date and/or time of each transfer, or the like. (19) The ownership record can be stored on multiple electronic memories, such as electronic memory 108, maintained by multiple servers, such as server 102. In some examples, in response to each transaction associated with a verification record and/or certificate 106 of a memorabilia item, a unique transaction identifier can be generated. The unique transaction identifier can be associated with transaction data. The transaction data can include information about the transaction, such as an identity the assignor of a memorabilia item, the identity of the assignee, a location of the transaction, an indication of what was exchanged for the memorabilia item, or the like. (20) In some variations, a copy of the certificate 106 can be replicated on multiple different servers. For example, servers 120, 120′ and 120″ can be configured to be in electronic communication with the server 102. In some variations, server 102 may be referred to as a primary server. The primary server 102 can be configured to facilitate the generation of the certificate 106 and manage the certificate 106 as the ownership of the memorabilia items changes. The servers 120, 120′ and 120″ may be slave servers. The slave servers can be configured to maintain copies 124, 124′ and 124″ of certificate 106. The copies 124, 124′ and 124″ can be part of copies of the verification record maintained and managed by server 102. The replication of the certificate 106 on the various servers 102, 124, 124′, 124″, can be triggered in response to the generation of a certificate 106 on any one of the servers. Similarly, replication of an update to a certificate 106 on the various servers 102, 124, 124′, 124″, can be triggered in response to the update of a certificate 106 on any one of the servers. (21) In some variations, any one server 102, 120, 120′, and 120″ can function as a primary server and any of the other servers can function as a slave server. Which mode, whether in a primary mode or a slave mode, the server will operate in can be determined at the time of a transaction. For example, if server 120′ is providing the best quality of service to a mobile device, such as mobile device 110, at the time of a creation of a memorabilia item, the server 120′ may act as the primary server. The other servers, servers 102, 120, and 120″, may function as slave servers, receiving and maintaining copies of the certificate generated by the server 120′. (22) Servers 102, 120, 120′ and 120″ may be disposed at different locations and in electronic communication through a network. For example, through network, 109. In some examples, the network 109 includes the Internet. Occasionally a server may go offline. As such, immediate updating of a verification record associated with a memorabilia item, at that server, may not take place. The system 100 can be configured to cause the verification records maintained by that server to be updated based on the verification records stored on the other servers. Accuracy of the verification record can be maintained during the update by ensuring that more than one server includes the same verification record. Should a verification record at a server be corrupted for some reason, crowd sourcing of the verification records maintained at other servers can be performed. In some variations, the verification record that has the most agreement between servers can be the one that is adopted accurate. In other variations, the verification record that has above a threshold number, or percentage, of servers in agreement, can be adopted as the accurate verification record. (23) In some variations, the servers 102, 120, 120′, and 120″ can be at least part of a distributed database. The distributed database can maintain a continuously growing list of ordered records, such as verification records for memorabilia items. Each of the ordered records can include a timestamp and a link to the previous block. Copies of the ordered records can be maintained on each of the servers 102, 120, 120′, and 120″. A peer-to-peer network and a distributed timestamping server can be implemented to autonomously maintain the copies of the ordered records on each of the servers. (24) FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate some implementations having one of more features consistent with the present description. The implementations can include steps by which a memorabilia item can be authenticated. The memorabilia collector 201 and the memorabilia creator 202 can be known to a memorabilia authentication computing system, such as computing system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. The memorabilia collector may present an item 203 to the memorabilia creator 202 to be marked in some unique manner by the memorabilia creator 202. The memorabilia creator 202 can mark the item 203 in some unique way, for example, by putting their autograph 204 on the item 203. (25) In some examples, the memorabilia creator 202 can provide a code to the memorabilia collector 201. The code can be associated with the memorabilia creator 202. The code can be provided verbally (as shown by 205), on paper (as shown by 206), in a digital image (as shown by 207), transmitted from a mobile device, or the like. The memorabilia collector 201 can input the code into his or her electronic device, such as electronic device 112, illustrated in FIG. 1. The memorabilia collector 201 can also obtain a digital image of the item 203 with the autograph 204. The electronic device 112 can be configured to upload the digital image and the code to a server, such as server 102. The server 102 can be configured to cross-reference the code with a database of memorabilia creators to identify the memorabilia creator that created the memorabilia item. Based on the code and/or one or more other factors, the digital image of the item 203 with the autograph 204 is sent to the electronic device of the memorabilia creator 202. The memorabilia creator 202 can authenticate the image as of a genuine memorabilia item 205, in which case a memorabilia certificate will be generated. The memorabilia creator can authenticate the memorabilia item through the electronic device associated with the memorabilia creator. If the memorabilia creator 202 does not authenticate the image as being of a genuine memorabilia item 205, then no certificate will be generated. A notification can be sent to the electronic device of the memorabilia collector 201 to notify them of a verification or denial by the memorabilia creator 202. (26) FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate a process flow diagram for a method 300 having one or more features consistent with the present description. Method 300 can be a method for generating a certificate 106 to be associated with a memorabilia item. Method 300 can be a method for the memorabilia creator to facilitate the generation of a certificate 106 verifying the authenticity of the memorabilia item. In some examples, a memorabilia creator can be a celebrity, sports venue, concert venue, sporting personality, musician, pop-star, politician, royalty, or the like. (27) At 302, a memorabilia collector can present an object to the memorabilia creator to be, for example, autographed by the memorabilia creator. In response to the memorabilia creator autographing the object, the object becomes a memorabilia item and as such can become an object of historical interest. Examples of objects that are typically presented to memorabilia creators include photographs, posters, scripts, books, baseballs, footballs, basketballs, sports attire including jerseys and shorts, baseball caps, head gear, helmets, sweat bands, T-Shirts, sports equipment, hokey sticks, lacrosse sticks, baseball bats, or the like. (28) In some examples, a downloadable program can be initiated on a computing device, such as a mobile device 110 of the system 100, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The downloadable program can be configured to cause one or more processors of the mobile device 110 to perform one or more operations in furtherance of generating a verification certificate for a memorabilia item. In some examples, the memorabilia creator can initiate the downloadable program. The downloadable program can facilitate capture of one or images, one or more video images, or the like, of the memorabilia item. (29) At 304, the memorabilia creator can cause the mobile device 110 to capture one or more verification items associated with the memorabilia. For example, the memorabilia creator can use the mobile device 110 to obtain one or more video images of the process by which the memorabilia item was created. The mobile device 110 can be used to capture a video of the memorabilia creator autographing the object to make a memorabilia item. The mobile device 110 can be used to capture an image of the memorabilia item after being autographed by the memorabilia creator. The downloadable program implemented on the mobile device 110 can be configured to prompt the memorabilia creator to input information about the memorabilia item. For example, the memorabilia creator can input an indication of the type of memorabilia item, a size of the memorabilia item, a color of then memorabilia item, or the like. (30) The mobile device 110 can be associated with a memorabilia creator that is registered with the server 102. The mobile device 110 can be verified as the mobile device 110 associated with the memorabilia creator. In some examples, the downloadable application can cause the mobile device 110 to be assigned a verification token. The verification token can be a unique token that is assigned to the mobile device 110 associated with the memorabilia creator. When the mobile device 110 generates a verification item, the verification item can be associated with the verification token of the mobile device 110. For example, an image of a memorabilia item, taken by a camera on the mobile device 110, can include an indication of the token of the mobile device 110. The indication can be embedded in the image, included in metadata for the image, or the like. By providing a token to the mobile device 110 that is applied to each verification item, the provenance of the verification items can be known and verified as being associated with memorabilia creator. (31) The mobile computing device 110 can be configured to obtain a location when the memorabilia item is created. The location can be determined based on one or more geolocation signals received at a geolocation sensor of the mobile device 110. The location can be determined based on one or more wireless networks detected by the mobile device 110. The location can be determined based on one or more signals received, by the mobile device 110, from one or more base stations. The location can be entered by the memorabilia creator. (32) At 306, information about the memorabilia collector can be obtained. In some variations, the information can be entered into a downloadable application on the mobile device 110. The memorabilia creator can enter identifying information of the memorabilia collector. In other variations, the memorabilia collector may have a mobile device 112 with a downloadable application executed on it. The mobile device 112 can be configured to detect the presence of the mobile device 110. The detection can be facilitated through the applications installed on the mobile devices 110 and 112. In response to a prompt from the memorabilia creator input through the mobile device 110, the mobile device 110 may communicate with the mobile device 112 causing the mobile device 112 to prompt the memorabilia collector to input their information. (33) In some variations, the memorabilia collector may be a registered user of the system 100. The memorabilia collector may have a user identity on the system 100. Information associated with the memorabilia collector may be stored on the server 102. The memorabilia creator can enter the user identity of the memorabilia collector when creating the memorabilia item. In some variations, one or more functions or operations attributed to the memorabilia creator and/or user devices associated with the memorabilia creator can be performed by the memorabilia collector and/or user devices associated with the memorabilia collector. (34) At 308, the mobile device 110 associated with the memorabilia creator can be configured to communicate with the server 102. The mobile device 110 can be configured to upload the information obtained at 304 and 306. The memorabilia creator can be registered with the server 102. The memorabilia creator can have a memorabilia creator identity at the server 102. (35) At 310, in response to receipt of the information from the mobile device 110 associated with the memorabilia creator, the server 102 can be configured to generate a verification certificate 106 for the memorabilia item. The verification certificate 106 can be associated with one or more items of information associated with the memorabilia item, the memorabilia creator and the memorabilia collector. (36) At 312, the server 102 can be configured to send the verification certificate 106 and/or information associated with the verification certificate 106 to the mobile device 110 associated with the memorabilia creator. The mobile device 110 can be configured to present the verification certificate 106 and/or the information associated with the verification certificate 106 to the memorabilia creator. The mobile device 110 of the memorabilia creator can be configured to prompt the memorabilia creator to review and verify that the information on the certificate 106 is correct. (37) In response to an indication that there is an error in the information, the mobile device 110 can be configured to prompt the memorabilia creator to correct the information. (38) At 314, in response to the memorabilia creator verifying the information, the mobile device 110 can be configured to send a signal to the server 102 indicating that the memorabilia creator has verified the information. In response to receiving the signal indicating that the memorabilia creator has verified the information, the server 102 can be configured to make a permanent record of the verification certificate 106. The verification certificate 106 can be stored in non-volatile memory. In some variations, the verification certificate 106 can be stored on multiple data ledgers. For example, the verification certificate 106 can be stored as part of a blockchain of memorabilia transactions. (39) The server 102 can be configured to send a signal to the mobile device 110 associated with the memorabilia creator and/or the mobile device 112 associated with the memorabilia collector, indicating that the verification certificate 106 has been saved by the server 102. (40) FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a process flow of a method 400 having one or more features consistent with the present description. Method 400 can facilitate the generation of a memorabilia item by a memorabilia collector that is verified by the memorabilia creator. (41) At 402, an object can be autographed by a memorabilia creator to form a memorabilia item. The memorabilia item can be owned by a memorabilia collector. (42) At 404, the memorabilia collector can obtain one or more validating images and/or video images of the memorabilia item. The one or more validating images can be configured to facilitate verification of the memorabilia item(s). The one or more validating images and/or video images can be obtained by the mobile device 112 associated with the memorabilia collector. The memorabilia collector may be a registered user of the server 102 and have a user identity maintained by the server 102. The mobile device 112 may have a token associated with it. The token may have been generated by the server 102 and provided to the mobile device 112. The token can be a fixed code that can be affixed to the one or more verification items, obtained by the mobile device 112, of the memorabilia items. The memorabilia item may be an object that has been autographed, signed, modified, or the like, by a memorabilia creator. (43) One or more pixels of the digital image can be coded, by the mobile device 112, based on the token associated with the mobile device 112. The coded pixels can be dispersed throughout the digital image in a defined pattern. Encoding the pixels of a digital image can facilitate detection of manipulation of the digital image. For example, a series of pixels may be modified to have a particular coding. The series of pixels may be given a pattern. The pattern may include a pattern template modified by the token associated with the individual mobile device 112. When analyzing the digital image, the pattern can be looked for. If the pattern cannot be found, then it can indicate that the digital image has been tampered with. (44) At 406, the one or more validating images and/or video images can be provided, from the mobile device 112 of the memorabilia collector, to the server 102. The server 102 can be configured to validate the credentials of the memorabilia collector. The memorabilia collector can input, through the mobile device 112, an identity of the memorabilia creator associated with the memorabilia item shown in the one or more validating images and/or video images. (45) At 408, the server 102 can be configured to transmit the one or more validating images and/or video images to the mobile device 110 associated with the memorabilia creator. (46) At 410, the downloaded application on the mobile device 110 can be configured to request verification, from the memorabilia creator, that the one or more validating images and/or video images show the memorabilia item that the memorabilia creator autographed, wrote on, authorized, or the like. The downloaded application can be configured to request verification and/or input of certain information about the memorabilia item, for example, was the memorabilia item autographed, was a message included, the details of any message that was included, a location of the signature, a significance of the memorabilia item (for example, the memorabilia item being a football used in a particular Super Bowl), a location of the creation of the memorabilia item, or the like. (47) When the memorabilia collector and the memorabilia creator are performing this verification at the time of the memorabilia creation, location information associated with the verification image(s) and/or video image(s) obtained by the mobile device 112 associated with the memorabilia collector can be obtained. Similarly, location information associated with the mobile device 110 of the memorabilia creator can be obtained. The location information from both mobile devices 110 and 112 can be compared to verify that both mobile devices are at the same location. (48) At 412, if the memorabilia creator denies that the verification image(s) and/or verification video image(s) show a valid memorabilia item, the server 102 can be configured to send a notification to the memorabilia collector through the mobile device 112 associated with the memorabilia collector. The request to generate a verification certificate for a memorabilia item can be purged from the server 102. (49) At 414, if the memorabilia creator verifies the verification image(s) and/or verification video image(s) do show a valid memorabilia item, the server 102 can be configured to generate a verification certificate 106 for the memorabilia item. The verification certificate 106 can be written to a permanent ledger. There may be a plurality of permanent ledgers associated with a plurality of servers. The verification certificate 106 can be written to each permanent ledger. Therefore, if one permanent ledger is tampered with or fails, the other permanent ledgers will maintain a true record of the verification certificate 106. (50) At 416, the server 102 can be configured to notify the memorabilia collector, through the mobile device 112, and the memorabilia creator, through the mobile device 110, that a verification certificate 106 has been generated by the server 102. (51) FIGS. 5A-5D are process flow diagrams for a method 500 having one or more features consistent with the present description. Method 500 can be configured to facilitate the mass generation of memorabilia items. A mass generation of memorabilia items can be at a concert, a convention, when a stadium is being demolished or renovated, or the like. (52) At 502, a verified memorabilia creator can initiate a mass signing event. The mass signing event can be established on server 102. A mass signing event established on server 102 can configure server 102 to capture the creation of multiple memorabilia items by the memorabilia creator. Mass signing events typically have a continuous flow of autographs being provided by the memorabilia creator to many memorabilia collectors. The server 102 can be configured to capture each of these memorabilia item creations in a permanent ledger. (53) At 504, information about the mass memorabilia item creation event can be provided to the server 102. The provided information can control the flow of memorabilia items being captured and certified as the image and/or likeness of the memorabilia creator. The information about the event can include a location of event, a date and/or time of event, a number of memorabilia items to be created, a duration of the event, an identity of the objects being turned into memorabilia items, the source of the object (collector or creator provided), or the like. (54) At 506, in response to receiving the information about the mass memorabilia item creation event, the server 102 can be configured to generate and provide one or more start codes and one or more end codes for the mass memorabilia item creation event. (55) At 508, the memorabilia creator can generate a code, for example a 1D barcode, 2D barcode, 3D barcode, audible code, alphanumeric code, or the like. The code can be scanned by each memorabilia collector that received a memorabilia item created at the mass memorabilia item creation event. Each collector may be required to download an application onto a mobile device, such as mobile device 112. The application can be configured to facilitate capture of the code through a camera of the mobile device 112. The code can be presented on a screen in the vicinity of the memorabilia creator, printed on boards, or the like. (56) At 510, the server 102 can receive a request from the memorabilia creator to start the mass memorabilia creation event. The memorabilia creator can provide the start code to the server 102 to initiate the mass memorabilia creation event. The server 102 determines whether it should start the mass memorabilia creation event. The server 102 can be configured to verify the information provided at 404. For example, if the memorabilia creator has provided a start code during an incorrect time, or the mobile device 110 associated with the memorabilia creator is in an incorrect location, the server 102 will not start the mass memorabilia creation event. (57) At 512, a memorabilia collector may scan a code displayed at the mass memorabilia creation event. The code can be scanned using a camera of a mobile device 112 of the memorabilia collector. In response to a code being scanned the server 102 can be notified, by the mobile device 112, of the memorabilia collector, that the mobile device 112 will obtain a memorabilia item from the memorabilia creator. The server 102 can generate a verification record having a unique identifier and associated with the memorabilia collector. (58) At 514, the memorabilia collector can obtain a digital image of the memorabilia item in response to the memorabilia item provided to the memorabilia collector by the memorabilia creator. The digital image can be obtained by a camera of the mobile device 112 associated with the memorabilia collector. The mobile device 112 can include a unique token. The unique token can be used to generate a unique coding for attaching to the digital image obtained by the camera of the mobile device 112. The unique coding can be embedded in metadata, embedded in one or more data sections associated with individual pixels of the digital image, or the like. (59) At 516, upon receipt of the digital image and/or the an indication that the mobile device 112 has scanned the code, the server 102 can generate a verification record. The verification record can include a certificate 106, one or more digital images of the memorabilia item, an identity of the owner of the memorabilia item, an identity of the creator of the memorabilia item, or the like. (60) At 518, in some variations, the memorabilia collector can scan a second barcode with a camera of the mobile device 112, associated with the memorabilia collector, to signify that they have entered all the information necessary. The second barcode can also prevent the memorabilia collector from obtaining multiple memorabilia items during the mass memorabilia item creation event. (61) At 520, the server 102 can save the verification record for the memorabilia items to permanent memory 108. In some variations, there are multiple servers 102 configured to save multiple copies of the verification record. The verification record can include the memorabilia creator's identity, the memorabilia collector's identity, one or more images of the memorabilia item, a location of the event, a time of event, or the like. (62) At 522, the server 102 can be configured to send a confirmation message to the mobile device 110 associated with the memorabilia creator and the mobile device 112 associated with the memorabilia collector. The confirmation message can include an indication that the server 102 has saved the verification record associated with the memorabilia item created at the mass memorabilia creation event. The server 102 can provide an indication of a failure to save the verification record. (63) FIGS. 6A-6N illustrate a process flow diagram for a method 600 having one or more features consistent with the present description. The method 600 can be performed by one or more computing devices to facilitate the transfer of ownership of memorabilia items having verification records maintained by a server, such as server 102. (64) The server 102 can be configured to store one or more verification records for one or more memorabilia items. The verification record of a memorabilia item can include a verification certificate 106. The verification certificate 106 can be a record of authenticity for the memorabilia item and can be used as an instrument to transfer ownership of the memorabilia item. (65) When a first memorabilia collector desires to transfer a memorabilia item to a second memorabilia collector, the first memorabilia collector can initiate a transfer of the memorabilia item. For example, at 602, the first memorabilia collector can initiate a transfer of the memorabilia item using a downloaded application on a mobile device 112 associated with the first memorabilia collector. The initiation can include an entry and/or selection, by the first memorabilia collector, of an identity of the second memorabilia collector. The initiation can include an entry and/or selection, by the first memorabilia collector, of an identity of the verification certificate associated with the memorabilia item to be transferred to the second memorabilia collector. The server 102 can maintain memorabilia collector profiles. The first memorabilia collector can have a profile maintained by the server 102. The first memorabilia collector profile can include an identity of the first memorabilia collector, an indication of the verification certificates owned by the first memorabilia collector, or the like. The second memorabilia collector profile can include an identity of the second memorabilia collector, and indication of the verification certificates owned by the second memorabilia collector, or the like. (66) At 603, in some implementations, the server, such as a server 102, can receive the request from the memorabilia collector imitated at 602. (67) If the second memorabilia collector does not have an identity maintained by the server 102, the server 102 can require the second memorabilia collector to register with the server 102. (68) At 604, the server 102 can be configured to request confirmation from the second memorabilia collector that they desire to receive the transfer of the verification certificate associated with the memorabilia item to be transferred. The request for confirmation can be provided through a mobile device 114 associated with the second memorabilia collector. The server 102 can also provide, to the second memorabilia collector, an indication of the restrictions on the transfer of the verification certificate associated with the memorabilia item to be transferred, set by the first memorabilia collector and/or the memorabilia creator. The server 102 can also provide one or more conditions of transfer set by the first memorabilia collector and/or the memorabilia creator. (69) The verification certificate for the memorabilia item can be generated for the specific purpose of verifying the authenticity of the signature and/or autograph, on the memorabilia item, of the memorabilia creator. In some examples, the verification certificate for a memorabilia item cannot be transferred from one memorabilia collector to another without the permission of the memorabilia creator. The memorabilia creator can specify at the time of creation of the verification certificate, or thereafter, that the memorabilia item can, or cannot, be transferred. The memorabilia creator can specify that the memorabilia creator is to receive a commission on any value exchanged for the memorabilia item or the transfer of the memorabilia item will be unauthorized and the verification certificate associated with the memorabilia item will become invalid. (70) At 605, a second collector can be asked to verify that they desire to proceed with the transfer of ownership of the memorabilia item from the first memorabilia collector. The request to verify can be received through an electronic device associated with the second memorabilia collector. For example, the request to verify can be provided through an email, a notification on a smart device, a text message, a telephone call, or the like. (71) At 606, if the second memorabilia collector rejects the transfer, the server 102 can notify the first memorabilia collector through the mobile device 112 associated with the first memorabilia collector. All information associated with the failed transfer can be purged by the server 102. (72) At 608, in response to the second memorabilia collector confirming the transfer of the verification certificate from the first memorabilia collector to the second memorabilia collector, the server 102 can initiate a verification certificate transfer protocol. The verification protocol can include multiple verification steps to verify the authenticity of the memorabilia item and/or the validity of the transfer. (73) At 610, the server 102 can obtain the verification record for the memorabilia item from memory 108. The verification record can include a record of prior transfers of the memorabilia item, previous digital images obtained of the memorabilia item, or the like. The verification record can include an identity of the memorabilia creator, date of creation, location of creation, original memorabilia collector, all transfers with all information of transfers, dates, images of all processed verifications and sequence of use of the verification certificate, or the like. (74) At 612, the server 102 can request one or more digital images to be taken of the memorabilia item at the time of transfer of the memorabilia item. In some variations, the digital image(s) can be obtained by the first memorabilia collector and/or the second memorabilia collector. The digital image(s) can be obtained at the time of transfer or can be obtained when the first memorabilia collector sends the memorabilia item and when the second memorabilia collector receives the memorabilia item. The digital images can be obtained from electronic devices associated with the memorabilia collectors. (75) At 614, in response to the first memorabilia collector not providing the digital image(s) of the memorabilia item for the transfer, the server 102 can terminates the request to verify the transfer of the ownership of the memorabilia item from the first memorabilia collector to the second memorabilia collector. The termination of the verification of the transfer means that the verification certificate is not associated with the second memorabilia collector. (76) At 616, the server 102 can notify the first memorabilia collector and the second memorabilia collector that the verification certificate is not to be transferred. The notification can be provided to the memorabilia collectors through electronic devices associated with the memorabilia collectors, through email, through applications, by text message, telephone call, or the like. (77) At 618, in response to the first memorabilia collector providing digital images of the memorabilia item, one or more digital images can be provided by the second memorabilia collector. The one or more digital images from the second memorabilia collector can be obtained by a camera of the mobile device 114 associated with the second memorabilia collector. (78) At 620, the server 102 prepares the received digital images for processing. Preparing the received digital images for processing can include color balancing, resizing, reorienting, or the like. (79) At 622, the server 102 can identify the number of digital images to process. In some variations, the memorabilia item may have had multiple owners and therefore, multiple images associated with the memorabilia item may be stored on the server. The number of digital images can include the images stored on the server, images from the first memorabilia collector, images from the second memorabilia collector, or the like. (80) At 624, the server 102 can analyze the digital images received from the first memorabilia collector, the second memorabilia collector, and/or stored on the server 102, or other servers. The server 102 can be configured to analyze the digital images to determine whether the memorabilia item, the autograph of the memorabilia creator, a message, or the like, are included within the digital image. The verification certificate 106 can include an indication of objects that should be present in the digital images. (81) At 626, the server 102 can compare the digital images received from the first memorabilia collector and/or the second memorabilia collector, to one or more original and historical images of the memorabilia item that are stored on a server 102. The server 102 can be configured to identify one or more objects in the digital images and make one or more comparisons of the identified objects with objects contained in historical digital images of the memorabilia item. The server 102 can be configured to compare the shape of object, color of object, size of object, shape of the autograph or signature, geometry of the autograph or signature, size of the autograph, size of object vs size of autograph or signature on object, location and placement of autograph or signature on object, color of background vs autograph or signature, illumination of objects hue of the color compared to the hue of the autograph or signature, and/or other comparisons. (82) At 628, a determination can be made whether the digital image(s) were processed properly. If the server 102 detects an error in the processing, the digital image(s) can be reprocessed by the server 102. (83) At 630, the server 102 can be configured to obtain images of the original autograph or signature and all subsequent verifications of the autograph or signature of the memorabilia item creator. In some implementations, a set of pixels associated with the memorabilia item can be identified within each of the digital images. The set of pixels can be identified by edge analysis techniques to identify edges of objects within a digital image. When the verification certificate associated with a memorabilia item indicates that the memorabilia item, for example, is a baseball, the edge analysis techniques can be configured to identify an object in the digital image that resembles a baseball. One or more pixels of the set of pixels can be identified that includes a likeness of the memorabilia collector. The likeness of the memorabilia collector can include a signature, a mark, or the like. (84) The server 102, can take the original and all subsequent certified versions of the signature/autograph and proceed to do an in-depth analysis of the autograph/signature of the memorabilia item. The server 102 can be configured to scale the new image(s) provided by the memorabilia collector(s). The new image(s) are scaled so that the size of the autogr9aph/signature in the new image(s) matches the size of the autograph/signature in the old image(s). The server 102 can perform a direct comparison of the original image(s) of the autograph/signature with the new image(s) being verified. The server 102 can perform a full topographical analysis of the new image(s) to the original image(s) and note of any variation. The server can compare the autographs/signatures by separating the image of the autograph/signature into sections. A first section of the signature/autograph can be compared to a first section of the new signature, a second section of the signature/autograph can be compared to a second section of the new signature, and so on until the entire signature is analyzed. The angles on letters and patterns are analyzed and compared. The color of the original autograph can be compared to the color of the new image. The color can be tracked over time and fading can be considered based on age, location, or the like, of the memorabilia item. The angles on all curves and loops are analyzed to verify that they match, the writing style is analyzed to ensure that it matches, separation between letters is compared, cross overs, dots and positioning of any additional marks is compared, or the like. (85) At 632, a determination can be made as to whether the images have been properly processed. The determination can be based on an error assessment associated with the digital images. (86) At 634, the server 102 proceeds to compare each one of the stored images from prior transfers of the certification and keeps track of each one. The server 102, can compare each certified image of the autograph/signature and all subsequent certified versions of the signature/autograph and proceeds to do an in-depth analysis of all historical images of the autograph/signature. The analysis performed can be similar to the analysis performed at step 530. (87) At 636, the server 102 can be configured to generate a report on the comparison of the image(s). The server 102 can use the information from all images and comparisons from the present and past objects and autographs/signatures to prepare a report. The report can be provided to the memorabilia item creator. The server 102 can transmit the latest image(s) of the memorabilia item including the autograph/signature to the memorabilia creator. The report can also be provided to the first memorabilia collector and the second memorabilia collector. The report can be provided to a mobile device 110 associated with the memorabilia creator. (88) At 637, the memorabilia creator and the memorabilia collector(s) can verify the authenticity of any new digital images of the memorabilia item. The verification can be based on the new digital image(s) being presented to the memorabilia collector(s) and memorabilia creator. The verification can be based on the report generated at 636. (89) At 638, the memorabilia creator can verify that the autograph or signature is a true likeliness of the memorabilia creator. In some variations, the memorabilia creator may be the only individual that can determine if the image(s) are of his or her image and likeness. The memorabilia creator can determine the originality of his autograph or signature as he or she is the expert of his or her own image and likeness. (90) At 640, in response to the memorabilia creator denying that the autograph/signature is original, the server notifies the first memorabilia collector and the second memorabilia collector that the memorabilia creator has denied the authenticity of the autograph/signature. (91) At 642, in response to the memorabilia creator verifying the autograph/signature, the server 102 can process the validation from the memorabilia creator. The server 102 can initiate the transfer of the validation certificate 106 associated with the memorabilia item from the first memorabilia collector to the second memorabilia collector. (92) At 644, the first memorabilia collector is notified of the positive outcome of the verification of the memorabilia item. At 646, the second memorabilia collector is notified of the positive outcome of the verification of the memorabilia item. The notifications can be provided through one or more of an electronic device, an email, a text message, a phone call, or the like. (93) At 648, the server 102 can request that the second memorabilia collector confirm the transfer of the memorabilia item. In some implementations, the server 102 can request that the first memorabilia collector confirm the transfer of the memorabilia item. Confirmation of the transfer can be provided through one or more of verifying the transfer through an interaction with an application running on a computing device, replying to an email, affirmatively responding to a text message, verifying via a telephone call, or the like. (94) At 650, the server 102 transfers the verification certificate associated with the memorabilia item. The verification certificate 106 can be moved from the first memorabilia collector profile maintained by the server 102 to the second memorabilia collector profile maintained by the server 102. The server 102 can update the verification record associated with the memorabilia item to include the digital image(s) obtained by the server 102 during the transfer from the first memorabilia collector and the second memorabilia collector. The verification record can be updated with the report generated by the server 102. (95) The server(s) 102 can include one or more processors 104. Processor(s) 104 is configured to provide information processing capabilities to server(s) 102 having one or more features consistent with the current subject matter. Processor 104 may include one or more of a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuit designed to process information, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronically processing information. Although processor 104 is shown in FIG. 1 as a single entity, this is for illustrative purposes only. In some implementations, processor(s) 104 may include a plurality of processing units. These processing units may be physically located within the same device, or processor(s) 104 may represent processing functionality of a plurality of devices operating in coordination. The processor(s) 104 may be configured to execute machine-readable instructions, which, when executed by the processor(s) 104 may cause the processor(s) 104 to perform one or more of the functions described in the present description. The functions described herein may be executed by software; hardware; firmware; some combination of software, hardware, and/or firmware; and/or other mechanisms for configuring processing capabilities on processor(s) 104. (96) Electronic storage 108 may comprise electronic storage media that electronically stores information. The electronic storage media of electronic storage 108 may include one or both of system storage that is provided integrally (i.e., substantially non-removable) with a computing device, and/or removable storage that is removably connectable to server 102 via, for example, a port (e.g., a USB port, a firewire port, etc.) or a drive (e.g., a disk drive, etc.). Electronic storage 108 may include one or more of optically readable storage media (e.g., optical disks, etc.), magnetically readable storage media (e.g., magnetic tape, magnetic hard drive, floppy drive, etc.), electrical charge-based storage media (e.g., EEPROM, RAM, etc.), solid-state storage media (e.g., flash drive, etc.), and/or other electronically readable storage media. The electronic storage 108 may include one or more virtual storage resources (e.g., cloud storage, a virtual private network, and/or other virtual storage resources). Electronic storage 108 may store software algorithms, information determined by processor 104, information received from one or more computing devices, such as server 102, client computing devices, information that enables the one or more computing device to function, or the like. (97) FIG. 7 shows a process flow 700 having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter. The operations described in process flow 700 can be performed by one or more of the system components described in the present description, for example, one or more of the system components of system 100. (98) At 702, a first digital image can be received from a first electronic device associated with a first user. The first digital image can include at least an image of a memorabilia item. An indication of a location of the first electronic device can be received. The first user can have a first user profile on a memorabilia authentication server. The memorabilia item can have a likeness of a second user different from the first user. The second user can have a second user profile on the memorabilia authentication server. The first digital image can be obtained by a camera of the first electronic device. (99) At 704, a verification that the first location is within a defined threshold distance from a second location can be performed. The verification can be performed using location information from a first electronic device associated with the first user and location information from a second electronic device associated with the second user. (100) At 706, the first digital image can be transmitted to the second electronic device. The transmitting of the first digital image can be performed in response to verifying that the first location, associated with the first user, is within a predefined threshold distance from the second location, associated with the second user. The verification can be performed by a server, such as a memorabilia verification server. (101) At 708, a verification can be received from the second electronic device. The verification can include an indication that the first digital image includes the memorabilia item having a likeness of the second user. The verification can be input by the second user. The verification can be input by the second user through a graphical user interface presented on a display device of the second electronic device associated with the second user. (102) At 710, a unique identifier can be generated. The unique identifier can be associated with the first digital image of the memorabilia item. The unique identifier can be generated in response to the verification that the first digital image includes the memorabilia item having a likeness of the second user. (103) At 712, the first digital image of the memorabilia item and the unique identifier can be stored. The first digital image of the memorabilia item and the unique identifier can be stored in a secure electronic storage and associated with the first user profile. The storing can be performed by a server, such as a memorabilia authentication server. In some examples, the first digital memorabilia item and the unique identifier being stored in associated with the first user profile can be published to a distributed database system. (104) FIG. 8 shows a process flow 800 having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter. The operations described in process flow 800 can be performed by one or more of the system components described in the present description, for example, one or more of the system components of system 100. (105) At 802, a request can be received to transfer ownership of the memorabilia item from the first user to a third user. The third user can have a third user profile on the memorabilia authentication server. The request can be received from a first electronic device associated with the first user. The request can be received at the memorabilia authentication server. (106) At 804, a second digital image of the memorabilia item can be received from the first electronic device. The image can be obtained by a camera of the first electronic device. (107) At 806, a first set of pixels can be identified within the first digital image that correspond to the memorabilia item. The first set of pixels can be identified by the first electronic device. In some implementations, the first electronic device can run a software application that includes instructions for identifying memorabilia items in an image. (108) At 808, a second set of pixels within the second digital image can be identified that correspond to the memorabilia item. The second set of pixels can be identified by the first electronic device. (109) At 810, a verification that the second set of pixels correspond to the first set of pixels can be performed. The verification can be performed by the memorabilia authentication server. (110) At 812, a request to authorize the transfer of ownership of the memorabilia item from the first user to the third user can be transmitted to an electronic device associated with the second user. The second user can be the memorabilia creator. (111) At 814, an authorization to transfer the ownership can be received from the second electronic device. The authentication can be received at the memorabilia authentication server. (112) At 816, the first digital image of the memorabilia item and the unique identifier can be stored in electronic memory and associated with the third user profile. The operations performed at 816 can be performed by a memorabilia authentication server, or the like. In some implementations, the first digital image of the memorabilia item and the unique identifier both being associated with the second user profile can be published to a distributed database system. (113) FIGS. 9A-9D show views of a graphical user interface having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter. In some example, FIGS. 9A-9D illustrate a sequence of graphical user interfaces presented to a memorabilia creator and a memorabilia collector for authenticating a memorabilia item. (114) FIG. 9A illustrates a user interface 900 presented on a display 902 of a mobile computing device 904. The mobile computing device 904 can be associated with a memorabilia collector. The mobile device 904 can include one or more image sensors, for example, a camera. The graphical user interface 900 can be configured to facilitate input by a user of the mobile device 904 that causes the mobile device 904 to capture a digital image. The digital image can be, for example, a memorabilia image 901 of a memorabilia item. An interactive button 906 can be configured to facilitate control over an image sensor of the mobile device 904. (115) FIG. 9B illustrates a graphical user interface 907 presented on the display device 902 of the mobile device 904. The graphical user interface 907 can include one or more entry fields 908 and 910. The entry fields 908 and 910 can be configured to facilitate entry, by a user associated with the mobile device 904, of user information. The graphical user interface 907 can include a execution button 912. The execution button 912 can facilitate confirmation of the information entered into the entry field 908 and 910 and cause the mobile device 904 to send the information to a server. The digital image of the memorabilia item can also be sent to the server. (116) FIG. 9C illustrates a graphical user interface 914 presented on a display 916 of a mobile device 918. The mobile device 918 can be associated with a memorabilia creator, such as a celebrity, sports personality, future sports star, or the like. The server can be configured to transmit the digital image of the memorabilia item to a mobile device 918 associated with the creator of the memorabilia item. The graphical user interface 914 presented on the display device 916 of the mobile device 918 can be configured to facilitate verification, by the memorabilia creator, that the digital image of the memorabilia item is authentic and is a true representation of a memorabilia item associated with the memorabilia creator. The memorabilia creator can verify or decline using one or more interactive buttons, for example, interactive buttons 920 and 922. In response to the memorabilia creator verifying that the image is authentic, a server can be configured to generate an authentication certificate. The authentication certificate comprising the image of the memorabilia item, an identity of the memorabilia creator, and an identity of the present owner of the memorabilia item. (117) FIG. 9D illustrates a graphical user interface 924 associated with the mobile device of the memorabilia creator and a graphical user interface 926 associated with the mobile device of the memorabilia collector. The graphical user interfaces 924 and 926 can be configured to present a copy of the authentication certificate 928 created by the server in response to the authentication by the memorabilia creator. (118) FIGS. 10A-10G show views of a graphical user interface having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter. In some examples, FIGS. 10A-10G illustrate a series of graphical user interfaces presented to a memorabilia collector and a memorabilia creator for the authentication of a memorabilia item that has an autograph of the memorabilia creator on it. (119) FIG. 10A illustrates a memorabilia collector 1002 desirous of obtaining an autograph 1008 of a memorabilia creator 1006 to be put on a memorabilia item 1004. FIG. 10B illustrates the memorabilia creator 1006 putting an autograph 1008 on the memorabilia item 1004. (120) FIG. 10C illustrates a memorabilia collector 1004 obtaining a digital image 1014 of the memorabilia item 1004 with the autograph 1008 obtained by a mobile device 1010 associated with the memorabilia collector 1002. A graphical user interface 1012 can be presented on a display device of the mobile device 1010. The graphical user interface 1012 can be configured to facilitate capture, by the mobile device 1010, of the image 1014 of the memorabilia item 1004 and the autograph 1008. The graphical user interface 1012 can be configured to facilitate capture of the image 1014 by a user through one or more radio buttons 1016. The graphical user interface 1012 can be configured to facilitate entry of an identity of the memorabilia creator, for example, through an entry field 1018. (121) FIG. 10D illustrates a mobile device 1010 associated a memorabilia collector. The graphical user interface presented on a display of the mobile device 1010 can be configured to facilitate sending of the image 1014 of the memorabilia item to a server 1024, by, for example, an interaction with a radio button 1022. The graphical user interface can facilitate entry of an identity of the memorabilia creator 1020. The mobile device 1010 can send location information with the image 1014 and other information associated with the memorabilia item to the server 1024. (122) FIG. 10E illustrates a graphical user interface 1028 presented on a display of a mobile device 1026 associated with a memorabilia creator. The graphical user interface 1028 can be configured to present an image 1014 of the memorabilia item, an image 1008 of the signature, or other mark, put on the memorabilia item by the memorabilia creator, additional information 1030 about the memorabilia item, for example, creation data, creation location, collector identity, or the like. The graphical user interface 1028 can comprise one or more radio buttons 1032 configured to facilitate selection, by the memorabilia creator, of a rejection or an authentication of the memorabilia item. The server 1024 can be configured to identify, using one or more image analysis techniques, an autograph, or the like, of the memorabilia creator in the image of the memorabilia item. The server 1024 can be configured to enlarge the portion of the image associated with the autograph, or the like, for individual presentation to the memorabilia creator in the graphical user interface 1028 presented on a display device of mobile device 1026 associated with the memorabilia creator. (123) FIG. 10F is an illustration of a graphical user interface 1033 presented to the memorabilia collector through a display of a mobile device 1010 associated with the memorabilia collector. The graphical user interface 1033 can be presented to the memorabilia collector in response to the memorabilia creator rejecting the memorabilia item as being authentic. (124) In response to the memorabilia creator authenticating the image of the memorabilia, the server 1024 can be configured to generate an authentication certificate. The authentication certificate can include the image of the memorabilia item, information associated with the creation of the memorabilia item (for example, location, date, time, of the like), the identity of the memorabilia creator, the identity of the memorabilia collector (in this case the owner of the memorabilia item), or the like. (125) FIG. 10G shows a graphical user interfaces presented to the memorabilia creator through a mobile device 1026 associated with the memorabilia creator, and to the memorabilia collector through a mobile device 1010 associated with the memorabilia collector, that are presented in response to the memorabilia creator authenticating the image of the memorabilia item as being authentic. (126) FIGS. 11A-11J show views of a graphical user interface having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter. In some examples, FIGS. 11A-11Q illustrate a series of graphical user interface presented to a first memorabilia collector, a second memorabilia collector and a memorabilia creator, when the first memorabilia collector desires to transfer the authenticated ownership of a memorabilia item to the second memorabilia collector. (127) FIG. 11A illustrates a graphical user interface presented on a mobile device 1110 associated with a first memorabilia collector in response to the first memorabilia collector indicating a desire to transfer ownership of a memorabilia item to a second memorabilia collector. The graphical user interface 1114 can be presented on a display device of a mobile device 1110 associated with a first memorabilia collector. The graphical user interface 1114 can be configured to facilitate an entry by the first memorabilia collector of an indication that the first memorabilia collector wants to transfer the ownership of the memorabilia item to a second memorabilia collector. The graphical user interface 1116 can be configured to request information about the transfer. (128) FIG. 11B illustrates graphical user interfaces presented to the first and second memorabilia collectors during a transfer of ownership of the memorabilia item. Graphical user interface 1118 can be presented on a display of the mobile device 1110 associated with the first memorabilia collector. The graphical user interface 1118 can include a plurality of fields for information about the transfer. Some of the fields can be for entering information by the first memorabilia collector. For example, the graphical user interface 1118 can include a field that identifies the present holder of the certificate of authentication for the memorabilia item. The graphical user interface 1118 can include a field for identifying the transferee for the certificate of authentication, for example, the second memorabilia collector. In some variations, the field for identifying the transferee can be a field where the first memorabilia collector can enter an identity of the second memorabilia collector. The second memorabilia collector can be registered with a system managing the authentication certificate for the memorabilia item. The field for identifying the transferee can facilitate entry of an identity of the second memorabilia collector, a dropdown menu, or the like. The graphical user interface 1118 can include an interactive button for receiving confirmation to transfer the authentication certificate of a memorabilia item from the first memorabilia collector to the second memorabilia collector. In response to receiving the instruction to transfer the server 1108 managing the authentication certificate can initiate the transfer on the back-end system. (129) A graphical user interface 1120 presented on a display of a mobile device of the second memorabilia collector can include one or more interactive buttons for confirming or denying the transfer. (130) FIG. 11C shows the graphical user interfaces presented to the first and second memorabilia collectors after initiation of the transfer. A server 1108 can be configured to manage the authentication certificates associated with memorabilia items. The server 1108 can have an electronic storage 1126 storing the authentication certificates 1127. The authentication certificates 1127 can include information associated with the creation of the memorabilia item and one or more images 1124 of the memorabilia item. (131) The server 1108 can request a current image of the memorabilia item from the first memorabilia collector. In response to the request, the mobile device 1110 associated with the memorabilia collector can be configured to present a graphical user interface 1126 requesting that an image of the memorabilia item be taken by the mobile device or uploaded to the server 1108. The server 1108 can also request an updated image from the second memorabilia collector. In response to the request, the mobile device 1112 associated with the second memorabilia collector can be configured to present a graphical user interface that includes a request to obtain an image of the memorabilia item. (132) FIG. 11 D illustrates a graphical user interface 1130 presented on a display device of a mobile device 1110 associated with the first memorabilia collector and a graphical user interface 1138 presented on a display device of a mobile device 1112 associated with the second memorabilia collector. The graphical user interfaces 1130 and 1138 can be configured to facilitate capture and upload of an image of the memorabilia item 1132 and/or an autograph 1134, or the like, of a memorabilia creator, that is on the memorabilia item 1132. The graphical user interfaces 1130 and 1138 can include an interactive button that can be selected by the first and second memorabilia collectors to upload the images of the memorabilia item 1132 and/or the autograph 1134, or the like, on the memorabilia item 1132, to the server 1108. (133) The server 1108 can be configured to analyze the images. The server can analyze the original image of the memorabilia item 1132 when the memorabilia item was original created and compare that image against the image of the memorabilia item taken by the first memorabilia collector and the image of the memorabilia item taken by the second memorabilia collector. The server 1108 can be further configured to analyze the autographs, or the like, in all three images. Having analyzed the images, the server 1108 can be configured to compare the memorabilia item and/or the autograph, or the like, from each image. The comparison can include one or more image analysis techniques to identify like-features in each of the images to determine whether the memorabilia item appearing in one image is the same memorabilia item appearing in another image. (134) In response to the initiation of the transfer by the first memorabilia collector, the acceptance of the transfer by the second memorabilia collector and the receipt of the images, the server 1108 can be configured to cause an application running on the mobile device of the memorabilia creator to initialize. A notification can be presented to the memorabilia creator that a transfer is pending the memorabilia creator's authorization. (135) FIG. 11E shows a graphical user interface 1142 presented on a display of a mobile device 1113 associated with the memorabilia creator that can be displayed in response to the initiation of the transfer of an authentication certificate, associated with a memorabilia item. The graphical user interface 1142 can be configured to present a copy of the authentication certificate to the memorabilia creator. The authentication certificate can include information associated with the creation of the memorabilia item as well as the original image of the memorabilia item. (136) FIG. 11F shows a series of graphical user interfaces 1142, 1144, 1146 and 1148 presented on a display of a user device associated with the memorabilia creator. The graphical user interface 1142 can include a report, generated by the server 1108, of the analysis of the image of the memorabilia item provided by the first memorabilia collector, or the transferor. The graphical user interface 1144 can include a report, generated by the server 1108, of the analysis of the image of the memorabilia item provided by the second memorabilia collector, or transferee. The reports provided in the graphical user interfaces 1142 and 1144 can provide a likelihood that the image provided by the first and second memorabilia collectors are images of the original memorabilia item. The graphical user interfaces 1142 and 1144 can be configured to facilitate selection of the images of the memorabilia item for enlargement on the screen of the mobile device associated with the memorabilia creator. The graphical user interfaces 1142 and 1144 can be configured to facilitate zooming in to the images, moving the images in any direction, rotation of the images, side-by-side comparison of the images or the like. Furthermore, the graphical user interfaces 1142 and 1144 can facilitate a side-by-side comparison with the original image of the memorabilia item as stored and managed by the server 1108. (137) In some variations, the server 1108 and/or the mobile device 1113 can be configured to generate a mask from one or more of the original image of the memorabilia item, the image of the memorabilia item provided by the first memorabilia collector, and the image of the memorabilia item provided by the second memorabilia collector. The mask can allow one or more of the images to be overlaid one or more of the other images. The mask can be configured to scale the image such that the image of the memorabilia item in each image has the same or similar dimensions. The mask can be configured to rotate the image such that the image of the memorabilia item in each image can have the same or similar orientation. The mask can cause each image to be transparent compared to one or more of the other images, allowing the memorabilia creator to see through one image to the next image to facilitate a comparison of the images by the memorabilia creator. Similar functionality can be provided to the memorabilia collectors so that the memorabilia collectors can also verify that the memorabilia item is authentic. Graphical user interface 1146 can include a comparison of the analysis performed with respect to the first memorabilia collector's image and the second memorabilia collector's image. Graphical user interface 1148 can include one or more interactive buttons allowing a memorabilia creator to certify that the provided images are true images of the memorabilia item. (138) In response to the memorabilia creator denying the certification of the transfer, the first and second memorabilia collectors can be notified. The notification can be generated by the server 1108 and transmitted to mobile device 1110 and 1112 associated with the first and second memorabilia collectors. (139) FIG. 11G shows graphical user interface 1152 and 1154 presented to the first and second memorabilia collectors after confirmation that the memorabilia creator has certified the transfer. The notification can be transmitted from the server 1108 to the mobile devices 1110 and 1112 associated with the first and second memorabilia collectors. (140) FIG. 11H shows a graphical user interface 1158 presented on a display of a mobile device 1112 associated with the second memorabilia collector, or the transferee of the authentication certificate. The graphical user interface 1158 can comprise one or more interactive buttons to allow the second memorabilia collector to confirm or reject the transfer of the authentication certificate. (141) FIG. 11I shows an electronic storage 1160 storing an updated authentication certificate 1162. The updated authentication certificate can include information about the original creation event of the memorabilia item, information about the memorabilia item, and information about each transfer of the authentication certificate. The authentication certificate 1162 can also include a record of all the images taken of the memorabilia item, including the original image 1164 and each image 1166 and 1168 taken at a transfer of the authentication certificate 1162. (142) FIG. 11J shows graphical user interfaces presented on each mobile device 1110, 1112, and 1113, belonging to the first memorabilia collector, the second memorabilia collector and the memorabilia creator, respectively. The graphical user interfaces shown in FIG. 11J can each include a notification that the transfer has been complete. The graphical user interfaces shown in FIG. 11J can each be presented in response to a trigger generated by the server 1108 to cause them to be generated. (143) FIGS. 12A-12H show views of a graphical user interface having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter. FIGS. 12A-12H illustrate graphical user interfaces that can be presented to a memorabilia creator and a memorabilia collector that are configured to facilitate the creation of a memorabilia item. The memorabilia collector 1202 can be associated with a mobile device 1206. The memorabilia creator 1204 can be associated with a mobile device 1208. The mobile devices 1206 and 1208 can be configured to obtain location information associated with themselves. For example, GPS signals, wireless network identity information, or the like. (144) The memorabilia creator 1204 may autograph, or the like, a memorabilia item 1212 and give it to the memorabilia collector 1202. The memorabilia collector 1202 can be desirous to generate an authentication certificate for the memorabilia item 1212. A graphical user interface 1214 can be presented on a screen of the mobile device 1206 associated with the memorabilia collector 1202. The graphical user interface can comprise one or more interaction segments configured to facilitate capture of an image 1216 of the memorabilia item with a camera of the mobile device 1206. At 1218, the memorabilia collector 1202 can be prompted to upload the image 1216 of the memorabilia item to a platform server. (145) The location information obtained by the mobile devices 1202 and 1208 can be uploaded to a server, such as server 1212. As shown in FIG. 12B, the location of the memorabilia collector 1202 and the memorabilia creator 1204 can be verified and can be based on the relative positions of the mobile devices 1206 and 1208 associated with the memorabilia collector 1202 and the memorabilia creator 1204, respectively. The server 1210 can be configured to only permit the creation of an authentication certificate for a memorabilia item if the memorabilia collector 1202 and the memorabilia creator 1204 were within a threshold distance 1220 of each other around the time the memorabilia item was said to be created. (146) FIG. 12C illustrates the image 12176 of the memorabilia item, that was taken by the memorabilia collector 1202 by their associated mobile device 1206, being transferred to the mobile device 1208 associated with the memorabilia creator 1204. (147) FIG. 12D shows the memorabilia creator 1204 verifying that the image 1216 is of the memorabilia item created by the memorabilia creator. In response to the verifying, the mobile device 1208 associated with the memorabilia creator can be configured to send a signal to the server 1210 that the memorabilia creator 1204 has verified the image 1216 of the memorabilia item as being authentic. (148) FIG. 12E shows the server 1210 generating an authentication certificate 1224 for the memorabilia item. The server 1210 can be configured to analyze the image 1216 of the memorabilia item and identify the memorabilia item and/or the autograph on the memorabilia item. The server 1210 can be configured to isolate the pixels from the image that are representative of the memorabilia item and/or the autograph. (149) FIG. 12F shows copies 1226 of the authentication certificate being provided to the memorabilia being provided to the memorabilia collector 1202 and the memorabilia creator 1204 on their mobile devices 1206 and 1208, respectively. (150) FIG. 12H illustrates the authentication certificate 1224 being stored in electronic storage 1228. (151) FIGS. 13A-13F show views of graphical user interfaces having one or more features consistent with the presently described subject matter. FIGS. 13A-13F illustrate graphical user interfaces presented to memorabilia collectors and memorabilia creators during a mass memorabilia creation event. For example, a celebrity mass-signing event. (152) FIG. 13A illustrates a graphical user interface 1304 presented on a mobile device 1302 associated with a memorabilia creator. The graphical user interface 1304 can be configured to facilitate creation, by a memorabilia creator, of a mass memorabilia creation event. The graphical user interface 1304 can include a plurality of information fields configured to allow the memorabilia creator to enter information associated with the mass memorabilia creation event. The memorabilia creator can specify the memorabilia item type, the number of autographs being provides, a start time and end time for the mass memorabilia item creation event, a type of event, a location of the event, or the like. In response to the memorabilia creator initiating a mass memorabilia creation event, the server 1306 supporting the creation and/or management of authentication certificates for the memorabilia items can generate a start code 1308 and, optionally, an end code 1310. The codes 1308 and 1310 can be numerical, alphanumerical, bar codes, two-dimensional bar codes, three-dimensional bar codes, verbal codes, or the like. (153) FIG. 13B shows that the codes 1308 and 1310 can be printed. In some variations, the start code 1308 and the end code 1310 can be transmitted from the server 1306 to the mobile device 1302 associated with the memorabilia creator. The application running on the mobile device 1302 can be configured to facilitate printing of the start code 1308 and the end code 1310. The application can be configured to cause the mobile device 1302 to send instructions to a printer to print the start code 1308 and the end code 1310 on separate sheets, 1312 and 1314, respectively. In some examples, the start code 1308 and the end code 1310 can be printed in large format, for example, one square meter in size each. (154) FIG. 13C illustrates a graphical user interface 1326 presented on a display of a mobile device 1320 associated with a memorabilia collector that has attended the mass memorabilia item creation event. The graphical user interface 1326 can be configured to facilitate an interaction with the memorabilia collector to cause the mobile device 1320 to capture an image of the start code. In response to capturing the image of the start code, the mobile device 1320 can be configured to allow the memorabilia collector to capture an image of the autographed memorabilia item using a camera of the mobile device 1320. (155) FIG. 13D illustrates a memorabilia creator 1330 signing a memorabilia item 1332. (156) FIG. 13E illustrates a graphical user interface 1334 presented on the mobile device 1320 of the memorabilia collector. The graphical user interface 1334 can be configured to capturing of an image of the memorabilia item 1332. The mobile device 1320 can be configured to upload the image of the memorabilia item to the server 1306. Due to the memorabilia collector scanning the start code 1308, the image of the memorabilia item 1332 can be automatically associated with the information provided by the memorabilia creator about the mass memorabilia item creation event, such as the identity of the memorabilia creator, the location, the type of mass memorabilia item creation event, or the like. (157) FIG. 13F illustrates the creation of the authentication certificate 1337 for the memorabilia item at a mass memorabilia creation event. The authentication certificate 1337 may only be created in response to the memorabilia collector scanning the end code 1310. In response to the mobile device 1320 being used to scan the end code 1310, the mobile device 1320 can transmit a signal to the server 1306 that the memorabilia collector has scanned the end code 1310. In response to receiving the end code, the server 1306 can finalize the authentication certificate 1337 for the memorabilia item and send the authentication certificate 1337 to a non-volatile memory storage system 1307. (158) In some implementations a graphical user interface is provided for facilitating the authentication of memorabilia items. The graphical user interface can be generated using one or more operations. The one or more operations can include displaying, in response to a user instruction to obtain a digital image of a memorabilia item, video feed obtained by a camera of an electronic device associated with the user. The memorabilia item can be identified within the video feed by determining a set of pixels of the video feed associated with the identified memorabilia item can be identified. One or more pixels of the set of pixels can be identified that include a likeness of a creator of the memorabilia item. The set of pixels and an indication of the identified one or more pixels can be transmitted to a memorabilia authentication server. (159) Without in any way limiting the scope, interpretation, or application of the claims appearing herein, a technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein may include digitizing verification certificates and verification records of memorabilia items. Digitally tracking the memorabilia items and digitally verifying the authenticity of memorabilia items by performing image analysis digital images obtained of the memorabilia items when the memorabilia items are created and transferred. (160) The digitization of verification certificates allows a memorabilia creator to control whether a memorabilia item is authenticated or not. Currently, the only means to verify a memorabilia item is to compare signatures on the memorabilia item with a known signature of the memorabilia creator. This allows counterfeiters to create counterfeit memorabilia items that include signatures that resemble the memorabilia creator's signature. The presently described subject matter allows a memorabilia creator to verify that a signed (to otherwise) item is a memorabilia item. The unique identifier attached to that memorabilia item can ensure that no other memorabilia item can be created using that unique identifier. Any item having a signature resembling that of the memorabilia creator's will not be authenticated as a memorabilia item without this unique identifier. As a result, memorabilia creators can control their likeness in perpetuity. (161) Some implementations of the presently described subject matter creates multiple barriers to counterfeiting. For example, the presently described subject matter can require the initial memorabilia collector and the memorabilia creator to come into contact. In another example, the memorabilia creator can control whether they verify the memorabilia item as being authentic or not. Some implementations of the presently described subject matter allows a memorabilia creator to generate different signatures or change their signature and still maintain the authenticity of the memorabilia items they create. Some implementations of the presently described subject matter removes unreliable and time consuming practices currently performed when authenticating memorabilia items. (162) One or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein can be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof. These various aspects or features can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which can be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. The programmable system or computing system may include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. (163) These computer programs, which can also be referred to programs, software, software applications, applications, components, or code, include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural language, an object-oriented programming language, a functional programming language, a logical programming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. As used herein, the term "machine-readable medium" refers to any computer program product, apparatus and/or device, such as for example magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, and Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor. The machine-readable medium can store such machine instructions non-transitorily, such as for example as would a non-transient solid-state memory or a magnetic hard drive or any equivalent storage medium. The machine-readable medium can alternatively or additionally store such machine instructions in a transient manner, such as for example as would a processor cache or other random access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores. (164) To provide for interaction with a user, one or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein can be implemented on a computer having a display device, such as for example a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, such as for example a mouse or a trackball, by which the user may provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well. For example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as for example visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including, but not limited to, acoustic, speech, or tactile input. Other possible input devices include, but are not limited to, touch screens or other touch-sensitive devices such as single or multi-point resistive or capacitive trackpads, voice recognition hardware and software, optical scanners, optical pointers, digital image capture devices and associated interpretation software, and the like. (165) In the descriptions above and in the claims, phrases such as "at least one of" or "one or more of" may occur followed by a conjunctive list of elements or features. The term "and/or" may also occur in a list of two or more elements or features. Unless otherwise implicitly or explicitly contradicted by the context in which it used, such a phrase is intended to mean any of the listed elements or features individually or any of the recited elements or features in combination with any of the other recited elements or features. For example, the phrases "at least one of A and B;" "one or more of A and B;" and "A and/or B" are each intended to mean "A alone, B alone, or A and B together." A similar interpretation is also intended for lists including three or more items. For example, the phrases "at least one of A, B, and C;" "one or more of A, B, and C;" and "A, B, and/or C" are each intended to mean "A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A and B and C together." Use of the term "based on," above and in the claims is intended to mean, "based at least in part on," such that an unrecited feature or element is also permissible. (166) The subject matter described herein can be embodied in systems, apparatus, methods, and/or articles depending on the desired configuration. The implementations set forth in the foregoing description do not represent all implementations consistent with the subject matter described herein. Instead, they are merely some examples consistent with aspects related to the described subject matter. Although a few variations have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, further features and/or variations can be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, the implementations described above can be directed to various combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features and/or combinations and subcombinations of several further features disclosed above. In addition, the logic flows depicted in the accompanying figures and/or described herein do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other implementations may be within the scope of the following claims. ### Claims 1. A method to be performed by at least one computer processor forming at least a part of a computing system, the method comprising: receiving, from a first electronic device associated with a first user, a first digital image having a digital representation of an item and an indication of a first location of the first electronic device, the first user having a first user profile electronically stored on an authentication server, the item having an association with a second user, the second user different from the first user, the second user having a second user profile electronically stored on the authentication server; determining that the first location of the first electronic device is within a defined threshold distance from a second location of a second electronic device; transmitting, in response to the determining, the first digital image to the second electronic device; receiving, from the second electronic device, a verification that the first digital image includes the digital representation of the item having the association with the second user, the verification being input by the second user; generating, in response to receiving the verification, a record of ownership to associate with the item and the first user; storing, in a secure electronic storage and associated with the first user profile, the record of ownership; receiving a request to transfer the record of ownership, associated with the item, from the first user to a third user, the third user having a third user profile electronically stored on the authentication server; updating, in the secure electronic storage, the record of ownership associated with the item to associate the record of ownership with the third user; receiving, from the first electronic device, a second digital image having a digital representation of the item; identifying a first set of pixels within the first digital image that correspond to the item; identifying a second set of pixels within the second digital image that correspond to the item; and, verifying that the second set of pixels corresponds to the first set of pixels, wherein the first set of pixels includes at least a mark placed on the item by the second user. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, to the second electronic device, a request to authorize the transfer the record of ownership, associated with the item, from the first user to the third user; and receiving, from the second electronic device, an authorization to execute the transfer the record of ownership. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the first electronic device, a second digital image of the memorabilia item, at least a portion of the second digital image comprising a mark placed on the item by the second user; transmitting, to the second electronic device, the second digital image of the item; and receiving, from the second electronic device, a verification from the second user that the at least the portion of the second digital image comprises the mark. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying that the first location is within a defined threshold of a second location further comprises: receiving, from the first electronic device, an authentication code, the authentication code associated with the second user. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying that the first location is within a defined threshold of a second location further comprises: receiving, from the first electronic device, first location information associated with the first electronic device; and receiving, from the second electronic device, second location information associated with the second electronic device. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first location information comprises satellite geolocation information. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first location information comprises a local area network identity within communication range of the first location. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: publishing, to a distributed database system, the record of ownership associated with the item. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: publishing, to a distributed database system, the updated record of ownership associated with the item. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the record of ownership associated with the item comprises the first digital image and an identity of the first user. 11. A system comprising: one or more processors; and a memory comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a first electronic device associated with a first user, a first digital image having a digital representation of an a item and an indication of a first location of the first electronic device, the first user having a first user profile electronically stored on an authentication server, the item having an association with a second user, the second user different from the first user, and the second user having a second user profile electronically stored on the authentication server; determining that the first location of the first electronic device is within a defined threshold distance from a second location of a second electronic device; transmitting, in response to the determining, the first digital image to the second electronic device; receiving, from the second electronic device, a verification that the first digital image includes the digital representation of the item having the association with the second user, the verification being input by the second user; generating, in response to receiving the verification, a record of ownership to associate with the item and the first user; storing, in a secure electronic storage and associated with the first user profile, the record of ownership; receiving a request to transfer the record of ownership associated with the item from the first user to a third user, the third user having a third user profile electronically stored on the authentication server; updating, in the secure electronic storage, the record of ownership associated with the item to reflect ownership of the item by the third user; receiving, from the first electronic device, a second digital image having a digital representation of the item; identifying a first set of pixels within the first digital image that correspond to the item; identifying a second set of pixels within the second digital image that correspond to the item; and, verifying that the second set of pixels corresponds to the first set of pixels, wherein the first set of pixels include at least likeness mark placed on the item by the second user. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise: transmitting, to the second electronic device, a request to authorize the transfer the record of ownership associated with the item from the first user to the third user; and receiving, from the second electronic device, an authorization to execute the transfer of the record of ownership. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving, from the first electronic device, a second digital image of the memorabilia item, at least a portion of the second digital image comprising a mark placed on the item by the second user; transmitting, to the second electronic device, the second digital image of the item; and receiving, from the second electronic device, a verification from the second user that the at least the portion of the second digital image comprises the mark. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the verifying that the first location is within a defined threshold of a second location further comprises: receiving, from the first electronic device, an authentication code, the authentication code associated with the second user. 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the verifying that the first location is within a defined threshold of a second location further comprises: receiving, from the first electronic device, first location information associated with the first electronic device; and receiving, from the second electronic device, second location information associated with the second electronic device. 16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first location information comprises satellite geolocation information. 17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first location information comprises a local area network identity within communication range of the first location. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise: publishing, to a distributed database system, the record of ownership associated with the item. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise: publishing, to a distributed database system, the updated record of ownership associated with the item. 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the record of ownership associated with the item comprises the first digital image and an identity of the first user.	9947015	US 9947015 B1	2018-04-17	61,872,892	Analyzing digital images for authenticating memorabilia items	G06K19/10;H04L67/306;H04N7/185;H04L67/1095;G06V20/20;H04W4/029;H04L67/52;G06Q30/0185;G06Q30/00;G06F16/5866;G06F16/275;H04W4/02	G06F16/24573;G06F16/27;G06V20/95	Vildosola; Hector A et al.		15/588581	2017-05-05	Gilliard; Delomia L		1/1	Vildosola; Hector A,Vildosola; Armando,Vildosola; Eugenio,Vildosola; Diego	4.341257	USPAT	22,872
United States Patent 9949065 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent April 17, 2018 Inventor(s) Zarakas; James et al. ## System and method for automatic bluetooth pairing ### Abstract A method and system for automatically connecting one customer device with another over a Bluetooth or similar connection. The automatic connection may be made by generating a unique identifier to store on a new customer device and a backend system associated with an existing customer device and connecting the new customer device with the existing customer device using the unique identifier. Inventors: Zarakas; James (Centerville, VA), Kelly; Kevin (Austin, TX), Sangi; Saleem (Ellicott City, MD), Koeppel; Adam (Washington, DC) Applicant: Capital One Services, LLC (McLean, VA) Family ID: 61872704 Assignee: CAPITAL ONE SERVICES, LLC (McLean, VA) Appl. No.: 15/698724 Filed: September 08, 2017 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 62440525 20161230 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: H04W4/20 (20090101); H04W4/00 (20180101); H04L29/06 (20060101); G06Q20/34 (20120101); G06Q20/38 (20120101); H04W12/06 (20090101); H04W12/04 (20090101) U.S. Cl.: CPC H04W4/008 (20130101); G06Q20/341 (20130101); H04L63/083 (20130101); G06Q20/3829 (20130101); G06Q2220/00 (20130101); H04W4/206 (20130101); H04W12/04 (20130101); H04W12/06 (20130101) ### Field of Classification Search USPC: None ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 2011/0117845 12/2010 Kirsch 455/41.2 H04M 1/6091 2012/0083209 12/2011 Giles 455/41.2 H04W 4/206 2014/0235166 12/2013 Molettiere 455/41.2 H04B 7/26 2015/0207626 12/2014 Neftel 713/168 G08C 17/02 2015/0289124 12/2014 Palin 455/41.2 H04W 8/005 2015/0350820 12/2014 Son 455/41.2 H04W 4/008 2016/0050553 12/2015 Kang 455/41.2 G06Q 30/0601 Primary Examiner: Bilodeau; David Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hunton & Williams LLP ### Background/Summary CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION (1) The subject application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/440,525, filed on Dec. 30, 2016, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE (1) The present disclosure relates to automatically connecting one customer device with another over a Bluetooth or similar connection. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to generating a unique identifier to store on a new customer device and a backend system associated with an existing customer device and connecting the new customer device with the existing customer device using the unique identifier. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE (2) Currently, in order to connect two devices using Bluetooth, the devices must be paired by a user manually confirming the identity of the device(s) being paired. Specifically, the device to use must be put in discovery mode by pressing a button or opening a Bluetooth setting scene. Then, a user must enter a settings screen to select the discoverable device on the connecting device. For security reasons, the user may also be required to input a PIN in order to pair the devices via Bluetooth, precluding other devices from being paired without the user's authorization. Accordingly, pairing two devices over Bluetooth requires a number of user inputs, several of which are subject to user error, with its attendant drawbacks on consumer satisfaction, network efficiency, and security. (3) These and other drawbacks exist. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE (4) Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system and method for automatically and securely connecting two devices over a Bluetooth connection without a user confirming the identity of the device(s) as described above. As described herein, one device may be described as a new customer device. A new customer device may be any device capable of connecting with another device using Bluetooth. A new customer device may be a user device newly received by a customer or a user device to newly pair with an existing customer device. As described herein, a second device may be an existing customer device. An existing customer device may be any device capable of connecting with another device using Bluetooth. An existing customer device may be a device already in possession of a user. (5) In an example embodiment, a new customer device may be paired with an existing customer device using a unique identifier (ID). A unique ID may be generated using existing data, such as a mobile device number, a customer name, a customer address, a customer account number, a device identifier, and the like. A unique ID may be generated using a random number generator. A unique ID may be a hashed version of any single piece or combination of existing data. (6) In an example embodiment, a unique ID may be pre-stored on the new customer device by the device provider. The same unique ID also may be stored on a backend system hosted by the device provider. In this manner, when a customer receives the new customer device, the new customer device already has a unique ID stored within the device. A unique ID may be used as a link key for pairing two devices over Bluetooth. A unique ID may be used to generate a link key for pairing two devices over Bluetooth. (7) In an example embodiment, when a customer receives the new customer device, an existing customer device may detect the new customer device and open an application stored on the existing customer device upon the detection. The application stored on the existing customer device may transmit a request to the device provider system over a secure connection. A request may include a request for a unique ID associated with the existing customer device application (e.g., an account associated with the existing customer device) and/or a device identifier associated with the new device. In response to the request, the device provider system may transmit the unique ID to the existing device over the secure connection. In response to the request, the device provider system may transmit a new device ID to the existing device over a secure connection. The new device ID may include a time-based one time password. (8) In an example embodiment, upon receiving a unique ID, an existing customer device may transmit a first data packet to the new customer device. An existing customer device also may control wireless communications based on the new device ID such that the existing device may only accept interaction requests (e.g., a request to pair) from a device associated with the new device identifier. The first data packet may include a request for devices capable of pairing with the existing device. The first data packet may include a request for a unique ID from the new customer device. The first data packet may include the unique ID received at the existing device from the device provider system. (9) In an example embodiment, the new customer device may respond to first data packet. If the first data packet includes the unique ID from the existing customer device, the new customer device may generate a link key using the unique ID. In this manner the new customer device may cryptographically authenticate the identity of the existing customer device. For example, the new customer device may decrypt the received unique ID using a secret key stored on the new customer device. The new customer device may then compare the received unique ID with the unique ID stored within the new customer device and, if the unique IDs match, the new customer device may generate a link key to create a connection between the new customer device and the existing customer device. If the unique IDs do not match, a connection may not be made. (10) A link key may then be used to generate an Asynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) link, which may be encrypted to provide a secure connection between the new customer device and the existing customer device. The link key may be stored as a private key on the new customer device. The link key may be stored as a public key on a backend system. (11) In an example embodiment, if a first data packet includes a request for the new customer device to respond with its unique ID, the new customer device may encrypt the unique ID stored within the new customer device and transmit the encrypted unique ID to the existing customer device in response to the first data packet. Upon receiving the response to the first data packet, the existing customer device may decrypt the received unique ID using a secret key stored within the existing customer device, and compare the decrypted received unique ID with the unique ID received from the device provider system. If the unique IDs match, the existing customer device may generate a link key to create a connection between the existing customer device and the new customer device. If the unique IDs do not match, a connection may not be made. (12) A link key may then be used to generate an Asynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) link, which may be encrypted to provide a secure connection between the new customer device and the existing customer device. (13) Where a first data packet includes a request for responses from devices capable of pairing with the existing device, the request may include a request to respond with a device ID. A new device may respond with a new device ID and, if the new device ID matches the new device ID received at the existing device from the device provider system, the existing device may proceed with a second data packet to initiate the pairing of the existing device to the new device using a unique ID as described herein. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) Various embodiments of the present disclosure, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in the several Figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which: (2) FIG. 1 depicts an example embodiment of a system for automatically creating a Bluetooth connection according to embodiments of the disclosure; (3) FIG. 2 depicts an example embodiment of an electronic card as a new customer device according to embodiments of the disclosure; (4) FIG. 3 depicts an example embodiment of an electronic card as a new customer device according to embodiments of the disclosure; (5) FIG. 4 depicts an example embodiment of an electronic card as a new customer device and a mobile device as an existing customer device according to embodiments of the disclosure; (6) FIG. 5 depicts an example embodiment of a backend system connection to a client device, such as the connection between a device provider system and a customer device according to embodiments of the disclosure; (7) FIG. 6 depicts an example method for automatically creating a Bluetooth connection between a new customer device and an existing customer device according to embodiments of the disclosure; and (8) FIG. 7 depicts an example method for automatically creating a Bluetooth connection between a new customer device and an existing customer device according to embodiments of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS (9) The following description is intended to convey a thorough understanding of the embodiments described by providing a number of specific exemplary embodiments and details involving automatically creating a Bluetooth connection between a new customer device and an existing customer device. It should be appreciated, however, that the present disclosure is not limited to these specific embodiments and details, which are examples only. It is further understood that one possessing ordinary skill in the art, in light of known systems and methods, would appreciate the use of the invention for its intended purposes and benefits in any number of alternative embodiments, depending on specific design and other needs. (10) A financial institution and system supporting a financial institution are used as examples for the disclosure. The disclosure is not intended to be limited to financial institutions only. For example, many other device and account providers may exist, such as electronics companies (e.g., smartphone companies, wearable companies, headset companies, television and monitor companies, and the like). (11) Additionally, an electronic transaction card is used as an example of a new customer device. The disclosure is not intended to be limited to electronic transaction cards only. For example, many other devices may exist, such as any device capable of communicating using a Bluetooth connection. An electronic transaction card may include any type of transaction card that includes a microcontroller-enabled card used in any type of transaction, including, for example, debit cards, credit cards, pre-paid cards, cards used in transportation systems, membership programs, loyalty programs, hotel systems, and the like. An electronic transaction card may include enhanced features, including hardware, software, and firmware, beyond the traditional features of a magnetic stripe or EMV card. An electronic transaction card may include a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), and may store encryption keys for hardware authentication. (12) Additionally, a mobile device is used as an example of an existing customer device. The disclosure is not intended to be limited to mobile devices only. For example, many other devices may exist, such as any device capable of communicating using a Bluetooth connection. The use of "mobile device" in the examples throughout this application is only by way of example. Any type of device capable of communicating with a new customer device may also be used, including, for example, personal computers, tablets, gaming systems, televisions, cars, appliances (e.g., refrigerators), lighting systems, or any other device capable of communicating with a new customer device. (13) As shown in FIG. 1, an example system 100 may include one or more new device provider systems 120, one or more new customer devices 130, and one or more existing customer devices 140 connected over one or more networks 110. (14) For example, network 110 may be one or more of a wireless network, a wired network or any combination of wireless network and wired network. For example, network 110 may include one or more of a fiber optics network, a passive optical network, a cable network, an Internet network, a satellite network, a wireless LAN, a Global System for Mobile Communication ("GSM"), a Personal Communication Service ("PCS"), a Personal Area Network ("PAN"), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS), Short Message Service (SMS), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) based systems, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) based systems, D-AMPS, Wi-Fi, Fixed Wireless Data, IEEE 802.11b, 802.15.1, 802.11n and 802.11g, a Bluetooth network, or any other wired or wireless network for transmitting and receiving a data signal. (15) In addition, network 110 may include, without limitation, telephone lines, fiber optics, IEEE Ethernet 902.3, a wide area network ("WAN"), a local area network ("LAN"), a wireless personal area network ("WPAN"), or a global network such as the Internet. Also network 110 may support an Internet network, a wireless communication network, a cellular network, or the like, or any combination thereof. Network 110 may further include one network, or any number of the example types of networks mentioned above, operating as a stand-alone network or in cooperation with each other. Network 110 may utilize one or more protocols of one or more network elements to which they are communicatively coupled. Network 110 may translate to or from other protocols to one or more protocols of network devices. Although network 110 is depicted as a single network, it should be appreciated that according to one or more embodiments, network 110 may comprise a plurality of interconnected networks, such as, for example, the Internet, a service provider's network, a cable television network, corporate networks, and home networks. (16) New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may include, for example, one or more mobile devices, such as, for example, an electronic smartcard (e.g., electronic transaction card), personal digital assistants (PDA), tablet computers and/or electronic readers (e.g., iPad, Kindle Fire, Playbook, Touchpad, etc.), wearable devices (e.g., Google Glass), telephony devices, smartphones, cameras, music playing devices (e.g., iPod, etc.), televisions, set-top-box devices, and the like. (17) New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may be any device capable communicating via, for example, Bluetooth technology, NFC technology, WiFi Direct technology, and/or the like and execute various functions to transmit and receive data. For example, new customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 could be an iPhone, iPod, iPad from Apple® or any other mobile device running Apple's iOS operating system, any device running Google's Android® operating system, including, for example, smartphones running the Android® operating system and/or other wearable mobile devices, such as Google Glass or Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch, any device running Microsoft's Windows® Mobile operating system, and/or any other smartphone or like device. (18) New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 also may be a network-enabled computer system and/or device. As referred to herein, a network-enabled computer system and/or device may include, but is not limited to: e.g., any computer device, or communications device including, e.g., a server, a network appliance, a personal computer (PC), a workstation, a mobile device, a phone, a handheld PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a thin client, a fat client, an Internet browser, or other device. The network-enabled computer systems may execute one or more software applications to, for example, receive data as input from an entity accessing the network-enabled computer system, process received data, transmit data over a network, and receive data over a network. (19) New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may include at least one central processing unit (CPU), which may be configured to execute computer program instructions to perform various processes and methods. New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may include data storage, including for example, random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM), which may be configured to access and store data and information and computer program instructions. Data storage may also include storage media or other suitable type of memory (e.g., such as, for example, RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, any type of tangible and non-transitory storage medium), where the files that comprise an operating system, application programs including, for example, web browser application, email application and/or other applications, and data files may be stored. The data storage of the network-enabled computer systems may include electronic information, files, and documents stored in various ways, including, for example, a flat file, indexed file, hierarchical database, relational database, such as a database created and maintained with software from, for example, Oracle® Corporation, Microsoft® Excel file, Microsoft® Access file, or any other storage mechanism. (20) New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may further include, for example, a processor, which may be several processors, a single processor, or a single device having multiple processors. Although depicted as single elements, it should be appreciated that according to one or more embodiments, new customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may comprise a plurality of new customer devices 130 and/or existing customer devices 140. (21) New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may further include data storage. The data storage may include electronic information, files, and documents stored in various ways, including, for example, a flat file, indexed file, hierarchical database, relational database, such as a database created and maintained with software from, for example, Oracle® Corporation, Microsoft® Excel file, Microsoft® Access file, or any other storage mechanism. (22) As shown in FIG. 1, new customer device provider system 120, new customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may include a number of components. As used herein, the term "component" may be understood to refer to computer executable software, firmware, hardware, and/or various combinations thereof. It is noted there where a component is a software and/or firmware module, the component is configured to affect the hardware elements of an associated system. It is further noted that the components shown and described herein are intended as examples. The components may be combined, integrated, separated, or duplicated to support various applications. Also, a function described herein as being performed at a particular component may be performed at one or more other components and by one or more other devices instead of or in addition to the function performed at the particular component. (23) As depicted in FIG. 1, system 100 may include new device provider system 120. New device provider system 120 may include, for example, a system associated with manufacturing and/or providing a new customer device, such as new customer device 130, to a customer. New device provider system 120 may include an input/output component 122, a unique ID generator 124, and/or data storage 126. (24) Input/output component 122 may include for example, I/O devices, which may be configured to provide input and/or output to new device provider system 120 (e.g., keyboard, mouse, display, speakers, printers, modems, network cards, etc.). Input/output component 122 also may include antennas, network interfaces that may provide or enable wireless and/or wire line digital and/or analog interface to one or more networks, such as network 110, over one or more network connections, a power source that provides an appropriate alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) to power one or more components of new device provider system 120 and a bus that allows communication among the various components of new device provider system 120. Input/output component 122 may include a display, which may include for example output devices, such as a printer, display screen (e.g., monitor, television, and the like), speakers, projector, and the like. (25) Unique ID generator 124 may include one or more encoders and/or decoders, one or more interleavers, one or more circular buffers, one or more multiplexers and/or de-multiplexers, one or more permuters and/or depermuters, one or more encryption and/or decryption units, one or more modulation and/or demodulation units, one or more arithmetic logic units and/or their constituent parts, and the like. Unique ID generator may generate a unique ID using any of these components. A unique ID may be generated by hashing customer data, new device data, and/or existing device data. For example, a unique ID may be generated using a customer address, customer name, customer identifier, existing device number, new device number, existing device account number, new device account number, and/or the like. (26) Data storage 126 may include for example, random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM), which may be configured to access and store data and information and computer program instructions. Data storage may also include storage media or other suitable type of memory (e.g., such as, for example, RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, any type of tangible and non-transitory storage medium), where the files that comprise an operating system, application programs including, for example, web browser application, email application and/or other applications, and data files may be stored. The data storage of the network-enabled computer systems may include electronic information, files, and documents stored in various ways, including, for example, a flat file, indexed file, hierarchical database, relational database, such as a database created and maintained with software from, for example, Oracle® Corporation, Microsoft® Excel file, Microsoft® Access file, or any other storage mechanism. (27) Data storage 126 may store new customer device data such as a new customer device identifier, a unique ID associated with a new customer device, an account number, phone number, address number, and/or the like associated with the new customer device, and the like. Data storage 126 may store existing customer device data such as existing customer device identifiers, a unique ID associated with an existing customer device, an account number, phone number, address number, and/or the like associated with the existing customer device, and the like (28) As depicted in FIG. 1, system 100 may include new customer device 130. New customer device 130 may include, for example, a new customer device to be paired via Bluetooth to an existing customer device, such as existing customer device 140. Customer device 130 may include an input/output component 132, a microprocessor 134, data storage 136, and an antenna 138. Existing customer device 140 may include an input/output component 142, a microprocessor 144, data storage 146, and an antenna 148 (29) Input/output components 132, 142 may include for example, I/O devices, which may be configured to provide input and/or output to new customer device 120 and existing customer device 140, respectively (e.g., keyboard, mouse, display, speakers, printers, modems, network cards, etc.). Input/output components 132, 142 also may include antennas, network interfaces that may provide or enable wireless and/or wire line digital and/or analog interface to one or more networks, such as network 110, over one or more network connections, a power source that provides an appropriate alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) to power one or more components of new customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 and a bus that allows communication among the various components of new customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140. Input/output components 132, 142 may include a display, which may include for example output devices, such as a printer, display screen (e.g., monitor, television, and the like), speakers, projector, and the like. (30) Input/output components 132, 142 may include a Bluetooth module or chipset with a Bluetooth transceiver and a chip that may interact with antenna 138, 148. The transceiver may transmit and receive information via the antenna and an interface. The chip may include a microprocessor that stores and processes information specific to a piconet and provides device control functionality. Device control functionality may include connection creation, frequency-hopping sequence selection and timing, power control, security control, polling, packet processing, and the like. The device control functionality and other Bluetooth-related functionality may be supported using a Bluetooth API provided by the platform associated with the new customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 (e.g., The Android platform, the iOS platform). Using a Bluetooth API, an application stored on new customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 (e.g., a banking application, a financial account application, etc.) or the device may be able to scan for other Bluetooth devices (e.g., new customer device 130), query the local Bluetooth adapter for paired Bluetooth devices, establish RFCOMM channels, connect to other devices through service discovery, transfer data to and from other devices, and manage multiple connections. A Bluetooth API used in the methods, systems, and devices described herein may include an API for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to provide significantly lower power consumption and allow devices to communicate with BLE devices that have low power requirements. (31) Microprocessors 134, 144 may include one or more processing components of new customer device 130 and existing customer device 140, respectively. Microprocessors 134, 144 may include one or more encoders and/or decoders, one or more interleavers, one or more circular buffers, one or more multiplexers and/or de-multiplexers, one or more permuters and/or depermuters, one or more encryption and/or decryption units, one or more modulation and/or demodulation units, one or more arithmetic logic units and/or their constituent parts, and the like. Microprocessors 134, 144 may be capable of encrypting and decrypting unique IDs, link keys, shared secret keys, and the like. (32) Data storage components 136, 146 may include for example, random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM), which may be configured to access and store data and information and computer program instructions. Data storage may also include storage media or other suitable type of memory (e.g., such as, for example, RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, any type of tangible and non-transitory storage medium), where the files that comprise an operating system, application programs including, for example, web browser application, email application and/or other applications, and data files may be stored. The data storage of the network-enabled computer systems may include electronic information, files, and documents stored in various ways, including, for example, a flat file, indexed file, hierarchical database, relational database, such as a database created and maintained with software from, for example, Oracle® Corporation, Microsoft® Excel file, Microsoft® Access file, or any other storage mechanism. (33) Data storage 136 may store a unique ID that was placed into data storage 136 by the new device provider system 120. Data storage 136 may store a generated link key or shared secret key. Data storage 136 may store new customer device data, such as an address, a customer identifier, a device identifier, and the like. (34) Data storage 146 may store a unique ID received from the new device provider system 120 over network 110. Data storage 146 may store existing customer device data such as an address, a customer identifier, a device identifier, and the like. Data storage 146 may store a new device provider application. A new device provider application may create a link between the existing device 140 and the new device provider system 120. A new device provider application may allow a customer to log into an account associated with a new device provider system 120. (35) Data storage 136, 146 also may include various software components to facilitate the operation of new customer device 130 and existing customer device 140, respectively. For example, data storage 136, 146 may include an operating system such as, for example, the iOS operating system from Apple, the Google Android operating system, and the Windows Mobile operating system from Microsoft. Data storage 136, 146 may also include, without limitation, software applications such as mobile banking applications and financial institution application, an NFC application programming interface, and software to enable touch sensitive displays. Data storage 136, 146 may include software stacks or Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) which allow software applications to be written on top of the software stacks. For example, APIs my include, without limitation, a card emulation API to enable NFC card emulation mode, a logic link control protocol (LLCP) API for peer-to-peer communication between mobile devices, a Bluetooth API supporting BLE, and a real-time data (RTD) API and a NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) API for reading/writing. (36) Antennae 138, 148 may include an NFC, Bluetooth, BLE, and/or other antenna so that a new customer device 130 and an existing customer device 140 may communicate wirelessly with one another. (37) By way of example, a new customer device 130 may be an electronic transaction card. An electronic transaction card may include any transaction card that is able to display alerts, notifications, and/or other output to a card holder via a display and/or LED lighting 126 and/or receive input to interact with the electronic transaction card via, for example, a sensor. Electronic transaction card also may be composed of various materials that enable the entire exterior surface of card to act as a sensor. An electronic transaction card may be able to communicate with, for example, a mobile device using RFID, Bluetooth, NFC, WiFi Direct, and/or other related technologies. For example, communications between an electronic transaction card and a mobile device may include methods, systems, and devices as described in Applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/338,423 filed on Jul. 23, 2014, published as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0032635, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. An electronic transaction card may be able to communicate with EMV terminals via contact points positioned on the exterior of card connected to an EMV processor located on or in the electronic transaction card. For example, contact points positioned on the exterior of the electronic card may be directly connected and adjacent to the EMV processor. In another example, the contact points positioned on the exterior of the electronic transaction card may be connected to EMV processor using a form of wired connection (e.g., electrical wiring, plastic jumpers, and/or the like) such that the EMV processor may be positioned at any location in the interior of the card 120 as described in Applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/098,830, published as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0307081, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. (38) An electronic transaction card may also include hardware components to provide contactless payments and/or communications. For example, an electronic transaction card may include an output layer, an outer protective layer, potting, application (e.g., a Java Applet), application integration (e.g., Java Applet integration), an EMV processor, one or more sensors, a display, a display driver, firmware, a bootloader, a microcontroller, one or more antenna, a battery, power management, a flexible PCB, a chassis, and/or card backing as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. An EMV processor embedded in the electronic transaction card may include a number of contacts that may be connected and activated using an interface device. (39) FIG. 2 depicts an example electronic transaction card 200. As shown in FIG. 2, electronic transaction card 200 may include a top output layer 202. The top output layer may be a film covering, a plastic covering, and/or the like. The top output layer 202 may be constructed of scratch-resistant and/or scratch-proof materials. Materials that may be used as a top outer layer 202 may include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PET-G), polyester film or plastic sheet (e.g., Mylar), polycarbonate (PC), and/or the like. An electronic transaction card 200 may further include a top protective layer 204, such as a clear scratch-resistant coating and/or scratch-proof material to protect the underlying components. For example, various scratch-resistant materials include materials coated with a scratch resistant chemical coating, such as a UV curable chemical coating. Scratch-proof materials may include a mineral glass, thin film alloys, ITO, ZnO, a sapphire glass material, PVC, PET, BoPET (e.g., Mylar), polyvinylidene fluoride (e.g., Kynar), polyvinylidene difluoride, PC and/or PET-G. (40) An electronic transaction card may include a potting 206 or filler epoxy around the electrical components to provide strength and/or water resistance. A potting 206 may include a light guide, which may be constructed of optical grade materials such as acrylic, resin, polycarbonate, epoxies, and/or glass. Potting 206 may also include injection molding, such as over molding and/or multi-shot to encapsulate the internal components of card 200. For example, injection molding may include ABS, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), PET, polycarbonates (PC), cold lamination of the outer films to the body of the card using thermoactive adhesives, hot lamination of the outer films to the body of the card using thermoactive adhesives, and/or silicone. An electronic transaction card 200 may further include a Java Applet 208 and Java Applet integration 210. Although a Java Applet 208 is used through the specification, any other type of code application may be used. Moreover, although Java Applet integration 210 is used throughout this specification, any type of interface may be used to allow the microcontroller to interact with the EMV processor. A Java Applet 208 may include code that executes payments, such as payment made using an EMV processor. A Java Applet 208 may include account-provider specific code to execute display functionality specific to the account provider. Java Applet integration 210 may include coded interfaces to allow the microcontroller to interact with the EMV processor 212. (41) An EMV processor 212 may include and/or be connected to a number of contacts that may interact with a terminal configured to read data stored on an EMV processor 212. During an EMV transaction, application cryptograms may be used to send and receive data packets between the electronic transaction card 200 and a terminal, such as a merchant terminal, which may be similar to a terminal included at a merchant 150. For example, data packets may include user authentication information which an acquisition system and/or issuing financial institution may use to authenticate a transaction card 200 during a transaction. Various cryptographic protocols and/or methods may be used in this data transmission and reception process. Moreover, during a transaction issuing financial institutions and/or acquisition systems may return script commands to the EMV processor 212 via a terminal. These script commands and/or data packets may be transmitted between parties over a network. Script commands may be used, for example, to block transactions, change transaction data stored on the EMV processor (e.g., transaction history, account limits, account balance, and/or the like). Offline data authentication may also take place using, for example public key cryptography to perform payment data authentication. For example, offline data authentication may use Static Data Authentication (SDA), Dynamic Data Authentication (DDA), and/or Combined Data Authentication (CDA). (42) Electronic transaction card 200 may also include one or more sensors 214 to receive input. Sensors 214 may include an activation sensor and/or an operation sensor, which may be combined and/or separate. An activation sensor may activate the electronic transaction card 200 and an operation sensor may instruct the electronic transaction card 200 to perform an action based on the received input. An activation sensor may require a security input, such as a biometric input (e.g., fingerprint, eye scan, voice recognition, and/or the like), input indicative of a paired mobile device (e.g., BLE and/or Bluetooth pairing), input indicative of a password (e.g., a password received via a sensor on the electronic transaction card and/or a password received on a paired mobile device), and/or the like. An operation sensor may change a display 216 based on received input, conduct a transaction via, for example an EMV processor 212 and/or contactless payment technologies based on received input, attempt a pairing of a card 200 and a mobile device, and/or the like. (43) By way of example, a sensor 214 may include a capacitive touch sensor, a piezoelectric sensor, an inductive sensor, load cells, a light sensor, a temperature sensor, a resistive touchscreen, including for example an analogue matrix real (AMR) sensors, and/or the like. Sensors 214 may include accelerometers and/or photo sensors to detect motion input. (44) Although the sensor 214 is depicted at a particular spot in the transaction card 200, a sensor 214 may be placed at any portion of the card to detect, for example, touch, light, heat, energy, and/or the like. For example, a sensor may be placed around the outer edges of an electronic transaction card 200 or at any spot within the electronic transaction card 200. Sensor 214 also may include the entire exterior surface of transaction card 200. (45) A display 216 may be provided within the transaction card 200. Although the display as shown includes, for example, a dot matrix display, a number of other display options may be included in the transaction card 200. For example, lighting, such as LED lighting, OLED lighting, electro luminescent (EL) displays and/or the like, may be used as display components. Display components may also include electronic paper, Mirasol™, TF LCD, Quantum Dot Display, and/or the like. Where lighting is used, various lighting technologies may be used to create a display that indicates a number of things to a cardholder. For example, edge lighting may be used to create a specific visual component in the display. A number of LED or OLED lights may be used to illuminate various portions of the display in order to output information to a card holder. (46) By way of example, a display 216 may be illuminated using a particular color to relay to the cardholder balance information of an account associated with a transaction card, such as an RGB LED matrix panel and/or RGB LED displays. A red light display may indicate that the account balance is within a first predetermined dollar amount or a first predetermined percentage of the total spending limit, a particular budget, a particular budget category, and/or the like. A yellow light display may indicate that the account balance is within a second predetermined dollar amount or a second predetermined percentage of the total spending limit, a particular budget, a particular budget category, and/or the like. A green light display may indicate that the account balance is within a third predetermined dollar amount or a third predetermined percentage of the total spending limit, a particular budget, a particular budget category, and/or the like. Various colors and or number of categories may be used to output this information to a cardholder. A display 216 may include other display component, such as, for example, LCD technology, ePaper technology (e.g., e-ink), vacuum florescent display technology, and/or the like. (47) By way of example, a display may include a number of LED or OLED lights that may be lit in a particular pattern to indicate transaction and/or account information. For example, a display may include a circle, semicircle, or other shape of LED or OLED lighting, where the number of lights illuminated indicates a dollar amount or a percentage of the total spending limit, a particular budget, a particular budget category, and/or the like. (48) A display may be altered, for example, depending on which account or card is selected to be used. For example, where electronic transaction card 200 includes a debit account, a first credit account, and a second credit account, display components 216 may reflect the card number, security code, expiration date, and/or other necessary data indicative of the account (e.g., second credit account) that is being used to execute a transaction. A display may be altered when, for example, an electronic card 200 receives new card data and/or new account data from an account holder's mobile device via a wireless connection. For example, where an account has been marked as associated with fraudulent activity, an account holder and/or issuing financial institution may deactivate the card associated with the account and issue a new card. Accordingly, new card data may be transmitted from the issuing financial institution to, for example, an account holder's mobile device via a network, and then from an account holder's mobile device to electronic card 200 via a wireless connection. A display may also be altered when electronic card 200 activates a new account. For example, when an account holder applies for a new account (e.g., a new credit card account, a new checking account, and/or the like), if approved, new account data may be transmitted to electronic card 200. New account data may be received at an account holder's mobile device from an issuing financial institution via a network (e.g., using a mobile application, mobile optimized website, and/or the like). New account data may then be transmitted from an account holder's mobile device to electronic card 200 via a wireless connection (e.g., BLE, RFID, NFC, WiFi, and/or the like) or a contact connection (e.g., using a terminal in contact with an EMV processor and/or other microchip). (49) As described herein, card 200 may be fully or partially pre-loaded with account and/or card data. For example, an applet and placeholder data (or actual data) may be stored within electronic card 200. Accordingly, when an account holder wishes to activate a new account (e.g., account holder who maintains a first credit account may wish to apply for a second credit account), the new account data and/or activation signal may be received from an account holder's mobile device via a wireless connection or a contact connection (e.g., using a terminal in contact with an EMV processor and/or other microchip) and a new account and/or card may be activated and able to be displayed on electronic card 200. (50) An electronic transaction card 200 may include a display driver 218 that translates instructions from a microcontroller 224 into display images to be displayed using display components 216. A display driver 218 may include an integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and/or the like that provides an interface function between the display and the microcontroller 224. A display driver 218 may include memory (e.g., RAM, Flash, ROM, and/or the like) and/or firmware that includes font display data. (51) A electronic transaction card 200 may include firmware 220 and/or a bootloader 222. A bootloader 222 may include code to be executed as an electronic card 200 is activated and before any operating system, firmware, or other code is executed on the electronic transaction card 200. A bootloader may be activated via a sensor 214 and energy storage component 228 of the electronic transaction card 200. Bootloader 222 may be activated and/or load an application and/or program upon detection that card 200 has been inserted into a terminal, charger, and/or the like. Bootloader 222 may be activated using only one technique described herein, using multiple techniques described herein, and/or using a card holder or card provider selected technique(s) described herein. Bootloader 222 may only be active during a short interval after the card 200 powers up. Card 200 may also be activated using program code that may be flashed directly to a microprocessor such as microcontroller 224, EMV processor 212, and/or the like. Card 200 may not use a bootloader 222 but instead may cycle between a sleep state and an active state using program code and/or memory. An electronic transaction card 200 may include a microcontroller 224 and an antenna 226. Antenna 226 may include, for example, a loop antenna, a fractal antenna, and/or the like. Antenna 226 may transmit to and receive signals from a mobile device, such as mobile device 140, to conduct transactions and display data as described throughout the specification. Microcontroller 224 may communicate with EMV processor 212, Java Applet 208, Java Applet integration 210, sensor(s) 214, power management 230, antenna 226, energy storage component 228, display 216, display driver 218, firmware 220, bootloader 222, and/or any other component of electronic transaction card 200. Microcontroller 224 may control the card operations to conduct transactions and/or display data as described throughout this specification. (52) Electronic transaction card 200 may include an energy storage component 228. Although energy storage component is depicted as a single component, energy storage component 228 may include a series of energy storage components. By way of example, energy storage component 228 may include a lithium polymer battery, a lithium-metal battery, lithium-ceramic battery, and/or any other type of battery. Energy storage component 228 may be constructed out of rigid materials, semi flexible materials, and/or flexible materials. Energy storage component 228 may provide power to card components contained within electronic transaction card 200. Energy storage component 228 may be a combine battery/potting component to support electronic transaction card 200. (53) Electronic transaction card 200 may include a power management component 230 that may manage the charging and discharging of energy storage component 228. Power management component 230 may convert voltage to a predetermined level in order to operate electronic transaction card 200 as discussed throughout the specification. Power management component 230 and/or energy storage component 228 may include, for example, solar power cells to convert solar energy into an electrical current within a solar panel. Power management component 230 and/or energy storage component 228 may include connections to sensors 214 to receive input and activate electronic transaction card 200 (e.g., motion input, thermal input, manual input, touch input, and/or the like). (54) A flexible printed circuit board (PCB) 232 may be included in electronic transaction card 200. A flexible PCB 232 may include a PCB mounted in a flexible plastic substrate, such as for example, a polyimide, polyether ether ketone, and/or a transparent conductive polyester film. A flexible PCB 232 may be printed, using, for example screen printing, 3D printing, and/or the like, to arrange circuits on a material, such as polyester. Flexible PCB 232 may include electronic components and connections that power electronic transaction card 200. Flexible PCB 232 may control and/or provide integration between the components of card 200. For example, flexible PCB 232 mechanically supports and electronically connects the electronic components of card 200 using, for example, conductive tracks, pads, and/or other features. PCB 232 may be combined with an energy component (e.g., battery component, power component, etc.) as described in Applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/098,935 filed on Apr. 14, 2016, published as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0308371, which is incorporated by reference. A flexible PCB may also provide antenna support. A flexible printed circuit (FPC) may be used in place of or in conjunction with flexible PCB 232. FPC 232 may be fabricated with photolithographic technology, such as light exposure of a film material laminated to substrate and/or conductive layers. FPC 232 may be printed, silkscreened, and/or the like. FPC 232 may be used as a structural member for the electronic components of card 200 and/or for the card system as a whole 200. (55) Electronic transaction card 200 may include a chassis 234 as a frame or supporting structure. Chassis 234 may be a mount for a flexible PCB 232 and may be constructed out of flexible or semi-flexible material as well. Chassis 234 may be constructed out of a number of materials, including but not limited to, PVC, PC, ABS, styrene, polycarbonate, polyester, PET, any material that is easily molded, deposited, or laser cut (e.g., organic or inorganic material such as paper, plastic, and/or engineered ceramics), and/or the like. Chassis 234 may be constructed out of a conductive material. Chassis 234 may increase the rigidity of electronic transaction card 200 to prevent damage. Chassis 234 may also be used to detect if electronic transaction card 200 is being held by including sensors 214 around chassis 234. Where chassis 234 is constructed out of a conductive material, a dielectric constant of chassis 234 and/or card 200 may be monitored to detect handling of card 200. A chassis 234 may be used to detect handling of card 200 via a strain gauge. Chassis 234 may be included within or separate from a card backing 236. Card backing 236 may include a magnetic stripe that may be read using a magnetic stripe reader. A magnetic stripe may store tracks of data that are used to conduct a transaction using an electronic transaction card 200. The tracks of data may include a first track capable of storing alphanumeric characters as well as symbols (e.g., ?, !, &, #, and/or the like), such as account numbers, account holder name, expiration data, security data, and/or other account and/or card related data. The tracks of data may include a second track capable of storing numeric characters such as account numbers, expiration data, security data, and/or other account and/or card related data. The tracks of data may include a third track of data capable of storing numeric characters such as an account number, a PIN, a country code, a currency code, an authorization amount, a balance amount, and/or other account and/or card related data. (56) A magnetic stripe may be dynamically altered. For example, an electronic transaction card 200 that is paired to a mobile device via, for example, Bluetooth, BLE, RFID, and/or other wireless technologies, may receive new track data. The new track data may be unformatted, encrypted, encoded, and/or the like when the new track data is transmitted from the mobile device to the electronic transaction card 200. Upon receipt of the new track data, the new track data may be routed to a microprocessor, such as EMV processor 212 and/or microcontroller 224. EMV processor 212 and/or microcontroller 224 may convert, decrypt, and/or decode the received new track data to ensure compliance with any standards. Once decrypted, decoded, and/or formatted, the new track data may be save on the tracks of the magnetic stripe. The magnetic stripe may be deleted and then the new track data may be recorded onto the tracks. In this manner, track data stored on a magnetic stripe may be altered at any time upon pairing an electronic transaction card 200 with a mobile device. (57) Card backing 236 may be made of similar material to that of the output layer 202 and/or the top protective layer 204. Card backing 236 may be made out of a plastic material. (58) Although the components of electronic transaction card 200 are illustrated in a particular fashion, these components may be combined and or placed throughout an electronic transaction card 200 in any manner, such as those depicted in FIG. 7. (59) For example, FIG. 3 illustrates an electronic transaction card having an output layer 302 which may be similar to output layer 202; an outer protective layer 304 which may be similar to outer protective layer 204; potting 306 which may be similar to potting 206; Java Applets 308 which may be similar to Java Applets 208; Java Applet integration 310 which may be similar to Java Applet integration 210; an EMV processor 312 which may be similar to EMV processor 212; a sensor 314 which may be similar to sensor 214; display 316 which may be similar to display 216; display driver 318 which may be similar to display driver 218; firmware 320 which may be similar to firmware 220; bootloader 322 which may be similar to bootloader 222; microcontroller 324 which may be similar to microcontroller 224; antenna 326 which may be similar to antenna 226; energy storage component 328 which may be similar to energy storage component 228; power management 330 which may be similar to power management 230; a flexible PCB 332 which may be similar to flexible PCB 232; chassis 334 which may be similar to chassis 234; and/or card backing 336 which may be similar to card backing 236. (60) In the context of an electronic transaction card, software applications stored in data storage may include, for example mobile banking applications and applications associated with an electronic transaction card. Applications may include card on/off features that allow a cardholder associated with a mobile device, similar to existing customer device 140, to enable and disable a transaction card. For example, a card holder may use, for example, a mobile banking application stored on an existing customer device 140 to disable and/or enable accounts associated with an electronic transaction card. A mobile banking application may include, for example, an application as displayed on mobile device 420 in FIG. 4. In this example, an electronic transaction card may have account data pre-stored on the electronic transaction card to associate a number of different accounts with the electronic transaction card (e.g., debit card, credit card, prepaid card, and/or the like). If a card holder has a credit account established and desires to establish a debit card associated with the electronic transaction card, the card holder may use a mobile device and/or electronic transaction card to activate the inactive debit account on the electronic transaction card. (61) FIG. 4 illustrates a system associated with the connection between an existing customer device, a mobile device, and a new customer device, an electronic transaction card. The example system 400 in FIG. 4 may enable a mobile device 420 storing a mobile banking application, for example, to receive a unique ID from the backend system associated with the mobile banking application. As described herein, the unique ID may be used to automatically generate a Bluetooth connection 430 between the electronic transaction card 410 and mobile device 420. As described herein, for example, data may be transmitted and received by electronic transaction card 410 via antenna 414. Data may be received and/or transmitted using, for example a mobile banking application that maintains and/or creates a secure connection with a financial institution to send and/or receive data related to an account associated with the financial institution. For example, a mobile banking application may include send and/or receive data related to a credit account, a debit account, a prepaid account, a loyalty account, a rewards account, and/or the like. Data received at electronic transaction card 410 may be stored on microchip 412 and/or may be displayed via display 416. (62) FIG. 5 illustrates a system associated with the automatic pairing of an existing customer device and a new customer device. The example system 500 in FIG. 5 may enable a new customer device provider system, for example, to provide services to its customers, and may include providing unique IDs, transaction card data, account data, and/or any other data to a mobile device that may in turn aid in the automated connection of the existing customer device to the new customer device. (63) As shown in FIG. 5, system 500 may include an existing customer device, such as mobile device 502, a network 504, a front-end controlled domain 506, a back-end controlled domain 512, and a backend 518. Front-end controlled domain 506 may include one or more load balancers 508 and one or more web servers 510. Back-end controlled domain 512 may include one or more load balancers 514 and one or more application servers 516. (64) Mobile device 502 may be a network-enabled computer. As referred to herein, a network-enabled computer may include, but is not limited to: e.g., any computer device, or communications device including, e.g., a server, a network appliance, a personal computer (PC), a workstation, a mobile device, a phone, a handheld PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a thin client, a fat client, an Internet browser, or other device. The one or more network-enabled computers of the example system 500 may execute one or more software applications to enable, for example, network communications. (65) Mobile device 502 may include an iPhone, iPod, iPad from Apple® or any other mobile device running Apple's iOS operating system, any device running Google's Android® operating system, including for example, Google's wearable device, Google Glass, any device running Microsoft's Windows® Mobile operating system, and/or any other smartphone or like wearable mobile device. Mobile device 502 also may be similar to existing customer device 140 as shown and described in FIG. 1. (66) Network 504 may be one or more of a wireless network, a wired network, or any combination of a wireless network and a wired network. For example, network 504 may include one or more of a fiber optics network, a passive optical network, a cable network, an Internet network, a satellite network, a wireless LAN, a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), a Personal Communication Service (PCS), a Personal Area Networks, (PAN), D-AMPS, Wi-Fi, Fixed Wireless Data, IEEE 802.11b, 802.15.1, 802.11n, and 802.11g or any other wired or wireless network for transmitting and receiving a data signal. (67) In addition, network 504 may include, without limitation, telephone lines, fiber optics, IEEE Ethernet 902.3, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN) or a global network such as the Internet. Also, network 504 may support an Internet network, a wireless communication network, a cellular network, or the like, or any combination thereof. Network 504 may further include one network, or any number of example types of networks mentioned above, operating as a stand-alone network or in cooperation with each other. Network 504 may utilize one or more protocols of one or more network elements to which they are communicatively couples. Network 504 may translate to or from other protocols to one or more protocols of network devices. Although network 504 is depicted as a single network, it should be appreciated that according to one or more embodiments, network 504 may comprise a plurality of interconnected networks, such as, for example, the Internet, a service provider's network, a cable television network, corporate networks, and home networks. (68) Front-end controlled domain 506 may be implemented to provide security for backend 518. Load balancer(s) 508 may distribute workloads across multiple computing resources, such as, for example computers, a computer cluster, network links, central processing units or disk drives. In various embodiments, load balancer(s) 510 may distribute workloads across, for example, web server(s) 516 and/or backend 518 systems. Load balancing aims to optimize resource use, maximize throughput, minimize response time, and avoid overload of any one of the resources. Using multiple components with load balancing instead of a single component may increase reliability through redundancy. Load balancing is usually provided by dedicated software or hardware, such as a multilayer switch or a Domain Name System (DNS) server process. (69) Load balancer(s) 508 may include software that monitoring the port where external clients, such as, for example, mobile device 502, connect to access various services of a financial institution, for example. Load balancer(s) 508 may forward requests to one of the application servers 516 and/or backend 518 servers, which may then reply to load balancer 508. This may allow load balancer(s) 508 to reply to mobile device 502 without mobile device 502 ever knowing about the internal separation of functions. It also may prevent mobile devices from contacting backend servers directly, which may have security benefits by hiding the structure of the internal network and preventing attacks on backend 518 or unrelated services running on other ports, for example. (70) A variety of scheduling algorithms may be used by load balancer(s) 508 to determine which backend server to send a request to. Simple algorithms may include, for example, random choice or round robin. Load balancers 508 also may account for additional factors, such as a server's reported load, recent response times, up/down status (determined by a monitoring poll of some kind), number of active connections, geographic location, capabilities, or how much traffic it has recently been assigned. (71) Load balancers 508 may be implemented in hardware and/or software. Load balancer(s) 308 may implement numerous features, including, without limitation: asymmetric loading; Priority activation: SSL Offload and Acceleration; Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack protection; HTTP/HTTPS compression; TCP offloading; TCP buffering; direct server return; health checking; HTTP/HTTPS caching; content filtering; HTTP/HTTPS security; priority queuing; rate shaping; content-aware switching; client authentication; programmatic traffic manipulation; firewall; intrusion prevention systems. (72) Web server(s) 510 may include hardware (e.g., one or more computers) and/or software (e.g., one or more applications) that deliver web content that can be accessed by, for example a client device (e.g., mobile device 502) through a network (e.g., network 504), such as the Internet. In various examples, web servers, may deliver web pages, relating to, for example, online banking applications and the like, to clients (e.g., mobile device 502). Web server(s) 510 may use, for example, a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP/HTTPS or sHTTP) to communicate with mobile device 502. The web pages delivered to client device may include, for example, HTML documents, which may include images, style sheets and scripts in addition to text content. (73) A user agent, such as, for example, a web browser, web crawler, or native mobile application, may initiate communication by making a request for a specific resource using HTTP/HTTPS and web server 510 may respond with the content of that resource or an error message if unable to do so. The resource may be, for example a file on stored on backend 518. Web server(s) 510 also may enable or facilitate receiving content from mobile device 502 so mobile device 502 may be able to, for example, submit web forms, including uploading of files. (74) Web server(s) also may support server-side scripting using, for example, Active Server Pages (ASP), PHP, or other scripting languages. Accordingly, the behavior of web server(s) 510 can be scripted in separate files, while the actual server software remains unchanged. (75) Load balancers 514 may be similar to load balancers 508 as described above. (76) Application server(s) 516 may include hardware and/or software that is dedicated to the efficient execution of procedures (e.g., programs, routines, scripts) for supporting its applied applications. Application server(s) 516 may comprise one or more application server frameworks, including, for example, Java application servers (e.g., Java platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE), the .NET framework from Microsoft®, PHP application servers, and the like). The various application server frameworks may contain a comprehensive service layer model. Also, application server(s) 516 may act as a set of components accessible to, for example, a financial institution, or other entity implementing system 500, through an API defined by the platform itself. For Web applications, these components may be performed in, for example, the same running environment as web server(s) 510, and application servers 516 may support the construction of dynamic pages. Application server(s) 516 also may implement services, such as, for example, clustering, fail-over, and load-balancing. In various embodiments, where application server(s) 516 are Java application servers, the web server(s) 516 may behaves like an extended virtual machine for running applications, transparently handling connections to databases associated with backend 518 on one side, and, connections to the Web client (e.g., mobile device 502) on the other. (77) Backend 518 may include hardware and/or software that enables the backend services of, for example, a financial institution, merchant, or other entity that maintains a distributed system similar to system 500. For example, backend 518 may include, a system of record, online banking applications, a rewards platform, a payments platform, a lending platform, including the various services associated with, for example, auto and home lending platforms, a statement processing platform, one or more platforms that provide mobile services, one or more platforms that provide online services, a card provisioning platform, a general ledger system, and/or a location system, which may include additional capabilities, such as transaction card data generation, transaction processing, and/or transmission of account and/or transaction data. Backend 518 may include a system associated with a device provider, such as an electronics device provider. (78) Backend 518 may be associated with various databases, including account databases that maintain, for example, cardholder information (e.g., demographic data, credit data, cardholder profile data, and the like), transaction card databases that maintain transaction card data (e.g., transaction history, account balance, spending limit, budget categories, budget spending, budget limits, and the like), and the like. Backend 518 also may be associated with one or more servers that enable the various services provided by system 500. Backend 518 may enable a device provider to implement various functions associated with the automated pairing of an existing customer device with a new customer device as shown and described herein. (79) For example, FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate methods associated with the automated pairing of an existing customer device with a new customer device. Method 600 may begin at block 602. At block 604 a unique ID may be generated by a device provider system. A unique ID may be generated using existing data, such as a mobile device number, a customer name, a customer address, a customer account number, a device identifier, and the like. A unique ID may be generated using a random number generator. A unique ID may be a hashed version of any single piece or combination of existing data. Device provider system may store the unique ID within the device provider system. (80) At block 606, device provider system also may provide the unique ID to a new customer device prior to providing the new customer device to a customer. A unique ID may be stored within secure storage, such as a secure element, of the new customer device. The new customer device may then be associated with a specific customer, for example, by linking new device data (e.g., new device identifier, new device number, and the like) with customer data (e.g., customer name, address, account number, and the like). The new customer device may then be provided to the customer. (81) At block 608, a customer may log into an account via a webpage or mobile app on the existing customer device. The new device provider system may receive the log-in data associated with this log-in from the existing customer device. Upon receiving the log-in data the device provider system may perform a search to identify any new customer devices associated with the log-in data. For example, the log-in data may indicate a specific customer or customer account. The device provider system may look up the customer or customer account and search for any new devices associated with the account. If the device provider system finds a new device associated with the account, the device provider system will retrieve the unique ID associated with the new device and prepare it for transmission. In preparation for transmission, the device provider system may encrypt or hash the unique ID. (82) At block 610, the device provider system may transmit the unique ID and other data associated with the new device to the existing customer device associated with the log-in request. Other data associated with the new device may include a device ID or account ID, device type, model number, and the like. The existing customer device may receive the unique ID and other data associated with the new device and in response, in block 612, generate an advertising packet. The advertising packet may be designed to search for or solicit a response from a specific device associated with the unique ID. The advertising packet may include data associated with the new device. The advertising packet may be transmitted along advertising channels. The advertising packet may be transmitted via Bluetooth. (83) At block 614, the existing customer device may receive a response to the advertising packet. For example, the advertising packet may have located the new device within proximity to the existing device. The new device may have received the advertising packet via Bluetooth technologies. The new device may have generated a response to the received advertising packet. The response generated by the new device may include the unique ID stored on the new device and/or some form of encrypted unique ID stored on the new device. The new device may then transmit the response that is received by the existing device over Bluetooth channels. (84) At block 616, the existing device may authenticate the new device using the unique ID that was received in response to the advertising packet and the unique ID received from the device provider system that may be stored within the existing device. The authentication may include decrypting or decoding the unique IDs to compare the unique IDs. If the comparison indicates that the unique IDs are identical, a secure Bluetooth connection may be made between the new customer device and the existing customer device. In block 618, a secure Bluetooth connection may be made by generating a link key or a shared secret key using the unique ID. For example, the unique ID or a portion thereof may be used to generate a new link key that may be stored within the existing device and new device to ensure pairing between the devices when they are within range of one another. (85) The method may end at block 620. (86) Method 700 may begin at block 702. At block 704 a unique ID may be generated by a device provider system. A unique ID may be generated using existing data, such as a mobile device number, a customer name, a customer address, a customer account number, a device identifier, and the like. A unique ID may be generated using a random number generator. A unique ID may be a hashed version of any single piece or combination of existing data. Device provider system may store the unique ID within the device provider system. (87) At block 706, device provider system also may provide the unique ID to a new customer device prior to providing the new customer device to a customer. A unique ID may be stored within secure storage, such as a secure element, of the new customer device. The new customer device may then be associated with a specific customer, for example, by linking new device data (e.g., new device identifier, new device number, and the like) with customer data (e.g., customer name, address, account number, and the like). The new customer device may then be provided to the customer. (88) At block 708, a customer may log into an account via a webpage or mobile app on the existing customer device. The new device provider system may receive the log-in data associated with this log-in from the existing customer device. Upon receiving the log-in data the device provider system may perform a search to identify any new customer devices associated with the log-in data. For example, the log-in data may indicate a specific customer or customer account. The device provider system may look up the customer or customer account and search for any new devices associated with the account. If the device provider system finds a new device associated with the account, the device provider system will retrieve the unique ID associated with the new device and prepare it for transmission. In preparation for transmission, the device provider system may encrypt or hash the unique ID. (89) At block 710, the device provider system may transmit the unique ID and other data associated with the new device to the existing customer device associated with the log-in request. Other data associated with the new device may include a device ID or account ID, device type, model number, and the like. The existing customer device may receive the unique ID and other data associated with the new device and in response, in block 712, generate an advertising packet. The advertising packet may be designed to search for a specific device associated with the unique ID. The advertising packet may include the received unique ID or an encrypted version of the received unique ID. The advertising packet may include data associated with the new device. The advertising packet may be transmitted along advertising channels. The advertising packet may be transmitted via Bluetooth. (90) At block 714, the new device may authenticate the existing device using the unique ID that was received in the advertising packet and the unique ID stored within the new device. For example, the advertising packet may have located the new device within proximity to the existing device. The new device may have received the advertising packet via Bluetooth technologies. The new device may perform an authentication based on the information in the received advertising packet. The authentication may include decrypting or decoding the unique IDs to compare the unique IDs. If the comparison indicates that the unique IDs are identical, a secure Bluetooth connection may be made between the new customer device and the existing customer device. (91) At block 716, the new device may generate a response to the advertising packet based on the authentication performed on the new device. The response may include an indication that the connection between the new device and existing device has been authenticated. The response may include a link key or portion thereof generated by the new device in response to a proper authentication. A link key may be used to send and receive data in a secure manner over a Bluetooth connection. The new device may then transmit the response over Bluetooth channels. The existing device may receive the response to the advertising packet via Bluetooth technologies. (92) In block 718, a secure Bluetooth connection may be made using the link key. The method may end at block 720. (93) The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as may be apparent. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, may be apparent from the foregoing representative descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended representative claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended representative claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such representative claims are entitled. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. (94) With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity. (95) It may be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It may be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent may be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It may be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" may be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B." (96) The foregoing description, along with its associated embodiments, has been presented for purposes of illustration only. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Those skilled in the art may appreciate from the foregoing description that modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing the disclosed embodiments. For example, the steps described need not be performed in the same sequence discussed or with the same degree of separation. Likewise various steps may be omitted, repeated, or combined, as necessary, to achieve the same or similar objectives. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but instead is defined by the appended claims in light of their full scope of equivalents. (97) In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have been described with references to the accompanying drawings. It may, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded as an illustrative rather than restrictive sense. ### Claims 1. A Bluetooth-pairing device comprising: data storage storing a software application; a Bluetooth antenna; an input/output interface; and a microprocessor configured to: receive, via the input/output interface, interaction data associated with the software application; transmit, via the input/output interface, a request for a first unique identifier (ID) to a device provider system in response to the received interaction data associated with the software application; receive, in response to the transmitted request, the first unique ID; transmit, via the Bluetooth antenna, an advertising packet to a new device; receive, via the Bluetooth antenna, a response to the advertising packet comprising a second unique ID from the new device; compare the second unique ID with the first unique ID; generate, if the first unique ID and the second unique ID match, a link key, wherein the link key is based on at least a portion of the first or second unique ID; transmit, via the Bluetooth antenna, at least a portion of the link key to the new device; and pair the Bluetooth-pairing device with the new device using at least a portion of the link key. 2. The Bluetooth-pairing device of claim 1, wherein the first and/or second unique ID is generated using existing data comprising a mobile device number, a customer name, a customer address, a customer account number, and/or a device identifier. 3. The Bluetooth-pairing device of claim 1, wherein the first and/or second unique ID is generated using a random number generator. 4. The Bluetooth-pairing device of claim 1, wherein the first and/or second unique ID is stored on a backend system hosted by the device provider. 5. The Bluetooth-pairing device of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth-pairing device controls wireless communications based on the device provider generated unique ID. 6. The Bluetooth-pairing device of claim 1, wherein the link key generates an encrypted Asynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) link that provides a secure connection between the Bluetooth-pairing device and the new device. 7. The Bluetooth-pairing device of claim 1, wherein the new device comprises an electronic transaction card. 8. The Bluetooth-pairing device of claim 1, wherein the advertising packet comprises data associated with the new device.	9949065	US 9949065 B1	2018-04-17	61,872,704	System and method for automatic bluetooth pairing	H04L63/0876;H04L63/062;H04W4/80;H04L63/083;G06Q20/354;H04W12/50;H04L9/0819;H04L9/0866;H04L63/08;H04W12/06;G06Q20/3672;G06Q20/327;G06Q20/3829;G06Q20/341;H04W8/005;H04W12/04	G06F21/445;H04W84/18;H04W12/71;G06Q2220/00;H04L9/3273;H04L2209/805;H04W4/21;H04W4/23;H04L63/0869	Zarakas; James et al.	CAPITAL ONE SERVICES, LLC	15/698724	2017-09-08	Bilodeau; David		1/1	Capital One Services, LLC	9.262645	USPAT	18,871
United States Patent 9953231 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent April 24, 2018 Inventor(s) Medina, III; Reynaldo et al. ## Authentication based on heartbeat detection and facial recognition in video data ### Abstract Techniques are described for authenticating a user to access information through an application executing on a computing device. Multiple authentication methods may be used in combination to authenticate the user with greater confidence than authentication provided by a single method, and to verify that the user is a live person and not an image or video. Facial recognition may be used in conjunction with heartbeat detection, via video analysis, to verify the user's identity and confirm that the user is live. Facial recognition may include capturing an image of the user's face and comparing certain points on the face with previously gathered information regarding the user. Heartbeat detection may include capturing a video segment of the user, stabilizing the captured video data, applying motion magnification techniques to the stabilized video data, and analyzing the stabilized, magnified video data to determine a presence of the user's heartbeat. Inventors: Medina, III; Reynaldo (San Antonio, TX), Chavez; Carlos (San Antonio, TX), Sridaran; Nandhini (Boerne, TX), Colwell; Russell (San Antonio, TX), Liu; Yuesheng (Helotes, TX), Briscoe; Storme Shelton (Tucson, AZ) Applicant: United Services Automobile Association (USAA) (San Antonio, TX) Family ID: 61952373 Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA) (San Antonio, TX) Appl. No.: 15/354529 Filed: November 17, 2016 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 62256220 20151117 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06K9/00 (20060101); G10L17/00 (20130101); G06F21/32 (20130101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06K9/00892 (20130101); G06F21/32 (20130101); G06K9/00302 (20130101); G06K9/00617 (20130101); G06K9/00711 (20130101); G10L17/005 (20130101); G06K2009/00939 (20130101) ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06K (2009/00939); G06K (2009/00892); G06K (2009/00221); G06K (2009/00302); G06K (2009/00308); G06K (2009/00315) ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 6993378 12/2005 Wiederhold 382/115 A61B 5/02055 8902045 12/2013 Linn 340/5.53 G06F 21/32 2010/0328034 12/2009 Medina 340/5.83 A61B 5/14551 2012/0016827 12/2011 Evans 706/14 G06F 21/32 2013/0079649 12/2012 Mestha 600/508 A61B 5/0022 2013/0282589 12/2012 Shoup 705/67 G06F 21/34 2014/0121540 12/2013 Raskin 600/479 A61B 5/6898 2016/0042648 12/2015 Kothuri 434/236 G06F 3/015 2016/0191822 12/2015 Kosugou 382/118 H04N 5/23219 #### OTHER PUBLICATIONS Haque, et al. Heartbeat Signal from Facial Video for Biometric Recognition, 19th Scandinavian Conference on Image Analysis (SCIA), Springer, 2015, 12 pages. cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Tucker; Wesley J Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fish & Richardson P.C. ### Background/Summary CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION (1) The present disclosure is related to, and claims priority to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/256,220, filed on Nov. 17, 2015, titled "Authentication Based on Heartbeat Detection and Facial Recognition in Video Data," the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure. BACKGROUND (1) Service providers may provide applications that enable their users to access information or request actions regarding user accounts. Such applications may include authentication features to ensure that a user is authorized to access information or request actions through the application. Traditional methods for authenticating a user may be insecure given the strong incentive for malicious individuals to attempt unauthorized access to accounts, in an effort to view confidential information, access financial data, request unauthorized funds transfers, or perform other actions. SUMMARY (2) Implementations of the present disclosure are generally directed to authenticating a user based on multiple authentication methods, including authentication methods that employ biometric data of the user. More particularly, implementations of the present disclosure are directed to user authentication based on facial recognition in combination with video data analysis to detect a heartbeat or pulse of the user. (3) In general, innovative aspects of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include actions of receiving video data of a user, the video data collected in response to detecting an attempt to access information through an application executing on a user device, the video data generated by a video capture component of a user device, comparing at least one frame of the video data to a previously collected image of the user, analyzing the video data to detect a heartbeat of the user, and providing access to the information through the application based at least partly on: detecting the heartbeat of the user, and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs that are configured to perform the actions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices. (4) These and other implementations can each optionally include one or more of the following features: analyzing the video data to detect the heartbeat further includes: performing motion stabilization on the video data and magnifying the video data; the actions further including providing access to high-risk information through the application based at least partly on: detecting the heartbeat of the user based on the analyzing of the video data, and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user; the actions further including providing access to low-risk information through the application based at least partly on: failing to detect the heartbeat of the user based on the analyzing of the video data, and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user; the actions further including presenting at least one word through a user interface of the application, receiving audio data of the user speaking the at least one word, the audio data generated by an audio capture component of the user device, and comparing the audio data to a stored voice print associated with the user, wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the audio data at least partly corresponds to the stored voice print associated with the user; the actions further including: analyzing the video data to determine a current emotional state of the user, accessing emotional state data indicating at least one previous emotional state of the user during at least one previous attempt to access information through the application, and comparing the current emotional state to the at least one previous emotion state, wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the current emotional state at least partly corresponds to the at least one previous emotional state; providing access to the information through the application is further based on one or more of: determining that an eye color of the user in at least one frame of the video data corresponds to previously determined eye color information for the user, determining that a personal identification number (PIN) entered by the user corresponds to a valid PIN for the user, determining that an answer provided by the user in response to a knowledge-based authentication (KBA) question corresponds to a stored answer associated with the user, determining that an identifier of the user device corresponds to a stored device identifier associated with the user, or detecting that the user has entered, through a user interface of the application, a one-time passcode previously communicated to the user; the actions further including determining a score as a sum of weights corresponding to: detecting the heartbeat of the user, and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user, wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the score is at least a threshold score; the threshold score is based at least partly on a risk level of the information to be accessed through the application; or the score is determined as the sum of weights further corresponding to one or more of: determining that an eye color of the user in at least one frame of the video data corresponds to previously determined eye color information for the user, determining that a personal identification number (PIN) entered by the user corresponds to a valid PIN for the user, determining that an answer provided by the user in response to a knowledge-based authentication (KBA) question corresponds to a stored answer associated with the user, determining that an identifier of the user device corresponds to a stored device identifier associated with the user, detecting that the user has entered, through a user interface of the application, a one-time passcode previously communicated to the user, or determining that recorded audio data of the user speaking at least partly corresponds to the stored voice print associated with the user. (5) These and other implementations can provide one or more of the following technical advantages and/or technical improvements compared to traditional authentication techniques. By employing facial recognition with heartbeat detection to authenticate a user, implementations prevent an unauthorized user from employing a still image of the authorized user to gain access to information through an application. Other authentication methods, such as voice print analysis, may also be added into the analysis to ensure greater security. By employing heartbeat detection alone or in combination with other authentication method(s) to authenticate a user, implementations improve the operation of a computing device configured to control user access to information such as sensitive financial account data. For example, by employing heartbeat detection, facial recognition, and/or other authentication technique(s), implementations authenticate a user more quickly, more accurately, and with less likelihood of failed authentication attempts compared to traditional authentication techniques. Accordingly, implementations use less processing power, active memory, and/or network capacity compared to systems that employ traditional authentication techniques, given that such traditional techniques may consume processing power, memory, and/or network capacity to perform multiple authentication attempts following a failed attempt to authenticate a user. Moreover, by providing authentication techniques that employ a combination of heartbeat detection and facial recognition, implementations provide for user authentication that may not require the user to remember and enter credentials such as a username, password, personal identification number (PIN), and so forth. This may expedite the authentication process, particularly on computing devices (e.g., smartphones, wearable computers, etc.) that may be limited in their display and/or user interface capabilities. (6) It is appreciated that methods in accordance with the present disclosure can include any combination of the aspects and features described herein. That is, methods in accordance with the present disclosure are not limited to the combinations of aspects and features specifically described herein, but also include any combination of the aspects and features provided. (7) The details of one or more implementations of the present disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS (1) FIG. 1 depicts an example system for authenticating a user based on various types of data, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (2) FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for authenticating a user based on various types of data, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (3) FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for stabilizing and magnifying video data for heartbeat detection, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (4) FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for stabilizing and magnifying video data for heartbeat detection, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (5) FIG. 5 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for stabilizing and magnifying video data for heartbeat detection, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (6) FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for determining the presence of a heartbeat based on analysis of video data, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (7) FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for user authentication based on voice data analysis, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (8) FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for authenticating a user based on a score that includes weights for multiple authentication methods, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (9) FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for authenticating a user based on a determined emotional state of the user, according to implementations of the present disclosure. (10) FIG. 10 depicts an example computing system, according to implementations of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (11) Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to systems, devices, methods, and computer-readable media for authenticating a user attempting to access information through an application executing on a user device. Multiple authentication methods may be used in combination to authenticate the user with greater confidence than authentication provided by a single method, and to verify that the user is a live person and not an image or video. In some implementations, facial recognition is used in conjunction with heartbeat detection, via video analysis, to verify the user's identity and confirm that the user is live. Facial recognition may include capturing an image of the user's face and comparing certain points on the face (e.g., location of eyes, mouth, nose, etc.) with previously gathered information regarding the user. Heartbeat detection may include capturing a video segment of the user, stabilizing the captured video data, applying motion magnification techniques to the stabilized video data, and analyzing the stabilized, magnified video data to determine a presence of the user's heartbeat. (12) In some scenarios, using facial recognition methods to authenticate a user may provide insufficient security. For example, an unauthorized individual may present a still image of the authorized user to a camera of the user device in an attempt to trick an authentication algorithm into determining that the authorized user is using the user device. Accordingly, heartbeat detection may be employed in conjunction with facial recognition to authenticate a user as a live human being, and determine whether the user is to be granted access to information through an application executing on a user device. In some implementations, voice recognition may be added to the heartbeat detection and facial recognition analysis to prevent an unauthorized individual from using recorded video of the authorized user to circumvent both the heartbeat detection and the facial recognition. (13) Other methods may also be used to provide additional confidence in the authentication of a user. Implementations support the use of any number of authentication techniques, including but not limited to one or more of the following: (14) Facial recognition, including capturing one or more images of the user's face and comparing the image(s) to previously captured and stored image data associated with the user; (15) Heartbeat detection through analysis of recorded video of the user, as described herein; (16) Voice recognition, including prompting the user to repeat (e.g., one or more times) a word or multi-word phrase presented on a user device, recording audio data of the user's speech, and comparing the recorded audio data to a previously stored voice print associated with the user; (17) Authentication based on a personal identification number (PIN), including receiving a user-entered PIN and comparing the PIN to a previously stored PIN associated with the user; (18) Knowledge-based authentication (KBA) of the user based on previously set up questions, e.g., "what is your mother's maiden name?", "what is the name of your favorite pet?", and so forth; (19) Authentication based on a determined emotional state of the user, as described further below; (20) Authentication based on comparing a detected eye color of the user to previously stored information describing the user's eye color; (21) Device recognition, including verifying that the device type, operating system, or identifier (e.g., MAC address, manufacturer serial number, etc.) of the user device corresponds to that of a device previously associated with the user; or (22) Single sign-on authentication, in which the user is sent a one-time code or password to use to gain access. (23) In some implementations, a score is determined for the user based on the successful authentication of the user through multiple authentication methods. Different methods may be assigned different weights in determining the score. For example, facial recognition may be weighted 10 points, heartbeat detection may be weighted 10 points, emotional state determination may be weighted 2 points, eye color comparison may be weighted 5 points, and device recognition may be weighted 5 points. The user may be allowed access if the score exceeds a threshold. In some examples, a higher threshold may be applied if the user is requesting access to more sensitive or high-risk information, compared to a lower threshold applied for access to less sensitive or low-risk information. For example, basic (e.g., read-only) access to account information or publicly available information may require a score of a particular threshold, but a higher threshold may be required to perform sensitive operations such as balance transfers, changing the user's address or contact information, opening accounts, closing accounts, and so forth. In some implementations, the thresholds employed to determine access based on the score may vary based on context. For example, a high asset user (e.g., a user with high balance in an account) may be authenticated with a higher threshold than other users. The user may also have the option to adjust thresholds based on their preferences. In some implementations, higher thresholds may be applied if potential fraud conditions are detected, such as if the user is attempting access from an unusual device, internet protocol (IP) address, or geographic location. (24) The data collected during voice recognition, heartbeat detection, emotional state determination, voice recognition, or other methods may be stored and used to refine an identity model of the user over time. For example, image data of the user's face may be collected and used in the aggregate to develop a more accurate composite image of the user over time. Similarly, voice print data, emotional state data, or other types of data may be collected and used to develop a more accurate voice print or emotional profile of the user over time. In some implementations, the weights used for developing the score based on different methods may change over time with increasing confidence in the measurement. For example, PIN-based authentication may be assigned a constant weight, but facial recognition may increase in weight over time as more facial image data is collected and analyzed for the user. As another example, authentication based on the emotional state of the user may increase in weight over time as more information is collected regarding a typical emotional state of the user when attempting access to the application. (25) Emotional state determination may be employed to authenticate the user in conjunction with other methods. The image or video data captured and used for facial recognition or heartbeat detection may also be analyzed to detect mouth shape (e.g., frowning), eyes downcast, or other points of the face, indicating happiness, sadness, anger, stress, duress, or other emotions. Over time, a histogram may be built describing how many times the user was in a particular emotional state when the user was authenticated through the application. During a subsequent attempt to access information through the application, the user's emotional state may be determined and may be compared to the histogram to determine whether the user's emotional state is typical or atypical for the user. If the user's emotional state is their typical state, access may be allowed. If the user's emotional state is atypical, access may be denied, or further authentication may be requested. In some examples, at least a certain number (e.g., 10) of measurements of the user's emotional state may be collected and stored before the system begins to use emotional state determination for authentication. Voice analysis may also be used to gauge the user's emotional state. (26) Subsequent deviations from the user's emotional pattern may be identified and used to detect if the user is in an unusual emotional state. If so, the system may apply additional authentication methods to authenticate the user. In some implementations, the system may perform other actions based on the user's emotional state. For example, if the user is determined to be under stress which may indicate duress, the system may provide a PIN-based authentication to give the user an opportunity to indicate (e.g., through reverse entry of PIN) if they are being threatened by someone off camera, such as at an automated teller machine (ATM). If the user is under stress, a notification may be sent to customer support or marketing indicating the user needs assistance. For example, if the user is stressed each time when making a mortgage payment through the application, customer support may be notified to contact the user regarding refinancing or other assistance. In this way, the system may develop a model or profile of the user to enable the financial service provider or other application provider to better understand the user and provide better service. The system may periodically re-baseline the user's emotional state to adjust for changes over time in the user's emotional state. (27) In some implementations, particular authentication methods are used or not used based on context. For example, if a user is above a certain age and thus may have shaky hands, video capture for heartbeat recognition may be less reliable and therefore not used to authenticate the user. If it is known that the user cannot speak, voice recognition may be omitted. In some examples, if it is known that the user's device does not have a user-facing camera, the facial recognition and heartbeat detection methods may be omitted. In poor lighting, the facial recognition and heartbeat detection may be omitted. (28) In some implementations, the authentication information (e.g., facial image(s), video data, heartbeat data, voice data, etc.) may be stored in a blockchain and communicated to a server within the blockchain. Use of a blockchain may control access to the authentication information, and may enable detection of unauthorized access or alteration of the authentication information. Implementations also support the use of other types of data structures to store and communicate the authentication information. In some examples, the capture of the authentication information may be performed such that the user does not have to perform explicit operations to provide the information, providing an easier way for the user to gain access to information through the application. (29) FIG. 1 depicts an example system for authenticating a user 102 based on various types of data, according to implementations of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 1, the user 102 is employing a user device 104 to access information presented through the user interface (UI) of an application 126 executing on the user device 104. In some examples, the application 126 may be provided by a financial services business or other organization, and may include features to enable the user 102 to view information regarding financial accounts, insurance policies, investments, or other information. The application 126 may also include features to enable the user 102 to request certain actions such as funds transfers, payments, insurance claim processing, investment transactions, changes to contact information, and so forth. Implementations also support applications 126 that provide other types of information or support other types of services. The application 126 may be a web application configured to execute in a web browser, or in some other container for the presentation of web content such as a WebView or UIWebView object. The application 126 may also be a native application that is configured to execute in the hardware and/or software environment of the user device 104. (30) The user device 104 may be any type of computing device. In some examples, such as the example of FIG. 1, the user device 104 is a mobile or portable computing device such as a smartphone, tablet computer, wearable computer, automotive computer, portable gaming device, notepad, personal data assistant (PDA), and so forth. The user device 104 may also be a less portable computing device, such as a desktop computer, smart appliance, Internet of Things (IoT) device, gaming console, and so forth. The user device 104 may be owned, operated by, or otherwise particularly associated with the user 102. The user device 104 may also be a computing device that is used or shared by various users. For example, the user device 104 may be an ATM, information kiosk, or other computing device accessible to at least a portion of the public. (31) The user device 104 may include one or more image/video capture components 106, such as one or more cameras configured to capture still images, video, or both images and video of the user 102. The image/video capture component(s) 106 may generate video data 112. The video data 112 may include video of any length and in any format. The video data 112 may also include any number of images of any size and in any format. The user device 104 may also include one or more other authentication data capture components 108 configured to generate other authentication data 114 regarding the user 102. For example, the other authentication data capture component(s) 108 may include one or more of: a microphone to record audio data; a fingerprint reader to capture fingerprint data from the user's finger(s), or component(s) to receive PIN, KBA answer(s), single-use passcode(s), or other authentication information provided by the user. The image/video capture component(s) 106 and other authentication data capture component(s) 108 may include hardware component(s), software component(s), or both hardware and software component(s). For example, the image/video capture component(s) 106 may include camera hardware such as lenses, focusing mechanisms, shutter mechanisms, light detectors, and so forth, as well as software for image stabilization, movement correction, digital image generation, and so forth. (32) In response to detecting the user's attempt to access information through the application 126, such as at the start of a user session interacting with the application 126, the application 126 may send signals to instruct the image/video capture component(s) 106 and/or the other authentication data capture component(s) 108 to generate authentication data 110 associated with the user 102, such as the video data 112 and/or the other authentication data 114. The authentication data 110 may be communicated over one or more networks (not shown) to one or more analysis devices 118. The analysis device(s) 118 may include server computer(s), distributed computing device(s) (e.g., cloud computing device(s)), network computer(s), or any other type of computing device. The analysis device(s) 118 may execute one or more authentication modules 120 that analyze the authentication data 110 to determine whether to allow the user 102 to access information through the application 126. Based on the analysis, the authentication module(s) 120 may send one or more authentication results 124 over the network(s) to the application 126. The authentication result(s) 124 may instruct the application 126 to allow the user 102 to access information through the application 126 or block the user's access. (33) In some implementations, the authentication module(s) 120 include a heartbeat determination module 122 that analyzes the video data 112 to measure or otherwise determine the presence (or absence) of a heartbeat in the video data 112. The absence of a heartbeat may indicate that the video data 112 includes still images of the user 102, presented to the user device 104 in an attempt to spoof the user's identity. Accordingly, the absence of a detected heartbeat may lead to a denial of access, or limited access to less sensitive, low-risk information via the application 126. (34) In some implementations, the authentication module(s) 120 make an authentication determination by comparing the authentication data 110 to a user profile 116 of the user 102 stored on the analysis device(s) 118 or elsewhere. The user profile 116 may include information such as previously collected image(s) of the user's face, voice print data for the user 102, the user's PIN, KBA answer(s) of the user 102, previously generated emotional state data for the user 102, or other information associated with the user 102. The information in the user profile 116 may have been previously provided by the user 102 during a registration process. For example, the user 102 may initial register through a UI of the application 126, and during the initial registration the user 102 may provide biometric information such as a typical heartbeat pattern, typical emotional state, voice patterns, face image(s), eye color information, or other data. The user profile(s) 116 may include profile data for any number of users 102. Although the example of FIG. 1 depicts the user profile(s) 116 stored on the analysis device(s) 118, in some implementations the user profile(s) 116 may be stored on other device(s) in data storage that is accessible to the authentication module(s) 120 over one or more networks. FIGS. 2-9 describe the various operations that may be performed by the authentication module(s) 120 or other software module(s) to authenticate the user 102 and determine whether to enable the user's access to information via the application 126. (35) FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for authenticating a user based on various types of data, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of: the application 126; the authentication module(s) 120; the heartbeat determination module 122; or other modules executing on the user device 104, the analysis device(s) 118, or elsewhere. (36) The user 102 may attempt to access information through an application 126 executing on a user device 104. Such an attempt may be a request to login to the application 126, a launch of the application 126 on the user device 104, or a navigation from one portion (e.g., page) of the application 126 to another portion. The attempted access may be detected (202). (37) A determination may be made (204) whether the user device 104 includes a user-facing camera or other image/video capture component(s) 106 arranged to capture image(s) or video of the user's face. If not, the process may proceed to 220. If so, the process may proceed to 206. (38) The application 126 may instruct the camera, or other image/video capture component(s) 106, to capture (206) image(s) and/or video of the user's face. The image(s) and/or video may be included in video data 112 for analysis. As described above, in some implementations the video data 112 may be communicated to the analysis device(s) 118 for analysis. In some examples, the video data 112 may be analyzed, at least in part, on the user device 104. (39) A determination may be made (208) whether the user 102 is authenticated based on facial recognition. Such a determination may be based on comparing one or more images in the video data 112, such as frame(s) of video, to previously captured and stored images of the user's face included in a user profile 116 of the user 102. If the current image(s) are sufficiently similar to the previously captured image(s) of the user 102, the user 102 may be authenticated and the process may proceed to 208. If not, the process may proceed to 220. (40) In some implementations, one or more operations may be performed to motion stabilize and/or magnify (210) the video data 112. Such operations are described further with reference to FIGS. 3-5. The video data 112, or the motion stabilized and/or magnified video data 112, may be analyzed (212) for heartbeat detection. Such analysis is described further with reference to FIG. 6. (41) A determination may be made (214) whether a heartbeat has been detected based on the analysis of the video data 112. If a heartbeat is detected, access may be provided (216) to high-risk areas of the application 126 to enable the user 102 to access sensitive information or request high-risk operations (e.g., funds transfers) via the application 126. (42) If a heartbeat is not detected, access may be provided (218) to low-risk areas of the application 126. (43) If the user device 104 does not include a user-facing camera, or if user authentication based on facial recognition is not successful, other authentication data 114 may be collected (220). In some implementations, other authentication data 114 may include audio data including recorded speech of the user 102, which may be employed for voice recognition authentication of the user 102 as described above. The other authentication data 114 may also include fingerprint data, a PIN, KBA answer(s), or other information provided by the user 102 and/or collected by the user device 104. (44) A determination may be made (222) whether the user 102 is authenticated based on the other authentication data 114. In some implementations, the other authentication data 114 may be communicated to the analysis device(s) 118 and compared to data in the user profile 116 to determine whether the user 102 is authenticated. In some implementations, the other authentication data 114 may be analyzed, at least in part, on the user device 104. If the user 102 is authenticated based on the other authentication data 114, the user 102 may be provided (218) access to the low-risk area(s) of the application 126. If the user 102 is not authenticated, the user account may be locked (224) or the user 102 may otherwise be denied access to information via the application 126. In some examples, the user 102 may be instructed to contact a customer service department of the business or other organization that provided the application 126, and request access or provide updated authentication information to enable access. (45) In some implementations, access to high-risk portion(s) of the application 126 may be granted based on successful authentication of the user 102 via facial recognition, heartbeat detection, and voice print analysis. In some implementations, access to high-risk portion(s) of the application 126 may be granted based on successful authentication of the user 102 via facial recognition and at least one of heartbeat detection or voice print analysis. Accordingly, one or both of the heartbeat detection determination or voice print analysis may be employed to determine whether the user 102 is live and present at the user device 104 during the attempted access, and may prevent access by malicious individuals who may hold an image of the authorized user 102 in front of a camera on the user device 104 to attempt unauthorized access. (46) FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for stabilizing and magnifying video data for heartbeat detection, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of: the application 126; the authentication module(s) 120; the heartbeat determination module 122; or other modules executing on the user device 104, the analysis device(s) 118, or elsewhere. In some implementations, the process of FIG. 3 may be applied to frames of video data 112 that have been stored, as a non-dynamic process after the generation of the video data 112. (47) Video data 112 of the user's face may be received (302). In some implementations, a face detection algorithm may be applied (304) to one or more frames of the video data 112. A portion of each of the analyzed frames may be extracted (306), the portion(s) including the face of the user 102. In some implementations, the extraction may be according to a target width and/or target height for the extracted portion(s). (48) A new video may be generated (308) that includes the extracted portion(s) of the analyzed frame(s). In some implementations, the new video may be composed of the frame portion(s) by matching the location of certain points to align the frame(s). For example, the frame(s) may be aligned according to reference points of the user's eye(s), mouth, and so forth. The alignment of frame(s) based on reference points may stabilize the original video data 112. A motion magnification technique may be applied (310) to the new video. Implementations support the use of any motion magnification technique to enhance or identify motion aspects of the video data 112. (49) FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for stabilizing and magnifying video data for heartbeat detection, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of: the application 126; the authentication module(s) 120; the heartbeat determination module 122; or other modules executing on the user device 104, the analysis device(s) 118, or elsewhere. In some implementations, the process of FIG. 4 may be dynamically applied to live video data 112 in real time as it is generated. (50) Video data 112 of the user's face may be received (402). In some implementations, a face detection algorithm may be applied (404) to one or more frames of the video data 112. In some implementations, Kalman filtering or some other filtering algorithm may be applied (406) to determine a location of the face in the frame(s). The filtering may output (408) live video data according to the predicted face location, with the frames aligned such that one or more points of the face are in a central geometric location within the frame(s). A motion magnification technique may be applied (410) to the stabilized output video. (51) FIG. 5 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for stabilizing and magnifying video data for heartbeat detection, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of: the application 126; the authentication module(s) 120; the heartbeat determination module 122; or other modules executing on the user device 104, the analysis device(s) 118, or elsewhere. (52) Video data 112 of the user's face may be received (502). In some implementations, live stabilization is applied (504) to the video data 112 using software executing on the user device 104, such as logic included in a camera API executing on the user device 104. In some implementations, the video data 112 may be further stabilized (506) using other software executing on the user device 104 and/or the analysis device(s) 118. Such other software may be included in third-party API(s). A motion magnification technique may be applied (508) to the stabilized video. (53) In some implementations, object tracking may be employed to stabilize the video data 112 as described with reference to FIGS. 3-5. To perform object tracking, one or more objects may be identified in at least one frame of the video data. Such object(s) may include facial features (e.g., a nose, eye(s), ear(s), chin, lip(s), etc.). Object(s) may also be in-frame features other than facial features. The identified object(s) may be tracked from frame to frame, and the change of the location of the object(s) from frame to frame may be attributed to a movement of the camera, such as an inadvertent movement (e.g., jostling, jiggling, or shaking) of the user device by the user. The various frames of the video data 112 may be adjusted to account for the movement of the object(s). For example, one or more frame(s) may be shifted in the X-direction and/or Y-direction with respect to the plane of the image, so that the object(s) are located in the frames at a location that is more constant from frame to frame than in the original, un-stabilized video data 112. (54) FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for determining the presence of a heartbeat based on analysis of video data, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of: the application 126; the authentication module(s) 120; the heartbeat determination module 122; or other modules executing on the user device 104, the analysis device(s) 118, or elsewhere. (55) Motion magnified and/or stabilized video data 112 may be accessed (602). The motion magnified and/or stabilized video data 112 may be generated according to one or more of the processes described above with reference to FIGS. 3-5. In some examples, video stabilization may be performed prior to motion magnification. The stabilization may minimize movement within the video data to enable optimal operation of the motion magnification process, which may work best when the subject of the video (e.g., the face) is still. In some implementations, magnification may be maximized by attempting to stabilize the video of the user 102 so that a user 102 who may be slightly moving may appear still after magnification. Some implementations can apply the motion magnification which amplifies motion and color pigmentation captured in the video. Because the analysis may take into account color pigmentation magnification, implementations may minimize motion as much as possible. (56) In some implementations, the image(s) (e.g., frame(s)) of the video data 112 may be converted (604) to a target color representation. Each of the frame(s) may be analyzed to zoom in (606) on a portion of the frame(s) that includes the face. In some implementations, a sample pixel box is determined (608). An average may be computed (610). Data may be recorded (612). Signal processing may be performed (614). In some implementations, the signal processing may be performed using a frequency filter such as a Butterworth frequency filter and/or a band-pass filter to clean up the signal in the zoomed video data 112. Distances between peaks in the cleaned up signal may be determined (616). A heartbeat of the user 102 may be determined based on distance(s) between peaks in the signal, taking into account the sampling frequency (e.g., frames per second) of the video data 112. (57) In some implementations, a portion of the face may be analyzed to detect the heartbeat, instead of analyzing the entire face of the user 102. For example, the portion of the video data 112 that includes the forehead of the user 102 (or some other portion of the face) may be identified based on pattern recognition that recognizes where a forehead is located relative to other facial features (e.g., eyes, nose, etc.). That portion may be excerpted from the video data 112 (e.g., from the frames of the video data 112) and analyzed in an attempt to detect a heartbeat. As another example, a 10-pixel by 10-pixel segment of the face (e.g., from the center of the face) may be analyzed to detect the heartbeat. (58) FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for user authentication based on voice data analysis, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of: the application 126; the authentication module(s) 120; the heartbeat determination module 122; or other modules executing on the user device 104, the analysis device(s) 118, or elsewhere. (59) A word, multi-word phrase, or other text data may be displayed (702) on the user device 104, e.g., through the UI of the application 126. The user device 104 may also present a request (704) that the user 102 speak the presented text data. In some examples, the user 102 may be prompted to repeat the presented text data multiple times to ensure that a sufficient amount of voice data is recorded for analysis. The user's speech may be recorded (706). (60) In some implementations, the recorded speech may be compared (708) to a stored voice print of the user 102, e.g., stored in a user profile 116. Based on the comparison, a determination may be made (710) whether the recorded speech matches or otherwise corresponds to the stored voice print data of the user 102. (61) In some implementations, the recorded speech may also be converted (712) to text using a speech-to-text (STT) engine. The converted text may be compared to the presented text data to determine (714) whether the user 102 has spoken the presented text data. (62) If the recorded speech corresponds to the stored voice print, and if the converted text corresponds to the presented text data, a determination may be made that the user 102 is authenticated (716). If the recorded speech does not correspond to the stored voice print, and/or if the converted text does not correspond to the presented text data, a determination may be made that the user 102 is not authenticated (718). In some implementations, the process of FIG. 7 may omit the operations at 712 and 714, and make an authentication determination based on comparing the recorded speech to the previously stored voice print data of the user 102. (63) FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for authenticating a user based on a score that includes weights for multiple authentication methods, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of: the application 126; the authentication module(s) 120; the heartbeat determination module 122; or other modules executing on the user device 104, the analysis device(s) 118, or elsewhere. (64) One or more authentication methods may be applied (802) to authentication data 110 collected from the user 102, or collected by the user device 104 based on capturing images, video, and/or voice data of the user 102 as described above. In some implementations, the various authentication methods described herein may each be assigned a weight. For example, more reliable authentication methods may be assigned a higher weight than less reliable or more error-prone methods. The one or more weights of the authentication methods may be added to determine a score (804), for those authentication methods that have been determined to successfully authenticate the user 102. (65) In some implementations, different access types may be assigned different threshold scores. For example, if the user 102 is attempting to access high-risk (e.g., sensitive) portions of the application 126, a higher threshold may be used. If the user 102 is attempting to access low-risk portions of the application 126, a lower threshold may be used. A threshold score may be determined (806) based on the access type requested, or otherwise attempted, by the user 102. (66) A determination may be made (808) whether the score is at least the threshold score. If so, the user 102 may be provided access (810) to the requested portions of the application 126. If not, the user 102 may be denied access (812). (67) FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for authenticating a user based at least partly on a determined emotional state of the user, according to implementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process may be performed by one or more of: the application 126; the authentication module(s) 120; the heartbeat determination module 122; or other modules executing on the user device 104, the analysis device(s) 118, or elsewhere. (68) Data, such as video data 112, voice data, or other authentication data 114 may be collected (902) during a current authentication session to authenticate a user 102 for access to information via an application 126. A current emotional state of the user 102 may be determined (904) based on the collected data as described above. For example, images (e.g., video frames) of the user 102 may be analyzed to determine whether the user 102 is frowning, smiling, laughing, shrugging, has furrowed brows, or is otherwise displaying evidence of an emotional state. Recorded voice data may also be analyzed to detect stress, anger, or other emotions evidenced by the user's voice. (69) The current emotional state of the user 102 may be compared (906) to previous emotional state data of the user 102, e.g., stored in the user profile 116 of the user 102. The previous emotional state data may have been collected during previous authentication session(s) when the user 102 has attempted access to information through the application 126. (70) A determination may be made (908) whether the user's current emotional state is typical, e.g., whether it corresponds to previous emotional states demonstrated by the user 102 during authentication. If the current emotional state is typical, the emotional state analysis may be employed, e.g., in combination with other authentication methods described herein, to enable (910) user access to the information on the application 126. If the current emotional state is atypical, that determination may weigh against allowing access. In some implementations, determination of an atypical emotional state of the user 102 may cause additional action(s) to be performed (912). Such additional action(s) may include presenting a PIN-based authentication dialog on the user device 104 to give the user 102 an opportunity to indicate (e.g., through reverse entry of PIN) if they are being threatened by someone off camera, such as at an automated teller machine (ATM). Additional action(s) may also include sending a notification to customer support or marketing indicating the user 102 may need assistance. For example, if the user 102 is stressed each time when making a mortgage payment through the application 126, customer support may be notified to contact the user 102 regarding refinancing or other assistance. (71) In some implementations, the determined emotional state of the user 102 may also be used to identify possible fraud. For example, if the emotional state of the user 102 indicates that the user 102 is agitated, nervous, and/or stressed in a manner that is atypical for the user 102, a determination may be made that the user 102 is possibly engaged in fraudulent activity. Based on this determination, the system may flag the attempted transaction as possibly fraudulent and/or perform other action(s) to gain greater confidence that the attempted transaction is fraudulent or not fraudulent. (72) The examples above describe detecting the presence of a user's heartbeat and using the detected presence of the heartbeat in conjunction with one or more other authentication methods to verify the identity of the user and verify that the user is present and alive in front of a video capture device (e.g., camera). In some implementations, the user's heartbeat may itself be used as biometric data for authenticating the user 102, alone or in combination with other authentication methods. A user 102 may have a heartbeat that is distinct enough among a population of users so that the particular heartbeat may be used to identify the user 102 among the population. For example, a user's heartbeat may have a distinctive waveform that includes particular palpitations, peaks, pauses, and/or other features. The heartbeat may be detected through analysis of the video data 112, and the waveform of the heartbeat may be determined through analysis the video data 112. The waveform may then be compared to a previously captured and stored heartbeat waveform of the user 102. A correspondence between the current waveform and the previous waveform may lead to a successful authentication of the user 102. In some implementations, a correspondence between the waveforms may add to the score calculated for the user 102, as described above. In some implementations, a correspondence may be determined between the waveforms if they are statistically similar to one another within a predetermined threshold degree of similarly. (73) In some implementations, features of the heartbeat waveform such as the presence, duration, height, and/or timing of various peaks and/or pauses in the waveform may be determined and transformed into alphanumeric data, as a hash of the waveform. For example, a representation of the waveform may be divided into tiles, and the presence, absence, or percentage of the waveform data in each tile may be used to determine alphanumeric data for the tile. The data for the various tiles may be combined to determine the hash of the waveform. The hash may be stored and compared to the hash determined from a subsequent measurement of the user's heartbeat. A correspondence, or at least an approximate correspondence, between the previous and current hash may be used to verify the identity of the user 102. In some implementations, such a heartbeat-based signature of the user 102 may be used alone to verify the user's identity. In some implementations, the heartbeat-based signature may be used in combination with other (e.g., biometric) authentication methods, such as voice recognition, fingerprint analysis, retinal scan analysis, emotional state determination, and so forth. (74) FIG. 10 depicts an example computing system, according to implementations of the present disclosure. The system 1000 may be used for any of the operations described with respect to the various implementations discussed herein. For example, the system 1000 may be included, at least in part, in one or more of the user device 104 or the analysis device(s) 118 described herein. The system 1000 may include one or more processors 1010, a memory 1020, one or more storage devices 1030, and one or more input/output (I/O) devices 1050 controllable via one or more I/O interfaces 1040. Two or more of the components 1010, 1020, 1030, 1040, or 1050 may be interconnected via at least one system bus 1060, which may enable the transfer of data between the various modules and components of the system 1000. (75) The processor(s) 1010 may be configured to process instructions for execution within the system 1000. The processor(s) 1010 may include single-threaded processor(s), multi-threaded processor(s), or both. The processor(s) 1010 may be configured to process instructions stored in the memory 1020 or on the storage device(s) 1030. The processor(s) 1010 may include hardware-based processor(s) each including one or more cores. The processor(s) 1010 may include general purpose processor(s), special purpose processor(s), or both. (76) The memory 1020 may store information within the system 1000. In some implementations, the memory 1020 includes one or more computer-readable media. The memory 1020 may include any number of volatile memory units, any number of non-volatile memory units, or both volatile and non-volatile memory units. The memory 1020 may include read-only memory, random access memory, or both. In some examples, the memory 1020 may be employed as active or physical memory by one or more executing software modules. (77) The storage device(s) 1030 may be configured to provide (e.g., persistent) mass storage for the system 1000. In some implementations, the storage device(s) 1030 may include one or more computer-readable media. For example, the storage device(s) 1030 may include a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device. The storage device(s) 1030 may include read-only memory, random access memory, or both. The storage device(s) 1030 may include one or more of an internal hard drive, an external hard drive, or a removable drive. (78) One or both of the memory 1020 or the storage device(s) 1030 may include one or more computer-readable storage media (CRSM). The CRSM may include one or more of an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a quantum storage medium, a mechanical computer storage medium, and so forth. The CRSM may provide storage of computer-readable instructions describing data structures, processes, applications, programs, other modules, or other data for the operation of the system 1000. In some implementations, the CRSM may include a data store that provides storage of computer-readable instructions or other information in a non-transitory format. The CRSM may be incorporated into the system 1000 or may be external with respect to the system 1000. The CRSM may include read-only memory, random access memory, or both. One or more CRSM suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data may include any type of non-volatile memory, including but not limited to: semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, the processor(s) 1010 and the memory 1020 may be supplemented by, or incorporated into, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). (79) The system 1000 may include one or more I/O devices 1050. The I/O device(s) 1050 may include one or more input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a game controller, a touch input device, an audio input device (e.g., a microphone), a gestural input device, a haptic input device, an image or video capture device (e.g., a camera), or other devices. In some examples, the I/O device(s) 1050 may also include one or more output devices such as a display, LED(s), an audio output device (e.g., a speaker), a printer, a haptic output device, and so forth. The I/O device(s) 1050 may be physically incorporated in one or more computing devices of the system 1000, or may be external with respect to one or more computing devices of the system 1000. (80) The system 1000 may include one or more I/O interfaces 1040 to enable components or modules of the system 1000 to control, interface with, or otherwise communicate with the I/O device(s) 1050. The I/O interface(s) 1040 may enable information to be transferred in or out of the system 1000, or between components of the system 1000, through serial communication, parallel communication, or other types of communication. For example, the I/O interface(s) 1040 may comply with a version of the RS-232 standard for serial ports, or with a version of the IEEE 1284 standard for parallel ports. As another example, the I/O interface(s) 1040 may be configured to provide a connection over Universal Serial Bus (USB) or Ethernet. In some examples, the I/O interface(s) 1040 may be configured to provide a serial connection that is compliant with a version of the IEEE 1394 standard. (81) The I/O interface(s) 1040 may also include one or more network interfaces that enable communications between computing devices in the system 1000, or between the system 1000 and other network-connected computing systems. The network interface(s) may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) or other types of transceiver devices configured to send and receive communications over one or more networks using any network protocol. (82) Computing devices of the system 1000 may communicate with one another, or with other computing devices, using one or more networks. Such networks may include public networks such as the internet, private networks such as an institutional or personal intranet, or any combination of private and public networks. The networks may include any type of wired or wireless network, including but not limited to local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless WANs (WWANs), wireless LANs (WLANs), mobile communications networks (e.g., 3G, 4G, Edge, etc.), and so forth. In some implementations, the communications between computing devices may be encrypted or otherwise secured. For example, communications may employ one or more public or private cryptographic keys, ciphers, digital certificates, or other credentials supported by a security protocol, such as any version of the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. (83) The system 1000 may include any number of computing devices of any type. The computing device(s) may include, but are not limited to: a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, an implanted computer, a mobile gaming device, an electronic book reader, an automotive computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a game console, a home entertainment device, a network computer, a server computer, a mainframe computer, a distributed computing device (e.g., a cloud computing device), a microcomputer, a system on a chip (SoC), a system in a package (SiP), and so forth. Although examples herein may describe computing device(s) as physical device(s), implementations are not so limited. In some examples, a computing device may include one or more of a virtual computing environment, a hypervisor, an emulation, or a virtual machine executing on one or more physical computing devices. In some examples, two or more computing devices may include a cluster, cloud, farm, or other grouping of multiple devices that coordinate operations to provide load balancing, failover support, parallel processing capabilities, shared storage resources, shared networking capabilities, or other aspects. (84) Implementations and all of the functional operations described in this specification may be realized in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Implementations may be realized as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer readable medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. The computer readable medium may be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or more of them. The term "computing system" encompasses all apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. The apparatus may include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of them. A propagated signal is an artificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus. (85) A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) may be written in any appropriate form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it may be deployed in any appropriate form, including as a standalone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program may be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program may be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network. (86) The processes and logic flows described in this specification may be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows may also be performed by, and apparatus may also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). (87) Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any appropriate kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor may receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both. Elements of a computer can include a processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer may also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer may be embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio player, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, to name just a few. Computer readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry. (88) To provide for interaction with a user, implementations may be realized on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user may provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices may be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user may be any appropriate form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any appropriate form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. (89) Implementations may be realized in a computing system that includes a back end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user may interact with an implementation, or any appropriate combination of one or more such back end, middleware, or front end components. The components of the system may be interconnected by any appropriate form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network ("LAN") and a wide area network ("WAN"), e.g., the Internet. (90) The computing system may include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. (91) While this specification contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular implementations. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some examples be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination. (92) Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems may generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. (93) A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, various forms of the flows shown above may be used, with steps re-ordered, added, or removed. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. ### Claims 1. A computer-implemented method performed by at least one processor, the method comprising: receiving, by the at least one processor, video data of a user, the video data collected in response to detecting an attempt to access information through an application executing on a user device, the video data generated by a video capture component of a user device; comparing, by the at least one processor, at least one frame of the video data to a previously collected image of the user; analyzing, by the at least one processor, the video data to detect a heartbeat of the user; providing, by the at least one processor, access to high-risk information through the application based at least partly on: detecting the heartbeat of the user based on the analyzing of the video data; and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user; and providing, by the at least one processor, access to low-risk information through the application based at least partly on: failing to detect the heartbeat of the user based on the analyzing of the video data; and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the video data to detect the heartbeat further comprises: performing motion stabilization on the video data; and magnifying the video data. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: presenting, by the at least one processor, at least one word through a user interface of the application; receiving, by the at least one processor, audio data of the user speaking the at least one word, the audio data generated by an audio capture component of the user device; and comparing, by the at least one processor, the audio data to a stored voice print associated with the user; wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the audio data at least partly corresponds to the stored voice print associated with the user. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: analyzing, by the at least one processor, the video data to determine a current emotional state of the user; accessing, by the at least one processor, emotional state data indicating at least one previous emotional state of the user during at least one previous attempt to access information through the application; and comparing, by the at least one processor, the current emotional state to the at least one previous emotion state; wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the current emotional state at least partly corresponds to the at least one previous emotional state. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on one or more of: determining that an eye color of the user in at least one frame of the video data corresponds to previously determined eye color information for the user; determining that a personal identification number (PIN) entered by the user corresponds to a valid PIN for the user; determining that an answer provided by the user in response to a knowledge-based authentication (KBA) question corresponds to a stored answer associated with the user; determining that an identifier of the user device corresponds to a stored device identifier associated with the user; or detecting that the user has entered, through a user interface of the application, a one-time passcode previously communicated to the user. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the at least one processor, a score as a sum of weights corresponding to: detecting the heartbeat of the user; and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user; wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the score is at least a threshold score. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the threshold score is based at least partly on a risk level of the information to be accessed through the application. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the score is determined as the sum of weights further corresponding to one or more of: determining that an eye color of the user in at least one frame of the video data corresponds to previously determined eye color information for the user; determining that a personal identification number (PIN) entered by the user corresponds to a valid PIN for the user; determining that an answer provided by the user in response to a knowledge-based authentication (KBA) question corresponds to a stored answer associated with the user; determining that an identifier of the user device corresponds to a stored device identifier associated with the user; detecting that the user has entered, through a user interface of the application, a one-time passcode previously communicated to the user; or determining that recorded audio data of the user speaking at least partly corresponds to the stored voice print associated with the user. 9. A system comprising: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions which, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receiving video data of a user, the video data collected in response to detecting an attempt to access information through an application executing on a user device, the video data generated by a video capture component of a user device; comparing at least one frame of the video data to a previously collected image of the user; analyzing the video data to detect a heartbeat of the user; providing access to high-risk information through the application based at least partly on: detecting the heartbeat of the user based on the analyzing of the video data; and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user; and providing access to low-risk information through the application based at least partly on: failing to detect the heartbeat of the user based on the analyzing of the video data; and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein analyzing the video data to detect the heartbeat further comprises: performing motion stabilization on the video data; and magnifying the video data. 11. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising: presenting at least one word through a user interface of the application; receiving audio data of the user speaking the at least one word, the audio data generated by an audio capture component of the user device; and comparing the audio data to a stored voice print associated with the user; wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the audio data at least partly corresponds to the stored voice print associated with the user. 12. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising: analyzing the video data to determine a current emotional state of the user; accessing emotional state data indicating at least one previous emotional state of the user during at least one previous attempt to access information through the application; and comparing the current emotional state to the at least one previous emotion state; wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the current emotional state at least partly corresponds to the at least one previous emotional state. 13. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising: determining a score as a sum of weights corresponding to: detecting the heartbeat of the user; and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user; wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the score is at least a threshold score. 14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receiving video data of a user, the video data collected in response to detecting an attempt to access information through an application executing on a user device, the video data generated by a video capture component of a user device; comparing at least one frame of the video data to a previously collected image of the user; analyzing the video data to detect a heartbeat of the user; providing access to high-risk information through the application based at least partly on: detecting the heartbeat of the user based on the analyzing of the video data; and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user; and providing access to low-risk information through the application based at least partly on: failing to detect the heartbeat of the user based on the analyzing of the video data; and determining that the at least one frame of the video data corresponds to the previously collected image of the user. 15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein analyzing the video data to detect the heartbeat further comprises: performing motion stabilization on the video data; and magnifying the video data. 16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 14, the operations further comprising: presenting at least one word through a user interface of the application; receiving audio data of the user speaking the at least one word, the audio data generated by an audio capture component of the user device; and comparing the audio data to a stored voice print associated with the user; wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the audio data at least partly corresponds to the stored voice print associated with the user. 17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 14, the operations further comprising: analyzing the video data to determine a current emotional state of the user; accessing emotional state data indicating at least one previous emotional state of the user during at least one previous attempt to access information through the application; and comparing the current emotional state to the at least one previous emotion state; wherein providing access to the information through the application is further based on determining that the current emotional state at least partly corresponds to the at least one previous emotional state.	9953231	US 9953231 B1	2018-04-24	61,952,373	Authentication based on heartbeat detection and facial recognition in video data	G06V40/45;G06F21/32;G06V40/172;G10L17/00	G06V40/15	Medina, III; Reynaldo et al.	United Services Automobile Association (USAA)	15/354529	2016-11-17	Tucker; Wesley J		1/1	United Services Automobile Association (USAA)	6.279456	USPAT	17,238
United States Patent 9965797 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent May 08, 2018 Inventor(s) Poole; Thomas S. et al. ## System and method for generating user customized order interface ### Abstract A system and method for generating a user customized order interface, which displays a customer's previous orders and corresponding specific order information and order recommendations, that may be utilized for ordering and payment. A mobile application may request a merchant ID upon determination by the mobile device that a customer is within a close proximity of a particular merchant location. A payment terminal may pass the corresponding merchant ID to a transaction system, which may retrieve, for example, the customer's previous transactions and corresponding transaction IDs associated with the merchant ID, which may be utilized to generate a user customized order interface, which may be utilized to initiate a transaction by selecting a specific order item to order, and which may utilize the mobile application to confirm the order and proceed to payment, which will transmit the order to a merchant system. Inventors: Poole; Thomas S. (Chantilly, VA), Shah; Apurva (San Mateo, CA), Lopez; Jennifer (Brooklyn, NY), Moreton; Paul (Glen Allen, VA), Butler; Taurean (Brooklyn, NY), DePerro; Jason (San Mateo, CA) Applicant: Capital One Services, LLC (McLean, VA) Family ID: 62045116 Assignee: CAPITAL ONE SERVICES, LLC (McLean, VA) Appl. No.: 15/689620 Filed: August 29, 2017 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 62411551 20161022 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06Q30/00 (20120101); G06Q30/06 (20120101); H04W4/02 (20180101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06Q30/0633 (20130101); G06Q30/0623 (20130101); G06Q30/0631 (20130101); G06Q30/0639 (20130101); H04W4/02 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06Q (30/0623); G06Q (30/0631); G06Q (30/0633); G06Q (30/0639); H04W (4/02) USPC: 705/26.61; 705/26.8; 705/26.7; 705/26.9 ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 2010/0061294 12/2009 Proctor, Jr. 370/328 G06Q 30/0623 2011/0246370 12/2010 Wang 705/64 H04L 9/0827 2014/0074569 12/2013 Francis 705/14.3 G06Q 20/40 2015/0294362 12/2014 Royyuru 705/14.58 G06Q 30/0261 2016/0092858 12/2015 Giles 705/14.1 G06Q 20/227 Primary Examiner: Garg; Yogesh C Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hunton & Williams LLP ### Background/Summary CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION (1) The subject application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/411,551, filed on Oct. 22, 2016, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE (1) The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for generating a user customized order interface that provides a smart shopping experience, which displays a customer's previous orders and corresponding specific order information and order recommendations, that may be utilized for ordering and payment. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE (2) Currently a customer is not able to access past merchant orders using a mobile device in a way such that the customer is presented with past orders, which may be utilized when making future orders. Using conventional mobile wallet applications, a customer may retrieve limited transaction information, generally a transaction amount, merchant location and an associated timestamp associated with past merchant orders. (3) In order to repeat past orders quickly, a customer needs a customized menu based on past orders. While individual merchants may provide a mobile application that may enable customers to complete orders and associated payments, it is burdensome for customers to download and configure multiple mobile applications associated with individual merchants. Additionally, smaller merchants may not have the infrastructure to develop such mobile applications. (4) These and other drawbacks exist. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE (5) Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for generating a user customized order interface, which displays a customer's previous orders and corresponding specific order information and order recommendations, that may be utilized for ordering and payment. (6) A mobile application on a customer's mobile device may request a merchant ID of a particular merchant by sending a message to a merchant system. The mobile application may request a merchant ID upon determination by the mobile device that a customer is within a close proximity of a particular merchant location. (7) A payment terminal may pass the corresponding merchant ID to a transaction system, which may retrieve, for example, the customer's previous transactions and corresponding transaction IDs associated with the merchant ID, which may be stored in data storage. The transaction system may send the transaction IDs to a merchant system via the mobile application, and may request specific order information associated with the transmitted transaction IDs. The specific order information may include the individual items included in the transaction, and may additionally include stock keeping unit (SKU) level inventory information. The specific order information may also include additional specific details pertaining to the individual items. (8) The merchant system may send the specific order information to the mobile application. Upon receipt of the specific order information, a transaction system may store the specific order information in data storage, and may generate via the mobile application a user customized order interface, which displays the customer's previous orders and corresponding specific order information. Using the generated customized interface, a customer may initiate a transaction by selecting a specific order item to order, and may utilize the mobile application to confirm the order and proceed to payment, which will transmit the order to a merchant system. (9) In an example embodiment, a customer's prior transaction data and specific order information may be utilized to generate order recommendations, and targeted offers, rewards, and advertisements for a customer based on the past transactions and alternately or additionally members of a customer's social network's past transactions. The generated recommendations may be utilized across various merchants. The generated recommendations may additionally be utilized to generate a customer profile. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) Various embodiments of the present disclosure, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in the several Figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which: (2) FIG. 1 depicts an example system for generating a user customized order interface that may be utilized for ordering and payment, according to embodiments of the disclosure; (3) FIG. 2 depicts an example system including a point-of-sale (PoS) device, according to embodiments of the disclosure; (4) FIG. 3 depicts an example system and device to generate a user customized order interface, according to embodiments of the disclosure; (5) FIG. 4 depicts an example smart shopping system for generating a user customized order interface that may be utilized for ordering and payment, according to embodiments of the disclosure; (6) FIG. 5 depicts an example method for generating a smart shopping similar items or merchant table, according to embodiments of the disclosure; (7) FIG. 6 depicts an example method for generating a smart shopping similar items or merchant table, according to embodiments of the disclosure. (8) FIG. 7 depicts an example system architecture of a system for generating a user customized order interface that may be utilized for ordering and payment, according to embodiments of the disclosure; (9) FIG. 8 depicts an example system architecture of a system for generating a user customized order interface that may be utilized for pre-ordering and payment, according to embodiments of the disclosure; (10) FIG. 9 depicts an example user customized order interface on a mobile device, according to embodiments of the disclosure; (11) FIG. 10 depicts an example method for generating a user customized order interface based on past orders that may be utilized for ordering and payment, according to embodiments of the disclosure; (12) FIGS. 11-12 depict an example recommendation system, according to embodiments of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS (13) The following description is intended to convey a thorough understanding of the embodiments described by providing a number of specific example embodiments and details involving generating a user customized order interface based on past orders that may be utilized for ordering and payment. Merchants may include, for example restaurants, hotels, stores, etc. It should be appreciated, however, that the present disclosure is not limited to these specific embodiments and details, which are examples only. It is further understood that one possessing ordinary skill in the art, in light of known systems and methods, would appreciate the use of the invention for its intended purposes and benefits in any number of alternative embodiments, depending on specific design and other needs. A point-of-sale (PoS) terminal and payment gateway, and mobile device are used as examples for the disclosure. The disclosure is not intended to be limited to point-of-sale (PoS) terminals and payment gateways, and mobile devices only. For example, many other electronic devices may utilize an open distributed system to generate a user customized order interface based on past orders that may be utilized for ordering and payment. (14) FIG. 1 depicts an example system 100 for generating a user customized order interface that may be utilized for ordering and payment. As shown in FIG. 1, an example system 100 may include one or more mobile devices 120, one or more merchant systems 130, one or more social networking systems 140, and one or more account providers systems 150 connected over one or more networks 110. (15) For example, network 110 may be one or more of a wireless network, a wired network or any combination of wireless network and wired network. For example, network 110 may include one or more of a fiber optics network, a passive optical network, a cable network, an Internet network, a satellite network, a wireless LAN, a Global System for Mobile Communication ("GSM"), a Personal Communication Service ("PCS"), a Personal Area Network ("PAN"), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS), Short Message Service (SMS), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) based systems, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) based systems, D-AMPS, Wi-Fi, Fixed Wireless Data, IEEE 802.11b, 802.15.1, 802.11n and 802.11g, a Bluetooth network, or any other wired or wireless network for transmitting and receiving a data signal. (16) In addition, network 110 may include, without limitation, telephone lines, fiber optics, IEEE Ethernet 902.3, a wide area network ("WAN"), a local area network ("LAN"), a wireless personal area network ("WPAN"), or a global network such as the Internet. Also network 110 may support an Internet network, a wireless communication network, a cellular network, or the like, or any combination thereof. Network 110 may further include one network, or any number of the example types of networks mentioned above, operating as a stand-alone network or in cooperation with each other. Network 110 may utilize one or more protocols of one or more network elements to which they are communicatively coupled. Network 110 may translate to or from other protocols to one or more protocols of network devices. Although network 110 is depicted as a single network, it should be appreciated that according to one or more embodiments, network 110 may comprise a plurality of interconnected networks, such as, for example, the Internet, a service provider's network, a cable television network, corporate networks, and home networks. (17) Mobile device 120 and/or merchant system 130 may include, for example, one or more mobile devices, such as, for example, personal digital assistants (PDA), tablet computers and/or electronic readers (e.g., iPad, Kindle Fire, Playbook, Touchpad, etc.), wearable devices (e.g., Google Glass), telephony devices, smartphones, cameras, music playing devices (e.g., iPod, etc.), televisions, set-top-box devices, and the like. (18) Account provider system 150, mobile device 120, merchant system 130, and/or social networking system 140 also may include a network-enabled computer system and/or device. As referred to herein, a network-enabled computer system and/or device may include, but is not limited to: e.g., any computer device, or communications device including, e.g., a server, a network appliance, a personal computer (PC), a workstation, a mobile device, a phone, a handheld PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a thin client, a fat client, an Internet browser, or other device. The network-enabled computer systems may execute one or more software applications to, for example, receive data as input from an entity accessing the network-enabled computer system, process received data, transmit data over a network, and receive data over a network. For example, account provider system, which may include a mobile wallet system, may include components such as those illustrated in FIG. 3. Merchant system may include, for example, components illustrated in FIG. 2. (19) Account provider system 150, mobile device 120, merchant system 130, and/or social networking system 140, may include at least one central processing unit (CPU), which may be configured to execute computer program instructions to perform various processes and methods. Account provider system 150, mobile device 120, merchant system 130, and/or social networking system 140 may include data storage, including for example, random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM), which may be configured to access and store data and information and computer program instructions. Data storage may also include storage media or other suitable type of memory (e.g., such as, for example, RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, any type of tangible and non-transitory storage medium), where the files that comprise an operating system, application programs including, for example, web browser application, email application and/or other applications, and data files may be stored. The data storage of the network-enabled computer systems may include electronic information, files, and documents stored in various ways, including, for example, a flat file, indexed file, hierarchical database, relational database, such as a database created and maintained with software from, for example, Oracle® Corporation, Microsoft® Excel® file, Microsoft® Access® file, a solid state storage device, which may include an all flash array, a hybrid array, or a server-side product, enterprise storage, which may include online or cloud storage, or any other storage mechanism. (20) Account provider system 150, mobile device 120, merchant system 130, and/or social networking system 140 may further include, for example, a processor, which may be several processors, a single processor, or a single device having multiple processors. Although depicted as single elements, it should be appreciated that according to one or more embodiments, account provider system 150, mobile device 120, merchant system 130, and/or may comprise a plurality of account provider systems 130, user devices 140, and/or merchant systems 150. (21) As shown in FIG. 1, each account provider system 150, mobile device 120, merchant system 130, and/or social networking system 140 may include various components. As used herein, the term "component" may be understood to refer to computer executable software, firmware, hardware, and/or various combinations thereof. It is noted there where a component is a software and/or firmware component, the component is configured to affect the hardware elements of an associated system. It is further noted that the components shown and described herein are intended as examples. The components may be combined, integrated, separated, or duplicated to support various applications. Also, a function described herein as being performed at a particular component may be performed at one or more other components and by one or more other devices instead of or in addition to the function performed at the particular component. Further, the components may be implemented across multiple devices or other components local or remote to one another. Additionally, the components may be moved from one device and added to another device, or may be included in both devices. (22) As depicted in FIG. 1, system 100 may include mobile device 120, which may be any device capable of communicating via, for example, Bluetooth technology, NFC technology, WiFi Direct technology, and/or the like and execute various functions to transmit and receive account data (e.g., card number, account type, account balance, account limits, budget data, recent transactions, and/or the like). For example, mobile device 120 could be an iPhone, iPod, iPad, and/or Apple Watch from Apple® or other mobile device running Apple's iOS operating system, devices running Google's Android® operating system, including, for example, smartphones running the Android® operating system and other wearable mobile devices, such as Google Glass or Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch, devices running Microsoft's Windows® Mobile operating system, and/or any other smartphone, smartwatch, tablet, or like device. (23) Mobile device 120 may include for example, an input/output device 122 and a mobile application 124. Input/output device 122 may include, for example, a Bluetooth device or chipset with a Bluetooth transceiver, a chip, and an antenna. The transceiver may transmit and receive information via the antenna and an interface. The chip may include a microprocessor that stores and processes information specific to a dynamic transaction device and provides device control functionality. Device control functionality may include connection creation, frequency-hopping sequence selection and timing, power control, security control, polling, packet processing, and the like. The device control functionality and other Bluetooth-related functionality may be supported using a Bluetooth API provided by the platform associated with the mobile device 120 (e.g., The Android platform, the iOS platform). Using a Bluetooth API, an application stored on a mobile device 120 (e.g., a banking application, a financial account application, etc.) or the device may be able to scan for other Bluetooth devices, query the local Bluetooth adapter for paired Bluetooth devices, establish RFCOMM channels, connect to other devices through service discovery, transfer data to and from other devices, and manage multiple connections. A Bluetooth API used in the methods, systems, and devices described herein may include an API for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to provide significantly lower power consumption and allow a mobile device 120 to communicate with BLE devices that have low power requirements. (24) Input/output device 122 may include for example, I/O devices, which may be configured to provide input and/or output to mobile device 120 (e.g., keyboard, mouse, display, speakers, printers, modems, network cards, etc.). Input/output device 122 also may include antennas, network interfaces that may provide or enable wireless and/or wire line digital and/or analog interface to one or more networks, such as network 110, over one or more network connections, a power source that provides an appropriate alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) to power one or more components of mobile device 120, and a bus that allows communication among the various components of mobile device 120. Input/output device 122 may include a display, which may include for example output devices, such as a printer, display screen (e.g., monitor, television, and the like), speakers, projector, and the like. Although not shown, each mobile device 140 may include one or more encoders and/or decoders, one or more interleavers, one or more circular buffers, one or more multiplexers and/or de-multiplexers, one or more permuters and/or depermuters, one or more encryption and/or decryption units, one or more modulation and/or demodulation units, one or more arithmetic logic units and/or their constituent parts, and the like. (25) Input/output device 122 may also include an NFC antenna and secure element (SE). The SE may be a hardware chip specially designed to be tamper proof. In one embodiment, the SE may be used for digitally and physically secure storage of sensitive data, including transaction card data, payment data, health records, car key identifiers, etc. The SE may, for example, store information related to a person, customer, financial institution, or other entity. The SE may store information related to a financial account, such as, for example, transaction card data (e.g., a credit card number, debit account number, or other account identifier, account balance, transaction history, account limits, budget data, recent transactions, and/or the like). The SE may include a computer processor or other computational hardware or software. As one example, the secure element may contain the Visa® and MasterCard® applications for PayWave® and PayPass® transactions. A secure element may take the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) and/or a microSD card. A UICC may identify a user to a wireless operator, store contacts, enable secure connections, and add new applications and services, such as a transaction system. (26) Input/output device 122 may enable Industry Standard NFC Payment Transmission. For example, the input/output device 122 may enable two loop antennas to form an air-core transformer when placed near one another by using magnetic induction. Input/output device 122 may operate at 13.56 MHz or any other acceptable frequency. Also, input/output device 122 may provide for a passive communication mode, where the initiator device provides a carrier field, permitting answers by the target device via modulation of existing fields. Additionally, input/output device 122 also may provide for an active communication mode by allowing alternate field generation by the initiator and target devices. (27) Input/output device 122 may deactivate the RF field while awaiting data. The attachment may use Miller-type coding with varying modulations, including 100% modulation. The attachment may also use Manchester coding with varying modulations, including a modulation ratio of 10%. Additionally, the attachment may be capable of receiving and transmitting data at the same time, as well as checking for potential collisions when the transmitted signal and received signal frequencies differ. (28) Input/output device 122 may be capable of utilizing standardized transmission protocols, for example but not by way of limitation, ISO/IEC 14443 A/B, ISO/IEC 18092, MiFare, FeliCa, tag/smartcard emulation, and the like. Also, input/output device 122 may be able to utilize transmission protocols and methods that are developed in the future using other frequencies or modes of transmission. Input/output device 122 may also be backwards-compatible with existing techniques, for example RFID. Also, the system may support transmission requirements to meet new and evolving standards including internet based transmission triggered by NFC. (29) The current location of mobile device 120 may be determined using many different technologies such as GPS technology, Internet-based technology, etc., which may utilize location data. By way of example, location data may include, but is not limited to GPS data, assisted GPS data, IP address data, cell ID data, received signal strength indication (RSSI) data, wireless fingerprinting data, inertial sensor data (e.g., compass or magnetometer data, accelerometer data, and/or gyroscope data), barometer data, ultrasonic data (e.g., radio-frequency identification (RFID) data, near-field communication (NFC) data), Bluetooth data, and/or terrestrial transmitter data. (30) Mobile device 120 may also include various software components to facilitate the account and payment operations including an App Processor. For example, mobile device 120 may include an operating system such as, for example, the iOS® operating system from Apple®, the Google® Android® operating system, and the Windows Mobile® operating system from Microsoft®. Mobile device 120 may also include, without limitation, software applications such as mobile banking applications and financial institution applications to facilitate ordering and payment, an NFC application programming interface, and software to enable touch sensitive displays. Mobile device manufacturers may provide software stacks or Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) which allow software applications to be written on top of the software stacks. For example, mobile device manufacturers may provide, without limitation, a card emulation API to enable NFC card emulation mode, a logic link control protocol (LLCP) API for peer-to-peer communication between mobile devices, a Bluetooth® API supporting BLE, and a real-time data (RTD) API and a NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) API for reading/writing. (31) The App Processor may enable execution of software applications on mobile device 120. In various embodiments, the App Processor may cooperate with the NFC technology to enable a payment using mobile device 120. Additionally, mobile device 120 may include an attachment for contactless payments (not shown), such as a contactless payment attachment that plugs into an audio jack or plug of a mobile device. (32) The App Processor may enable execution of a mobile wallet application, which may include various user interfaces, which may leverage transaction data, wireless data connection, over-the-air data connection, or other means of data transmission. The data used in the application may be transmitted, for example, from external data sources. For example, the application and user interface may leverage information about products and/or services being purchased, information about the account or account holder, information about the merchant and/or other parties involved in a transaction, rewards information, promotional information, advertising information, and other useful information. (33) Software applications on mobile device 140 may include, for example, mobile application 124, which may be integrated with or separate from a mobile wallet application, which may be utilized to generate a user customized order interface, which displays the customer's previous orders and corresponding specific order information. (34) Merchant system 130 may include, among other components, a Point-of-Sale (PoS) device. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a PoS device may include a variety of readers to read transaction data associated with a transaction taking place with a merchant. PoS device may include various hardware and/or software components required to conduct and process transaction. Merchant system 130 may also include data storage 136 to store transaction data and/or approval of charges between an cardholder and the merchant associated with the PoS device. (35) A PoS system may include a terminal 132 and a payment gateway 134, cloud storage and API. Terminal 132 and payment gateway 134 may comprise the physical or virtual device(s) used by merchant system 130 to communicate information to a remote processor of the merchant system. Terminal 132 may include an EMV card reader to interact with a dynamic transaction card. Terminal 132 may include a smart payment terminal, such as those provided by Square®, Poynt®, and Clover®. Terminal 132 may function to provide standard compliant payment processing, and may act as a merchant data aggregator by enabling access to merchant-level information, which may be stored in data storage 136. Terminal 132 may function to collect payment information associated with orders or transactions for the merchant, and may additionally function as a platform through which third party applications, such as account provider system 150, may access payment and transaction information. Terminal 132 enables application interaction with transaction data generated by traditional payment terminals, and may also interact with a remote system which may function to store merchant information. (36) Terminal 132 may function to generate or otherwise process order information. Order information may include transaction information, cart or product information (e.g., product identifier, number of each product, etc.), customer identifiers, merchant identifiers, employee identifiers, order status (e.g., completed, open, paid but not picked up, etc.), or any other suitable order information. Transaction information may include a transaction identifier, transaction amount, merchant information, customer identifier, payment type, terminal identifier, and/or any other suitable information about the transaction. The transaction identifier may be universally unique, unique to the merchant, unique to the customer identifier, generic, or be defined in any other suitable manner. Merchant system 130 may access and download transaction and order data, and ma control which applications have access to particular pieces of data. (37) Terminal 132 may include communications systems that may function to communicate data with external systems, determine inventory based on inventory signals, connect to peripheral devices (e.g., printers, scanners, registers), and user devices. The communications systems may be wired or wireless. The wireless communications systems may be WiFi, cellular, satellite, RF, IR, Bluetooth, BLE, NFC or any other suitable module. (38) In various embodiments, payment gateway 134 may be an e-commerce application service provider service that authorizes payments for merchants. The system may utilize biometric authorization, location authentication and payment token processing to facilitate payment authorization. As such, payment gateway 134 may be a virtual equivalent of a PoS terminal and interface with, for example, a billing system of merchant system 130 and pass data to a remote processor of the merchant system. (39) Although not shown, merchant system 130 may include one or more encoders and/or decoders, one or more interleavers, one or more circular buffers, one or more multiplexers and/or de-multiplexers, one or more permuters and/or depermuters, one or more encryption and/or decryption units, one or more modulation and/or demodulation units, one or more arithmetic logic units and/or their constituent parts, and the like. (40) Account provider system 150 may include systems associated with, for example, a banking service company such as Capital One®, Bank of America®, Citibank®, Wells Fargo®, Sun Trust®, various community banks, and the like, as well as a number of other financial institutions such as Visa®, MasterCard®, and American Express® that issue credit and/or debit cards, for example, as transaction cards. Account provider system 150 may include and/or be connected to one or more computer systems and networks to process transactions. For example, account provider system 150 may process transactions as shown and described in FIGS. 4 and 5 below. Account provider system 150 may include systems associated with financial institutions that issue transaction cards, including dynamic transaction cards, and maintains a contract with cardholders for repayment. In various embodiments, an account provider system 150 may issue credit, debit, and/or stored value account. for example. Account provider system 150 may include, by way of example and not limitation, depository institutions (e.g., banks, credit unions, building societies, trust companies, mortgage loan companies, pre-paid gift cards or credit cards, etc.), contractual institutions (e.g., insurance companies, pension funds, mutual funds, etc.), investment institutions (e.g., investment banks, underwriters, brokerage funds, etc.), and other non-bank financial institutions (e.g., pawn shops or brokers, cashier's check issuers, insurance firms, check-cashing locations, payday lending, currency exchanges, microloan organizations, crowd-funding or crowd-sourcing entities, third-party payment processors, etc.). (41) Account provider system 130 may include a transaction system 152 and data storage 154. Transaction system 134 may include various hardware and software components to communicate between a merchant, acquisition system, account provider system, and/or a user device to process a transaction, such as a user purchase. Data storage 154 may store data associated with an account (e.g., card number, account type, account balance, account limits, budget data, recent transactions, pairing data such as time and date of pairing with a mobile device, and the like) and account holder data (e.g., account holder name, address, phone number(s), email address, demographic data, and the like). (42) System 100 may also include a social networking system 140, which may communicate with social networking sites, which may include, without limitation, Facebook, MySpace, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. The social networking site may include a plurality of social networking accounts created by one or more users. The users may also be account holders with account provider system 150. (43) Referring to FIG. 2, an example PoS device 200 is shown. PoS device 200 may include a controller 202, a reader interface 204, a data interface 206, a smartcard and/or EMV chip reader 208, a magnetic stripe reader 210, a near-field communications (NFC) reader 212, a power manager 214, a keypad 216, an audio interface 218, a touchscreen/display controller 220, and a display 222. Also, PoS device 200 may be coupled with, integrated into or otherwise connected with a cash register/retail enterprise system 224. (44) In various embodiments, controller 202 may be any controller, central processing unit, or other processor capable of controlling the operations of PoS device 200. For example, controller 202 may be an Intel® 2nd Generation Core™ i3, i5, or Core 2 Duo or Pentium™ G850, Qualcomm's Snapdragon, Nvidia Tegra/Tegra 2, TI OMAP 3/4, and various other implementations of ARM Cortex A8/A9 processor or the like. Controller 202 also may be a controller included in a personal computer, smartphone device, tablet PC or the like. (45) Reader interface 204 may provide an interface between the various reader devices associated with PoS device 200. For example, reader interface 204 may provide an interface between smartcard and/or EMV chip reader 208, magnetic stripe reader 210, NFC reader 212 and controller 202. In various embodiments, reader interface 204 may be a wired interface such as a USB, RS232 or RS485 interface and the like. Reader interface 204 also may be a wireless interface and implement technologies such as Bluetooth®, the 802.11(x) wireless specifications and the like. Reader interface 204 may enable communication of information read by the various reader devices from the various reader devices to PoS device 200 to enable transactions. For example, reader interface 204 may enable communication of a credit or debit card number read by a reader device from that device to PoS device 200. In various embodiments, reader interface 204 may interface between PoS device 200 and other devices that do not necessarily "read" information but instead receive information from other devices. (46) Data interface 206 may allow PoS device 200 to pass communicate data throughout PoS device and with other devices including, for example, cash register/retail enterprise system 224. Data interface 206 may enable PoS device 200 to integrate with various customer resource management (CRM) and/or enterprise resource management (ERP) systems. Data interface 206 may include hardware, firmware and software that make aspects of data interface 206 a wired interface. Data interface 206 also may include hardware, firmware and software that make aspects of data interface 206 a wireless interface. In various embodiments, data interface 206 also enables communication between PoS device other devices. (47) Smartcard and/or EMV chip reader 208 may be any electronic data input device that reads data from a dynamic transaction card and/or EMV processor. Smartcard and/or EMV chip reader 208 may be capable of supplying an integrated circuit (e.g., EMV processor) on the dynamic transaction card with electricity and communicating with the dynamic transaction card via protocols, thereby enabling read and write functions. In various embodiments, smartcard and/or EMV chip reader 208 may enable reading from contact or contactless transaction cards. Smartcard and/or EMV chip reader 208 also may communicate using standard protocols including ISO/IEC 7816, ISO/IEC 14443 and/or the like or proprietary protocols. (48) Magnetic stripe reader 210 may be any electronic data input device that reads data from a magnetic stripe on a credit or debit card, for example. In various embodiments, magnetic stripe reader 210 may include a magnetic reading head capable of reading information from a magnetic stripe. Magnetic stripe reader 210 may be capable of reading, for example, cardholder information from tracks 1, 2, and 3 on magnetic cards. In various embodiments, track 1 may be written on a card with code known as DEC SIXBIT plus odd parity and the information on track 1 may be contained in several formats (e.g., format A, which may be reserved for proprietary use of the card issuer; format B; format C-M which may be reserved for us by ANSI subcommittee X3B10; and format N-Z, which may be available for use by individual card issuers). In various embodiments, track 2 may be written with a 5-bit scheme (4 data bits plus 1 parity). Track 3 may be unused on the magnetic stripe. In various embodiments, track 3 transmission channels may be used for transmitting dynamic data packet information to further enable enhanced token-based payments. (49) NFC reader 212 may be any electronic data input device that reads data from a NFC device. In an example embodiment, NFC reader 212 may enable Industry Standard NFC Payment Transmission. For example, the NFC reader 212 may communicate with a NFC enabled device to enable two loop antennas to form an air-core transformer when placed near one another by using magnetic induction. NFC reader 212 may operate at 13.56 MHz or any other acceptable frequency. Also, NFC reader 212 may enable a passive communication mode, where an initiator device provides a carrier field, permitting answers by the target device via modulation of existing fields. Additionally, NFC reader 212 also may enable an active communication mode by allowing alternate field generation by the initiator and target devices. (50) In various embodiments, NFC reader 212 may deactivate an RF field while awaiting data. NFC reader 212 may receive communications containing Miller-type coding with varying modulations, including 100% modulation. NFC reader 212 also may receive communications containing Manchester coding with varying modulations, including a modulation ratio of approximately 10%, for example. Additionally, NFC reader 212 may be capable of receiving and transmitting data at the same time, as well as checking for potential collisions when the transmitted signal and received signal frequencies differ. (51) NFC reader 212 may be capable of utilizing standardized transmission protocols, for example but not by way of limitation, ISO/IEC 14443 A/B, ISO/IEC 18092, MiFare, FeliCa, tag/smartcard emulation, and the like. Also, NFC reader 212 may be able to utilize transmission protocols and methods that are developed in the future using other frequencies or modes of transmission. NFC reader 212 also may be backwards-compatible with existing payment techniques, such as, for example RFID. Also, NFC reader 212 may support transmission requirements to meet new and evolving payment standards including internet based transmission triggered by NFC. In various embodiments, NFC reader 212 may utilize MasterCard's® PayPass® and/or Visa's® PayWave® and/or American Express'® ExpressPay® systems to enable transactions. (52) Although not shown and described, other input devices and/or readers, such as for example, barcode readers and the like are contemplated. (53) Power manager 214 may be any microcontroller or integrated circuit that governs power functions of PoS device 200. Power manager 214 may include, for example, firmware, software, memory, a CPU, a CPU, input/output functions, timers to measure intervals of time, as well as analog to digital converters to measure the voltages of the main In this manner, when a dynamic transaction card is exposed to light, the LED display of the dynamic transaction card may detect light, and transmit the light signals from the LED to the microprocessor/microcontroller, such as microprocessor/microcontroller and/or a bootloader, such as bootloader to activate the dynamic transaction card. (54) In various embodiments, Power manager 214 remains active even when PoS device 200 is completely shut down, unused, and/or powered by the backup energy storage component. Power manager 214 may be responsible for coordinating many functions, including, for example, monitoring power connections and energy storage component charges, charging batteries when necessary, controlling power to other integrated circuits within PoS device 200 and/or other peripherals and/or readers, shutting down unnecessary system components when they are left idle, controlling sleep and power functions (on and off), managing the interface for built-in keypad and trackpads, and/or regulating a real-time clock (RTC). (55) Keypad 216 may any input device that includes a set of buttons arranged, for example, in a block or pad and may bear digits, symbols and/or alphabetical letters. Keypad 216 may be a hardware-based or mechanical-type keypad and/or implemented in software and displayed on, for example, a screen or touch screen to form a keypad. Keypad 216 may receive input from a user that pushed or otherwise activates one or more buttons on keypad 216 to provide input. (56) Audio interface 218 may be any device capable of providing audio signals from PoS device 200. For example, audio interface may be a speaker or speakers that may produce audio signals. In various embodiments, audio interface 218 may be integrated within PoS device 200. Audio interface 218 also may include components that are external to PoS device 200. (57) Touchscreen/display control 220 may be any device or controller that controls an electronic visual display. Touchscreen/display control 220 may allow a user to interact with PoS device 200 through simple or multi-touch gestures by touching a screen or display (e.g., display 222). Touchscreen/display control 220 may be configured to control any number of touchscreens, including, for example, resistive touchscreens, surface acoustic wave touchscreens, capacitive touchscreens, surface capacitance touchscreens, projected capacitance touchscreens, mutual capacitance touchscreens, self-capacitance touchscreens, infrared grid touchscreens, infrared acrylic projection touchscreens, optical touchscreens, touchscreens based on dispersive signal technology, acoustic pulse recognition touchscreens, and the like. In various embodiments, touchscreen/display control 220 may receive inputs from the touchscreen and process the received inputs. Touchscreen/display control 220 also may control the display on PoS device 200, thereby providing the graphical user interface on a display to a user of PoS device 200. (58) Display 222 may be any display suitable for a PoS device. For example, display 222 may be a TFT, LCD, LED or other display. Display 222 also may be a touchscreen display that for example allows a user to interact with PoS device 200 through simple or multi-touch gestures by touching a screen or display (e.g., display 222). Display 222 may include any number of touchscreens, including, for example, resistive touchscreens, surface acoustic wave touchscreens, capacitive touchscreens, surface capacitance touchscreens, projected capacitance touchscreens, mutual capacitance touchscreens, self-capacitance touchscreens, infrared grid touchscreens, infrared acrylic projection touchscreens, optical touchscreens, touchscreens based on dispersive signal technology, acoustic pulse recognition touchscreens, and the like. In various embodiments, 222 may receive inputs from control gestures provided by a user. Display 222 also may display images, thereby providing the graphical user interface to a user of PoS device 200. (59) Cash register/retail enterprise system 224 may include any device or devices that cooperate with PoS device 200 to process transactions. Cash register/retail enterprise system 224 may be coupled with other components of PoS device 200 via, for example, a data interface (e.g., data interface 206). Cash register/retail enterprise system 224 also may be integrated into PoS device 200. (60) In various embodiments, cash register/retail enterprise system 224 may be a cash register. Example cash registers may include, for example, mechanical or electronic devices that calculate and record sales transactions. Cash registers also may include a cash drawer for storing cash and may be capable of printing receipts. Cash registers also may be connected to a network to enable payment transactions. Cash registers may include a numerical pad, QWERTY or custom keyboard, touch screen interface, or a combination of these input methods for a cashier to enter products and fees by hand and access information necessary to complete the sale. (61) In various embodiments, cash register/retail enterprise system 224 may comprise an retail enterprise system and/or a customer relationship management system. Retail enterprise system 224 may enable retain enterprises to manage operations and performance across a retail operation. Retail enterprise system 224 may be a stand-alone application in, for example, individual stores, or may be interconnected via a network. Retail enterprise system 224 may include various point of sale capabilities, including the ability to, for example, customize and resize transaction screens, work with a "touch screen" graphical user interface, enter line items, automatically look up price (sales, quantity discount, promotional, price levels), automatically compute tax, VAT, look up quantity and item attribute, display item picture, extended description, and sub-descriptions, establish default shipping services, select shipping carrier and calculate shipping charges by weight/value, support multi-tender transactions, including cash, check, credit card, and debit card, accept food stamps, place transactions on hold and recall, perform voids and returns at POS, access online credit card authorizations and capture electronic signatures, integrate debit and credit card processing, ensure optional credit card discounts with address verification, support mix-and-match pricing structure, discount entire sale or selected items at time of sale, add customer account, track customer information, including total sales, number of visits, and last visit date. issue store credit, receive payment(s) for individual invoices, process deposits on orders, search by customer's ship-to address, create and process layaway, back orders, work orders, and sales quotes, credit items sold to selected sales reps, view daily sales graph at the PoS, view and print journals from any register, preview, search, and print journals by register, batch, and/or receipt number, print X, Z, and ZZ reports, print receipts, invoices, and pick tickets with logos/graphics, print kit components on receipt, reprint receipts, enter employee hours with an integrated time clock function, and/or sell when the network/server is down with an offline PoS mode. Retail enterprise system 224 also may include inventory control and tracking capabilities, reporting tools, customer management capabilities, employee management tools, and may integrate with other accounting software. (62) In various embodiments cash register/retail enterprise system 224 may be a hospitality PoS. In such embodiments, retail enterprise system 224 may include hospitality PoS software (e.g., Aloha® PoS Restaurant software from NCR®, Micros® RES® and Symphony® software and the like), hospitality management software, and other hardware and software to facilitate hospitality operations. (63) Referring to FIG. 3, system 300 may include a system and device to generate a user customized order interface which may be utilized for ordering and payment of transactions. For example, system 300 may include a user device 302, which may be similar to mobile device 120, a network 304, which may be similar to network 110, a front-end controlled domain 306, a back-end controlled domain 312, and a backend system 318. Front-end controlled domain 306 may include one or more load balancers 308 and one or more web servers 310. Back-end controlled domain 312 may include one or more load balancers 314 and one or more application servers 316. (64) User device 302 may be a network-enabled computer. As referred to herein, a network-enabled computer may include, but is not limited to: e.g., any computer device, or communications device including, e.g., a server, a network appliance, a personal computer (PC), a workstation, a mobile device, a phone, a handheld PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a thin client, a fat client, an Internet browser, or other device. The one or more network-enabled computers of the example system 300 may execute one or more software applications to enable, for example, network communications. (65) User device 302 may include an iPhone®, iPod®, iPad®, and/or Apple Watch® from Apple® or any other mobile device running Apple's iOS® operating system, any device running Google's Android® operating system, including for example, Google's wearable device, Google Glass®, any device running Microsoft's Windows® Mobile operating system, and/or any other smartphone or like wearable mobile device. (66) Network 304 may be one or more of a wireless network, a wired network, or any combination of a wireless network and a wired network. For example, network 304 may include one or more of a fiber optics network, a passive optical network, a cable network, an Internet network, a satellite network, a wireless LAN, a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), a Personal Communication Service (PCS), a Personal Area Networks, (PAN), D-AMPS, Wi-Fi, Fixed Wireless Data, IEEE 802.11b, 802.15.1, 802.11n, and 802.11g or any other wired or wireless network for transmitting and receiving a data signal. (67) In addition, network 304 may include, without limitation, telephone lines, fiber optics, IEEE Ethernet 902.3, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN) or a global network such as the Internet. Also, network 304 may support an Internet network, a wireless communication network, a cellular network, or the like, or any combination thereof. Network 404 may further include one network, or any number of example types of networks mentioned above, operating as a stand-alone network or in cooperation with each other. Network 304 may utilize one or more protocols of one or more network elements to which they are communicatively couples. Network 304 may translate to or from other protocols to one or more protocols of network devices. Although network 304 is depicted as a single network, it should be appreciated that according to one or more embodiments, network 304 may comprise a plurality of interconnected networks, such as, for example, the Internet, a service provider's network, a cable television network, corporate networks, and home networks. (68) Front-end controlled domain 306 may be implemented to provide security for backend 318. Load balancer(s) 308 may distribute workloads across multiple computing resources, such as, for example computers, a computer cluster, network links, central processing units or disk drives. In various embodiments, load balancer(s) 310 may distribute workloads across, for example, web server(s) 316 and/or backend 318 systems. Load balancing aims to optimize resource use, maximize throughput, minimize response time, and avoid overload of any one of the resources. Using multiple components with load balancing instead of a single component may increase reliability through redundancy. Load balancing is usually provided by dedicated software or hardware, such as a multilayer switch or a Domain Name System (DNS) server process. (69) Load balancer(s) 308 may include software that monitoring the port where external clients, such as, for example, user device 302, connect to access various services of a financial institution, for example. Load balancer(s) 308 may forward requests to one of the application servers 316 and/or backend 318 servers, which may then reply to load balancer 308. This may allow load balancer(s) 308 to reply to user device 302 without user device 302 ever knowing about the internal separation of functions. It also may prevent mobile devices from contacting backend servers directly, which may have security benefits by hiding the structure of the internal network and preventing attacks on backend 318 or unrelated services running on other ports, for example. (70) A variety of scheduling algorithms may be used by load balancer(s) 308 to determine which backend server to send a request to. Simple algorithms may include, for example, random choice or round robin. Load balancers 308 also may account for additional factors, such as a server's reported load, recent response times, up/down status (determined by a monitoring poll of some kind), number of active connections, geographic location, capabilities, or how much traffic it has recently been assigned. (71) Load balancers 308 may be implemented in hardware and/or software. Load balancer(s) 308 may implement numerous features, including, without limitation: asymmetric loading Priority activation: SSL Offload and Acceleration; Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack protection; HTTP/HTTPS compression; TCP offloading; TCP buffering direct server return; health checking; HTTP/HTTPS caching; content filtering; HTTP/HTTPS security; priority queuing rate shaping; content-aware switching client authentication; programmatic traffic manipulation; firewall; intrusion prevention systems. (72) Web server(s) 310 may include hardware (e.g., one or more computers) and/or software (e.g., one or more applications) that deliver web content that can be accessed by, for example a client device (e.g., user device 302) through a network (e.g., network 304), such as the Internet. In various examples, web servers, may deliver web pages, relating to, for example, online banking applications and the like, to clients (e.g., user device 302). Web server(s) 310 may use, for example, a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP/HTTPS or sHTTP) to communicate with user device 302. The web pages delivered to user device may include, for example, HTML documents, which may include images, style sheets and scripts in addition to text content. (73) A user agent, such as, for example, a web browser, web crawler, or native mobile application, may initiate communication by making a request for a specific resource using HTTP/HTTPS and web server 310 may respond with the content of that resource or an error message if unable to do so. The resource may be, for example a file on stored on backend 318. Web server(s) 310 also may enable or facilitate receiving content from user device 302 so user device 302 may be able to, for example, submit web forms, including uploading of files. (74) Web server(s) also may support server-side scripting using, for example, Active Server Pages (ASP), PHP, or other scripting languages. Accordingly, the behavior of web server(s) 310 can be scripted in separate files, while the actual server software remains unchanged. (75) Load balancers 314 may be similar to load balancers 308 as described above. (76) Application server(s) 316 may include hardware and/or software that is dedicated to the efficient execution of procedures (e.g., programs, routines, scripts) for supporting its applied applications. Application server(s) 316 may comprise one or more application server frameworks, including, for example, Java application servers (e.g., Java platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE), the .NET framework from Microsoft®, PHP application servers, and the like). The various application server frameworks may contain a comprehensive service layer model. Also, application server(s) 316 may act as a set of components accessible to, for example, a financial institution, or other entity implementing system 400, through an API defined by the platform itself. For Web applications, these components may be performed in, for example, the same running environment as web server(s) 310, and application servers 316 may support the construction of dynamic pages. Application server(s) 316 also may implement services, such as, for example, clustering, fail-over, and load-balancing. In various embodiments, where application server(s) 316 are Java application servers, the web server(s) 316 may behaves like an extended virtual machine for running applications, transparently handling connections to databases associated with backend 318 on one side, and, connections to the Web client (e.g., user device 302) on the other. (77) Backend 318 may include hardware and/or software that enables the backend services of, for example, a financial institution, merchant, or other entity that maintains a distributed system similar to system 300. For example, backend 318 may include, a system of record, online banking applications, encryption applications, BLE/Bluetooth connection platforms, a rewards platform, a payments platform, a lending platform, including the various services associated with, for example, auto and home lending platforms, a statement processing platform, one or more platforms that provide mobile services, one or more platforms that provide online services, a card provisioning platform, a general ledger system, and/or a location system, which may include additional capabilities, such as transaction card data generation, transaction processing, and/or transmission of account and/or transaction data. Backend 318 may be associated with various databases, including account databases that maintain, for example, cardholder information (e.g., demographic data, credit data, cardholder profile data, and the like), transaction card databases that maintain transaction card data (e.g., transaction history, account balance, spending limit, budget categories, budget spending, budget limits, and the like), connection information (e.g., public/private key pairs, UUIDs, device identifiers, and the like) and the like. Backend 318 also may be associated with one or more servers that enable the various services provided by system 300. Backend 318 may enable a financial institution to implement various functions associated with reprogramming a transaction card and/or providing data to a transaction card in order to facilitate the connection of a first device to a second device as described herein. (78) FIG. 4 depicts an example smart shopping system 400 for generating a user customized order interface that may be utilized for ordering and payment, according to embodiments of the disclosure, which may include network 410, webserver 420, user profile repository 430, table generation processor 440, recommendation processor 480, mobile wallet application 460, external components 465, recommendation service components 470, similar items/merchant table 490, and similar merchant list 495. Table generation processor 440 may receive user transaction information from user profile repository 430, which may be utilized by table generation processor to generate similar items/merchant table 490 and similar merchant list 495. Recommendation processor 480 may receive user data from user profile repository 430 and similar items/merchant table 490, and recommendation processor 480 may generate user recommendations which may be stored in user profile repository 430. (79) FIG. 5 depicts an example method 500 for generating a smart shopping similar items or merchant table, according to embodiments of the disclosure. At block 501, the smart shopping system may aggregate all transactions for a particular shopping experience, such as dining, food, coffee. At block 502, the smart shopping system may generate a table of all customers to all merchants. At block 503, the smart shopping system may generate a table of all merchants to all customers. At block 504, the system may computer a correlation between popular merchants, and at block 505, the system may compute a correlation between popular items. At block 506, the system may sort the system generated correlations. A popularity calculation may be utilized to generate the similar items or merchant table. This calculation may be completed before or after the correlation processing and may include determining popular items (block 507), determining popular merchants (block 508), filtering out unpopular items (509), and filtering out unpopular merchants (block 510). (80) FIG. 6 depicts an example method 600 for generating and utilizing a smart shopping similar items or merchant table, according to embodiments of the disclosure. At block 601, the system may create personal recommendations of merchants. At block 602, a similar merchants table may be sorted to identify particular merchants of interest to a user, at block 603. At block 604, the merchant similarities list may be filtered based on user location, and this filtered list may be utilized by the system at block 605 to find local merchants with a correlation to users as high interest merchants. The similar merchants table may be sorted based on correlation at block 606. For example, the table may be sorted from highest to lowest correlation. The sorted list may be filtered at block 607 to create a recommendation list. For example, merchants that a user has already visited may be removed from the list. The system may transmit a top number of merchants to a user via a user application, which may be located on a user device, at block 608. (81) FIG. 7 illustrates an example system architecture of an open, distributed system for generating a user customized order interface that may be utilized for ordering and payment across various merchants. A customer's mobile device 120 may communicate with a merchant system 130 via mobile application 124. Associated messaging and payment processing may be preceded by WiFi/https messaging, which may be illustrated for example in FIGS. 28-31. (82) Mobile device 120 may utilize location-tracking systems and methods, such as GPS, to determine the current location of the customer's mobile device. Upon determining the current location of the customer's mobile device, mobile application 124 may send the current location to transaction system 152 via network 110. Transaction system 152 may compare the current location of the customer's mobile device to merchant locations identified in data storage 154. Upon determining a match between the current location of the customer's mobile device and a merchant location identified in data storage 154, transaction system 152 may send a message to merchant system 130 via mobile application 124, utilizing push transactions 704 and a mobile application SDK, and may request the corresponding merchant ID of the identified merchant location associated with the customer's current location. (83) In response to the message, PoS terminal 132 may pass the corresponding merchant ID to transaction system 152, which may retrieve past transactions and corresponding transaction IDs associated with the merchant ID. Transaction system 152 may send the transaction IDs to merchant system 130 via mobile application 124, and may request specific order information associated with the transmitted transaction IDs 702. Merchant system 130 may retrieve the requested specific order information by utilizing the transaction IDs. Additionally, along with the transaction IDs, transaction system 152 may also send additional transaction information, which may include corresponding transaction amounts and timestamps. The specific order information may include the individual items included in the transaction, and may additionally include SKU level inventory information. The specific order information may also include specific details of the individual items. For example, for a transaction that occurred in a coffee shop, the specific order information may include the flavor of a purchased drink, the associated type of milk, whether sugar or a sugar substitute was requested, whether the item was gluten-free, whether there were any special requests, etc. (84) Upon receipt of the specific order information, transaction system may store the specific order information in data storage 154, and may generate via mobile application 124 a user customized order interface, which displays the customer's previous orders and corresponding specific order information 706. Using the generated customized interface, an example of which is illustrated by FIG. 9, a customer may select a specific order item to order/re-order, and may utilize mobile application to confirm the order and proceed to payment, which will transmit the order to merchant system 708. Merchant system may push the order to PoS terminal 710 for the customer to view and to complete the order by making payment using cash, a credit or debit card, a smart or EMV card, and/or NFC or Bluetooth technology, etc. Additionally, customer may utilize mobile application 124 to complete payment utilizing an account associated with the mobile application. (85) FIG. 8 illustrates an example system architecture of an open, distributed system for generating a user customized order interface that may be utilized for pre-ordering and payment across various merchants. A customer's mobile device 120 may communicate with a merchant system 130 via mobile application 124. Mobile device 120 may utilize location-tracking systems and methods, such as GPS, to determine the current location of the customer's mobile device. Upon determining the current location of the customer's mobile device, mobile application 124 may send the current location to transaction system 152 via network 110. Transaction system 152 may compare the current location of the customer's mobile device to merchant locations identified in data storage 154. Upon determining a match between the current location of the customer's mobile device and a merchant location identified in data storage 154, transaction system 152 may send a message to merchant system 130 via mobile application 124, utilizing push transactions 804, and may request the corresponding merchant ID of the identified merchant location associated with the customer's current location. (86) In response to the message, PoS terminal 132 may pass the corresponding merchant ID to transaction system 152, which may retrieve past transactions and corresponding transaction IDs associated with the merchant ID. Transaction system 152 may send the transaction IDs to merchant system 130 via mobile application 124, and may request specific order information associated with the transmitted transaction IDs 802. Merchant system 130 may retrieve the requested specific order information by utilizing the transaction IDs. Additionally, along with the transaction IDs, transaction system 152 may also send additional transaction information, which may include corresponding transaction amounts and timestamps. The specific order information may include the individual items included in the transaction, and may additionally include SKU level inventory information. The specific order information may also include specific details of the individual items. For example, for a transaction that occurred in a coffee shop, the specific order information may include the flavor of a purchased drink, the associated type of milk, whether sugar or a sugar substitute was requested, whether the item was gluten-free, whether there were any special requests, etc. (87) Upon receipt of the specific order information pertaining to a customer's previous orders, transaction system may store the specific order information in data storage 154, and may generate via mobile application 124 a user customized order interface, which displays the customer's previous orders and corresponding specific order information 506. Using the generated customized order interface, an example of which is illustrated by FIG. 6, a customer may select a specific order item to pre-order, and may utilize mobile application to confirm the order and proceed to payment, which will transmit the order to merchant system 808. Customer may utilize mobile application 124 to complete payment utilizing an account associated with the mobile application, and may pick up the pre-order 810 at the merchant location. (88) The smart shopping system may also be utilized by a user to make reservations for various merchants, including restaurants and hotels, as well as to make call ahead reservations. (89) FIG. 9 depicts an example user customized order interface 900 on a mobile device. The user customized order interface may display a personalized menu for a particular merchant location 902, which may include the customer's previous orders and corresponding specific order information, which may be stored in account provider system data storage 150 for a particular merchant ID. For example, for a transaction that occurred in a coffee shop, the specific order information may include the type of item ordered (e.g., latte, butter croissant, espresso, etc.) flavor of a purchased drink (e.g., vanilla, mocha, pumpkin spike, etc.), the associated type of milk (e.g., skim, whole, soy, almond, etc.), whether sugar or a sugar substitute was requested, whether the item was gluten-free, whether there were any special requests (e.g., double shot, extra hot, etc.). Upon generating the personalized menu, the merchant data may be updated in real time. Transaction system 152 may retrieve the merchant data from merchant system 130 in real time to assess the availability of personalized menu items. The user customized order interface may display personalized menu items that are currently available. (90) The user customized order interface may also display a full menu for a particular merchant location. Mobile application 124 may retrieve the merchant data associated with the full menu from merchant system 130 in real time. The merchant data associated with the full menu may be stored in data storage 136. Upon generating the user customized order interface, the merchant data associated with the full menu may be updated in real time. (91) A customer may utilize the generated user customized order interface to select a specific order item to order and place the order, which may transmit the order to merchant system. A customer may select an item to order from the personalized or full menu. Additionally, a customer may make modifications and special requests with respect to the particular order items by utilizing the user customized order interface. (92) FIG. 10 illustrates an example method of generating a user customized order interface that may be utilized for ordering and payment across various merchants. The process 1000 may begin at block 1001. At block 1002, a mobile application 124 on a customer's mobile device 120 may request a merchant ID of a particular merchant by sending a message to merchant system 130. Mobile application 124 may request a merchant ID upon determination by mobile device 120 that a customer is within a close proximity of a particular merchant location utilizing GPS and WiFi based geo-fencing technologies (NFC technologies may also be utilized), which may combine awareness of a user's current location with awareness of a user's proximity to locations. Mobile device may utilize location-tracking systems and methods, such as geo-fencing technologies, to determine the current location of the customer's mobile device, and to generate real time location based notifications. To mark a location of interest, you specify its latitude and longitude. To adjust the proximity for the location, you add a radius. The latitude, longitude, and radius define a geo-fence, creating a circular area, or fence, around the location of interest. Geo-fence objects, transitions, and triggers may be utilized. Mobile device may also utilize Bluetooth and NFC technologies associated with a PoS to determine whether a customer is within a close proximity of a merchant location. Upon determining that a customer is within a close proximity of a particular merchant location, mobile application 124 may automatically send a message to merchant system 130 requesting the associated merchant ID. Upon determining that a customer is within a close proximity of a particular merchant location, a message may be transmitted to mobile device 120 via a push notification through mobile application 124 indicating that the customer is within a close proximity of a particular merchant location. Upon receipt of this message, mobile application 124 may automatically send a message to merchant system 130 requesting the associated merchant ID. A customer may also be prompted via mobile application 124 to respond whether the customer would like the merchant ID to be requested. Additionally, regardless of a customer's location, a customer may open mobile application 124 on a mobile device, and may select a particular product or merchant to request an associated merchant ID. (93) At block 1004, in response to the message, PoS terminal 132 may utilize a terminal ID to pass the corresponding merchant ID to transaction system 152, which may retrieve, for example, the customer's last three transactions and corresponding transaction IDs associated with the merchant ID, which may be stored in data storage 154. The transaction information stored in data storage 154 may also include corresponding transaction amounts and timestamps of the transaction associated with the individual transaction IDs. Transaction system 152 may send the transaction IDs to merchant system 130 via mobile application 124, and may request specific order information associated with the transmitted transaction IDs. (94) At block 1006, merchant system 130 may link the transaction IDs to specific order information. Additionally, along with the transaction IDs, transaction system 152 may also send additional transaction information, which may include corresponding transaction amounts and timestamps. The specific order information may include the individual items included in the transaction, and may additionally include SKU level inventory information. The specific order information may also include specific details of the individual items. For example, for a transaction that occurred in a coffee shop, the specific order information may include the flavor of a purchased drink, the associated type of milk, whether sugar or a sugar substitute was requested, whether the item was gluten-free, whether there were any special requests, etc. (95) Merchant system 130 may send the specific order information to mobile application 124. At block 1008, upon receipt of the specific order information, transaction system may store the specific order information in data storage 154, and may generate via mobile application 124 a user customized order interface, which displays the customer's previous orders and corresponding specific order information. (96) At block 1010, using the generated customized interface, an example of which is illustrated by FIG. 9, a customer may initiate a transaction by selecting a specific order item to order, which may generate an order ID, and may utilize mobile application 124 to confirm the order and proceed to payment, which will transmit the order to merchant system in real time. The order ID may be associated with a terminal token. The system may confirm a user's location over a wireless connection, which may include Bluetooth or BLE, by evaluating a unique Order ID-terminal token pair. The system may add the order to an order queue. Upon confirming payment, the system may generate a payment token that may be utilized for payment verification and facilitate payment. The process 1000 may end at block 1012. (97) Transaction system 152 may utilize a customer's transaction data and specific order information to generate recommendations for a customer based on a customer's past transactions. The recommendation algorithm may be incorporated as part of the mobile application and the generated recommendations may be incorporated into the generated user profile. (98) Upon generation of the recommendations, transaction system may store the recommendations and associated order information in data storage 154, and may generate a customer profile. The customer profile may include customer preferences associated with particular merchants and particular merchant types. For example, for a particular coffee shop merchant location, the customer profile may include customer preferences such as flavor, type of milk, whether sugar or a sugar substitute is preferred, whether gluten-free items are preferred, etc. If a customer orders pumpkin spice lattes in October, transaction system 152 may recommend other holiday specialty drinks to the customer throughout the year. (99) User profiles may be stored locally in the mobile application. However user profiles may also be stored within an external data server. The smart shopping system may create a similarity table that takes the entirety of transaction data in order to create a data repository, which may include a database, of recommendations using correlation between items or merchants and transaction volume. Due to processing requirements, this process may include an offline system, external to the mobile application. (100) Table generation may occur periodically offline on a system external to the mobile application. The table generation may create a sorted table or ranking that can be fed to a user as a list of either restaurants or items to consider. There are a variety of tables to generate the following example of methods: Collaborative filtering. Generally using collective user data to find likelihood and correlations between items and/or merchants. Content filtering: creating tags for items or restaurants and comparing it to a specific user's preferences/taste held within their profile Popularity: Finding and ranking the most popular merchants or items across transaction data (can be done by reviews or volume of transactions) Spend: A list curated by the average amount of spend at a particular merchant Segmentation: Creating a k-means cluster of users and their preferences and visited restaurants. To be used for comparison. (101) The table may then later be fed to the user's mobile device with contextual information from the user's cellular device and mobile application to provide instant recommendations. User profiles may first consist of a merchant history of a consumer where access is limited for an individual customer's SKU level data. As system use increases, the system may be able to create more robust user profiles. User profiles may be sent to a recommendation system in order to generate individualized recommendations for a user when using the system. The system may build the user profile from terminal, which may include a smart terminal, mobile wallet and pre-order receipts tied to individual transactions. (102) User profiles may be generated locally, and may be updated in real time. User profiles may be generated from an issuer system's wealth of transaction data. User profiles may first consist of the merchant history of a consumer where access is limited for an individual customer's SKU level data. As system use increases, more robust user profiles may be created. User profiles may be sent to a recommendation system in order to generate individualized recommendations for a user. (103) The recommendation system may include a recommendation engine that may create a list of the user's transaction history, may filter for only transactions in a particular merchant category, such as the dining categories, may sort by date of transaction, and may sends user the merchant information of the, for example, most recent places they purchased. (104) The recommendation engine may create a list of the users transactions, and may filter the user transactions for a particular merchant category, such as the dining category. The recommendation engine may determine the highest frequency merchants by counting the number of times a specific merchant appears in the users transaction list, and may sort and attempt to identify a range of times the user goes to that specific dining location. The recommendation engine may then send the user the time range and merchant for the, for example, top visited places. The recommendation engine may utilize a variety of methods to determine the time range of the associated transactions and recommendations. (105) Transaction system may utilize the generated recommendations across various merchants. For example, if a customer profile is generated for a particular coffee shop, a customized menu may be generated for a different coffee shop utilizing the customer profile user preferences. Additionally, transaction system may generate recommendations based on popular items associated with a particular merchant. A customer may utilize mobile application 124 to modify the generated customer profile, which may be stored in data storage 154. A customer may also utilize user permissions to specify which transaction data and specific order information may be utilized, stored and transmitted by the system. Transaction system 152 may utilize the customer profile to generate the user customized order interface, which may display the system generated recommendations. Using the generated customized interface, a customer may initiate a transaction by selecting a specific recommended item to order, and may utilize mobile application 124 to confirm the order and proceed to payment, which will transmit the order to merchant system. (106) The recommendation system may include an external system that generates recommendations in real time. The recommendation process will take inputs from a Similar Items Table as well as the User profiles to generate recommendations that are then sent to the mobile wallet application. For example, for food and dining, the system may make: itemized recommendations (what someone should order) or merchant recommendations (where someone should order from). (107) For item recommendations, the recommendation system may identify the user's location (either current or a specified location). The recommendation system may filter restaurants near the location and aggregates a list of the items offered by each restaurant in the list. The recommendation system may input a user profile for frequent orders (orders that reach a certain frequency threshold for the user), previous orders: Orders recently made, and things a user may like by utilizing a similarity table rank order the items with high correlation to users most frequent purchases and filtering out purchases they have made previously. (108) For merchant recommendations, the recommendation system is fed a user location, and filters merchants near the specified location. The recommendation system may input a user profile for Frequent merchants (merchants the user visits often that reach a certain frequency threshold for the user), previous orders (the last three merchants they visited), things they may like, using a similarity table rank order the filtered list of merchants by correlation to the user's most visited merchants, filter out restaurants they have previously made a transaction at, and using a popularity list, the system may rank the order of the filtered list of merchants by popularity and filter out merchants visited by the user. (109) The recommendation table may be generated based on data regarding the stores customers spend at most frequently, their average spend amount, and their categorical spend and more, as well as data from third party provider systems for detailed merchant information including location, longitude latitude and category information. (110) The recommendation system may make recommendations based on an average approach based on averages across data sources. Additionally the system may utilize filters on the data. The recommendation system may make recommendations based on ratings and transaction frequency filtered by the location, which may include collaborative recommendations. Filters may be utilized on data to add context to consumers and make recommendations more relevant. The number of filters can vary and may include the following. Using a GPS system, a user location may be identified. Using a merchant database, the system may filter a list of merchants within a particular distance of the customer's location. Using the filtered list, the system can order the restaurants based on volume of transactions historically (i.e., how many consumers have visited the restaurant recently). Or if consumers have publically rated a restaurant the system may rank restaurants in order based on highest rating. There are a variety of filters that can be added to populate the list of recommendations. And filters can be combined to populate more relevant lists for a customer. Other restaurant filters can include average spend at a merchant, list of stores where the volume is up, and stores where the average spend is decreasing. In each the above methods a list is generated typically with some ranking, which may include, for example, recommending stores based on transaction volume at the store is shown in FIG. 11, which depicts an example user customized recommendation interface 1100, which may be generated on a mobile device. (111) Recommending stores based on ratings and transaction frequency filtered by the location is shown in FIG. 12, which depicts an example user customized recommendation interface 1200, which may be generated on a mobile device. (112) The recommendation system may also utilize collaborative recommendations. Collaborative filtering may include a recommendation system that is used to make predictions (recommendations) for a single user based on the preferences or tastes of other users. Using a data repository of consumer transactions and merchant information, a variety of merchants may be compared to recommendations. Collaborative filtering may make the assumption that if person A has the same opinion as person B on an issue, person A would be more likely to have B's opinion on a different issue than a person at random. For instance, it may include the websites' person B also made purchases at, which may employ a similar technique for restaurant recommendations. (113) For example, for the entire transaction history of customers Amy, John, Jennifer, the system may filter their transactions by restaurant. For example, the transactions may be filtered by area code such that there may only be 3 restaurants within a predetermined geographic range of the user. The system may use the cosine distance for collaborative filtering. The system may assess if a customer made a transaction at a restaurant when they visited the restaurant. For example: (114) TABLE-US-00001 Customer Rest 1 Rest 2 Rest 3 Amy Visited Didn't Visit Visited John Didn't Visit Visited Visited Jennifer Didn't Visit Visited Didn't Visit (115) The system may compare the cosines between each item to make recommendations: (116) Similarity ⁢ ⁢ ( A , B ) = cos ⁢ ⁢ ( A , B ) = A × B .Math. A .Math. × .Math. B .Math. Between ⁢ ⁢ 1 & ⁢ ⁢ 2 ⁢ : ( 1 , 0 , 1 ) × ( 0 , 1 , 1 ) ( 1 , 0 , 0 ) .Math. ⁢ .Math. ⁢ 0 , 1 , 1 .Math. = 0 Between ⁢ ⁢ 1 & ⁢ ⁢ 3 ⁢ : ( 1 , 0 , 0 ) × ( 1 , 1 , 0 ) ( 1 , 0 , 0 ) .Math. ⁢ .Math. ⁢ 1 , 1 , 0 .Math. = 1 / √ 2 Between ⁢ ⁢ 2 & ⁢ ⁢ 3 ⁢ : ( 0 , 1 , 1 ) × ( 1 , 1 , 0 ) ( 0 , 1 , 1 ) .Math. ⁢ .Math. ⁢ 1 , 1 , 0 .Math. = 1 / 2 (117) The system may store the cosine values locally on a consumer's mobile device. Items with the largest cosine may be the most similar and as such recommended. So if a customer recently visited restaurant 1, the system would recommend restaurant 3. If they visited restaurant 2, the system would recommend restaurant 3. (118) The system may develop additional collaborative filtering methods that will create utility profiles of consumer's preferences. For instance, gathering knowledge about a restaurant, such as is it local, does it have a bar, or does it offer vegan options, which knowledge may be compared to a user profile: (119) TABLE-US-00002 Julia's Restaurants Local Bar Vegan Rest 1 Yes yes no Rest 2 Yes yes no Rest 3 Yes no yes (120) The profiles may be saved as vectors in a data repository. Vectors can be made to generate user profiles across a variety of categories, e.g. automobile service, restaurants, entertainment, etc. When customers access the recommendation section of the app, the user profile may be accessed in relation to the customer's location to create recommendations. (121) To create more personalized models and recommendations, a model based approach of data mining and machine learning algorithms may be used to compare users to predict future purchases. For example, each transaction may be an observation of a consumer's preference for a specific category of store. For instance, the restaurants the customer shops at may reveal some information about the customer's tastes. Taking the total restaurants visited by customers in a specific area, similarity may be found between customers by the number of restaurants they visit, the type, the frequency they visit specific restaurants, and general demographic information to develop models or algorithms to identify if users fit a certain cluster of similar users or segment customers by tastes and preferences. Then once a user has been identified, the recommendation engine may suggest to them restaurants visited by other users who fit the same model or cluster. (122) Transaction system 152 may also communicate with social networking system 140, and may associate a customer's transaction data and specific order information with a customer's social data. The customer's social data may include, without limitation, information about the customer's friends or associates, the customer's gender, age, relationship status, family members, interests, hobbies, social groups that the customer is a member of, entertainment preferences, political views, religious beliefs, favorite sports teams and geographic location. The customer social data may also include a user id and password corresponding the customer that allows transaction system 152 to access the customer's own profile at social networking system 140. (123) The association may be accomplished by comparing an identifier corresponding to the customer transaction data and specific order information with an identifier corresponding to the customer's social data. The identifier may be, for example, the customer's first and/or last name, an identification number, an email or physical address, etc. In embodiments, transaction system 152 may require the customer to provide the user id and password corresponding to the customer that allows the customer to access their profile at social network system 140. Transaction system 152 may compare the provided user id and password with the social network user id and password included in the customer social data. If the information matches, transaction system 152 may store the customer social data and customer transaction data and specific order information in data storage 154. Transaction system 152 may generate a customer identifier based on the customer social data and customer transaction data and specific order information. The customer identifier may be stored with the customer social data and customer transaction data and specific order information in data storage 154. (124) Transaction system 152 may utilize a customer's social data and customer transaction data and specific order information to generate recommendations for a customer based on past transactions of members of a customer's social network and a customer's past transactions. Upon generation of the recommendations, transaction system may store the recommendations and associated order information in data storage 154, and may generate via mobile application 124 a user customized order interface, which displays the generated recommendations and corresponding specific order information. Using the generated customized interface, a customer may initiate a transaction by selecting a specific order item to order based on the generated recommendations, and may utilize mobile application 124 to confirm the order and proceed to payment, which will transmit the order to merchant system. (125) Transaction system 152 may also utilize a customer's transaction data, specific order information, and social data to generate offers and rewards for a customer based on a customer's and members of a customer's social network's past transactions. The offers and rewards may be displayed and redeemed via mobile application 124. (126) This process may end at block 712. (127) The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as may be apparent. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, may be apparent from the foregoing representative descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended representative claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended representative claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such representative claims are entitled. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. (128) With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity. (129) It may be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It may be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent may be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It may be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" may be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B." (130) The foregoing description, along with its associated embodiments, has been presented for purposes of illustration only. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Those skilled in the art may appreciate from the foregoing description that modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing the disclosed embodiments. For example, the steps described need not be performed in the same sequence discussed or with the same degree of separation. Likewise various steps may be omitted, repeated, or combined, as necessary, to achieve the same or similar objectives. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but instead is defined by the appended claims in light of their full scope of equivalents. (131) In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have been described with references to the accompanying drawings. It may, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded as an illustrative rather than restrictive sense. ### Claims 1. A system, comprising: a transaction server; data storage; and an authentication server; wherein the authentication server detects, using geo-fencing technologies, that a user device is within a proximity of a particular merchant; and wherein the transaction server: receives a request for a merchant ID associated with the particular merchant from the user device upon detection that the user device is within a proximity of the particular merchant; retrieves transaction information and transaction IDs associated with the merchant ID from the data storage; links the transaction IDs to specific order information; transmits the specific order information to the user device; and generates, via a mobile application on the user device, a user customized order interface related to the specific order information; wherein the transaction server, data storage, and authentication comprise an open, distributed system architecture. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a recommendation server that utilizes a user's transaction data and specific order information to generate order recommendations, targeted offers, rewards and/or advertisements for the user based on the user's past transactions. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the recommendation server generates order recommendations, targeted offers, and/or advertisements for the user based on past transactions of members of the user's social network. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction information comprises transaction amounts and transaction timestamps. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the specific order information comprises stock keeping unit (SKU) level inventory information. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction server pushes an order selected by a user from the user customized order interface to a point-of-sale (PoS) terminal to facilitate payment of the order. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein a smart card and/or EMV card, NFC and/or Bluetooth technologize, and/or the mobile application on the user device is utilized to facilitate payment of the order. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction server pushes updates to the user customized order interface in real time. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the user is prompted via the mobile application to opt-in for merchant ID identification. 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user profile repository that stores user profiles associated with the generated user customized order interface based on the associated merchant IDs, transaction information, transaction IDs, and specific order information. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the user profile repository is stored locally within the mobile application. 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the user profile repository is stored within an external data server. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the authentication server confirms a user's location over a wireless connection by evaluating a unique order ID-terminal token pair. 14. A method for user customized order interface, comprising: detecting, via an authentication server, using geo-fencing technologies, that a user device is within a proximity of a particular merchant; receiving, via a transaction server, a request for a merchant ID associated with the particular merchant from the user device upon detection that the user device is within a proximity of the particular merchant; retrieving transaction information and transaction IDs associated With the merchant ID from the data storage; linking the transaction IDs to specific order information; transmitting the specific order information to the user device; and generating, via a mobile application on the user device, a user customized order interface rated to the specific order information. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising utilizing a user's transaction data and specific order information to generate order recommendations, via a recommendation server, targeted offers, rewards and/or advertisements for the user based on the user's past transactions. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the recommendation server generates order recommendations, targeted offers, and/or advertisements for the user based on past transactions of members of the user's social network. 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the transaction information comprises transaction amounts and transaction timestamps. 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the specific order information comprises stock keeping unit (SKU) level inventory information. 19. The method of claim 14, further comprising pushing an order selected by a user from the user customized order interface to a point-of-sale (PoS) terminal to facilitate payment of the order. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein a smart card and/or EMV card, NFC and/or Bluetooth technologize, and/or the mobile application on the user device is utilized to facilitate payment of the order. 21. The method of claim 14, wherein the transaction server pushes updates to the user customized order interface in real time. 22. The method of claim 14, wherein the user is prompted via the mobile application to opt-in for merchant ID identification. 23. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating and storing user profiles associated with the generated user customized order interface based on the associated merchant IDs, transaction information, transaction IDs, and specific order information in a user profile repository. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the user profile repository is stored locally within the mobile application. 25. The method of claim 23, wherein the user profile repository is stored within an external data server. 26. The method of claim 14, wherein the authentication server confirms confirm a user's location over a wireless connection by evaluating a unique order ID-terminal token pair.	9965797	US 9965797 B1	2018-05-08	62,045,116	System and method for generating user customized order interface	G06Q30/0639;H04W4/02;G06Q30/0633;G06Q30/0623;G06Q30/0631		Poole; Thomas S. et al.	CAPITAL ONE SERVICES, LLC	15/689620	2017-08-29	Garg; Yogesh C		1/1	Capital One Services, LLC	9.217793	USPAT	21,894
United States Patent 9990418 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent June 05, 2018 Inventor(s) Rogers; Isaac David ## System and method for creating an opinion and behavioral data economy ### Abstract A system and method for the opinion economy that allows a user to make a choice of what data, demographics, opinions, behaviors, beliefs, and other information to share. The system and method provides capability to a user to set a value for that user's data, opinions, behaviors, and beliefs. The system and method further allows for dynamic pricing for surveys or data collection, either dependent on length of time, effort given by the user, or other attributes that might drive the value the user sets on that user's participation. Inventors: Rogers; Isaac David (Nashville, TN) Applicant: 2020 IP, LLC (Nashville, TN) Family ID: 62235515 Assignee: 2020 IP LLC (Nashville, TN) Appl. No.: 15/640967 Filed: July 03, 2017 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 62509179 20170521 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06F7/00 (20060101); G06F17/30 (20060101); G06Q20/14 (20120101); G06Q30/02 (20120101); H04L29/08 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06F17/30657 (20130101); G06F17/30209 (20130101); G06F17/30598 (20130101); G06F17/30867 (20130101); G06Q20/145 (20130101); G06Q30/02 (20130101); H04L67/104 (20130101); H04L67/306 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06F (17/30386); G06F (17/30557); G06F (17/30979); G06F (17/30657); G06F (17/30209); G06F (17/30598); G06F (17/30867) USPC: 707/737; 707/748; 707/770; 707/776 ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 9678956 12/2016 Bell N/A N/A 9681297 12/2016 Lu et al. N/A N/A 2017/0091009 12/2016 Bhattacharyya N/A G06F 11/079 2017/0109955 12/2016 Ernest et al. N/A N/A 2017/0142576 12/2016 Greaves N/A H04W 4/206 2017/0161439 12/2016 Raduchel et al. N/A N/A 2017/0161829 12/2016 Mazier N/A N/A 2017/0169800 12/2016 Greco et al. N/A N/A #### OTHER PUBLICATIONS Tapscott, Don et al., Blockchain Revolution, 2016, pp. 115-144, Penguin Random House LLC, New York, NY, USA. cited by applicant Diedrich, Henning; Ethereum, 2016, pp. 58-69, 166-179; Wildfire Publishing, Lexington, KY, USA. cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Uddin; MD I ### Background/Summary (1) The present application claims the benefit of Provisional Applications No. 62/508,899, filed May 19, 2017, and No. 62/509,179, filed May 21, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD (1) The present invention generally relates to opinion research, consumer behavior research, and data collection, and more particularly, to the methods and systems for utilizing an electronic database in the opinion economy. BACKGROUND (2) Market research is the application of opinion surveys and data collection that are systematically gathered and interpreted to utilize information about individuals and/or organizations to gain insight, including insight into one's decision making propensity, behaviors, or beliefs. That insight is valuable information and useful data for statistical and analytical methods to aid organizations in making decisions to conduct business. During the first generation of market research, surveys were conducted by going door-to-door collection methods. For the second generation, surveys were generally conducted by postal mail. Then, the third and fourth generations of surveys were conducted via the telephone and Internet, respectively. SUMMARY (3) The present invention generally relates to opinion research, consumer behavior research, and data collection. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel application of permitting a user to associate value (e.g., monetary value) with a user's data, including utilization of Blockchain and distributed ledger technology in the opinion economy to improve reliability, credibility, and efficiency in research data collection. (4) The present invention, in one embodiment, contemplates a computer-implemented system and method for receiving data, collecting data, and storing data in an electronic database that allows a user to associate value with that user's data. Another embodiment of the invention contemplates utilizing Blockchain technology and a cryptographic distributed ledger for a novel application in the opinion and behavioral data economy. The Opinion Economy Blockchain (OEB) includes an OEB-enabled survey platform or data portal that interacts with brands and research firms that are conducting surveys. The Opinion Economy Blockchain also includes a data warehouse and an OEB authentication and permission voting system. The brands and research firms may use the OEB system and methods to interact with contact agencies. The contact agencies communicate with respondents who provides opinions and data and respond to surveys to populate data in the OEB linked respondent data warehouse. The OEB system creates an alternative marketplace to today's panel and survey data collection environment; in this new invention, the system allows a user or a person control of the value and access to the data they share with brands and research companies. Further, also using a cryptographic distributed ledger, such as Blockchain, the present invention overcomes the problems in prior systems. (5) It is understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and exemplary only, and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention. Together with the description, they serve to explain the objects, advantages, and principles of the invention. In the drawings: (2) FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary Opinion Economy Blockchain incorporating certain aspects of the present invention. (3) FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary respondent profile. (4) FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary linked respondent warehouse data structure. (5) FIG. 4 is a block diagram of yet another exemplary linked respondent warehouse data structure. (6) FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a user enrolling in the system and a contact agency managing, coordinating, and updating user data. (7) FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a company or firm initiating a data collection activity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (8) Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, some aspects of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. (9) The present invention is directed to a system and method for the use of Blockchain in the opinion and behavioral data economy. As discussed below, the system and method of the present invention provides the capability for consumers to realize the value of sharing their opinions and behaviors either with another agency or directly with brands. Leveraging Blockchain technology in this invention allows, for example, a proven and reliable methodology for creating an anonymous, reliable, and public marketplace for opinion and behavioral data. In one embodiment, users enroll into the Opinion Economy Blockchain ("OEB") system 100 shown in FIG. 1. By way of example, a user 240 may register online with a contact agency 210. The contact agency 210 may conduct a series of identity checks. When, optionally, intense identity checks are performed, a contact agency 210 may assign a higher profile ranking for higher intensity authentication of a user's identity. Once a contact agency 210 verifies that a user 240 meets certain criteria, the user's profile 310 is approved. (10) FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary Opinion Economy Blockchain system 100 incorporating certain aspects of the disclosed embodiments. By way of example, FIG. 1 shows an exemplary OEB-enabled platform 125 (including a survey platform 130 or data portal 140), an Opinion Economy Blockchain system 150, a contact agency 210, an example linked respondent data warehouse 160, and an OEB authentication and permissions voting system 200. (11) In one embodiment, a computer-implemented system and method 100 for receiving data and storing data in an electronic database 160 allows a user 240 to associate value with that user's data 300, 500, and 800. Another embodiment of the invention contemplates utilizing Blockchain technology or a cryptographic distributed ledger for a novel application in the opinion and behavioral data economy. An embodiment of the Opinion Economy Blockchain (OEB) 100 includes an OEB system 150, an OEB-enabled survey platform 130 or data portal 140 that interacts with brands 110 and research firms 120 that are conducting surveys. The OEB platform 125 may communicate 270 via a Blockchain system 150 that is further in communication 280 with at least one contact agency 210 and further in communication 205 with at least one user 240. Alternatively, the Blockchain system 150 may communicate 296 directly with a user 297. (12) The Opinion Economy Blockchain environment 100 also includes linked respondent data warehouse 160 in communication 290 with the Blockchain network system 150 and in communication 295 with an OEB authentication and permission voting system 200. The respondent data warehouse 160 may alternatively communicate 298 with an OEB authentication and permission voting system 200. The brands 110 and research firms 120 use the OEB system and methods 100 to interact with a contact agency 210. By way of example, a contact agency 230 communicates 225 with a user 260. It is understood further that many contact agencies 210, 220, 230 may communicate with many users 240, 250, 260 who provide opinions and data and respond to surveys to populate data in the OEB linked respondent data warehouse 160 and/or database 194. Database 194 is associated 192 with data warehouse 160 and in further association and communication 290 with the OEB system 150. Database 194 may include a variety of data, which may be associated with premium data 190 or other features in data warehouse 160. As explained in FIG. 1, database 194 may store encrypted, private data 196 associated with a user's permission to share some, all, or selected portions of that user data. Further, data store 194 may include direct data 198 that a user contributes to the system by various collection methods and/or sources. It is understood that data collection methods or sources via direct contribution may include data from mobile devices, internet browsing history, credit card transactions, shopper buying habits associated with loyalty cards, medical records, fitness data from wearable tracking devices, automobile driving data, sensors located in a user's home, wireless sensors deployed anywhere associated with a user's activities, video streaming history, online shopping habits, online shopping purchases, television view history, and any form of data collection method or source in which the system may collect and store data associated with a user. By way of further example, external tagged data 199 may be linked and associated with the above data collection methods or sources and stored in database 194. Alternatively, tagged external data 199 may also be stored in other external systems associated with the user and/or the user's profile in the OEB system 150. (13) The OEB system creates an alternative marketplace to today's panel and survey data collection environment; in this new invention, the system allows a user or a person control of the value of user data and control the access to the data they share with brands, firms, and research companies. Using a secure electronic database or a cryptographic distributed ledger, such as Blockchain, the present invention overcomes the problems in prior systems. (14) FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary user data structure 300, titled in this embodiment as an anonymous respondent profile 310. The OEB profile identification 320 may have a value "48293398424" 325 associated with that profile identification 320. Likewise, the data structure 300 may include various fields, for example date of birth 330, contact agency 340, home zip code 350, gender 360, date of origination 370, country 380, reputation score average 390, most recent survey 400, total surveys to date 410, opinion economy coin balance 420, total opinion economy coin earnings 430, current loi (length of interview) minute price (coins) 440, and various other fields associated with a variety of data. (15) FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary respondent warehouse data structure 500, titled in this embodiment as linked respondent public warehouse data. In this embodiment, the warehouse data structure 510 depicts three columns. The three columns of this embodiment of warehouse data structure 510 include warehouse question identification 520, short name 610, and value 700. It is understood by one of skill in the art that this structure is merely exemplary. An exemplary warehouse question identification 520 may have a value "818357" 530 that corresponds to a short name 610 such as "What Airline do you fly most?" 620 and a further value 700 recorded as "Delta" 710. As shown in FIG. 3, the warehouse data structure 510 may include a variety of information associated with values as shown in the exemplary data structure 500. (16) FIG. 4 is a block diagram of yet another exemplary respondent warehouse data structure 800, titled in this embodiment as linked respondent private warehouse data. In the embodiment shown on FIG. 4, the warehouse data 810, may include various columns, fields, records, and values. In this exemplary embodiment, premium question identification 820, has an associated value "2520588" 855 associated to the short name 830 with data "Which of these medical conditions do you have?" 875 further associated with a value 840 shown as "Diabetes (211), Hypertension (44)" 895 and a coin value 850 listed in this embodiment as "3" 915. (17) FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart 1000 illustrating step 1 showing a user enrolling in the system 1010 and in step 2 setting value for that user's data 1020. It is understood that a user may both enroll in the system and set value for the user's data either in one step or in various steps. Likewise, a user may update values that the user associates with the user's data at any time. In step 3 1030, a contact agency creates a user's profile and may contribute data to the Opinion Economy database 1050. Similarly, in step 4 1040, a contact agency may update user data and all user-prescribed activity values. (18) FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart 1100 illustrating a company or firm initiating a data collection activity. In step 1 1110, a company, firm, or brand wanting to collect data from, for example, 500 users may query the OEB system and associated databases 1190 to find a targeted list of users that match certain criteria. Upon identifying those desired users, in step 2 1120 the firm may review the data collection rates of users and select users with a low-cost threshold. That is, the system allows a firm to select users for a data collection activity that gives a lower cost but obtains data from users matching criteria for a desired sample set. A firm sends a message in step 3 1130 to a contact agency associated with those user profiles matching the criteria selected by the firm. A contact agency in step 4 1140 receives a request to contact one of its users using a public record identification. Upon doing so, the contact agency proxies the request for data collection to that selected user. In step 5 1150, a user may accept the request for a data collection activity or reading request for premium data. Further in step 5 1150, the user may perform the data collection activity, such as taking a survey or interview, or permit sharing of a user's data (including premium data or data collected from various data collection methods or sources) with the firm, company, or brand. When a user completes a data collection activity in this example step 6 1160, the data may be transmitted to the Opinion Economy database 1190. Likewise, it should be understood that if the data requested by a firm is a passive collection activity, such as Netflix viewing history, step 6 1160 may be performed over time with many data points being submitted to the system (either passively, actively, periodically, or otherwise collected depending on the data collection method or data source). (19) The firm or company in step 7 1170 may register completion of the data collection activity in the OEB system database 1190. Upon doing so, the firm would issue payment to a contact agency. Additionally in step 7 1170, the contact agency may likewise record or register a payment amount in the user profile with the associated user in the OEB database 1190. The contact agency in step 8 1180 notifies a user that payment is held in escrow. When the user requests to receive payment or "cash out" in step 8 1180, a contact agency facilitates payment of real world currency to the user and records the transaction to the OEB database 1190. (20) For approved users in one embodiment of the invention, the contact agency sets up (a) an email relay system to route messages to the user's preferred email, (b) a payment method to transfer real-world funds to the user, and (c) the user's OEB public profile. The contact agency, may also setup or create the first record of that user in the OEB. In another embodiment of the invention, the OEB system is capable of moving a user's records from one contact agency to another contact agency. (21) In yet another embodiment of the invention, the contact agency has authority to manage users within the contact agency's network. For example, using Blockchain or similar cryptographic distributed ledger to host and validate key respondent demographics (like age, income, gender), the OEB System allows a contact agency and/or the user to update this information as needed (for example, updating information when the user moves such as a ZIP code change). (22) By way of further examples, a contact agency may create the new user profile, update certain user profile settings, or "cash out" the user when the user has accumulated points or coins (an example of a measurement of value managed in the OEB System) by completing surveys, contributing data, or by having existing data read by others associated with the system. The contact agency holds the actual funds (e.g., monetary value) in escrow until appropriate to distribute the funds. The user or person may request a distribution of funds, or the OEB may setup distribution of fund payments by other procedures. It is understood that once a user or person has completed a survey or been paid for their data, that user or person may also be referred to as a respondent in the OEB system. The point or coin balance is managed in one embodiment of the invention and may be updated to reflect a payment to the respondent. Likewise, the point, coin, or cumulative balance may be updated upon a brand or firm passively reading user data. A further aspect of the OEB System allows the user to control the level of access to data, including identity, anonymity, personally identifiable information and the like. (23) In a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, a brand or research firm may initiate a request to conduct a survey or collect data. The brand or research firm may utilize a connected OEB tool that can read the Blockchain or query an existing warehouse of data to find precise OEB respondent records. The system allows a contact agency to identify potential respondents who might take surveys by querying the ledger. In using this aspect of the invention, the contact agency preserves anonymity while allowing indirect access to the user. (24) A brand or research firm may choose to engage certain respondents in a survey. The OEB-Enabled survey tool sends direct messages to the contact agencies with records of users/respondents with whom the brand or research firm would like to engage in a survey, data collection process, or data collection activity. The contact agency likewise sends an email to the user's actual email via proxy message. When the user clicks the link, the user is directed to the OEB survey. The user then may complete the survey to earn monetary value, points, or coins. A feature of the invention allows the user's known profile and warehouse data to be automatically brought into the survey, bypassing tedious data entry. Survey software can identify a user via a cookie/hash in the user's profile data and skip over the monotonous "demographics" questions that are asked at the beginning of every survey. With the distributed ledger pre-filling validated data, this feature saves time in survey and allows the survey to rely on the typical user data, such as demographic info. The present invention system may include a standardized public (yet anonymous) profile that all contact agencies and survey companies could utilize. (25) Upon respondent's completion of the survey, the survey platform adds points or coin value to the user's Blockchain account (which is held in escrow by the contact agency) for completing the session and updates any data fields about the respondent with new data. The survey platform transmits real world currency to the contact agency to hold and fund the escrow accounts of its users held by the contact agency. If the user decides to withdraw monetary value or 'cash out,' the appropriate contact agency reduces the user's account and transfer monetary value (e.g. dollars) to the user. The monetary value can be held in escrow by the contact agency until the survey is completed. The contact agency can earn a transaction fee on the real-world cash-out to the user, and/or the contact agency may also earn a second transaction fee on the distribution of real world funds and management of the escrow account of the money held for the user. (26) In another aspect of the invention, if a user's record does not appear to be authentic or if the user is providing erroneous data, a feature of the invention allows the survey platform or brand to rate the respondent accordingly based on the quality of the data or opinions provided and decreases or increases the user's average feedback rating in the system. (27) Additionally, records with inconsistent patterns of participation or data contribution or over-utilization might be selectively avoided. This feature of the invention allows the contact agency to set a reputation score for respondents. (28) In another aspect of the invention, certain brands might only query for users with high average feedback but low per-minute survey prices. This feature of the invention allows the brands to select high-quality respondents while paying a more efficient price. (29) In another aspect of the invention, the contact agency or OEB-enabled survey platform communicates with the OEB Authority for an application to be a member of the OEB System. The application data is reviewed and audited. This application data is posted for review to the existing contact agency's and OEB's survey platforms and any other voting members of the system. In one example, the OEB existing members "vote" to allow this new member access to the OEB system. (30) Another feature of the present invention allows the OEB system to create "Warehouse Questions." For any new proposed question or data point that is submitted by the brands or research firm, the OEB Authority may provide the initial review. If the new proposed question or data point is approved, the existing members must vote to create the new warehouse question and add the new questions to the System in either a public or private data store associated to the OEB System. (31) Premium data is another feature of the present invention. In one embodiment of the OEB System, premium data is encrypted or secured private data that may be provided via the contact agency on authority of the user or appended by specific surveys or data collection tools with the respondent's distinct permission. Some examples of premium data could be user contact information, browser history, passive data collected from mobile devices, a person's actual email address, physical address, driving habits, medical history, or any other similar data point. It is understood that premium data could comprise any sensitive information that either the user considers to be worth a premium value or that the brand/research firm desires as premium value based upon desired research criteria. By way of example, when a piece of data is queried, a point or coin value, whose access value is set by the individual respondent, is sent to the respondent's account. It is understood that another aspect of this invention allows public data, private data, and/or premium data to be read or queried by many firms (for example, members of the OEB system) at any time and in exchange the respondent passively collects income by sharing his/her data. (32) In the Opinion Economy Blockchain, the user makes the choice of what data, demographics, opinions, behaviors, beliefs, and other information to share. In addition, the consumer decides the value of his/her data and gets to tell the marketplace what his/her data is worth. The Opinion Economy Blockchain system allows an anonymous respondent to get paid more depending on desired demographics or other profile information. It is understood that the OEB invention allows for dynamic pricing for surveys or data collection, either dependent on length of time, effort given by the user, or other attributes that might drive the value the user sets on their participation. The consumer/user/respondent can set a higher value for more sensitive or private data, such as driving habits, video streaming habits, or other information. (33) The respondent also gets to set his/her own fee for service (the coins/points/money he/she will do a survey) that could relate potentially to a given length of survey, time required, level of detailed information, a personal attribute, or other criteria (e.g., tenured architect completing a 15-minute survey versus a college architecture student taking a 2-minute survey). Moreover, the OEB System allows the respondent to set his/her own "value" on her/his opinions and time in surveys. Using this invention, the respondent may anonymously advertise his/her fees and survey companies can choose who to survey based on the respondent's own stated rates. This facet of the invention effectively creates a free market value for taking surveys or sharing passive and/or previously collected data. This invention improves the survey economy by allowing the respondent to state his/her value for the service and obtain that value directly. (34) The OEB system allows, as another benefit of the invention, the respondent to offer or sell data, including passive/private data at a market rate set by the respondent, and allows other companies to pay a small fee every time that existing data is read, reviewed, accessed, studied, examined, or otherwise consumed. Some of this data might be contributed data linked from other systems or databases; for example, respondents may be able to link their Netflix account history, their grocery store loyalty card number, their medical records, or their gym membership access information to their data in the OEB system. This may be a custom link that only the linked data company can view (so Netflix can tag a user with their account ID anonymously with the permission of the user), so the linked or correlated data is shared in a way only the third party can interpret or correlate. This also allows a variety of the existing system data to be correlated to this linked data across various platforms. (35) In another embodiment of the invention, allowing a fee-for-contact to be set by the respondent, users of the system who are attempting to directly market to users based on the wealth of data contained in the system can search the data for free, then pay to access some or all of the private data they might be interested in reviewing, then perhaps pay an additional fee (set by the respondent) to agree to release the respondent's contact information or private premium data (e.g., PII (Personally Identifiable Information)) so the marketer could hyper-target this user with a high-value ad or email. For example, an OEB member entity could search and review the database for people in Nashville, then for income level, which both may be considered data in the system that is available for viewing by members of the system or by a non-OEB-member. Then, the OEB Member may pay to access the Private data on a specific data field, such as "car type." Further still, the OEB Member may focus or filter the search results on Nashville Audi drivers who make over a certain amount of income. OEB Members may also pay the fee-for-contact price for some or all of those Nashville Audi drivers to deliver a custom advertisement to them at the market rate each individual sets in his/her profile. (36) Another characteristic of the present invention allows companies, brands, or even entities like governments or regulatory bodies to log and or review all payments to the respective respondents. This invention promotes compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Because each individual respondent's record of activities and transactions is logged, registered, recorded and generally memorialized in the publicly auditable trail, this allows for a more transparent system. This aspect of the invention allows "sunshine laws" and other similar compliance issues to be fully documented and clear up a massive regulatory liability. (37) Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims. ### Claims 1. A computer-implemented method comprising: using a cryptographic distributed ledger that includes an Opinion Economy Blockchain (OEB) enabled survey platform that interacts with a research firm to conduct surveys, wherein the cryptographic distributed ledger is capable of: receiving data from at least one user wherein the user controls value of the user's data and the user controls access to the user's data shared with brands, research companies, and other entities; storing said data in an electronic OEB database wherein the research firm queries the OEB database to find a list of users that match at least one criteria; permitting said at least one user to associate a first value with said data to share a portion of said data; correlating said data associated with said user from a source with additional data received from at least one additional source; storing said data from said source, wherein said data from said source includes browsing history associated with said user; storing said additional data from said at least one additional source; analyzing said browsing history associated with said user and said additional data from said at least one additional source; tagging said additional data associated with said user from said additional source; receiving, by the contact agency, a fee for collecting said data from said user; preserving anonymity of said user; and allowing the research firm to offer a price to said user based upon criteria selected from a group consisting of said user's reputation score, demographic, feedback rating, or quality of opinions provided. 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes a medical record associated with said user. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes additional survey data associated with said user. 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes data from an Internet of Things device associated with said user. 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes data from a computing device associated with said user. 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes data from an Internet-connected sensor associated with said user. 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes behavioral data from a third-party source. 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes data from shopping or buying associated with said user. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes data from video streaming associated with said user. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes data from a wireless sensor associated with said user. 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes data from a credit card associated with said user. 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes data from a wearable device associated with said user. 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising storing a reputation score of said at least one user. 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting a portion of said data associated with said at least one user. 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising rating said at least one user based upon said data. 16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising contacting, by the research firm, said at least one a user via a contact method designated by said at least one user. 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising populating, in at least one field, a portion of said data associated with said at least one user upon said at least one user performing a data collection activity. 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving said additional data associated with a data collection activity from said at least one user. 19. A method comprising configuring a computer system including memory and at least one processor to perform steps of: using a cryptographic distributed ledger that includes an Opinion Economy Blockchain (OEB) survey platform that interacts with a research firm to conduct surveys, wherein the cryptographic distributed ledger is capable of: receiving data from at least one user wherein the user controls value of the user's data and the user controls access to the user's data shared with brands, research companies, and other entities; storing said data in an electronic OEB database wherein the research firm queries the OEB database to find a list of users that match at least one criteria; permitting said user to associate a first value with said data; permitting said user to share a portion of said data; correlating said data associated with said user from a source with additional data received from at least one additional source; storing said data from said source, wherein said data from said source includes survey data associated with said user; storing said additional data from said at least one additional source; analyzing said survey data associated with said user and said additional data from said at least one additional source; tagging said additional data associated with said user from said additional source; receiving, by the contact agency, a fee for collecting said data from said user; and allowing the research firm to offer a price to said user based upon criteria selected from a group consisting of said user's reputation score, demographic, feedback rating, or quality of opinions provided. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes browsing history data associated with said user. 21. The system of claim 19, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes data from an Internet-connected device associated with said user. 22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon instructions executable by a computer, wherein the computer executes the instructions to implement a method comprising: using a cryptographic distributed ledger that includes an Opinion Economy Blockchain (OEB) survey platform that interacts with an entity to conduct surveys, wherein the cryptographic distributed ledger is capable of: receiving data from at least one user wherein the user controls value of the user's data and the user controls access to the user's data shared with brands, research companies, and other entities; storing said data in an electronic OEB database wherein the entity queries the OEB database to find a list of users that match at least one criteria; permitting said user to associate a first value with said data; permitting said user to share a portion of said data; correlating said data associated with said user from a source with additional data received from at least one additional source; storing said data from said source, wherein said data from said source includes survey data associated with said user; storing said additional data from said at least one additional source; analyzing said survey data associated with said user and said additional data from said at least one additional source; and tagging said additional data associated with said user from said additional source; receiving, by the contact agency, a fee for collecting said data from said user; and allowing the entity to offer a price to said user based upon criteria selected from a group consisting of said user's reputation score, demographic, feedback rating, or quality of opinions provided. 23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes browsing history data associated with said user. 24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said additional data from said additional source includes data from an Internet-connected device associated with said user.	9990418	US 9990418 B1	2018-06-05	62,235,515	System and method for creating an opinion and behavioral data economy	G06F16/3331;H04L67/104;H04L67/306;G06F16/9535;G06Q30/02;G06Q20/145;G06F16/285;G06F16/1837		Rogers; Isaac David	2020 IP LLC	15/640967	2017-07-03	Uddin; MD I		1/1	2020 IP, LLC	30.434624	USPAT	8,233
United States Patent 9990504 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent June 05, 2018 Inventor(s) Chapman; Justin et al. ## Systems and methods for generating and maintaining immutable digital meeting records within distributed network nodes ### Abstract Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for digital meeting management within a blockchain. Before a meeting, a computer may generate a digital meeting record containing a plurality of data fields and linked to various smart contracts to capture meeting activities. During the meeting, a first smart contract may authenticate and record attendees in the digital meeting record based on biometric information received from the attendees' devices. Furthermore, a second smart contract may capture in the digital meeting record, meeting actions of each attendee, including date, time, and location associated with the meeting actions. After the meeting, a third smart contract may autopopulate post meeting documentation. After review by the attendees, the third smart contract may store a hash of the documentation to the digital meeting record and store the documentation in a repository. Once appended to the blockchain, the digital meeting record becomes an immutable record of the meeting. Inventors: Chapman; Justin (London, GB), Czupek; Andrew (Chicago, IL), Monks; Andrew (Chicago, IL), Stevens; Anthony (Herefordshire, GB), Das; Arijit (Naperville, IL), Hannaway; Wayne (Westclif-On-Sea, GB), Smith; Zabrina (London, GB) Applicant: NORTHERN TRUST CORPORATION (Chicago, IL) Family ID: 62235428 Assignee: Northern Trust Corporation (Chicago, IL) Appl. No.: 15/846059 Filed: December 18, 2017 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06F21/60 (20130101); H04L9/06 (20060101); H04L29/06 (20060101); H04L12/18 (20060101); G06Q10/10 (20120101); H04W4/02 (20180101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06F21/602 (20130101); G06Q10/109 (20130101); H04L9/0637 (20130101); H04L9/0643 (20130101); H04L12/1831 (20130101); H04L63/0428 (20130101); H04L63/0861 (20130101); H04W4/023 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06F (21/602); G06Q (10/109); H04L (9/0637); H04L (9/0643); H04L (12/1831); H04L (63/0428); H04L (63/0861); H04W (4/023) ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 6792536 12/2003 Teppler N/A N/A 8023648 12/2010 Seppanen N/A N/A 3049010 12/2014 Jueneman et al. N/A N/A 2006/0095376 12/2005 Mitchell et al. N/A N/A 2008/0209516 12/2007 Nassiri 726/3 G06F 21/32 2010/0185847 12/2009 Shasha 713/150 G06F 11/1004 2012/0293599 12/2011 Norlin 348/14.01 G06K 9/00221 2015/0095999 12/2014 Toth N/A N/A 2015/0096000 12/2014 Sharif et al. N/A N/A 2015/0128240 12/2014 Richards et al. N/A N/A 2015/0379510 12/2014 Smith N/A N/A 2016/0027229 12/2015 Spanos et al. N/A N/A 2016/0162897 12/2015 Feeney N/A N/A 2016/0269402 12/2015 Carter et al. N/A N/A 2016/0275461 12/2015 Sprague et al. N/A N/A 2016/0283920 12/2015 Fisher et al. N/A N/A 2016/0306982 12/2015 Seger, II et al. N/A N/A 2016/0323109 12/2015 McCoy et al. N/A N/A 2016/0328713 12/2015 Ebrahimi N/A N/A 2016/0358158 12/2015 Radocchia et al. N/A N/A 2017/0046689 12/2016 Lohe et al. N/A N/A 2017/0048217 12/2016 Biggs et al. N/A N/A 2017/0091397 12/2016 Shah N/A N/A 2017/0103472 12/2016 Shah N/A N/A 2017/0134375 12/2016 Wagner N/A N/A 2017/0161439 12/2016 Raduchel N/A G06Q 10/063 2017/0180128 12/2016 Lu N/A N/A 2017/0232300 12/2016 Tran et al. N/A N/A 2017/0236094 12/2016 Shah N/A N/A 2017/0279774 12/2016 Booz et al. N/A N/A 2017/0318141 12/2016 Gerace et al. N/A N/A 2017/0330174 12/2016 Demarinis N/A G06Q 20/3829 #### FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Application Date Country CPC 2016128567 12/2015 WO N/A 2016170538 12/2015 WO N/A 2017044554 12/2016 WO N/A 2017066002 12/2016 WO N/A #### OTHER PUBLICATIONS Pamela Morgan, "Using Blockchain Technology to Prove Existence of a Document", Brave New Coin, http://bravenewcoin.com/news/using-blockchain-technology-to-prove-existence-of-a-document/, Dec. 5, 2014, 9 pages. cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Rashid; Harunur Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dentons US LLP ### Background/Summary CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS (1) This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/845,662, filed on Dec. 18, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD (2) This application relates generally to distributed database within distributed network nodes and more specifically to generating and maintaining immutable digital meeting records within the distributed network nodes. BACKGROUND (3) Distributed databases such as distributed ledgers ensure the integrity of data by generating a chain of data blocks linked together by cryptographic hashes of the data records in the data blocks. For example, a cryptographic hash of at least a portion of data records within a first block, and, in some cases, combined with a portion of data records in previous blocks is used to generate the block address for a new block succeeding the first block. As an update to the data records stored in the one or more data blocks, a new data block is generated containing respective updated data records and linked to a preceding block with an address based upon a cryptographic hash of at least a portion of the data records in the preceding block. In other words, the linked blocks form a blockchain that inherently includes a traceable sequence of addresses that can be used to track the updates to the data records contained therein. The linked blocks (or blockchain) may be distributed among multiple network nodes within a computer network such that each node may maintain a copy of the blockchain. Malicious network nodes attempting to compromise the integrity of the database have to recreate and redistribute the blockchain faster than the honest network nodes, which, in most cases, is computationally infeasible. In other words, data integrity is guaranteed by the virtue of multiple network nodes in a network having a copy of the same blockchain. A central trust authority is therefore not required to vouch for the integrity of the distributed database hosted by multiple nodes in the network. (4) However, within a distributed network nodes environment such as a one hosting a blockchain, conventional computing systems have several technical shortcomings. In other words, several technical problems are not addressed by conventional blockchain technology. One problem is how to provide a functionality of an intelligent digital meeting management that integrates interactions between digital identities within the blockchain, authentication and recording processes using biometric information, document storage in a repository, and one or more smart contracts managing meeting activities in real-time. The conventional computing systems and conventional databases do not provide a solution to this problem but merely serve as a passive data repository. SUMMARY (5) What is therefore desired is a system and a method for intelligent digital meeting management within a distributed network nodes environment. More particularly, what is desired is a system and a method that intelligently generates an immutable digital meeting record based upon executing one or more smart contracts within a blockchain capturing all meeting activities and decisions, and automatically generates post meeting documentation. (6) Embodiments disclosed herein solve the aforementioned technical problems and may provide other benefits as well. Embodiments disclosed herein provide computing systems and computer-based methods for generating and maintaining one or more immutable digital meeting records. For example, a computing system may generate a digital meeting record before a scheduled meeting, associating the digital meeting record with respective digital identity records of multiple attendees and documents associated with the meeting. The computing system may import into or otherwise link the digital meeting record with one or more smart contracts containing coded conditions for intelligent meeting management. For instance, a first smart contract may authenticate each attendee based on received biometric information, a second smart contract may record meeting actions of each attendee, a third smart contract may generate and record a status of a meeting decision, and a fourth smart contract may autopopulate a post meeting document. Using such smart contracts, the computing system may store into the digital meeting record, actions of each attendee in association with a hash of respective biometric information, cryptographic hash of the documents including post meeting documents for the meeting. The computing system may append the digital meeting record in the blockchain, thereby creating an immutable record of all the activities and documents associated with the meeting. (7) In an embodiment, computer-implemented method for generating an immutable digital meeting record comprises: generating, by a network node of a plurality of network nodes, a digital meeting record containing one or more data fields for information associated with a meeting; importing, by the network node to the digital meeting record, a meeting decision executable code located in a block of a block chain, the meeting decision executable code containing one or more coded conditions for a decision in the meeting from a decision criteria library stored in a blockchain; associating, by the network node, the digital meeting record with a plurality of digital identity records stored in the blockchain, wherein each of the plurality of digital identity records is associated with a respective attendee of the meeting; executing, by the network node, an attendee verification executable code to authenticate a plurality of attendees to the meeting, wherein authentication for each attendee is based upon a match between a one directional cryptographic hash of biometric information received from the attendee and a one directional cryptographic hash stored in a respective digital identity record associated with the attendee, wherein the respective digital identity record stores the one directional cryptographic hash of biometric information without storing the biometric information; generating, by the network node, a one directional cryptographic hash of a document and storing in the digital meeting record the one directional cryptographic hash in association with the a first digital identity record of a first attendee of the plurality of attendees, wherein the document is stored in a non-blockchain document repository; executing, by the network node, an attendee action executable code to capture in real-time and store in the digital meeting record actions of each of the plurality of attendees; executing, by the network node, the meeting decision executable code on the captured actions of each of the plurality of attendees to determine one or more meeting decisions; storing, by the network node in the digital meeting record, the one or more meeting decisions; encrypting, by the network node, at least a portion of the digital meeting record using one or more encryption keys to generate an encrypted digital meeting record; and appending, by the network node, the encrypted digital meeting record to the blockchain. (8) In an embodiment, a system for generating an immutable digital meeting record comprises: a plurality of network nodes, each including a non-transitory storage medium storing a respective local copy of a blockchain; at least one of the plurality of network nodes having a processor configured to: generate a digital meeting record containing one or more data fields for information associated with a meeting; import to the digital meeting record, a meeting decision executable code located in a block of a block chain, the meeting decision executable code containing one or more coded conditions for a decision in the meeting from a decision criteria library stored in a blockchain; associate the digital meeting record with a plurality of digital identity records stored in the blockchain, wherein each of the plurality of digital identity records is associated with a respective attendee of the meeting; execute an attendee verification executable code to authenticate a plurality of attendees to the meeting, wherein authentication for each attendee is based upon a match between a one directional cryptographic hash of biometric information received from the attendee and a one directional cryptographic hash stored in a respective digital identity record associated with the attendee, wherein the respective digital identity record stores the one directional cryptographic hash of biometric information without storing the biometric information; generate a one directional cryptographic hash of a document and store in the digital meeting record the one directional cryptographic hash in association with the a first digital identity record of a first attendee of the plurality of attendees, wherein the document is stored in a non-blockchain document repository; execute an attendee action executable code to capture in real-time and store in the digital meeting record actions of each of the plurality of attendees; execute the meeting decision executable code on the captured actions of each of the plurality of attendees to determine one or more meeting decisions; store in the digital meeting record, the one or more meeting decisions; encrypt at least a portion of the digital meeting record using one or more encryption keys to generate an encrypted digital meeting record; and append the encrypted digital meeting record to the blockchain. (9) It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) The accompanying drawings constitute a part of this specification and illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the specification, explain the invention. (2) FIG. 1 shows components of an exemplary system 100 for digital meetings management, according to an exemplary embodiment. (3) FIG. 2 shows execution of an exemplary method 200 for a first aspect of digital meeting management, according to an exemplary embodiment. (4) FIG. 3 shows an exemplary method 300 for a second aspect of digital meeting management, according to an exemplary embodiment. (5) FIG. 4 shows an exemplary method 400 for a third aspect of digital meeting management, according to one exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (6) Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used here to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated here, and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated here, which would occur to a person skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention. (7) Embodiments disclosed herein describe systems, methods, and products for generating and maintaining digital meeting records within a distributed nodes environment. In other words, this disclosure describes technical systems, methods, and products that enable key attributes of physical meetings to be electronically managed and recorded on the blockchain to provide an immutable and digital meeting record that is made available to parties via a permissioned and controlled smart contract framework. The digital meeting record is created on the blockchain and will capture and record key meeting attributes providing auditability of the meeting lifecycle. Embodiments disclosed herein therefore implement an integration of functionalities not provided by the conventional computing systems. (8) Prior to a meeting, a network node may generate a digital meeting record to establish a framework for capturing meeting activities, documentations, and decisions; and executing smart contracts associated with various activities of the meeting. To establish such framework, the network node may, in some implementations, link the digital meeting record with digital identity records of the expected meeting attendees. In other implementations, the network node may import the digital identity records into one or more data fields of the digital meeting record. The network node may also record information of meeting documents (e.g. agenda, proposal, and report) into the generated digital meeting record. To do so, the network node may generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the meeting documents and store the generated hash in a data field of the digital meeting record; and store the meeting documents themselves in a non-blockchain based document repository. (9) In some embodiments, the network node may link one or more smart contracts with the generated digital meeting record. In these embodiments, the network node may retrieve, from a database accessible to the network node, block addresses for the one or more smart contracts and store the block addresses in one or more data fields of the digital meeting record, such that that the network node may download the respective smart contracts and execute the same to achieve desired functionality. In other embodiments, the network node may import the one or more smart contracts within the digital meeting record. In these embodiments, the network node may download the one or more smart contracts from the blockchain based upon the respective block addresses stored in the database accessible to the network node, and store the executable code of the one or more smart contracts within the digital meeting record itself. (10) The one or more smart contracts may be executable code stored in one or more blocks in the blockchain. The one or more smart contracts may include an attendee verification smart contract that contains an executable code to authenticate and record an attendee to the meeting. The attendee verification smart contract may receive a user identifier and biometric information of a user, such as fingerprint scan data or retina scan data. The attendee verification smart contract may then generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the received biometric information after which the attendee verification smart contract may use the user identifier to retrieve the digital identity record of the attendee from the blockchain or within the digital meeting record. The attendee verification smart contract may then compare the generated cryptographic hash to a biometric information hash stored in the digital identity record. If the comparison returns a match, the attendee verification smart contract may indicate in the digital meeting record that a user associated with the user identifier has been authenticated as an attendee and the presence of the attendee has been recorded. If however, the comparison returns a mismatch, the attendee verification smart contract may prompt the user to reenter or resend the biometric information. After a set number of attempts, the attendee verification smart contact may block the user from further authentication attempts. In addition to the biometric authentication, the attendee verification smart contract, in some embodiments, checks the permission controls in the user's identity record to check whether the user has requisite permissions to attend the meeting. If the attendee verification smart contract determines that the user is not permissioned to attend the meeting, the attendee verification smart contract may not allow an authentication attempt from the user. (11) The one or more smart contracts may include an attendee action smart contract which may capture various actions of an attendee. The various actions of an attendee may include voting, decisions, and/or any other types of actions of the attendees. In addition to the various actions, the attendee action smart contract may capture various attributes associated with those actions. These various attributes may include, for example, the location of the attendee when the attendee took an action/decision and the date and time of the action/decision. (12) The one or more smart contracts may also include a meeting decision smart contract, which may be an executable code containing one or more coded conditions for reaching a decision in the meeting. The meeting decision smart contract may take in for input, actions such as voting by attendees in the meeting; and generate a decisions based on the actions. For example, the meeting may include a proposal that can be passed by a simple majority; and the meeting decision smart contract may determine based on the metadata within the proposal or other data associated with the proposal that a simple majority will suffice. The meeting decision smart contract may then determine the total number of voting attendees in the meeting and calculate the number of affirming votes for the passage of the proposal. Once the voting process begins, the meeting decision smart contract may tally the votes to ascertain whether the requisite number of votes for a simple majority has been reached. If the meeting decision smart contract determines that the requisite number of votes have been reached, the meeting decision smart contract may update the digital meeting record to indicate that the proposal has been passed. (13) The network node may also perform post meeting management in association with the digital meeting record. For example, the network node may generate one or more post-meeting documentation. An exemplary post-meeting documentation may be meeting minutes recording various actions and decisions undertaken during the meeting. In some embodiments, the network node may autopopulate a post meeting documentation with information in the digital meeting record. The network node may store the post meeting documentation in a non-blockchain repository. Furthermore, the network node may generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the post-meeting documentation and store the generated cryptographic hash in the digital meeting record. Furthermore, the network node may store the cryptographic hash of the post meeting documentation in association with hashes of biometric information of the attendees who have approved the post meeting documentation. The hashes of the biometric information may serve as the attendees' approval signature. (14) The network node may then upload the digital meeting record as a block in the latest valid blockchain, thereby creating an immutable record of the meeting in the blockchain. The network node may determine the latest valid blockchain based upon polling of other networks and using a consensus threshold. In some embodiments, the network node may associated the digital meeting record with permission controls such as a permissions table such that users with appropriate permissions in their digital identity record may access the digital meeting record. (15) One having ordinary skill in the art understands that the aforementioned one or more smart contracts and the specific coded conditions within the smart contracts are merely exemplary and other types of smart contracts with other types of coded conditions should be considered within the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, although the aforementioned embodiments describe a network node implementing the various functionalities, one having ordinary skill in the art should understand a single network node was included only for brevity, and should not be limiting. Multiple network nodes within the distributed network nodes and other associating computing systems implementing these functionalities should be considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. (16) FIG. 1 shows components of a system 100 for digital meeting management, according to an exemplary embodiment. The exemplary system 100 may comprise a webserver 101, an application server 103, databases 105, a key store 107, a client device 109, distributed network nodes 111, a biometric reader device 113, and a document repository 115. Aspects of the system 100 may be configured to employ and manage a system blockchain, sometimes referred to in the art as a "distributed ledger," and may include blockchain-based distributed ledger software (e.g., Hyperledger, Ethereum, Openchain, TerraLedger). In some implementations, the system blockchain may be a private party blockchain. The system blockchain may operate as a distributed database that stores data records associated with entities and transaction documents, where the data records stored on the system blockchain may be blocks of data that are hosted on distributed network nodes 111. The data records associated with the entities may include digital meeting records. In some instances, the system 100 may store the permission controls associated with the digital meeting records. The permission controls may in some instances comprise a permission table indicating the access rights of the users, based on the respective digital identity records, to the digital meeting records. It should be appreciated that the data stored in records within system databases 105 may vary from the data stored in blocks of the system blockchain hosted on network nodes 111. (17) A webserver 101 may host a website accessible to end-users, where the content presented via the various webpages may be controlled based upon each particular user's role and/or permissions as indicated in the permission controls in a digital identity record associated with the user. For example, a user may be an admin user, as indicated in the permission controls in the digital identity record of the user, with more permissions compared to a normal user. As indicated before, the system 100 may store the permission controls for the admin user or any other user in their respective digital identity record. The webserver 101 may be any computing device comprising a processor and non-transitory machine-readable storage capable of executing the various tasks and processes described herein. Non-limiting examples of such computing devices may include workstation computers, server computers, laptop computers, and the like. While the exemplary system 100 includes a single webserver 101, one having skill in the art would appreciate that some embodiments the webserver 101 may include any number of computing devices operating in a distributed computing environment. (18) The webserver 101 may execute software applications configured to host a website (e.g., Apache®, Microsoft IIS®), which may generate and serve various webpages to client devices 109. The website may be used to generate and access data stored on a system database 105 or in a blockchain hosted by distributed nodes 111 of the system 100. In some implementations, the webserver 101 may be configured to require user authentication based upon a set of user authorization credentials (e.g., username, password, biometrics, cryptographic certificate). In such implementations, the webserver 101 may access a system database 105 configured to store user credentials, which the webserver 101 may be configured to reference in order to determine whether a set of entered credentials (purportedly authenticating the user) match an appropriate set of credentials that identify and authenticate the user. Similarly, in some implementations, the webserver 101 may generate and serve webpages to a client device 109 based upon a user role within the system 100 (e.g., administrator, investor, investment promoter). In such implementations, the user role may be defined by data fields in user records stored in the system database 105, and authentication of the user and user role may be conducted by the webserver 101 by executing an access directory protocol (e.g. LDAP). The webserver 101 may then be instructed to generate webpage content, access or generate data stored in the system database 105, and access or generate data stored in the blockchain instances, according to the user role defined by the user record in the system database 105. (19) In some implementations, the system blockchain may include permission controls defining a user's role within the system 100. The system blockchain may include a block with a smart contract containing permission controls that define the user's role within the system. For example, the smart contract, through the permission controls, may define the user to be a system administrator (that is, an admin user). As another example, the permission controls may define the level of authorization for non admin user to access information stored in the blockchain or initiating a blockchain based functionality. In a private equity context, the blockchain based functionality may include initiating capital calls, uploading documents to the system 100, and/or other functionalities. The system 100 may store the permission controls within a respective user's digital identity record or in association with the respective user's digital identity record. Although the descriptions above and below describe a user and user's digital identity record and permission controls, one having ordinary skill in the art should understand that this description is applicable to non-human entities such as bank servers or other corporation servers having a digital identity record and permission controls within the system 100. In other words, the system 100 may maintain the digital identity and permission controls regardless of whether or not the associated entities are human users or non-human computing systems. (20) An application server 103 may generate, access, and update blockchain instances hosted on the network nodes 111, according to instructions received from a client device 109 via a webserver 101. The application server 103 may be any computing device comprising a processor and non-transitory machine-readable storage capable of executing the various tasks and processes described herein. Non-limiting examples of such computing devices may include workstation computers, laptop computers, server computers, and the like. While the exemplary system 100 includes a single application server 103, one having skill in the art would appreciate that in some embodiments the application server 103 may include any number of computing devices operating in a distributed computing environment. It would also be appreciated that although the application server 103 is shown in FIG. 1 as being a separate device from a webserver 101, in some embodiments the webserver 101 and the application server 103 may be the same device. Furthermore, one having ordinary skill in the art understands that one or more of the client device 109, the webserver 101, databases 105, key store 107, and the application server 103 may be a part of a network node of the distributed network nodes 111. (21) Software executed by the application server 103 may provide blockchain services to users interacting with the application server 103 via the webserver 101. The application server 103 may update and query the record in the system database 105 according to the instructions received from the client device 109. The application server 103 may then generate blocks for the system blockchain, where the blocks contain data from the records of the system database 105 and/or data records received from the users. The application server may then update a local instance of the system blockchain, and subsequently instruct network nodes 111 to update the instances of the system blockchain stored locally on each of the network nodes 111. Each new block may be generated with a timestamp or other data that links the new block with existing blocks on the blockchain. As an example, when the application server 103 generates a new digital identity record in the system database 105, the application server 103 may generate a new block containing the digital identity record and an address of the new block based upon a one directional cryptographic hash of the information stored in the digital identity record. The application server 103 may then append the new block for the system blockchain within the local instance of the blockchain stored in the application server 103. The application server 103 may then transmit the new block to each respective network node 111. The network nodes 111, in turn, update the local instances of the blockchain stored on each of the network nodes 111. In other implementations, the application server 103 may transmit the blockchain or portions thereof to the network node 111, and the network nodes may accordingly replace the local copies of the system blockchain or portions thereof using the transmission received from the application server 103. (22) In operation, when a user or a smart contract being executed instructs the application server 103 to conduct a transaction requiring a query of the blocks of the blockchain, the application server 103 may conduct a poll of the network nodes 111 to identify the queried data, based on the hash values identifying the blocks, and then determine whether the data within the identified blocks is accurate. The application server 103 may then await a response from a predetermined quorum of network nodes 111 to confirm the data in the blocks; the application server 103 may then proceed with a processing transaction using the data blocks of the blockchain, provided that a predetermined threshold number of network nodes 111 indicate that the blocks at issue match the blocks of the instance stored locally on each of the network nodes 111. In some implementations, the application server 103 may transmit a request to the network nodes 111 to respond with the latest blockchain stored by each network node 111. Once the application server 103 receives the blockchains from the respective nodes 111, the application server 103 may compare the received blockchains with the local copy of the blockchain. If a threshold number of blockchains match each other, the application server 103 may determine that the integrity of the blockchain has not been compromised. The threshold may be set by an admin user with appropriate authority based on the criticality of the data stored in the blockchain. For example, a blockchain with more critical data may be associated with a higher threshold than a blockchain with less critical data. (23) The application server 103 may generate block addresses for data to be retrieved from blockchain instances of the system blockchain. Machine-readable computer files containing various forms of documents (e.g., PDF, DOC, XLS) may be uploaded to the application server 103 via a webserver 101, or otherwise stored into a system database 105, after which the application server 103 may generate a hash value of the document, where the application uses the hash value or other identifier value to reference the file from a system database 105. The application server 103 may then generate the block address for the file by generating a hash of the document and a hash value of the immediately preceding block data or block address of the system blockchain. This block address may then be stored into the system database 105 in a document record along with the file and any number of additional data field entries related to the computer file. In operation, the application server 103 or network nodes 111 may reference the block of the blockchain containing the file according to the block address. The application server 103 may generate additional blocks and corresponding block addresses on the system blockchain in a similar manner—e.g., generating a hash value for a block containing user data and then generating a new block address using the block address of the preceding block. One having skill in the art will appreciate that block addresses may be generated in any number of combinations of hashed block data and/or hashed block addresses from the new block and one or more preceding blocks, such that the address of the new block is dependent upon, or otherwise linked to, at least the immediately preceding block. (24) In some implementations, a system blockchain may contain smart contracts, which may be executable coded scripts that instruct the application server 103 and/or network nodes 111 to perform predetermined processes when certain conditions, as indicated by the smart contract, are satisfied. In some instances, these processes instruct the application server 103 and/or network nodes 111 to generate a new block on the blockchain, often superseding and/or updating the information found in existing blocks in the system blockchain. In some implementations, a smart contract may be employed by the system 100 to control user access to machine-readable computer files stored on the system blockchain and/or in a system database 105. The smart contract may comprise code functioning logically as a matrix table for user permissions that associates users or user roles with documents contained within the computer files stored in the system database 105. In such implementations, the smart contract may comprise machine-readable software code that includes instructions for the application server 103 and network nodes 111, and, in some cases, block addresses for blocks on the system blockchain for blocks containing digital identity record in a system database 105, user role rules in the system database 105 or application server, and/or document records in the system database 105, among other types of data. When the application server 103 receives a document request from a user device 109, to determine whether the user may access the requested document, the application server 103 may reference a block address containing the digital identity record, and/or a block address for the smart contract containing the permissions rules. The application server 103 is instructed by the smart contract whether to retrieve the document from the system database 105 according the user role, or other user identifier mapping the user or user role to the requested document. The application server 103 may retrieve the document file from the system database 105 upon determining from the smart contract permission data that the user or user role is associated with the document requested. (25) As mentioned, some embodiments may comprise a system database (or, a database) 105 hosted on one or more computing devices, wherein the system database 105 may store data records associated with various aspects of the application services offered to end users. Non-limiting examples of what may be stored in the system database 105 may include: user records that may comprise data fields describing users (e.g., user data), such as user credentials (e.g., username, passwords, biometrics, encryption certificates), block addresses for blocks on the system blockchain, user account data, user roles or user permissions; document records that may comprise machine-readable computer files (e.g., word processing files), parsed portions of such computer files, or metadata associated with computer files; and application data that may include software instructions executed by an application server 103 or data used by the such applications executed by the application server 103. The system database 105 may be hosted on any number computing devices comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and capable of performing the various tasks described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, the system database 105 may be accessed by a webserver 101 and/or an application server 103 via one or more networks. But one having skill in the art would appreciate that the system database 105 may be hosted on the same physical computing device functioning as a webserver 101 and/or functioning as an application server 103. (26) Document records stored on the system database 105 may comprise a data field containing document-identifying hash values generated by an application server 103 according to a hashing algorithm implemented by a system blockchain, when a new document record containing a machine-readable computer file (e.g., PDF, DOC, XSL), such as transaction documents, is generated or updated. The hash value may be generated using one or more data fields that describe the computer file, which may be uploaded by a user via a website portal or pulled from the document record within the system database 105. The hash value may be a unique identifier for the particular document record, and may be used by various computing devices of the system 100, such as the system database 105, to reference the computer file or metadata describing the computer file, which may be stored in the system database 105 and/or on blocks of the system blockchain that is hosted on network nodes 111. (27) A key storage database 107, sometimes referred in the art as a "high security module," "key appliance," "certificate authority," or the like, may be a computing device configured to manage and distribute encryption keys and cryptographic certificates to various computing devices in the system 100 according to predetermined roles and rules. In some implementations, encryption keys may be used for authentication of users when users log into a website hosted on a webserver 101. In some implementations, encryption keys may be used to encrypt the data blocks of the system blockchain. Additionally or alternatively, encryption keys may be used to confirm, or "sign," data transfers to confirm to a data transfer recipient that the data originated from a known party. Encryption keys may be also be used by users at an application level to apply a digital signature to a document or contract, which, in some cases, may trigger instructions from script code of a smart contract stored on the system blockchain. (28) The key storage database 107 may be hosted on any number computing devices comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and capable of performing the various tasks described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, the key storage database 107 may be accessed by a webserver 101 and/or an application server 103 via one or more networks, but the key storage database 107 may also be accessed by a user device 109 and network nodes 111 to retrieve or confirm encryption keys or encryption key signatures. Moreover, one having skill in the art would appreciate that the key storage database 107 may be hosted on the same physical computing device functioning as a webserver 101 and/or an application server 103. (29) Network nodes 111 may host one or more blocks of the system blockchain. A network node 111 may be any computing device comprising a processor and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium capable of performing the various tasks and processes described herein. Non-limiting examples of a network node may be a workstation computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, and server computer. Although the network nodes 111 are described as storing blocks of the blockchain in FIG. 1, other computing devices, such as an application server 103, may host blocks of the blockchain. Each network node 111 locally stores an instance of the system blockchain in the storage medium of the system blockchain, and further executes a software application that instructs the network node 111 on generating and querying blocks within the locally stored blockchain instance. (30) In operation, a network node 111 may generate new blocks on a locally stored instance of the system blockchain according to data received from an application server 103 or other network nodes 111. In some instances, the application server 103 may update a local instance of the blockchain stored on the application server 103, and then instructs one or more of the network nodes 111 to update each blockchain instance stored on such network nodes 111. Moreover, the application server 103 may query the blocks of the system blockchain according to block addresses stored in the system database 105. When the application server 103 executes the query of the blocks on the system blockchain, the application server 103 may poll the network nodes 111 to determine the most recent data on the system blockchain. The application server 103 may be confident that the data at block is the desired data according to a voting mechanism or a consensus threshold encoded within the blockchain software executed by the network nodes 111. Each network node 111 may receive the query for the block and block address, and return a response to the application server 103 indicating whether the block address contains the desired data. In this way, the application server 103 may be certain that data in the blockchain is resistant to corruption, as each blockchain instance on each network node 111 would need to be corrupted in the same way so that each block address is corrupted in the same way. (31) Furthermore, the system blockchain may also disallow the application server 103 from acting on obsolete data. For instance, a network node 111a may execute a smart contract that instructs the network node 111a to generate a second block that updates data records in a first block on the local blockchain instance. In other words, the data records in the first block may be obsolete being superseded by the data records in the second block. After the update, the network node 111a may then accordingly instruct one or more remaining network nodes 111b, 111c and the application server 103 to update the respective local blockchain instances on those nodes 111b, 111c and application server 103. However, the application server 103 may not have updated its local blockchain instance before the application server 103 receives a data query or instruction for the updated data records from the user device 109 or smart contract. Prior to responding to the query, the application server 103 may use the voting mechanism to ascertain the latest valid blockchain. As the latest valid blockchain may contain the updated data record, such voting mechanism may protect against the application server 103 from acting on obsolete data and may keep the system blockchain resistant to data collisions. (32) A client device 109 may be any computing device allowing a user to interact with application server 103 via a webserver 101. The client device 109 may execute an Internet browser or local application that access the webserver 101 in order to issue requests or instructions to the application server 103 to access the system blockchain. The client device 109 may transmit credentials from user inputs to the webserver 101, from which the webserver 101 may authenticate the user and, in some implementations, determine a user role. One having skill in the art would appreciate that the client device 109 may comprise any number of input devices configured to receive any number of data inputs, including various types of data inputs allowing for authentication (e.g., username, passwords, certificates, biometrics). One having skill in the art would also appreciate that the client device 109 may be any computing device comprising a processor and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium allowing the client device 109 to perform the various tasks and processes described herein. (33) As an example of the client device 109 operation, the client device may execute an Internet browser that accesses a webserver 101 hosting an fund investment administration website that allows access for fund managers, administrators and investors and other third parties to a common platform for the end-to-end administration of fund investments, using the devise a fund manager may initiate fund lifecycle events such as a payment request associated with a capital call from investors, and investors may use the platform to view lifecycle events such as the capital call and associated payment obligations due in relation to their investments. Using the client device 109, an investor-user may select an investment in which to invest. As the transaction proceeds, the client devices 109 of the investor-user or a promoter-user may be used upload machine-readable computer files (e.g., PDF, DOC, XSL) containing transaction information. The computer files may be stored into document records in a document database 105, which may then be added to blocks of the system blockchain, where the blocks are accessible according to block addresses that are then stored into the document record for the particular computer file. The client device 109 may issue queries or instructions to the application server 103 via the webpages generated by the webserver 101, which then instruct the application server 103 to query the blocks on the network nodes 111, and, in some instances, perform various tasks, such as retrieving or updating a file from the system database 105. (34) In some embodiments, the system 100 may store a digital identity record for a user or an entity within the system blockchain. To do so, the system 100 may allow an admin user to generate digital identity templates of different types based on the entity. The template may include mandatory data fields and supplemental data fields. The system 100 may store the templates within the system blockchain and/or in the databases 105. When the system 100 receives a request to generate a digital identity record for an entity, the system 100 may retrieve a digital identity template, either from the system blockchain or from the databases 105, based on the type of the entity. The system 100 may generate a digital identity record based upon the respective digital identity template. The system 100, through one or more network nodes 111, may prompt the entity to enter the information required for data fields in the generated digital identity record. Furthermore, one or more of the data fields of the digital identity record may have an independent status, and the system 100 or a trusted third party server may update the status of the digital identity record. (35) In addition, a data field within the digital identity record may be associated with a reference document. For example, if the aforementioned entity is a natural person, the reference document may be a scan of a passport of the person and the name data field may reference the scan of the passport. The system 100 may store the scan of the passport in the databases 105, and generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the scan of the passport. Instead of saving the entire file of the scan of the passport in the blockchain, the system 100 may store the cryptographic hash of the file in association with the name data field. This saving protocol allows for immutability of a document file that is not saved within the blockchain but on a non blockchain data repository such as the databases 105. In some implementations, the system 100 may support a biometric identity verification of a user. In these implementations, the system 100 may receive biometric data of a user associated with a digital identity record. The biometric data may include data captured by biometric sensors such as a fingerprint sensor or retina scanner. The system 100 may store the biometric data in the databases 105 and generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the biometric information. The system 105 may store the cryptographic hash of the biometric data in association with the digital identity record. In some embodiments, the system 100 may include a biometric reader device 113. The biometric reader device 113 may include one or more of biometric sensors such as a fingerprint scanner, a retina scanner, a face scanner, and/or any other type of biometric sensor or scanner. (36) In some embodiments, the system 100 may generate and maintain digital meeting records within the system blockchain. A digital meeting record may comprise, for example, a plurality of data fields to capture various pieces of information associated with a meeting. The system 100 may link the digital meeting record with a plurality of respective digital identity records stored in the blockchain for a plurality of attendees to the meeting. Furthermore, the system 100 may link the digital meeting record with one or more smart contracts for performing various executions related to the meeting. For example, an attendee verification smart contract may authenticate and record attendees to the meeting. As another example, a meeting decision smart contract may include coded conditions of the criteria to reach a decision in the meeting. For instance, the meeting decision smart contract may have a first coded condition to indicate a simple majority will suffice for a less significant decision and a second coded condition to indicate that a two-thirds majority is required for a more significant decision. (37) Prior to the meeting, the system 100 may generate a digital meeting record, which may form a framework for capturing the pieces of information associated with the meeting. In some instances, the system 100 may generate the digital meeting record based upon a request from a permissioned user (such as an admin user). The system 100 may link the digital meeting record to, or import into the digital meeting a plurality of digital identity records of a plurality of attendees to the meeting. Furthermore, the system 100 may link the digital meeting record to, or import into the digital meeting record a plurality of smart contracts for providing functionality associated with a meeting. The system 100 may also respective cryptographic hashes of documents for the meeting in the digital meeting record while storing the documents in a non-blockchain document repository. (38) During the meeting, the system 100 may execute the attendee verification smart contract to authenticate and record the presence of an attendee within the digital meeting record. The attendee verification smart contract may receive biometric information from each of attendees, generate a one directional cryptographic hash for the biometric information, and compare the generated hash with the cryptographic hash stored in the respective digital identity record. If the comparison results in a match, the attendee verification smart contract may indicate in the digital meeting that the respective attendee has been authenticated and may record the attendee's presence in the digital meeting record. Furthermore, during the meeting, the system 100 may execute an attendee action smart contract to capture in the digital meeting record, activities of the plurality of attendees such as votes, acknowledgements, and/or signoffs. The attendee action smart contract may further capture various attributes of the activities such the date and time of each activity, and the location of the attendee during the time of the activity. The attendee action smart contract may capture the activities and the associated attributes in real-time thereby generating an immutable record of the meeting activities within the digital meeting record. The system 100 may further execute a meeting decision smart contract on the captured activities to determine one or more meeting decisions. For example, a meeting decision may be based on a tally of votes captured by the attendee action smart contract. (39) After the meeting, the system 100 may generate a post meeting document (e.g. a document containing meeting minutes) by autopopulating the document with various pieces of information from the digital meeting record. The system 100 may transmit the post meeting document to each of the attendees of or a portion of the attendees for their respective approvals. Once the approvals have been received together with the biometric information of the attendees, the system 100 may store a one directional cryptographic hash of the post meeting document to the digital meeting record in association with the hashes of biometric information received from the attendees. The system 100 may store the post meeting document to a non-blockchain based repository such as the database 105. Therefore, the system may generate an immutable digital record of all the meeting activities, decisions, and post meeting documents within the blockchain. In some embodiments, the system 100 may comprise a separate document repository 115. In addition or in alternate to the database 105, the system may store the various meeting documents in the document repository 115. In some embodiments the document repository 115 is local to one or more components of the system 115 such as the application server 103. In other embodiments, the document repository 115 is remote from the system 100. (40) FIG. 2 shows an exemplary method 200 for a pre-meeting management, according to an exemplary embodiment. Although one or more computing systems may implement the following steps of the method 200, this description details for brevity, a computer system implementing the steps. The computer system, for example, may include an application server, a web server, a network node within a distributed network nodes, or a combination of one or more of these systems. Furthermore, one having ordinary skill in the art should understand that the following steps are merely exemplary, and one more steps can be added or substituted, or the method 200 may skip one or more steps altogether. (41) In a first step 201, computer system server may generate a digital identity record for meeting attendees. The meeting attendees may be participants of one or more processes within the blockchain. The process of generating the digital identity record is detailed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/845,662, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. (42) In a next step 202, the computer system may generate a digital meeting record. In some embodiments, the computer system may generate the digital meeting record upon execution of a digital meeting smart contract. For example, a blockchain event upstream may necessitate a meeting and trigger the digital meeting smart contract, which, upon execution may generate the digital meeting record. For example in a private equity context, a meeting may be warranted after a threshold amount of responses have been received in response to a capital call. In some embodiments, the computer system may generate the digital meeting record in response to receiving a request from a permissioned user, that is, an admin user or the like with appropriate permission controls in the associated digital identity record. In these embodiments, the computer system may execute a screen based application to render a user interface for the permissioned user to enter and/or select pieces of information to generate the digital meeting record. (43) The digital meeting record may contain a plurality of data fields configure to store pieces of information regarding a meeting. Non-limiting examples of the data fields may include date, time, and location of the meeting; attendees to the meeting, and documents associated with the meeting. In some embodiments, one or more data fields of the digital meeting record may be empty and the computer system may update the digital meeting record during the steps of the method 200 to fill in pieces of information to the respective data fields. The computer system may retrieve the pieces of information for the data fields from the blockchain or from non-blockchain based sources, for example, from a client device. (44) In a next step 203, the computer system may store a one-directional cryptographic hash of pre-meeting documents in the digital meeting record. Non-limiting examples of pre-meeting documents may include agendas, reports, and proposals for the meeting. In some embodiments, the computer system may receive the pre-meeting documents from a permissioned user. The permissioned user, for example, may utilize on-screen tools provided by the computer system to generate or upload the pre-meeting documents. Once received, the computer system may execute a hashing algorithm to generate a one directional cryptographic hash for each of the documents. The computer system may then store the generated hashes to the digital meeting record and store the received documents to a document repository. The document repository may be a non-blockchain storage, either local to or remote from the computer system. (45) In a next step 204, the computer system may link the digital meeting record to one or more smart contracts. For example, the computer system may link the digital meeting record to an attendee verification smart contract, an attendee action smart contract, and/or a meeting decision smart contract. For instance, the computer system may import the meeting decision smart contract into the digital meeting record, that is, the meeting decision smart contract may be an information entry to a data field within the digital meeting record. The computer system may retrieve the meeting decision smart contract from the blockchain. To do so, the computer system may query a local database to retrieve the block address of the meeting decision smart contract and use the block address to query the blockchain to retrieve the meeting decision smart contract. The meeting decision smart contract may include coded conditions of the criteria to reach a decision in the meeting. For instance, the meeting decision smart contract may have a first coded condition to indicate a simple majority will suffice for a less significant decision and a second coded condition to indicate that a two-thirds majority is required for a more significant decision. The coded conditions may be stored in a decision criteria library within the blockchain. (46) After the completion of the steps of the method 200, the computer system, in some implementations may generate a digital meeting record block and append the digital meeting record block to the blockchain. In other implementation, the computer system may store the digital meeting record locally for further processing by other methods such as the methods 300 and 400 as detailed below. (47) FIG. 3 shows an exemplary method 300 of digital meetings management, according to an exemplary embodiment. Although one or more computing systems may implement the following steps of the method 300, this description details for brevity, a computer system implementing the steps. The computer system, for example, may include an application server, a web server, a network node within a distributed network nodes, or a combination of one or more of these systems. Furthermore, one having ordinary skill in the art should understand that the following steps are merely exemplary, and one more steps can be added or substituted, or the method 300 may skip one or more steps altogether. (48) In a first step 301, the computer system may authenticate and record attendees to a meeting. More particularly, the computer system may authenticate meeting attendees from a pool of multiple users seeking authentication (also described as verification) and electronically record the presence of the meeting attendees. In some embodiments, the computer system may use biometric identity verification for authenticating a user as an attendee. The computer system may receive biometric information captured by a mobile device or any other type of computing device ("capturing device") of the user. The mobile device or any other type of computing device may run a digital meeting web application allowing a respective user to seek attendance to the meeting. Non-limiting examples of biometric information may include fingerprint data, face scan data, and retina scan data. And the capturing device may the user's personal smart phone, tablet, a desktop computer, and/or a device embedded within or provided by the computer system implementing this method 300. For example, the computer system may have a fingerprint sensor to record each of each user attending arriving to a physical meeting site. The users seeking to attend the meeting remotely may user their capturing devices to capture the biometric information, which, the capturing devices may then transmit to the computer system. (49) Once the computer system receives or captures the biometric information of a user, either from a remote client device or from a local device; the computer system uses a mathematical hashing function to generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the received or captured biometric information. The computer system may use the so generated cryptographic hash to both authenticate and record the presence of the respective attendee. To authenticate the attendee, the computer system may compare the generated cryptographic hash to the cryptographic hash of biometric information stored in the digital identity record of the attendee. If the comparison returns a match, the computer system may indicate in the digital meeting record that the user has been authenticated as an attendee to the meeting. However, if the comparison does not return a match, the computer system may indicate in the digital meeting record that an authentication attempt has been made and generate a message for the user to try again. After a predetermined number of authentication attempts, the computer system may indicate a potential fraud and trigger fraud mitigation and other security measures. (50) For the authenticated attendee, the computer system may store the cryptographic hash in the digital meeting record as a record of the attendee of the meeting. Furthermore, the computer system may store the biometric information in a local or remote repository. In some embodiments, the computer system may generate a hash for and store in the repository more information in addition to the biometric information. For example, the computer system will store in the repository the date and time of the receipt of the biometric information and the location from which the biometric information was sent. The location information may include GPS coordinates of user's device generated by a trusted GPS source. The computer system may generate a separate one directional cryptographic hash for the additional information or generate a single hash for the biometric information and additional information and store the hash in the digital meeting record. The hash of the biometric information, sometimes in combination with the hash of the additional information, may serve as a record of the attendee's presence during the meeting. Therefore, once digital meeting record has been appended to the blockchain, an indisputable and immutable record of the attendee's presence is established. (51) In some embodiments, the computer system may receive a document to be presented at the meeting from an authenticated attendee. The document may be, for example, a list of proposals from the attendee. The computer system may generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the received document and store the generated cryptographic hash in the digital meeting record in association with the digital identity record of the authenticated attendee. The computer system may store the received document in the non-blockchain repository. (52) The computer system may execute one or more smart contracts to achieve the aforementioned functionality of step 301. For example, the computer system may download from the blockchain and execute an attendee verification smart contract to authenticate and record the presence of an attendee within the digital meeting record. (53) In a next step 302, the computer system may record a location of the meeting. In some embodiments, the computer system may determine the location of the meeting based on the location information received from one or more attendees to the meeting. For example, the computer system may receive a common set of GPS coordinates from multiple attendees and determine that the meeting is at the location identified by the common set of GPS coordinates. In other embodiments, the computer system may receive the meeting location as a manual entry by a permissioned user. In some instances, not all the attendees (i.e., authenticated users) may be in a single location for the meeting. The meeting may be virtual, wherein the attendees are scattered throughout various geographic locations. In these instances, the computer system may record the location of each of the attendees in the digital meeting record. Furthermore, as detailed below, the computer system may record the location of an attendee each time the attendee takes an action associated with the meeting. (54) In a next step 303, the computer system may record a data and time of the meeting. In some embodiments, the computer system may receive the date and time and from the devices of the meeting attendees. In other embodiments, the computer system may receive the date and time from a manual entry by a permissioned user. The computer system may record the date and time within the digital meeting record. Furthermore, as described below, the computer system may receive and record the date and time each time the computer system receives an indication of attendee actions. (55) In next step 304, the computer system may record attendee actions during the meeting. More particularly, the computer system may record the attendee actions in the digital meeting record based upon executing one or more smart contracts in the blockchain. An exemplary smart contract may be an attendee action smart contract. The attendee actions may include one or more actions related to the meeting such as an acknowledgement, vote, approval, and/or sign-off. The attendee actions may further be associated one or more meeting items such as agenda, proposals, and/or resolutions. For example, a first attendee may digitally present a proposal at the meeting allowing for the other attendees to vote on the proposal. The computer system may then record the votes from each of the other attendees. (56) The computer system may receive the attendee actions from various communication media such as a text message, e-mail message, and/or inputs to a web application on a mobile device. For each attendee action, the computer system may receive the respective attendee's biometric information, and use the biometric information to ensure the authenticity of the attendee's action. Continuing with the above example of voting on a proposal, the computer system may receive the attendee's biometric information along with the vote. The computer system may first use the biometric information to authenticate by generating a one directional cryptographic hash of the received biometric information and then comparing the generated hash to that store in the respective digital identity record. The computer system may further use the received biometric information as the attendee's authentication of the vote. In other words, the received biometric information may serve a dual purpose, first for the computer system to authenticate the vote, and second for the attendee to authenticate the vote. In this example, the computer system may record in the digital meeting record, the received vote in association with the hash of the biometric information. (57) In addition to the biometric information, the computer system may further receive and record date, time, and/or location associated with the attendee actions through execution of one or more smart contracts. For example, a mobile device of an attendee may transmit date, time, and/or location stamp for the actions of the respective attendee to the computer system. In some implementation, the computer system may receive the date and time from a third party source such as an Oracle. The computer system may record the received the date, time, and/or location information in the digital meeting record. In other words, for each of the attendee actions associated with the meeting, the digital meeting record may contain the action, the biometric hash (or biometric signature of the attendee), and date, time, and location of the attendee at the time of the action. Furthermore, the computer system may track and record the attendee actions together with the aforementioned attributes of the actions within the digital meeting record in real-time, which when uploaded to blockchain become immutable and authenticated record of all the meeting activities within the blockchain. (58) In a next step 305, the computer system may generate and record the meeting decisions. More particularly, the computer system may execute one or more smart contracts over the attendee actions recorded in the previous step 304. An exemplary smart contract may include a meeting decision smart contract that may contain one or more coded conditions for reaching a meeting decision based on the recorded attendee actions. In other words, the one or more coded conditions may define decision criteria for one or more decisions in the meeting. (59) In a voting scenario, a meeting decision smart contract may indicate that a simple majority is enough for a first proposal and a two-thirds majority is required for a second proposal. The digital meeting record, based on the execution of the previous step 304, may contain the record of the votes for each of the first and second proposals. Upon execution, the meeting decision smart contract may tally the votes for each of the first and second proposals. For the first proposal, the meeting decision smart contract may generate a first meeting decision that the first proposal has passed based upon determining that the vote tally meets the simple majority. Similarly, for the second proposal, the meeting decision smart contract may generate a second meeting decision based upon determining that the vote tally meets the requisite two-thirds majority. The meeting decision smart contract may then record the meeting decisions into the digital meeting record. (60) In a next step 306, the computer system may append the digital meeting record to the blockchain. In some implementations, the network node may download a new latest valid blockchain based upon one or more consensus algorithms prior to appending the digital meeting record to the blockchain. To do so, the computer system may poll other network nodes and determine the latest valid blockchain. The computer system may use a predetermined threshold for determining the latest valid blockchain. For example, the computer system may query the network nodes for the latest blockchain. If the computer system receives the same blockchain from 51% of the network nodes, the computer system may determine that the received blockchain is the latest valid blockchain. One ordinarily skilled in the art appreciates that the predetermined threshold is set upon the level of integrity required for the data and instructions stored in the blockchain. The computer system may use a higher predetermined threshold for data requiring a higher level of security and integrity. After the computer system determines the latest valid blockchain, the computer system may append the digital meeting record to the latest valid blockchain. To do so, the computer system may use the hash of contents of the last block of the latest valid blockchain to generate the address of a block containing the digital meeting record ("digital meeting record block"). In addition, the computer system may use the hash of the contents of the digital meeting record to generate the address of the digital meeting record block. In some implementations, the computer system may use the hash of the contents of the last block, the hash of the contents of the digital meeting record block, and a nonce value to generate the address of the digital meeting record block. The computer system may then store the address of the digital meeting record block in a database. (61) Furthermore, the computer system may encrypt the data in the digital meeting record block by using an algorithm such as a hashing algorithm. The application may generate a hash value of the contents of the digital meeting record block and store the hash value in the digital meeting record block. For instance, the computer system may hash portions of the digital meeting record block separately to create intermediate hash values and generate a final hash value based on the intermediate hash values and store the final hash value in the digital record block. Alternatively, the computer system may hash the entire content of the digital meeting record block to generate the final hash value and store the hash value in the digital meeting record block. In other implementations, the computer system may use symmetric or asymmetric keys to encrypt the contents of the digital meeting record block. (62) In other implementations, the network node may use the blockchain validated in the previous steps to deploy append the digital meeting record block to the blockchain. In some implementations, the computer system may transmit an instruction to the network nodes to append the digital meeting record block to the latest valid blockchain as determined by one or more of the network nodes. In these implementations, the computer system may receive the address of the digital meeting record block in the blockchain from one or more network nodes and store the address in the database. (63) One having ordinary skill in the art should understand that recording in some embodiments may be the computer system recording various pieces of information within the digital meeting record. In other embodiments, the computer system may record some pieces of information to the digital meeting record and other pieces of information in a non-blockchain database. One having ordinary skill in the art should further understand that the computer system may generate a one directional cryptographic hash for each piece of information or some pieces of information prior to recording in the digital meeting record. (64) The computer system may append the digital meeting record at any time during the execution of the aforementioned steps. For example, the computer system may append the digital meeting record to the blockchain after executing step 301, and for executing step 302, the computer system may download the digital meeting record or use a local copy of the digital meeting record for further updates to the digital meeting record. In some embodiments, the computer system may append the digital meeting record to the blockchain after each of the aforementioned steps. In other embodiments, the computer system may append the digital meeting record to the blockchain after some of the steps or at the end of executing all of the steps. In yet other embodiments, the computer system may append the digital meeting record to the blockchain during an execution of one or more of the aforementioned steps. (65) FIG. 4 shows an exemplary method 400 of post meeting management, according to an exemplary embodiment. Although one or more computer systems may implement the steps of the method 400, the description below describes, for brevity, a computer system implementing the steps of the method 400. (66) In a first step 401, the network node may autopopulate post meeting documentation using information from a digital meeting record. The digital meeting record may have been generated and/or updated by one or more of the aforementioned methods 200 and 300. That is, the digital meeting record may contain various actions taken by the meeting attendees, various proposals presented during the meeting, and various decisions reached during the meeting. A post meeting documentation may be any type of file such as a PDF file, a MS-Word file, and a LaTeX File containing text and graphics containing information related to and generated during the meeting. The network node may use these pieces of information and/or other pieces of information to autopopulate one or more post meeting documentations such as a meeting minutes document. The meeting minutes document may contain, based upon the autopopulating by the network node, for example, the names of the attendees of the meetings, the proposals and/or votes of each attendee, and decision reached during the meeting. (67) In a next step 402, the network node may append post meeting commentary to the post meeting documentation. For example, the network node may receive, via a web application, a post meeting commentary from a meeting organizer (which may be a permissioned user) to be added to the post meeting documentation. The post meeting documentation may have a data field or an appropriate location for the commentary. For example, if the post meeting documentation is a MS-Word file, the network node may reserve a portion of the file for a commentary. The commentary may include, for example, a tag for a future discussion, the meeting organizer's caveat on a meeting decision, reference links to various pieces of information in the post meeting documentation, and/or any other type of commentary. (68) In a next step 403, the network node may store the post meeting documentation in a document repository. The document repository may be a non-blockchain database either locally or remotely accessible by the network node. (69) In a next step 404, the network node may store a one directional cryptographic hash of the post meeting documentation in the digital meeting record. To do so, the network node may first generate the one directional cryptographic hash of the post meeting documentation using a mathematical hashing function. The network node may then store the so generated one directional cryptographic hash to the digital meeting record. (70) In a next step 405, the network node may transmit approval requests for the meeting documentation to the meeting invitees. The network node may transmit the approval request through communication media such as e-mail, text message, phone calls, and/or any other type of communication medium. The meeting attendees may receive the approval requests at the respective client devices such as mobile phones. (71) In a next step 406, the network node may receive approvals from authenticated meeting attendees and store the approvals in the digital meeting record. The network node may receive the approvals through communication media such as e-mail, text message, phone calls, and/or any other type of communication medium. (72) In some embodiments, the network node may receive one or more biometric approvals for the meeting documentation. That is, one or more attendees may use their respective devices to enter in biometric information as an act of approval for the provided meeting documentation. For example, a first attendee may use a fingerprint sensor in his mobile device to transmit an approval to the network node. As another example, a second attendee may use a retina scanner on her computer to transmit an approval to the network node. One having ordinary skill in the art understands that these biometric approvals are merely exemplary, and other forms of biometric approvals should also be considered within the scope of this disclosure. (73) The network node may also store the approvals in the digital meeting record. The network node may use a mathematical hashing function to generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the received approval message. For example, in case of biometric approval, the network node may generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the received biometric information such as fingerprint data or retina scan data; and store the generated cryptographic hash to the digital meeting record. (74) In next step 407, the network node may append the digital meeting record to the blockchain, using similar steps as detailed in method 300. (75) One having ordinary skill in the art should understand by now that the various steps of the aforementioned methods 200, 300, and 400 may generate and append to the blockchain in real-time, an immutable digital meeting record. One or more smart contracts may automate the process to generate an essentially tamper-proof digital meeting record stored in the blockchain. Therefore, one or more of the system 100, and the method 200, 300, and 400 may provide an integrated functionality to generate the immutable digital meeting record in the blockchain, which has not been provided by conventional blockchain technology. (76) The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams are provided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed in the order presented. The steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in any order. Words such as "then," "next," etc. are not intended to limit the order of the steps; these words are simply used to guide the reader through the description of the methods. Although process flow diagrams may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, and the like. When a process corresponds to a function, the process termination may correspond to a return of the function to a calling function or a main function. (77) The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of this disclosure or the claims. Furthermore, qualifiers "a" and "an" before a logical block, a module, a circuit, and an algorithm are not intended to be limiting, and multiple such components should be considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. (78) Embodiments implemented in computer software may be implemented in software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. A code segment or machine-executable instructions may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc. (79) The actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement these systems and methods is not limiting of the claimed features or this disclosure. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and methods were described without reference to the specific software code being understood that software and control hardware can be designed to implement the systems and methods based on the description herein. (80) When implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. The steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor-executable software module, which may reside on a computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. A non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable media includes both computer storage media and tangible storage media that facilitate transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory processor-readable storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such non-transitory processor-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible storage medium that may be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer or processor. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a non-transitory processor-readable medium and/or computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product. (81) The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments described herein and variations thereof. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter disclosed herein. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein. (82) While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed, other aspects and embodiments are contemplated. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims. ### Claims 1. A computer-implemented method for generating an immutable digital meeting record, the method comprising: generating, by a network node of a plurality of network nodes, a digital meeting record containing one or more data fields for information associated with a meeting; importing, by the network node to the digital meeting record, a meeting decision executable code located in a block of a blockchain, the meeting decision executable code containing one or more coded conditions for a decision in the meeting from a decision criteria library stored in the blockchain, wherein the blockchain includes blocks of data hosted on a subset of the plurality of network nodes, and wherein the network node determined that the blockchain is a latest valid blockchain based on a consensus threshold; associating, by the network node, the digital meeting record with a plurality of digital identity records stored in the blockchain, wherein each of the plurality of digital identity records is associated with a respective attendee of the meeting; executing, by the network node, an attendee verification executable code to authenticate a plurality of attendees to the meeting, wherein authentication for each attendee is based upon a match between a one directional cryptographic hash of biometric information received from the attendee and a one directional cryptographic hash stored in a respective digital identity record associated with the attendee, wherein the respective digital identity record stores the one directional cryptographic hash of biometric information without storing the biometric information; generating, by the network node, a one directional cryptographic hash of a document and storing in the digital meeting record the one directional cryptographic hash in association with the a first digital identity record of a first attendee of the plurality of attendees, wherein the document is stored in a non-blockchain document repository; storing, by the network node in the digital meeting record, respective location information of each of the plurality of attendees, wherein the respective location information is received from a global positioning system of a respective client device; executing, by the network node, an attendee action executable code to capture in real-time and store in the digital meeting record actions of each of the plurality of attendees; executing, by the network node, the meeting decision executable code on the captured actions of each of the plurality of attendees to determine one or more meeting decisions; storing, by the network node in the digital meeting record, the one or more meeting decisions; encrypting, by the network node, at least a portion of the digital meeting record using one or more encryption keys to generate an encrypted digital meeting record; and appending, by the network node, the encrypted digital meeting record to the blockchain. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, by the network node, digital notification messages to respective client devices of each of the plurality of attendees. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: autopopulating, by the network node, a post meeting documentation based on the information in one or more date fields in the digital meeting record. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: generating, by the network node, a one directional cryptographic hash of the post meeting documentation; storing, by the network node, the one directional cryptographic hash of the post meeting documentation in the digital meeting record; and storing the post meeting documentation in the non-blockchain document repository. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: transmitting, by the network node, the post meeting documentation to a first client device of a first attendee; receiving, by the network node, a first indication of an approval from the first client device, wherein first indication approval includes biometric information of the first attendee; generating, by the network node, a first one directional cryptographic hash of the biometric information; and storing, by the network node in the digital meeting record, the first one directional cryptographic hash of the biometric information in association with the one directional cryptographic hash of the post meeting documentation. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the attendee action executable code captures location information, date, and time associated with the actions and decisions of each of the plurality of attendees. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions and decisions of each of plurality of the attendees comprise at least one of vote, acknowledgement, approval, and sign-off. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: setting, by the network node, a permission controls table for the digital meeting record. 9. A system for generating an immutable digital meeting record, the system comprising: a plurality of network nodes, each including a non-transitory storage medium storing a respective local copy of a blockchain; at least one of the plurality of network nodes having a processor configured to: generate a digital meeting record containing one or more data fields for information associated with a meeting; import to the digital meeting record, a meeting decision executable code located in a block of a blockchain, the meeting decision executable code containing one or more coded conditions for a decision in the meeting from a decision criteria library stored in the blockchain, wherein the blockchain includes blocks of data hosted on a subset of the plurality of network nodes, and wherein the processor determined that the blockchain is a latest valid blockchain based on a consensus threshold; associate the digital meeting record with a plurality of digital identity records stored in the blockchain, wherein each of the plurality of digital identity records is associated with a respective attendee of the meeting; execute an attendee verification executable code to authenticate a plurality of attendees to the meeting, wherein authentication for each attendee is based upon a match between a one directional cryptographic hash of biometric information received from the attendee and a one directional cryptographic hash stored in a respective digital identity record associated with the attendee, wherein the respective digital identity record stores the one directional cryptographic hash of biometric information without storing the biometric information; generate a one directional cryptographic hash of a document and store in the digital meeting record the one directional cryptographic hash in association with the a first digital identity record of a first attendee of the plurality of attendees, wherein the document is stored in a non-blockchain document repository; store in the digital meeting record, respective location information of each of the plurality of attendees, wherein the respective location information is received from a global positioning system of a respective client device; execute an attendee action executable code to capture in real-time and store in the digital meeting record actions of each of the plurality of attendees; execute the meeting decision executable code on the captured actions of each of the plurality of attendees to determine one or more meeting decisions; store in the digital meeting record, the one or more meeting decisions; encrypt at least a portion of the digital meeting record using one or more encryption keys to generate an encrypted digital meeting record; and append the encrypted digital meeting record to the blockchain. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit digital notification messages to respective client devices of each of the plurality of attendees. 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured: autopopulate a post meeting documentation based on the information in one or more date fields in the digital meeting record. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the post meeting documentation; store the one directional cryptographic hash of the post meeting documentation in the digital meeting record; and store the post meeting documentation in the non-blockchain document repository. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit the post meeting documentation to a first client device of a first attendee; receive a first indication of an approval from the first client device, wherein first indication approval includes biometric information of the first attendee; generate a first one directional cryptographic hash of the biometric information; and store in the digital meeting record, the first one directional cryptographic hash of the biometric information in association with the one directional cryptographic hash of the post meeting documentation. 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the attendee action executable code captures location information, date, and time associated with the actions and decisions of each of the plurality of attendees. 15. The system of claim 9, wherein the actions and decisions of each of plurality of the attendees comprise at least one of vote, acknowledgement, approval, and sign-off. 16. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to: set a permission controls table for the digital meeting record.	9990504	US 9990504 B1	2018-06-05	62,235,428	Systems and methods for generating and maintaining immutable digital meeting records within distributed network nodes	H04W4/023;G06F21/32;H04L63/123;H04L12/1831;H04L9/3231;H04L9/0643;H04L63/0428;H04L9/3236;H04L63/0861;G06F21/645;H04L9/3297;G06Q10/109;H04L9/0637;G06Q50/18;G06F21/602	H04L9/50	Chapman; Justin et al.	Northern Trust Corporation	15/846059	2017-12-18	Rashid; Harunur		1/1	NORTHERN TRUST CORPORATION	25.496199	USPAT	19,851
United States Patent 9992022 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent June 05, 2018 Inventor(s) Chapman; Justin et al. ## Systems and methods for digital identity management and permission controls within distributed network nodes ### Abstract Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for digital identity management and permission controls within distributed network nodes. A network node may receive a request to generate a new digital identity record for an entity. The network node may retrieve a template based on an entity type; and receive information, reference documents, and biometric information for the new digital identity record. The network node may associate and store the received information to the data fields in the new digital identity record, generate respective one directional cryptographic hashes of the reference documents and the biometric information, and store the hashes in the new digital identity record while storing the reference documents and biometric information in a non-blockchain repository. The network node may generate a digital identity record block for the new digital identity record, encrypt the digital identity record block, and append the encrypted block to the latest valid blockchain. Inventors: Chapman; Justin (London, GB), Czupek; Andrew (Chicago, IL), Monks; Andrew (Chicago, IL), Stevens; Anthony (Herefordshire, GB), Das; Ariji (Chicago, IL), Price; Christopher (Plainfield, IL), Hannaway; Wayne (Westclif-On-Sea, GB), Smith; Zabrina (London, GB) Applicant: NORTHERN TRUST CORPORATION (Chicago, IL) Family ID: 62235498 Assignee: Northern Trust Corporation (Chicago, IL) Appl. No.: 15/845662 Filed: December 18, 2017 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 62455471 20170206 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: H04L9/32 (20060101); H04L29/06 (20060101); H04L9/14 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC H04L9/3226 (20130101); H04L9/3231 (20130101); H04L9/3236 (20130101); H04L63/0428 (20130101); H04L63/102 (20130101); H04L9/14 (20130101) ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06Q (2220/00); H04L (9/14); H04L (9/3247); H04L (9/30); H04L (63/10) ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 6792536 12/2003 Teppler N/A N/A 8023648 12/2010 Seppanen N/A N/A 9049010 12/2014 Jueneman et al. N/A N/A 2006/0095376 12/2005 Mitchell et al. N/A N/A 2008/0209516 12/2007 Nassiri N/A N/A 2010/0185847 12/2009 Shasha et al. N/A N/A 2012/0293599 12/2011 Norlin et al. N/A N/A 2015/0095999 12/2014 Toth N/A N/A 2015/0096000 12/2014 Sharif et al. N/A N/A 2015/0128240 12/2014 Richards et al. 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N/A N/A #### FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Application Date Country CPC 2016128567 12/2015 WO N/A 2016170538 12/2015 WO N/A 2017044554 12/2016 WO N/A 2017066002 12/2016 WO N/A #### OTHER PUBLICATIONS Van der Elst et al., "Bringing the AGM to the 21st Century: Blockchain and Smart Contracting Tech for Shareholder Involvement," retrieved from the Internet: http://www.ecgi.global/sites/default/working\_papers/documents/3582017.pdf, published Jun. 2017, 31 pages. cited by applicant World Economic Forum/Deloitte, "The future of financial infrastructure—An ambitious look at how blockchain can reshape financial services," retrieved from the Internet: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF\_The\_future\_of\_financial\_infrasructure.pdf, published Aug. 2016, 130 pages. cited by applicant Wright et al., Decentralized Blockchain Technology and the Rise of Lex Cryptographia, Retrieved from the Internet: http://www.the-blockchain.com/docs/Decentralized%20Blockchain%20Technology%20And%20The%20Rise%200f%20Lee/020Cryptographia.pdf, Mar. 12, 2015, 58 pages. cited by applicant Global Delaware Blog, "Delaware judge outlines how blockchain technology can solve stockholder voting issues", retrieved from the Internet: https://global.delaware.gov/2016/11/01/delaware-judge-outlines-how-blockchain-technology-can-solve-stockholder-voting-issues/, Nov. 1, 2016, 4 pages. cited by applicant Pamela Morgan, "Using Blockchain Technology to Prove Existence of a Document", Brave New Coin, http://bravenewcoin.com/news/using-blockchain-technology-to-prove-existence-of-a-document/,Dec. 5, 2014, 9 pages. cited by applicant BitScan, How to Establish Proof-of-Existence on the Bitcoin Blockchain, http://bitscan.com/articles/how-to-establish-proof-of-existence-on-the-bitcoin-blockchain, Nov. 10, 2015, 4 pages. cited by applicant Jacobovitz, "Blockchain for Identity Management", https://www.cs.bgu.acil/-Frankel/TechnicalReports/2016/16-02.pdf, Dec. 2016, 19 pages. cited by applicant Hammudoglu et al., "Portable Trust: biometric-based authentication and blockchain storage for self-sovereign identity systems", https://arxiv.org/pdf/1706.03744.pdf, Nov. 14, 2017, 6 pages. cited by applicant Lewison et al., "Rich Credentials for Remote Identity Proofing", Revised Jul. 10, 2017; first version, https://pomcor.com/techreports/RichCredentials.pdf, Oct. 15, 2016, pp. 1-64. cited by applicant Milanovic, "The next revolution will be reclaiming your digital identity", https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/17/the-next-evolution-will-be-reclaiming-your-digital-identity/, Oct. 17, 2017, 16 pages. cited by applicant Xia et al., "BBDS: Blockchain-Based Data Sharing for Electronic Medical Records in Cloud Environments", http://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/8/2/44/htm, published Apr. 17, 2017, 28 pages. cited by applicant Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report and the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority, dated Mar. 8, 2018, 8 pages. cited by applicant Swan M., Blockchain: Blueprint for a new economy. [online] "O'Reilly Media, Inc.", published Jan. 24, 2018. Retrieved on Feb. 26, 2018 (Feb. 26, 2018) retrieved from the Intemet (p. 16, 17, 24-25, 62). cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Shaw; Brian F Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dentons US LLP ### Background/Summary CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS (1) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/455,471, filed on Feb. 6, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD (1) This application relates generally to distributed database within distributed network nodes and more specifically to digital identity management and permission controls within the distributed network nodes. BACKGROUND (2) Distributed databases such as distributed ledgers ensure the integrity of data by generating a chain of data blocks linked together by cryptographic hashes of the data records in the data blocks. For example, a cryptographic hash of at least a portion of data records within a first block, and, in some cases, combined with a portion of data records in previous blocks is used to generate the block address for a new digital identity block succeeding the first block. As an update to the data records stored in the one or more data blocks, a new data block is generated containing respective updated data records and linked to a preceding block with an address based upon a cryptographic hash of at least a portion of the data records in the preceding block. In other words, the linked blocks form a blockchain that inherently includes a traceable sequence of addresses that can be used to track the updates to the data records contained therein. The linked blocks (or blockchain) may be distributed among multiple network nodes within a computer network such that each node may maintain a copy of the blockchain. Malicious network nodes attempting to compromise the integrity of the database have to recreate and redistribute the blockchain faster than the honest network nodes, which, in most cases, is computationally infeasible. In other words, data integrity is guaranteed by the virtue of multiple network nodes in a network having a copy of the same blockchain. A central trust authority is therefore not required to vouch for the integrity of the distributed database hosted by multiple nodes in the network. (3) Within a distributed network nodes environment, the conventional computing systems have several technical shortcomings. In other words, there are several problems that are not addressed by current blockchain technology. One problem is how to provide an identity framework to maintain the identities of blockchain entities within a blockchain. Another problem is how to provide a permissions framework integrated within the identity framework and also maintained within the blockchain. Conventional systems and technology is confined to providing digital identity and permissions in typical bi-directional client-server relationships. SUMMARY (4) What is therefore desired is a system and a method for implementing digital identity and permission controls within distributed network nodes maintaining a distributed database such as a blockchain. More specifically, what is desired is blockchain based digital identity and permission controls, wherein one or more smart contracts automatically and intelligently maintain and update immutable records of digital identity and permission control. (5) Embodiments disclosed herein solve the aforementioned technical problems and may provide other benefits as well. Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for digital identity management and permission controls within distributed network nodes. For example, a network node may retrieve, based on an entity type and either from a blockchain or from a local database, a digital identity record template containing multiple data fields. The network node may receive information to populate the data fields, reference documents, and/or biometric information. The network node may associate the received information, reference documents, and/or biometric information with the data fields to generate a digital identity record from the digital identity record template. Within the digital identity record, the network node may store the received information and respective one directional cryptographic hashes of the reference documents and/or biometric information. The network node may store the each of the reference documents and biometric information in one or more non-blockchain repositories. The network node may set a status for each of the multiple data fields. Furthermore, based on the type of the entity and received information, the network node may set permission controls in the digital identity record. The network node may generate a digital identity record block by associating the digital identity record with one or more smart contracts, encrypt the digital identity record block with one or more encryption keys, and deploy the encrypted digital identity block to the latest valid blockchain. (6) In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for generating an encrypted digital identity record in a blockchain comprises: receiving, by a network node, a request to generate a digital identity record within a blockchain for an entity, wherein the request contains an entity type of the entity; retrieving, by the network node, a digital identity record template associated with the entity type from a blockchain, wherein the digital identity record template comprises multiple data fields including mandatory and supplemental data fields; receiving, by the network node, information for at least the mandatory data fields and a reference document from a client device associated with the entity; generating, by the network node, a digital identity record for the entity by associating the received information to one or more data fields in the digital identity record template; assigning, by the network, a status identifier to the one or more data fields based on the corresponding associated information; associating, by the network node, a first data field of the one or more data fields with the reference document; generating, by the network node, a one directional cryptographic hash of the reference document; storing, by the network node, the reference document in a non-blockchain document repository; storing, by the network node, the one directional cryptographic hash of the reference document in the digital identity record in association with the first data field; setting, by the network node, permission controls for the digital identity record based on the entity type and the received information; encrypting, by the network node, the digital identity record using one or more encryption keys; generating, by the network node, a digital identity record block containing the encrypted digital identity record; and appending, by the network node, the digital identity record block to the blockchain. (7) In another embodiment, system for generating an encrypted digital identity record in a blockchain comprises: a plurality of distributed network nodes, each including a non-transitory storage medium storing a respective local copy of a blockchain; at least one of the plurality of distributed network nodes having a processor configured to: receive a request to generate a digital identity record within the blockchain for an entity, wherein the request contains an entity type of the entity; retrieve a digital identity record template associated with the entity type from the blockchain, wherein the digital identity record template comprises multiple data fields including mandatory and supplemental data fields; receive information for at least the mandatory data fields and a reference document from a client device associated with the entity; generate a digital identity record for the entity by associating the received information to one or more data fields in the digital identity record template; assign a status identifier to the one or more data fields based on the corresponding associated information; associate a first data field of the one or more data fields with the reference document; generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the reference document; store the reference document in a non-blockchain document repository; store the one directional cryptographic hash of the reference document in the digital identity record in association with the first data field; set permission controls for the digital identity record based on the entity type and the received information; encrypt the digital identity record using one or more encryption keys; generate a digital identity record block containing the encrypted digital identity record; and append the digital identity record block to the blockchain. (8) It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) The accompanying drawings constitute a part of this specification and illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the specification, explain the invention. (2) FIG. 1 shows components of an exemplary system 100 for maintaining digital identity records and associated permission controls, according to an exemplary embodiment. (3) FIG. 2 shows execution of an exemplary method 200 for generating new users, according to an exemplary embodiment. (4) FIG. 3 shows execution of an exemplary method 300 for uploading and updating document records, according to an exemplary embodiment. (5) FIG. 4 shows an exemplary method 400 for generating a new digital identity record, according to one exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (6) Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used here to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated here, and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated here, which would occur to a person skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention. (7) Embodiments disclosed herein describe systems, methods, and products for providing a digital identity and integrated permission controls framework within a distributed network nodes environment. The distributed network nodes environment may maintain a distributed ledger such as a blockchain. One or more distributed network nodes may generate a digital identity record and set permission controls based on a digital record template and information received to populate the data fields of the digital record template. Alternatively, the one or more distributed network nodes may set permission controls upon the individual entity, business relationships, and/or entity type. (8) In some embodiments, a network node may allow an admin user (or a user with permissions) to generate a repository of digital identity templates. For example, the network node may render an admin user interface for the admin user to select, type, and compile digital identity templates to generate the repository. In some implementations, the digital identity templates may be of different types based on the type of entities associated with the respective digital identity templates. A digital identity template database record may contain both mandatory and supplemental data fields. The network node may have to have information for the mandatory fields to generate a corresponding digital identity record but may be able to receive information for the supplemental data fields after the generation of the digital identity record. (9) In some embodiments, a network node may generate a globally unique random digital identity reference for an entity, wherein the random digital identity reference is recognizable within the distributed network nodes. The distributed network nodes may not replicate or reuse a digital identity reference to ensure that a digital identity reference for a participating entity remains unique. The network node may generate the digital identity reference based on a request from an admin user, other user, and/or one or more programs being executed within the distributed network nodes. (10) In some embodiments, a network node may allow an admin user (or a user with permissions) to generate individual digital identity record using a digital identity template and a digital identity reference. The network node or the admin user may select the digital identity template based on the type of the entity associated with the digital identity record. Furthermore, the network node may retrieve the associated digital identity reference from the blockchain or a non-blockchain database. The network node may store the digital identity record with the smart contract in the blockchain. The digital identity record may be unique and the distributed network nodes may use the digital identity record for multiple types of functionalities within the distributed network nodes. In some embodiments, one or more smart contracts may automatically and intelligently generate the digital identity record based on a received request with minimal manual involvement. (11) In some embodiments, a network node may assign separate statuses to separate data fields within the digital identity record. For example, the network node may assign a verified status to a first data field and assign a non-verified status to a second data field. The network node may assign the statuses based on receiving request from an admin user or a user with relevant permissions. In some instances, the network node may receive an API request to edit the status from a trusted third party (e.g. a registration system computer). In these instances, the network node may record on the blockchain the information on the trusted third party that transmitted the API request to the network node. In some instances, the network node may assign and/or update the assigned status based on execution of one or more smart contracts. In some instances, the network node may update a status based on a user initiated or a third party system initiated digital signature using a private cryptographic key. (12) In some embodiments, an identity record stored in a blockchain may require a reference to a document that is associated with a data field of the identity record. For example if the identity record is of a natural person, a scan of the person's passport may have to referenced for verifying vital information such as a name or date of birth. In other words, the name and/or date of birth field of the identity record may have to have the scan of the passport as a reference document. In such a case, the network node may store a document file (for example, a PDF copy of the passport) in a document repository and generate a hash value for the document using a one directional mathematical hashing function. The network node may upload the hash value in the blockchain and store the hash value of the document in association with the relevant data filed of the identity record. The unique document hash value generated within the identity record in the blockchain may evidence the immutability of the document that is being referenced. In this way, the network node may ensure the immutability of the document even if the document is not stored in the blockchain itself. In some implementations, the network node may retrieve identity information from a trusted third party system. For example, if the network node receives a passport number, the network node may query a trusted third party database to retrieve, for example, date of birth and place of birth. (13) In some embodiments, an identity record may be of a natural person, and the network node may associate biometric information with a data field of the identity record. More specifically, a data field in the identity record may require a reference to the person's biometric mathematical hash value information that can be used for verification purposes. The network node may receive biometric information captured by a biometric reader such as a fingerprint reader or a retina scanner. The network node may generate a one directional mathematical hash value from the biometric information, store the biometric information in a local repository, and store the one directional mathematical hash value of the biometric information on the blockchain in association with the data field. In some instances, the network node may implement security by using, in addition to the biometric information, a private passcode or a random unique passcode. The network node may use the biometric hash value for verifying a person or for any other purpose wherein the user inputs biometric information. (14) In some embodiments, the distributed network nodes may maintain permission controls within the blockchain. For example, in a digital identity record, there may be a data field containing the permission controls of the entity identified by the digital identity record. The permission controls may indicate the access rights of the entity for information stored in the blockchain and other associated information. The permission controls may further indicate the entity's permissions to initiate blockchain based events. (15) In some embodiments, a digital identity record may be within a smart contract. For example, the distributed network nodes may host a block having an identity smart contract delimiting different functionalities associated with an identity. Each time a network node creates a digital identity record, the network node may retrieve the identity smart contract or a portion thereof; and store the digital identity record within the identity smart contract. In other words, a digital identity record block may have executable codes of a smart contract and the data fields containing information for the digital identity record. In other embodiments, the distributed network nodes may associate the digital identity record with one or more smart contracts stored within the blockchain. In these embodiments, a network node may record the block addresses for the one or more smart contracts within the digital identity record block such that the digital identity record block may invoke the one or more smart contracts when required. (16) In some embodiments, the distributed network nodes may link multiple digital identity records. For example, a first digital identity record may be linked to a second digital identity record. In some instances, the second digital identity record may be hierarchically below the first digital identity record. In these instances, the first digital identity record may perform as a master digital identity record for the second digital identity record, that is, a network node may generate the second digital identity record such that the second digital identity record inherits one or more data fields from the first digital identity record. Such linkages and hierarchical relationships may be governed by smart contracts stored within the blockchain. (17) In some embodiments, the distributed network nodes may maintain the privacy of digital identity record database using encryption techniques, that is, the digital identity records may be encrypted prior to being uploaded in the blockchain. The network nodes may allow access to the encrypted digital identity records based on the permissions stored in the respective digital identity records. For example, a network node may provide an entity identified by a digital identity record with a decryption key based upon the permission controls stored in the digital identity record. In some instances, the network node may encrypt a first portion of the digital identity record with a first encryption key and a second portion of the digital identity record with a second encryption key. For example, the network node may use the first encryption key to encrypt the identity components and use the second encryption key to encrypt the permission control components within the digital identity record. Furthermore, the distributed network nodes may also allow concealing of data to meet the regulatory requirements of various jurisdictions. For example, network nodes may encrypt data stored on the blockchain using an encryption key. A user with relevant permissions may instruct a network node to destroy the encryption key and access to the data is forever lost because the data, without the encryption key, may be indecipherable. (18) Although the aforementioned embodiments describe a network node implementing the various functionalities, one having ordinary skill in the art should understand a single network node was included only for brevity, and should not be limiting. Multiple network nodes within the distributed network nodes and other associating computing systems implementing these functionalities should be considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. (19) FIG. 1 shows components of a digital identity and permission control management system 100, according to an exemplary embodiment. The exemplary system 100 may comprise a webserver 101, an application server 103, databases 105, a key store 107, a client device 109, and distributed network nodes 111. Aspects of the system 100 may be configured to employ and manage a system blockchain, sometimes referred to in the art as a "distributed ledger," and may include blockchain-based distributed ledger software (e.g., Hyperledger, Ethereum, Openchain, TerraLedger). In some implementations, the system blockchain may be a private party blockchain. The system blockchain may operate as a distributed database that stores data records associated with entities and transaction documents, where the data records stored on the system blockchain may be blocks of data that are hosted on distributed network nodes 111. The data records associated with the entities may include digital identity records and permission controls. In some instances, the system 100 may store the permission controls within the digital identity records. It should be appreciated that the data stored in records within system databases 105 may vary from the data stored in blocks of the system blockchain hosted on network nodes 111. (20) A webserver 101 may host a website accessible to end-users, where the content presented via the various webpages may be controlled based upon each particular user's role and/or permissions. For example, a user may be an admin user with more permission compared to a normal user. The system 100 may store the permission controls for the admin user or any other user in the respective digital identity record. The webserver 101 may be any computing device comprising a processor and non-transitory machine-readable storage capable of executing the various tasks and processes described herein. Non-limiting examples of such computing devices may include workstation computers, laptop computers, server computers, and the like. While the exemplary system 100 includes a single webserver 101, one having skill in the art would appreciate that some embodiments the webserver 101 may include any number of computing devices operating in a distributed computing environment. (21) The webserver 101 may execute software applications configured to host a website (e.g., Apache®, Microsoft IIS®), which may generate and serve various webpages to client devices 109. The website may be used to generate and access data stored on a system database 105 or in a blockchain hosted by distributed nodes 111 of the system 100. In some implementations, the webserver 101 may be configured to require user authentication based upon a set of user authorization credentials (e.g., username, password, biometrics, cryptographic certificate). In such implementations, the webserver 101 may access a system database 105 configured to store user credentials, which the webserver 101 may be configured to reference in order to determine whether a set of entered credentials (purportedly authenticating the user) match an appropriate set of credentials that identify and authenticate the user. Similarly, in some implementations, the webserver 101 may generate and serve webpages to a client device 109 based upon a user role within the system 100 (e.g., administrator, investor, investment promoter). In such implementations, the user role may be defined by data fields in user records stored in the system database 105, and authentication of the user and user role may be conducted by the webserver 101 by executing an access directory protocol (e.g. LDAP). The webserver 101 may then be instructed to generate webpage content, access or generate data stored in the system database 105, and access or generate data stored in the blockchain instances, according to the user role defined by the user record in the system database 105. (22) In some implementations, the system blockchain may include permission controls defining a user's role within the system 100. The system blockchain may include a block with a smart contract containing permission controls that define the user's role within the system. For example, the smart contract, through the permission controls, may define the user to be a system administrator (that is, an admin user). As another example, the permission controls may define the level of authorization for non admin user to access information stored in the blockchain or initiating a blockchain based functionality. In a private equity context, the blockchain based functionality may include initiating capital calls, uploading documents to the system 100, and/or other functionalities. The system 100 may store the permission controls within a respective user's digital identity record or in association with the respective user's digital identity record. Although the descriptions above and below describe a user and user's digital identity record and permission controls, one having ordinary skill in the art should understand that this description is applicable to non-human entities such as bank servers or other corporation servers having a digital identity record and permission controls within the system 100. In other words, the system 100 may maintain the digital identity and permission controls regardless of whether or not the associated entities are human users or non-human computing systems. (23) An application server 103 may generate, access, and update blockchain instances hosted on the network nodes 111, according to instructions received from a client device 109 via a webserver 101. The application server 103 may be any computing device comprising a processor and non-transitory machine-readable storage capable of executing the various tasks and processes described herein. Non-limiting examples of such computing devices may include workstation computers, laptop computers, server computers, and the like. While the exemplary system 100 includes a single application server 103, one having skill in the art would appreciate that in some embodiments the application server 103 may include any number of computing devices operating in a distributed computing environment. It would also be appreciated that although the application server 103 is shown in FIG. 1 as being a separate device from a webserver 101, in some embodiments the webserver 101 and the application server 103 may be the same device. Furthermore, one having ordinary skill in the art understands that one or more of the client device 109, the webserver 101, databases 105, key store 107, and the application server 103 may be a part of a network node of the distributed network nodes 111. (24) Software executed by the application server 103 may provide blockchain services to users interacting with the application server 103 via the webserver 101. The application server 103 may update and query the record in the system database 105 according to the instructions received from the client device 109. The application server 103 may then generate blocks for the system blockchain, where the blocks contain data from the records of the system database 105 and/or data records received from the users. The application server may then update a local instance of the system blockchain, and subsequently instruct network nodes 111 to update the instances of the system blockchain stored locally on each of the network nodes 111. Each new block may be generated with a timestamp or other data that links the new block with existing blocks on the blockchain. As an example, when the application server 103 generates a new digital identity record, the application server 103 may then generate a new block containing the digital identity record and an address for the new block based upon a one directional cryptographic hash of one or more data fields of the digital identity record. The application server 103 may then append the new block in the system blockchain within the local instance of the blockchain stored in the application server 103. The application server 103 may then transmit the new block to each respective network node 111. The network nodes 111, in turn, may update the local instances of the blockchain stored on each of the network nodes 111. In other implementations, the application server 103 may transmit the blockchain or portions thereof to the network node 111, and the network nodes may accordingly replace the local instances of the system blockchain or portions thereof using the transmission received from the application server 103. (25) In some embodiments, the system 100 may store a digital identity record for a user or an entity within the system blockchain. To do so, the system 100 may allow an admin user to generate digital identity templates of different types based on the entity. The template may include mandatory data fields and supplemental data fields. The system 100 may store the templates within the system blockchain and/or in the databases 105. When the system 100 receives a request to generate a digital identity record for an entity, the system 100 may retrieve a digital identity template, either from the system blockchain or from the databases 105, based on the type of the entity. The system 100 may generate a digital identity record based upon the respective digital identity template. The system 100, through one or more network nodes 111, may prompt the entity to enter the information required for data fields in the generated digital identity record. Furthermore, one or more of the data fields of the digital identity record may have an independent status, and the system 100 or a trusted third party server may update the status of the digital identity record. (26) In addition, a data field within the digital identity record may be associated with a reference document. For example, if the aforementioned entity is a natural person, the reference document may be a scan of a passport of the person and the name data field may reference the scan of the passport. The system 100 may store the scan of the passport in the databases 105, and generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the scan of the passport. Instead of saving the entire file of the scan of the passport in the blockchain, the system 100 may store the cryptographic hash of the file in association with the name data field. This saving protocol allows for immutability of a document file that is not saved within the blockchain but on a non blockchain data repository such as the databases 105. (27) In some implementations, the system 100 may support a biometric identity verification of a user. In these implementations, the system 100 may receive biometric data of a user associated with a digital identity record. The biometric data may include data captured by biometric sensors such as a fingerprint sensor or retina scanner. The system 100 may store the biometric data in the databases 105 and generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the biometric information. The system 105 may store the cryptographic hash of the biometric data in association with the digital identity record. (28) In operation, when a user or a smart contract being executed instructs the application server 103 to conduct a transaction requiring a query of the blocks of the blockchain, the application server 103 may conduct a poll of the network nodes 111 to identify the queried data, based on the hash values identifying the blocks, and then determine whether the data within the identified blocks is accurate. The application server 103 may then await a response from a predetermined quorum of network nodes 111 to confirm the data in the blocks; the application server 103 may then proceed with a processing transaction using the data blocks of the blockchain, provided that a predetermined threshold number of network nodes 111 indicate that the blocks at issue match the blocks of the instance stored locally on each of the network nodes 111. In some implementations, the application server 103 may transmit a request to the network nodes 111 to respond with the latest blockchain stored by each network node 111. Once the application server 103 receives the blockchains from the respective nodes 111, the application server 103 may compare the received blockchains with the local copy of the blockchain. If a threshold number of blockchains match each other, the application server 103 may determine that the integrity of the blockchain has not been compromised. The threshold may be set by an admin user with appropriate authority based on the criticality of the data stored in the blockchain. For example, a blockchain with more critical data may be associated with a higher threshold than a blockchain with less critical data. (29) The application server 103 may generate block addresses for data to be retrieved from blockchain instances of the system blockchain. Machine-readable computer files containing various forms of documents (e.g., PDF, DOC, XLS) may be uploaded to the application server 103 via a webserver 101, or otherwise stored into a system database 105, after which the application server 103 may generate a hash value of the document, where the application uses the hash value or other identifier value to reference the file from a system database 105. The application server 103 may then generate the block address for the file by generating a hash of the document and a hash value of the immediately preceding block data or block address of the system blockchain. This block address may then be stored into the system database 105 in a document record along with the file and any number of additional data field entries related to the computer file. In operation, the application server 103 or network nodes 111 may reference the block of the blockchain containing the file according to the block address. The application server 103 may generate additional blocks and corresponding block addresses on the system blockchain in a similar manner—e.g., generating a hash value for a block containing user data and then generating a new block address using the block address of the preceding block. One having skill in the art will appreciate that block addresses may be generated in any number of combinations of hashed block data and/or hashed block addresses from the new block and one or more preceding blocks, such that the address of the new block is dependent upon, or otherwise linked to, at least the immediately preceding block. (30) In some implementations, a system blockchain may contain smart contracts, which may be executable coded scripts that instruct the application server 103 and/or network nodes 111 to perform predetermined processes when certain conditions, as indicated by the smart contract, are satisfied. In some instances, these processes instruct the application server 103 and/or network nodes 111 to generate a new block on the blockchain, often superseding and/or updating the information found in existing blocks in the system blockchain. (31) For example, in some implementations, a smart contract may be employed by the system 100 to control user access to machine-readable computer files stored on the system blockchain and/or in a system database 105. The smart contract may comprise code functioning logically as a matrix table for user permissions that associates users or user roles with documents contained within the computer files stored in the system database 105. In such implementations, the smart contract may comprise machine-readable software code that includes instructions for the application server 103 and network nodes 111, and, in some cases, block addresses for blocks on the system blockchain for blocks containing a digital identity record, user role rules in the system database 105 or application server, and/or document records in the system database 105, among other types of data. When the application server 103 receives a document request from a user device 109, to determine whether the user may access the requested document, the application server 103 may reference a block address containing the digital identity record associated with the user that may contain the permission rules or user role, and/or a block address for the smart contract containing the permissions rules. The application server 103 is instructed by the smart contract whether to retrieve the document from the system database 105 according to the user role, or other user identifier mapping the user or user role to the requested document. The application server 103 may retrieve the document file from the system database 105 upon determining from the smart contract permission data that the user or user role is associated with the document requested. (32) As mentioned, some embodiments may comprise a system database (or, a database) 105 hosted on one or more computing devices, wherein the system database 105 may store data records associated with various aspects of the application services offered to end users. Non-limiting examples of what may be stored in the system database 105 may include: user records that may comprise data fields describing users (e.g., user data), such as user credentials (e.g., username, passwords, biometrics, encryption certificates), block addresses for blocks on the system blockchain, user account data, user roles or user permissions; document records that may comprise machine-readable computer files (e.g., word processing files), parsed portions of such computer files, or metadata associated with computer files; and application data that may include software instructions executed by an application server 103 or data used by the such applications executed by the application server 103. The system database 105 may be hosted on any number computing devices comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and capable of performing the various tasks described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, the system database 105 may be accessed by a webserver 101 and/or an application server 103 via one or more networks. But one having skill in the art would appreciate that the system database 105 may be hosted on the same physical computing device functioning as a webserver 101 and/or functioning as an application server 103. (33) In some embodiments, the system 100 may store a digital identity record for a user or an entity within the system blockchain. To do so, the system 100 may allow an admin user to generate digital identity templates of different types based on the entity. The template may include mandatory data fields and supplemental data fields. The system 100 may store the templates within the system blockchain and/or in the databases 105. When the system 100 receives a request to generate a digital identity record for an entity, the system 100 may retrieve a digital identity template, either from the system blockchain or from the databases 105, based on the type of the entity. The system 100 may generate a digital identity record based upon the respective digital identity template. The system 100, through one or more network nodes 111, may prompt the entity to enter the information required for data fields in the generated digital identity record. Furthermore, one or more of the data fields of the digital identity record may have an independent status, and the system 100 or a trusted third party server may update the status of the digital identity record. The digital identity record may include one or more one directional hashes of one or more verifying documents, such as a scanned copy of passport verifying name and date of birth. Furthermore, the digital identity record may include one or more directional cryptographic hashes of biometric information of the user such as fingerprint data, retina scan data, and/or any other type of biometric information. (34) In some embodiments, document records stored on the system database 105 may comprise a data field containing document-identifying hash values generated by an application server 103 according to a hashing algorithm implemented by a system blockchain, when a new document record containing a machine-readable computer file (e.g., PDF, DOC, XSL), such as transaction documents, is generated or updated. The hash value may be generated using one or more data fields that describe the computer file, which may be uploaded by a user via a website portal or pulled from the document record within the system database 105. The hash value may be a unique identifier for the particular document record, and may be used by various computing devices of the system 100, such as the system database 105, to reference the computer file or metadata describing the computer file, which may be stored in the system database 105 and/or on blocks of the system blockchain that is hosted on network nodes 111. (35) A key storage database 107, sometimes referred in the art as a "high security module," "key appliance," "certificate authority," or the like, may be a computing device configured to manage and distribute encryption keys and cryptographic certificates to various computing devices in the system 100 according to predetermined roles and rules. In some implementations, encryption keys may be used for authentication of users when users log into a website hosted on a webserver 101. In some implementations, encryption keys may be used to encrypt the data blocks of the system blockchain. Additionally or alternatively, encryption keys may be used to confirm, or "sign," data transfers to confirm to a data transfer recipient that the data originated from a known party. Encryption keys may be also be used by users at an application level to apply a digital signature to a document or contract, which, in some cases, may trigger instructions from script code of a smart contract stored on the system blockchain. (36) The key storage database 107 may be hosted on any number computing devices comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and capable of performing the various tasks described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, the key storage database 107 may be accessed by a webserver 101 and/or an application server 103 via one or more networks, but the key storage database 107 may also be accessed by a user device 109 and network nodes 111 to retrieve or confirm encryption keys or encryption key signatures. Moreover, one having skill in the art would appreciate that the key storage database 107 may be hosted on the same physical computing device functioning as a webserver 101 and/or an application server 103. (37) Network nodes 111 may host one or more blocks of the system blockchain. A network node 111 may be any computing device comprising a processor and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium capable of performing the various tasks and processes described herein. Non-limiting examples of a network node may be a workstation computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, and server computer. Although the network nodes 111 are described as storing blocks of the blockchain in FIG. 1, other computing devices, such as an application server 103, may host blocks of the blockchain. Each network node 111 locally stores an instance of the system blockchain in the storage medium of the system blockchain, and further executes a software application that instructs the network node 111 on generating and querying blocks within the locally stored blockchain instance. (38) In operation, a network node 111 may generate new blocks on a locally stored instance of the system blockchain according to data received from an application server 103 or other network nodes 111. In some instances, the application server 103 may update a local instance of the blockchain stored on the application server 103, and then instructs one or more of the network nodes 111 to update each blockchain instance stored on such network nodes 111. Moreover, the application server 103 may query the blocks of the system blockchain according to a block address stored in the system database 105. When the application server 103 executes the query of the blocks on the system blockchain, the application server 103 may poll the network nodes 111 to determine the most recent data on the system blockchain. The application server 103 may be confident that the data at block is the desired data according to a voting mechanism encoded within the blockchain software executed by the network nodes 111. Each network node 111 may receive the query for the block and block address, and return a response to the application server 103 indicating whether the block address contains the desired data. In this way, the application server 103 may be certain that data in the blockchain is resistant to corruption, as each blockchain instance on each network node 111 would need to be corrupted in the same way so that each block address is corrupted in the same way. Furthermore, the system blockchain may also disallow the application server 103 from acting on obsolete data. For instance, a network node 111a may execute a smart contract that instructs the network node 111a to generate a second block that updates data records in a first block on the local blockchain instance. In other words, the data records in the first block may be obsolete being superseded by the data records in the second block. After the update, the network node 111a may then accordingly instruct one or more remaining network nodes 111b, 111c and the application server 103 to update the respective local blockchain instances on those nodes 111b, 111c and application server 103. However, the application server 103 may not have updated its local blockchain instance before the application server 103 receives a data query or instruction for the updated data records from the user device 109 or a smart contract. Prior to responding to the query, the application server 103 may use the voting mechanism to ascertain the latest valid blockchain. As the latest valid blockchain may contain the updated data record, such voting mechanism may protect against the application server 103 from acting on obsolete data and may keep the system blockchain resistant to data collisions. (39) A client device 109 may be any computing device allowing a user to interact with application server 103 via a webserver 101. The client device 109 may execute an Internet browser or local application that access the webserver 101 in order to issue requests or instructions to the application server 103 to access the system blockchain. The client device 109 may transmit credentials from user inputs to the webserver 101, from which the webserver 101 may authenticate the user and, in some implementations, determine a user role. One having skill in the art would appreciate that the client device 109 may comprise any number of input devices configured to receive any number of data inputs, including various types of data inputs allowing for authentication (e.g., username, passwords, certificates, biometrics). One having skill in the art would also appreciate that the client device 109 may be any computing device comprising a processor and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium allowing the client device 109 to perform the various tasks and processes described herein. (40) As an example of the client device 109 operation, the client device may execute an Internet browser that accesses a webserver 101 hosting a fund investment administration website that allows access for fund managers, administrators and investors and other third parties to a common platform for the end-to-end administration of fund investments, using the device a fund manager may initiate fund lifecycle events such as a payment request associated with a capital call from investors, and investors may use the platform to view lifecycle events such as the capital call and associated payment obligations due in relation to their investments. Using the client device 109, an investor-user may select an investment in which to invest. As the transaction proceeds, the client devices 109 of the investor-user or a promoter-user may be used to upload machine-readable computer files (e.g., PDF, DOC, XSL) containing transaction information. The computer files may be stored into document records in a document database 105, which may then be added to blocks of the system blockchain, where the blocks are accessible according to block addresses that are then stored into the document record for the particular computer file. The client device 109 may issue queries or instructions to the application server 103 via the webpages generated by the webserver 101, which then instruct the application server 103 to query the blocks on the network nodes 111, and, in some instances, perform various tasks, such as retrieving or updating a file from the system database 105. (41) FIG. 2 shows execution of an exemplary method 200 for generating new users, according to an exemplary embodiment. The exemplary method 200 comprises steps 201, 203, 205, 207, 209, and 211, but one having skill in the art would appreciate that other embodiments may comprise additional or alternative steps, or may omit some steps altogether. (42) In a first step 201, an administrator user (or an admin user) logs into a website hosted on a webserver to generate a new user (e.g., investor-user, promoter-user), and uses the webpages, which may be web-based graphical user interfaces (GUIs), to create the new user in the system. The administrator may assign access rights or roles (i.e., template of access rights) to the new user, which may be stored along with a user identifier and credentials into a user record in the system database. (43) In a next step 203, a web-application executed by the webserver or an application server executes an application programming interface (API) call to a blockchain service application executed by the application server, instructing the application server to create a new blockchain user. (44) In a next step 205, the service application executed by the application server instructs one or more network nodes hosting instances of the system blockchain, to register the new user in each node's blockchain instance. (45) In a next step 207, the user data may be stored onto the instance of the blockchain on each of the nodes according to instructions in the service application and/or a smart contract configured to instruct the application server and/or network nodes on registering a new user. In some embodiments, the application server may poll the blockchain instances to determine whether the user record data is the most recent data by comparing the hashed data of the new user data to the user data in one or more blocks, according to the block addresses stored in the system database. In some embodiments, the application server may instruct the network nodes to update the local blockchain instances in response to each respective node indicating that there are no collisions in the user data in the new block being registered. (46) The application server may execute functions coded onto a smart contract stored in a block of the system blockchain. One or more data fields of the user record may be hashed according to a predetermined hashing algorithm and then stored to the blockchain instance on the application server. In addition, the application server may generate a block address for the new user block that will be added to the user block on the system blockchain. The block address may be a hash of one or more data fields and one or more data fields of the preceding blocks. One having skill in the art will appreciate that any number of combinations of data may be used to hash the data in the user block, and that any number of fields from the user block and the preceding block may be hashed to generate the block address. The block address may then be stored into the user record within the system database. Moreover, the user rights or role may be included in the user block, indicating which computer files the user may access from the system database. (47) In a next step 209, each node may generate and return a confirmation of registration to the application server. In some embodiments, rather than the application server generating and storing the block address, network nodes may return the identifier (e.g., enrollment identifier, block address) to the application server, and then stored into the user record within the system database. (48) In an optional step 211, rather than generating the user record before registering the new user block, the application server may wait for confirmation of the new block creation to generate the block address for the user block. After generating the user block, the data and the block address may be stored into the system database. (49) FIG. 3 shows execution of an exemplary method 300 for uploading and updating document records, according to an exemplary embodiment. The exemplary method 300 comprises steps 301, 303, 305, 307, 309, and 311, but one having skill in the art would appreciate that other embodiments may comprise additional or alternative steps, or may omit some steps altogether. (50) In a first step 301, a user logs into website hosted by webserver to upload a machine-readable computer file; the webserver may then authenticate the user using any number of authentication methods, such as usernames, passwords, biometric inputs, and the like. (51) In a next step 303, after authenticating the user, the webserver or an application server may retrieve a user identifier or block address from a user record stored within the system database. (52) In a next step 305, the application server may retrieve a set of credentials or cryptographic keys from a key store appliance configured to store cryptographic keys associated with users and devices in the system. Communications between various devices of the system (e.g., client device, application server, network nodes) may be encrypted according to one or more cryptographic keys, and, in some implementations, one or more data packets may be digitally signed by a cryptographic key associated with the user, for the purposes of authenticating that the source of the data packet was the user's device. (53) In a next step 307, the application server logs the user into the blockchain software application platform using one or more cryptographic keys and/or user-supplied credentials, in preparation for user-initiated transactions, which correspond to executable functions performed by the various devices of the system. (54) In a next step 309, the application server receives from the client device, via the webserver, a new or updated machine-readable computer file, or document file. The application server may then store document file into a new or existing document record within the system database. The document record may comprise any number data fields containing document data, which may include metadata defining or describing the computer file. (55) In a next step 311, the application server may generate and store a document identifier based upon a hash value of one or more data fields of the document record; the application server then executes a document smart contract stored on the blockchain to generate and store a document block on the system blockchain. A user identifier stored in the user record and also stored in a permissions smart contract on the blockchain may be associated with the document block according to a user identifier value in the permissions smart contract or in a permissions table stored in the system database that the permissions smart contract may reference during execution. (56) When a user instructs the application server to query the document file, the user may issue a document request to the webserver. The application server may determine a block address or document identifier from a permissions smart contract or system database, according to a document reference table stored in the permissions smart contract or document records stored in the system database. After determining the block address on the system blockchain for the requested document file, the application server may determine from the permissions smart contract whether the user identifier is associated with the document identifier. Upon determining that the user identifier is associated with the document identifier in the permissions smart contract, the application server may then reference and retrieve the stored document file from the document record in the system database, according to the corresponding document identifier. The application server may then transmit the document file to the user's client device, via the web server. (57) FIG. 4 shows an exemplary method 400 for generating a digital identity record in the blockchain, according to an exemplary embodiment. Although one or more computing systems may implement the following steps of the method 400, this description details, for brevity, an applications server implementing the steps. Furthermore, one having ordinary skill in the art should understand that the following steps are merely exemplary, and one more steps can be added or substituted, or the method 400 may skip one or more steps altogether. (58) In a first step 401, the application server may receive a request to create a new digital identity record. In response to the request, the application server may generate a call to a service application, which may also be hosted by the application server or other application servers, to create a new digital identity record. The application server may create the call based on an administrative user's (also referred to as an admin user) request to create a new digital identity record. To generate such request, the administrative user may log into a web application hosted by the application server, and interact with one or more elements of a provided interface. For example, the application server may provide a graphical user interface with dialog boxes, buttons, or other selectable graphical interface tools for the administrative user to interact with and generate the request. Alternatively, application server may provide a command line interface such that the administrative user may type a script, which when executed generates the request. (59) The permissions for the administrative user may be stored within the blockchain. In operation, when the administrative user logs into the web application hosted by the application server, the application server may retrieve the permissions block associated with the administrative user from the blockchain. The permission block may contain a smart contract and the application server may execute the smart contract such that the administrative user is provided access to the interface generated by the application server to generate the request to create the new digital identity record. In some implementations, the permission controls for the admin user may be stored in a digital identity record for the admin user. (60) In some implementations, the administrative user, in the request to generate the new digital identity record, may indicate the type of entity for which the digital identity record is required. The application server may either a local database or a block in the block. In these implementations, the application server may include the type of the entity in the call to the service application such that the service application may select a digital identity template based on the type of entity. In other implementations, the administrative user may include an identification of the template in the call. The service application may select the digital identity template from a repository of digital identity templates stored either in the blockchain or stored within a non-blockchain repository. The repository of digital identity templates may have been generated by an admin user or by one or more network nodes based on executing one or more smart contracts. (61) One having ordinary skill in the art should understand that the service application may be implemented by the application server to interface with a blockchain and the smart contracts stored thereon. In some instances, the service application may be implemented by a different server than the application server. There may be a plurality of calls between other modules within the application server and other servers to achieve the functionality of these steps. Although the service application may be different from the application server in some instances, the functionality of the service application may be attributed to the application server in other instances. The details below, therefore, for brevity describe the application server implementing the various steps; even though a separate service application may be performing a portion of these steps. (62) Furthermore, one having ordinary skill in the art also should understand that an admin user generating the request is merely exemplary, and other intelligent, automated processes should be considered within the scope of the invention. For example, a network node may execute a smart contract upon which the smart contract generates the request for generating a new digital identity record. (63) In a next step 403, the application server may receive information for data fields in the new digital identity record. The new digital identity record may have a plurality of data fields as containers to various pieces of information for the new digital identity record. Non-limiting examples of the data fields include name, company name, permission controls, relationships with other entities, and reference documents. Some of the data fields may be mandatory and the application server may have to receive the information for these data fields to generate the new digital identity record in the first place. Some of the data fields may be supplemental and the application server may generate the new digital identity record without information for these data fields. As mentioned above, the digital identity record may be based upon a template, and the template file may indicate to the application server as to which data fields are mandatory and which data fields are supplemental. (64) In some implementations, to receive the information for the data fields, the application server may render an interface for the administrative user to enter the information. In other implementations, the application server may render an interface for the entity associated with the new digital identity record to enter the information from the data fields. In addition or in the alternative, the application server may transmit one or more messages to a client device of the entity to receive the information for the data fields. In some implementations, the application server may retrieve identity information from a trusted third party system. For example, if the network node receives a passport number, the application server may query a trusted third party database to retrieve, for example, date of birth and place of birth. In some instances, the application server may transmit a message with the passport number to a trusted third party; and receive a response with information associated with the passport number. After the application server receives the information for the data fields, the application server may execute a next step 405. (65) In the next step 405, the application server may assign a status to one or more data fields. For example, if the entity associated with digital identity record is a natural person; one or more data fields may remain unverified until further information is received by the application server. For instance, the application server may require a scan of the person's passport before the application server indicates that the name of the person is verified. The statuses for the data fields may be independent from each other. For example, the application server may assign a verified status to a first data field and assign a non-verified status to a second data field. (66) In a next step 407, the application server may receive documents and biometric information. One having ordinary skill in the art understands that if the entity associated with the digital identity record is not a natural person, the application server may not receive the biometric information. For an entity that is a natural person, the documents may be verification documents such as a scan of a passport to verify vital information such as name and date of birth. For an entity that is a company or a corporation, the documents may be incorporation, legal, and/or tax documents. Regardless of whether the entity is a natural person or a company, the documents may verify one or more data fields in the requested new digital identity block. In some implementations, the application server may receive from an oracle one or more pieces of information associated with the documents. The one or more pieces of information may include, for example, date, time, and location of the upload or transmission of the documents. In some implementations, the location may in the form of GPS coordinates received from a mobile device. (67) For a natural person, the application server may receive biometric information. The biometric information may be a computer file generated by a biometric sensor. Non-limiting of examples of biometric sensors include a fingerprint sensor and retina scanners. In some implementations, the application server may receive a raw data file from a respective sensor. In other implementations, the application server may receive a processed data file from the respective sensor. In some implementations, the application server may receive from an oracle one or more pieces of information associated with the biometric information. The one or more pieces of information may include, for example, date, time, and location of the capture of the biometric information. In some implementations, the location may in the form of GPS coordinates received from a mobile device capturing the biometric information. (68) In a next step 409, the application server may generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the documents and the biometric information. Furthermore, the applications server may store the documents and the biometric information in respective non-blockchain repositories. For example, the application server may maintain a document repository for the documents and a biometric repository for the biometric information. (69) In a next step 411, the application server may generate a new digital identity record block based on one or more smart contracts and one or more encryption algorithms. A smart contract may define the data structure of the new digital identity record. In an aforementioned embodiment of digital identity record templates, the smart contract may contain the structure of the template required for the new digital identity record. Furthermore, the smart contract may also define the permissions control associated with the new digital identity record. (70) The permission controls within the new digital identity record may define the role of an entity associated with the digital identity record. For example the permission controls may include a permissions table or matrix delimiting the access rights and operational rights of the entity associated with the new digital identity record. The access rights may define the level of access allowed to the entity to one or more pieces of information stored within the blockchain. The operational rights may define the entity's rights to initiate blockchain based actions and transactions. In some implementations, the permission controls may be a reference to one or more smart contracts stored elsewhere in the blockchain that define the entity's access and operational rights. The permission controls may be based upon the individual entity, business relationships, entity type, and/or one or more pieces of received information in the digital identity record. (71) The application server may store the one directional cryptographic hash of the reference documents and the one directional cryptographic hash of the biometric information in the new digital identity record block. These one directional cryptographic hashes may allow the application server or any other computing system to verify the integrity of the document and the biometric information stored in a local repository. In other words, even though these elements may be stored locally, the cryptographic hashes stored in the blockchain are immutable and consequently allow for the immutability of the reference documents and biometric information stored in the local repositories. (72) The application server may use one or more encryption keys to encrypt one or more data fields in the new digital identity record block. In some implementations, the application server may use different encryption keys for different data fields in the new digital identity record block. In other implementations, the application server may use the same encryption key for all the data fields in the new digital identity block. The use of the encryption keys in the digital identity blocks may be governed by one or more smart contracts. (73) In a next step 413, the application server may deploy the new digital identity record block in the latest valid blockchain. In addition to the digital identity record, the application server may include other information such as updated digital payment tokens associated with other users, one or more smart contracts, and/or one or more documents in the new digital identity block. In some implementations, to deploy the new digital identity block to the blockchain, the application server may poll the network nodes and determine the latest valid blockchain. The application server may use a predetermined threshold for determining the latest valid blockchain. For example, the application server may query the network nodes for the latest blockchain. If the application server receives the same blockchain from 51% of the network nodes, the application server may determine that the received blockchain is the latest valid blockchain. One ordinarily skilled in the art appreciates that the predetermined threshold is set upon the level of integrity required for the data and instructions stored in the blockchain. The application server may use a higher predetermined threshold for data requiring a higher level of security and integrity, for example, electronic money transfers. After the application server determines the latest valid blockchain, the application server may append the new digital identity block to the latest valid blockchain. To do so, the application server may use the cryptographic hash (or simply hash) of contents of the last block of the latest valid blockchain to generate the address of the new digital identity block. In addition, the application server may use the cryptographic hash of the contents of the new digital identity block to generate the address of the new digital identity block. In some implementations, the application server may use the cryptographic hash of the contents of the last block, the cryptographic hash of the contents of the new digital identity block, and a nonce value to generate the address of the new digital identity block. The application server may store the address of the digital identity block in the database. Furthermore, the application server may store an indication in the database that the new digital identity block is an updated version of a previous digital identity block. In other words, the application server may store an indication in the database that the new digital identity block supersedes the previous digital identity block. Furthermore, the application server may encrypt the data in the new digital identity block by using an algorithm such as a hashing algorithm. The application may generate a hash value of the contents of the new digital identity block and store the hash value in the new digital identity block. For instance, the application server may hash portions of the new digital identity block separately to create intermediate hash values and generate a final hash value based on the intermediate hash values and store the final hash value in the new digital identity block. Alternatively, the application server may hash the entire content of the new digital identity block to generate the final hash value and store the hash value in the new digital identity block. (74) One having ordinary skill in the art understands the application server and/or an associated network node may be executing one or more smart contracts to implement one or more steps of the method 400. That is, the entire method 400 may be automatic with minimal human intervention. Furthermore, the new digital identity record may be within a smart contract or associated with a smart contract. In other words, the digital identity record may be the information part of a smart contract. (75) Although the aforementioned method 400 describes generating a new digital identity record, one having ordinary skill in the art understands the one or more steps of the method 400 may be used for updating a digital identity record based on new information. As an example, if a previous digital identity record includes a data field with an unverified status and the application server receives a reference document pertaining to the data field; the application server may execute one or more steps of the method 400 and change the status of the data field from unverified to verified. In some embodiments, the application server may update a status of a data field based on a user initiated or third party system initiated digital signature using a private cryptographic key. The application server may use the user's or the third party system's public key to decrypt and authenticate the digital signature. After authenticating the digital signature, the application server update the status based on a message associated with the digital signature. (76) It should be clear by now to one having ordinary skill in the art that the aforementioned embodiments describe a framework for digital identity and permission controls framework within a distributed network nodes environment. The systems and methods described herein provide interfaces and intelligently perform the back-end processing through blockchain events and API calls to generate, maintain, update immutable and secure digital identity records and associated permission controls. Therefore, the systems and methods are a significant improvement over the conventional computing systems, which do not provide these features. In other words, the embodiments disclosed herein solve provide technical solutions to the several technical problems in conventional blockchain technology. (77) The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention. (78) Embodiments implemented in computer software may be implemented in software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. A code segment or machine-executable instructions may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc. (79) The actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement these systems and methods is not limiting of the invention. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and methods were described without reference to the specific software code being understood that software and control hardware can be designed to implement the systems and methods based on the description herein. (80) When implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. The steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor-executable software module which may reside on a computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. A non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable media includes both computer storage media and tangible storage media that facilitate transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory processor-readable storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such non-transitory processor-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible storage medium that may be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer or processor. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a non-transitory processor-readable medium and/or computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product. (81) The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein. (82) While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed, other aspects and embodiments are contemplated. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims. ### Claims 1. A computer-implemented method for generating an encrypted digital identity record in a blockchain, the method comprising: receiving, by a network node of a plurality of network nodes hosting a blockchain, a request to generate a digital identity record within the blockchain for an entity, wherein the request contains an entity type of the entity; retrieving, by the network node, a digital identity record template associated with the entity type from a blockchain, wherein the digital identity record template comprises multiple data fields including mandatory and supplemental data fields; receiving, by the network node, information for at least the mandatory data fields and a reference document from a client device associated with the entity; generating, by the network node, a digital identity record for the entity by associating the received information to one or more data fields in the digital identity record template; assigning, by the network node, a status identifier to the one or more data fields based on the corresponding associated information; associating, by the network node, a first data field of the one or more data fields with the reference document; generating, by the network node, a one directional cryptographic hash of the reference document; storing, by the network node, the reference document in a non-blockchain document repository; storing, by the network node, the one directional cryptographic hash of the reference document in the digital identity record in association with the first data field; setting, by the network node, permission controls for the digital identity record based on the entity type and the received information; encrypting, by the network node, the digital identity record using one or more encryption keys retrieved from a non-blockchain key database; generating, by the network node, a digital identity record block containing the encrypted digital identity record; and appending, by the network node, the digital identity record block to the blockchain. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the network node via a biometric web application, biometric information associated with the entity; storing, by the network node, the received biometric information to a non-blockchain biometric repository; generating, by the network node, a one directional cryptographic hash of the received biometric information; and storing, by the network node, the one directional cryptographic hash of the received biometric information in the digital identity record. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple data fields comprise at least one of: entity name, registered address, jurisdiction, identity document hash, identity biometric hash, permission controls, relationship, and hierarchy. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the status identifier comprises at least one of verified and unverified. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: updating, by the network node, the status identifier from unverified to verified. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein encrypting the digital identity record comprises: encrypting, by the network node, a first set of data fields using a first encryption key; and encrypting, by the network node, a second set of data fields using a second encryption key. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: associating, by the network node, a globally unique random digital identity reference with the entity; and storing, by the network node, the globally unique random digital identity reference in the digital identity record. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: associating, by the network node, the digital identity record with a smart contract in the blockchain. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the permission controls delimit the entity's access to information within the blockchain and rights to initiate blockchain based events. 10. The method claim 1, further comprising: generating, by the network node, a second digital identity record hierarchically below the digital identity record. 11. A system for generating an encrypted digital identity record in a blockchain, the system comprising: a plurality of distributed network nodes hosting a blockchain, wherein each network node includes a non-transitory storage medium storing a respective local copy of the blockchain; at least one of the plurality of distributed network nodes having a processor configured to: receive a request to generate a digital identity record within the blockchain for an entity, wherein the request contains an entity type of the entity; retrieve a digital identity record template associated with the entity type from the blockchain, wherein the digital identity record template comprises multiple data fields including mandatory and supplemental data fields; receive information for at least the mandatory data fields and a reference document from a client device associated with the entity; generate a digital identity record for the entity by associating the received information to one or more data fields in the digital identity record template; assign a status identifier to the one or more data fields based on the corresponding associated information; associate a first data field of the one or more data fields with the reference document; generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the reference document; store the reference document in a non-blockchain document repository; store the one directional cryptographic hash of the reference document in the digital identity record in association with the first data field; set permission controls for the digital identity record based on the entity type and the received information; encrypt the digital identity record using one or more encryption keys retrieved from a non-blockchain key database; generate a digital identity record block containing the encrypted digital identity record; and append the digital identity record block to the blockchain. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive, via a biometric web application, biometric information associated with the entity; store the received biometric information to a non-blockchain biometric repository; generate a one directional cryptographic hash of the received biometric information; and store the one directional cryptographic hash of the received biometric information to the digital identity record. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the multiple data fields comprise at least one of: entity name, registered address, jurisdiction, identity document hash, identity biometric hash, permission controls, relationship, and hierarchy. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the status identifier comprises at least one of verified or unverified. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to: update the status identifier from unverified to verified. 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to encrypt the digital identity record by: encrypt a first set of data fields using a first encryption key; and encrypt a second set of data fields using a second encryption key. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: associate a globally unique random digital identity reference with the entity; and store the globally unique random digital identity reference in the digital identity record. 18. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: associate the digital identity record with a smart contract in the blockchain. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the permission controls delimit the entity's access to information within the blockchain and rights to initiate blockchain based events. 20. The system claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate a second digital identity record hierarchically below the digital identity record.	9992022	US 9992022 B1	2018-06-05	62,235,498	Systems and methods for digital identity management and permission controls within distributed network nodes	H04L9/3236;H04L9/3226;G06F21/64;G06F21/32;H04L9/3231;H04L63/0861;G06F21/604;H04L63/102;H04L63/0428	H04L9/50;H04L9/14	Chapman; Justin et al.	Northern Trust Corporation	15/845662	2017-12-18	Shaw; Brian F		1/1	NORTHERN TRUST CORPORATION	27.114178	USPAT	19,053
United States Patent 9998286 Kind Code B1 Date of Patent June 12, 2018 Inventor(s) Ramathal; Noel Vivek et al. ## Hardware blockchain consensus operating procedure enforcement ### Abstract A system may provide hardware acceleration for blockchain-based record entry. Client circuitry may provide record entry information to node circuitry. The node circuitry may compile the record entry information into a record entry for submission to blockchain management circuitry (BMC). The BMC may access a consensus operating procedure. The BMC may apply the consensus operating procedure to the record entry to gain append permissions for a blockchain. After completing the consensus operating procedure, the BMC may append a block generated based on the record entry to the blockchain. Accordingly, the system may ensure that blocks added to the blockchain were generated in compliance with the consensus operating procedure. Inventors: Ramathal; Noel Vivek (Chicago, IL), Greene; Kevin Bernard (Miami Beach, FL) Applicant: Accenture Global Solutions Limited (Dublin, IE) Family ID: 62455147 Assignee: Accenture Global Solutions Limited (Dublin, IE) Appl. No.: 15/595537 Filed: May 15, 2017 ### Related U.S. Application Data us-provisional-application US 62460355 20170217 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: H04L29/06 (20060101); H04L9/32 (20060101); G06F19/00 (20180101); G06Q50/24 (20120101); G06F21/33 (20130101) U.S. Cl.: CPC H04L9/3268 (20130101); G06F19/322 (20130101); G06Q50/24 (20130101); H04L9/3236 (20130101); H04L9/3255 (20130101); H04L9/3265 (20130101); H04L63/0823 (20130101); H04L63/205 (20130101); G06F21/33 (20130101); H04L63/102 (20130101) ### Field of Classification Search CPC: H04L (9/3268) USPC: 713/156 ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 5586313 12/1995 Schnittker et al. 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D., 'Implementing the Central Bank Functionality of RSCoin, a Centrally Banked Cryptocurrency', MSC Thesis, University College London, Aug. 26, 2016, Viewed on the Internet on Nov. 14, 2017, retrieved on Nov. 14 from the Internet . cited by applicant European Patent Office, Extended European Search Report from European Patent Application No. 17177509.1 dated Feb. 7, 2018 pp. 1-6. cited by applicant Australian Patent Office, Examination Report No. 2 from Australian Patent Application No. 2017204199 dated Mar. 8, 2018, pp. 1-4. cited by applicant Final Office Action to counter-part U.S. Appl. No. 15/595,597, dated Feb. 1, 2018, (34p). cited by applicant Primary Examiner: Harriman; Dant Shaifer Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brinks Gilson & Lione ### Background/Summary PRIORITY CLAIM (1) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/460,355, filed 17 Feb. 2017, and titled Hardware Blockchain Health Processing Acceleration. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS (2) This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/595,597, filed herewith on 15 May 2017, titled Hardware Blockchain Corrective Operating Procedure Enforcement, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD (1) This disclosure relates to computer hardware acceleration of blockchain-based multi-party processes. BACKGROUND (2) Rapid advances in electronics and communication technologies, driven by immense customer demand, have resulted in newly emerging complex network transaction chains. Improvements in the hardware and software implementations of the underlying processing for the transaction chains will increase the security, reliability, and speed of the implementations. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) FIG. 1 shows an example accelerated record entry hardware system. (2) FIG. 2 shows example consensus logic. (3) FIG. 3 shows an example client execution environment. (4) FIG. 4 shows an example node execution environment. (5) FIG. 5 shows an example accelerated blockchain execution environment. (6) FIG. 6 shows an example usage scenario for the example accelerated record entry hardware system of FIG. 1. (7) FIG. 7 shows an example usage scenario for the example accelerated record entry hardware system of FIG. 1. (8) FIG. 8 shows an example usage scenario for the example accelerated record entry hardware system of FIG. 1. (9) FIG. 9 shows an example usage scenario for the example accelerated record entry hardware system of FIG. 1. (10) FIG. 10 shows an example usage scenario for the example accelerated record entry hardware system of FIG. 1. (11) FIG. 11 shows an example usage scenario for the example accelerated record entry hardware system of FIG. 1. (12) FIG. 12 shows an example usage scenario for the example accelerated record entry hardware system of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (13) When multiple nodes coordinate to place entries in a record, the parties represented by the multiple nodes may be dependent on other nodes following the consensus operating procedure or terms when creating entries in the record. For example, a consensus operating procedure may include a procedure enforced through a blockchain consensus mechanism. Situations in which a node posts an entry to the record without first following the consensus operating procedure may necessitate corrections that ripple through multiple ledger entries and consume hardware processing resources. The techniques and architectures described below help ensure that nodes execute the consensus operating procedure before creating a ledger entry, thereby improving the operation of the underlying hardware, e.g., by reducing the overall processing load, eliminating errors, and reducing overall resource expenditure for achieving correct records. Further, the techniques and architectures will increase the overall real-time accuracy of the entries produced as a result of the hardware processing. Accordingly, the techniques and architectures provide technical solutions resulting in technical improvements to existing options data transaction systems. (14) In an example real-world processing scenario, multiple nodes operated on behalf of multiple parties in a health claim system may make entries to a health accum ledger. A health accum may include one or more tracked values that accumulate over time, such as deductible contributions or out-of-pocket contributions. The multiple parties may agree in advance to a consensus operating procedure for posting an entry to the ledger. For example, as discussed in detail below, the consensus process may include: a) performing memory access operations at one more memory locations within a blockchain, e.g., a blockchain storing recorded data, to obtain a previous accum value; b) applying one or more processor-level operations, such as "add" or "mult" operations or other processor-level operations, on the accum value to update the previous accum value to a current accum value; and c) performing additional processor-level add or mult processing operations on other accum values in the blockchain to reconcile other entries with the current accum value. Ensuring that each of the nodes placing entries in the health accum follows the consensus operating procedure reduces the overall processing resources consumed by increasing the probability of compliance by the different nodes. In other contexts, the system may be used to track usage, contributions, or other accumulated values. For example, the system may be used to track data plan usage in cellular phone contract contexts, or other accumulated values. For example, accumulated values may include values that are tracked by the system over time and tally the value of one or more related operations or transactions. (15) In some implementations, compliance with the consensus operating procedure among the nodes may be enforced through a blockchain consensus mechanism. The consensus operation procedure may be codified by the system into the terms of a smart contract. For example, the parties may determine the consensus operating procedure ahead of performing governed transactions and then codify the consensus operating procedure into a smart contract. Enforcing a consensus operating procedure may ensure consistency and accuracy among record entries, which may increase the reliability of the system. (16) When a node follows the consensus operating procedure during posting of an entry, e.g., by complying with the terms of the smart contract, the system may provide a validity indicator for the entry created. The validity indicator may be stored or otherwise associated with the blockchain such that parties later reviewing the blockchain may confirm that the node followed the consensus operating procedure while posting the entry. Additionally or alternatively, the system may withhold the validity indicator (or provide an invalidity indicator) when a node deviates from the consensus operating procedure when posting an entry. Validity indicators may include proof of work, hashes, security tokens, security certificates, or other indicators of compliance. (17) Additionally or alternatively, the system may enforce smart contract terms through verification of procedure adherence. For example, a smart contract may define a consensus operation procedure. After a block is added to the blockchain under the direction of a node, the added block may be reviewed for compliance to determine if the block is valid. If the system added the block without properly following the defined consensus procedure, the block may be ignored. In some cases, the block may not necessarily include an indicator of validity or invalidity, rather validity (invalidity) may be inferred by the system by reviewing the contents of the block to determine if the system followed the consensus operating procedure. (18) Additionally or alternatively, the techniques and architectures described herein may be used to increase the security of the underlying hardware processing system. For example, security may be increased by integrating security rules into the consensus operating procedure. In an example, scenario a health accum processing node may be barred by the security rules from viewing portions of the blockchain. If the health accum processing node accesses (or attempts to accesses) a portion of the blockchain without authorization, the node may deviate from the consensus operating procedure. Accordingly, a future entry made by node may be invalidated responsive to the deviation from the consensus operating procedure. In various implementations, the invalidations may apply to the next entry made by the node, all future entries, entries for a predetermined duration after the deviation, entries related contextually to the unauthorized access, or other set of entries. (19) FIG. 1 shows an example accelerated record entry hardware system 100 ("system 100"). The system 100 may include client circuitry 110, node circuitry 120, and blockchain management circuitry (BMC) 160. The client circuitry 110, node circuitry 120, and BMC 160 may be implemented in various configurations including distributed deployments and/or logically-separated deployments on physically-unified systems. In some implementations, the hardware configuration of any combination of the client circuitry 110, node circuitry 120, BMC 160 or any portions thereof may be specified via a deployment manifest. The deployment manifest may be used to requisition hardware computing resources to serve as a platform for the designated configuration in the manifest. (20) The client circuitry 110 may execute a record entry client application 112. The record entry client application 112 may capture record entry information 114 from data input sources for example, scanned records, man-machine interface devices, connected devices (e.g., internet of things (IoT) medical devices or other IoT devices), or other input sources. The client circuitry 110 may package the record entry information 114 for provision to the node circuitry 120. For example, the client circuitry 110 may send the record entry information 114 to the node circuitry 120 as a packet with fields designated for the various record entry information types (e.g., transaction IDs, claim amounts, service dates, submission dates, or other entry information types). In some cases, the client circuitry may format the record entry information 114 for delivery via an electronic form, such as a web form, provided by the node circuitry 120. The record entry information 114 may be formatted for the forms automatically, e.g., after capture from a document scan, manually, or any combination thereof. (21) The client circuitry 110 may be coupled to a display 116. The display 116 may display interfaces for input of record entry information. Additionally or alternatively, the client application may generate presentations of previous record entry information obtained from the blockchain. For example, the client application 112 may generate the presentations from data stored on previous block of the blockchain. The node circuitry 120 may provide the data from the blockchain after receiving the data from the BMC 160. (22) The node circuitry 120 may receive the record entry information through a node application 122. For example, the node application 122 may host an electronic form to facilitate reception of the record entry information, parse a received packet containing the record entry information, or perform other information reception tasks. The node application 122 may process the record entry information and generate a record entry 124 for the blockchain 199. For example, in the health claim processing scenario, the record entry may comprise a claim for entry into a ledger system stored on the blockchain 199. (23) In some implementations, the system 100 may implement multiple instances of node circuitry 120. The system 100 may group node circuitry 120 usage according to one or more criteria. For example, the system 100 may group node circuitry 120 usage according to enterprise or claim-type association. For example, medical claim providing parties may operate on node circuitry 120 separate from parties providing pharmaceutical claims, dental claims, vision claims, mental health claims, or other healthcare types. Additionally or alternatively, the system 100 may group parties subject to different consensus operating procedures on different node circuitry. In some cases, usage may be dynamically assigned by the system 100. For example, node circuitry usage may depend on the content of the record entry information 114. For example, a party may connect to first node circuitry when submitting a claim of a first type. However, that same party might connect to second, different node circuitry when submitting another claim of a second type different from the first. Additionally or alternatively, dynamic node circuitry 120 usage allotments may be assigned based on processing and load-balancing concerns. (24) The node application 122 may be in data communication with a blockchain application programming interface (API) 162 running on the BMC 160. The blockchain API 162 may provide access to blockchain storage options for the record entry. (25) The blockchain API 162 may access a certificate authority logic 166 running on the BMC 160. The certificate authority logic 166 may issue certificates 168 used to manage access to various portions of the blockchain 199. The individual certificates may assigned according to node. Additionally or alternatively, if multiple parties use a common node, certificates may be assigned according to party affiliation. Thus, the system 100 may use the certificates 168 to verify the nodes (and/or parties) do not access portions of the blockchain 199 for which they lack authorization. (26) While continuing to refer to FIG. 1, the discussion also makes reference to FIG. 2, which shows example processing logic that the consensus logic 170 may implement. The logical features of consensus logic 170 may be implemented in various orders and combinations. For example, in a first implementation, one or more features may be omitted or reordered with respect to a second implementation. The consensus logic 170 may be executed on the on the BMC 160. The blockchain API may receive the record entry and a certificate 168 (201). When the blockchain API 162 receives the record entry 124 and the certificate 168, the consensus logic 170 may verify that the record entry 124 applies to a portion of the blockchain 199 that the node circuitry 120 or party that sent the record entry 124 has access (202). The consensus logic 170 may determine the relevant consensus operating procedure response to the node, the party that initiated the record entry, the type of accumulated value affected by the transaction, the certificate 168, or a combination thereof (204). The consensus logic 170 may access the blockchain 199 (205). The consensus logic 170 may apply the consensus operating procedure to the record entry 124 (206). The consensus operating procedure may be codified in consensus operation procedure definitions 172 (e.g., smart contract terms), which may be managed by consensus logic 170. For example, the consensus operating procedure may include using the certificate to confirm that authorized portions of the blockchain 162 are accessed by the node circuitry through the blockchain API 162 while the blockchain API 162 is in data communication with the node circuitry 120 (208). (27) Additionally or alternatively, the consensus logic 170 may perform one or more processor-level operations to perform on data in the record entry 124 and blockchain 162 to generate updated data (210). For example, as discussed above, processor-level operations may include add operations, mult operations, or other processor-level operations. Based on the updated data, the consensus logic 170 may reconcile the updated data with previously posted data from the blockchain 199 (212). For example, the blockchain 199 may include earlier accumulated values that are affected by the new data provided. For example, the updated data may include a correction to a past accumulated value stored in the blockchain 199. The correction may affect transactions occurring after the correction that may have already been added to the blockchain 199 by the system 100. When the consensus logic 170 completes the consensus operating procedure, the consensus logic 170 may generate a block containing the updated data (214). (28) The consensus logic may generate a hash value for a preceding block and place the hash value in the block along with the updated data to form a link between the block on the blockchain (216). The hash value may create a blockchain link in the blockchain. In other words, the hash value may generate a verifiable record of the content of the preceding block. Accordingly, the preceding block may not be changed without creating evidence of tamper. In various implementations, the block may include multiple fields including a payload field and a hash field. The record entry may be placed in the payload field, while the generated hash value may be placed in the hash field. The hash value may be generated using a cryptographic hash function, a cyclic redundancy check, or other checksum function. (29) In various implementations, multiple record entries (e.g., covering multiple transactions) may be reflected in the payload of a single block. Allowing multiple record entries to be reflected in the payload of a single block may allow for compactness in blockchain storage because a smaller number of total blocks would be needed to cover multiple record entries compared with systems representing only a single record entry in a single block. (30) In some implementations, a single block may store a single record entry. Such storage constraints may allow for a clearer relationship between blocks and record entries. Accordingly, in a single block/single record entry implementation, reference to a particular block unambiguously refers to the corresponding record entry. Accordingly, referencing past record entries may be have data access efficiency gains by such a storage system. (31) In some cases where a record entry may be large or complex, e.g., by including detailed description notes or media attachments, the record entry may be stored across multiple blocks. (32) In some cases where validity indicators are used, the consensus logic 170 may generate a validity indicator and place the indicator in the block along with the updated data and hash value (218). (33) In some implementations, after a block has been generated and added to the blockchain, the BMC 160 may receive a correction for the record entry on which the updated data was based (220). For example, a correction may arise from a change to the underlying record entry information 114 (e.g., a change to identification information, amounts, dates, or other record entry information), a change to the applicable consensus operating procedure that results in a change to the record entry (e.g., an error may be discovered in the procedure, an accum value threshold may be adjusted, the incorrect consensus operating procedure may have been previously applied, or other correction), or both. Accordingly, the consensus logic 170 may operate to apply the correction to the previously formed block in the blockchain 199. (34) The consensus logic 170 may access the consensus operating procedure definitions 172 (222) or an identifier for the consensus operating procedure to call or execute. The consensus logic 170 may apply the consensus operating procedure to generate a corrected accumulated value from the previous accumulated value stored in the previously formed block (224). Based on the corrected accumulated value, the correction and the previously formed block, the consensus logic 170 may generate a corrective indicator that references the previously formed block and includes the corrected accumulated value, data from the correction, or both (226). (35) The consensus logic 170 may generate a corrective block that includes the corrective indicator and a hash value generated using the content of a block preceding the corrective block (228). In some cases, the preceding block may be the same block as the previously formed block. However, in other cases, intervening blocks may be present between the previously formed block and the corrective block. In some cases, inclusion of the corrected accumulated value in the corrected block. may allow determination of the state of the accumulated value without necessarily traversing other blocks of the blockchain 199. Adding the corrective block may not necessarily alter other previously formed blocks. Accordingly, the previous (uncorrected) record entry may be maintained in the previously formed block after addition of the corrective block to the blockchain. (36) In an example, the correction may include a correction to a date or time for the record entry. In some cases, the consensus logic 170 may determine the need for correction be determining whether particular block reflect record entries during an affected date or time range determined based on the date of the correction. In some cases, the correction may be implemented by cancelling the effect of a previous record entry on the corrected record entry within the date range. In some cases, when a correction to the date shifts the date, the affected date range may be determined based on the period between the data before correction and the date after correction. (37) In another example, discussed below with regard to FIG. 12, a threshold boundary (such as a minimum or maximum) may be changed with the applicable consensus operating procedure. In some cases, this may cause a transaction initially on one side of the boundary to be moved in whole or in part to the other side. For example, a claim above a deductible maximum may be shifted below the maximum if the maximum is increased through correction. Accordingly, the effect of the claim on a deductible accum may later be accounted for by correction if the claim is later found to occur before the deductible maximum was reached. Alternatively, a claim below the maximum may be shifted above if the maximum is decreased. Accordingly, the effect of the claim on a deductible accum may later be cancelled by correction if the claim is later found to occur after the deductible maximum was reached. (38) When blocks may be affected by a correction (e.g., the corresponding record entries are: associated with accumulated values within an affected range, associated with dates within an affected range, or both), the consensus logic 170 may mark affected blocks or data within blocks for review (230). For example, the consensus logic 170 mark blocks by adding a review indicator referencing an affected block to the corrective block. Additionally or alternatively, consensus logic 170 may add the review indicator to metadata for affected block, which may be stored outside of the blockchain 199. (39) In some implementations, the blockchain may support rewrite operations on previously formed blocks. For example, trusted entities may have authority to perform rewrites to the blockchain using a secret code, key secret, cryptographic cipher, or other secret. Accordingly, corrections to record entries reflected in blocks of the blockchain may be performed by rewriting the original blocks storing the original record entry rather than adding a new corrective block and referencing the original block. In various implementations, trusted entities may include node operators, a collection of node operators that may cooperate to together serve as a trusted entity, a secure terminal under the control of a trusted operator, or other entities. (40) In some implementations, to preserve a clear record of corrections, trusted entities may add data to previous blocks via blockchain rewrites without necessarily removing previous data. Further, in some cases, the original data may be stored in a core portion of the blocks of the blockchain that does not support rewrite (e.g., even by trusted parties), but corrections may be added to a tertiary portion of the blocks of the blockchain that does support rewrites. (41) In an example health claim processing context, the consensus logic 170 may specify a set of processor-level operations including manipulation to an accum value stored within a block of the blockchain 199. The accum value may correspond to a monitored healthcare accum value, such as a deductible or out-of-pocket maximum or other healthcare-related accumulated value. For example, a claim value in the record entry may be added to the accum, subtracted from the accum, or otherwise used to update the accum value. The consensus logic 170 may then reconcile the updated accum value to other previously made entries. (42) For example, if a medical node corrects a past claim amount, the deductible amount available for a future claim by the medical node or other node (e.g., a pharmaceutical node) may be changed. In this context, an overage may occur when the accum value exceeds a defined threshold, such as a set out-of-pocket maximum value. In some cases, changing a past claim may lead to an overage for a claim already entered into the blockchain 199. Additionally or alternatively, changing a past claim may clear an overage that had previously been logged for another entry. Further, in some cases changes may occur as a result the system 100 entering claims out of sequence. For example, a claim related to a later occurring transaction may be entered by the system 100 before an earlier occurring transaction. This may occur as a result of out of sequence client requests or latency in updating the blockchain following a claim request. (43) FIG. 3 shows an example client execution environment (CEE) 300. The example CEE 300 may serve as a hardware platform for the client circuitry 110. The CEE 300 may include system logic 314. The system logic may include processors 316, memory 320, and/or other circuitry. (44) The memory 320 along with the processors 316 may support execution of the client application 112. The memory 320 may further include applications and structures 366, for example, coded objects, templates, or other structures to support record information collection and submission. (45) The CEE 300 may also include communication interfaces 312, which may support wireless, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WLAN, cellular (4G, LTE/A), and/or wired, Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, optical networking protocols. The communication interfaces 312 may also include serial interfaces, such as universal serial bus (USB), serial ATA, IEEE 1394, lighting port, I.sup.2C, slimBus, or other serial interfaces. The CEE 300 may include power functions 334 and various input interfaces 328. The CEE may also include a user interface 318 that may include human-to-machine interface devices and/or graphical user interfaces (GUI). In various implementations, the system logic 314 may be distributed over multiple physical servers and/or be implemented as a virtual machine. (46) In some cases the CEE 300 may be a specifically-defined computational system deployed in a cloud platform. In some cases, the parameters defining the CEE 300 may be specified in a manifest for cloud deployment. The manifest may be used by an operator to requisition cloud based hardware resources, and then deploy the logical components, for example, client application 112, of the CEE 300 onto the hardware resources. In some cases, a manifest may be stored as a preference file such as a YAML (yet another mark-up language), JavaScript object notation (JSON), or other preference file type. (47) FIG. 4 shows an example node execution environment (NEE) 400. The example NEE 400 may serve as a hardware platform for the node circuitry 110. The NEE 400 may include system logic 414. The system logic 414 may include processors 416, memory 420, and/or other circuitry. (48) The memory 420 along with the processors 416 may support execution of the node application 122. The memory 420 may further include applications and structures 466, for example, coded objects, templates, or other structures to support reception of record entry information, compilation of record entries, generation of electronic forms, and interaction with the blockchain API 162. (49) The NEE 400 may also include communication interfaces 412, which may support wireless, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WLAN, cellular (4G, LTE/A), and/or wired, Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, optical networking protocols. The communication interfaces 412 may also include serial interfaces, such as universal serial bus (USB), serial ATA, IEEE 1394, lighting port, I.sup.2C, slimBus, or other serial interfaces. The NEE 400 may include power functions 434 and various input interfaces 428. The NEE 400 may also include a user interface 418 that may include human-to-machine interface devices and/or graphical user interfaces (GUI). In various implementations, the system logic 414 may be distributed over multiple physical servers and/or be implemented as a virtual machine. (50) In some cases the NEE 400 may be a specifically-defined computational system deployed in a cloud platform. In some cases, the parameters defining the NEE may be specified in a manifest for cloud deployment. The manifest may be used by an operator to requisition cloud based hardware resources, and then deploy the logical components, for example, the node application 122, of the NEE 400 onto the hardware resources. In some cases, a manifest may be stored as a preference file such as a YAML (yet another mark-up language), JSON, or other preference file type. (51) FIG. 5 shows an example accelerated blockchain execution environment (ACEE) 500. The example ACEE 500 may serve as a hardware platform for the BMC 160. However, in some implementations, the ACEE 500 may be adapted to support integration with the client circuitry 110, node circuitry 120, or both. The ACEE 500 may include system logic 514. The system logic 514 may include processors 516, memory 520, and/or other circuitry. (52) The memory 520 may be include the blockchain 199, certificates 168, and consensus operation procedure definitions (COPD) 172. The memory 520 may further include applications and structures 566, for example, coded objects, templates, or other structures to support blockchain transaction acceleration, operational procedure implementation, certificate authority management, or other blockchain transactions. The memory 520 and processors 516 may support execution of the blockchain API 162, consensus logic 170, and certificate authority logic 166. (53) The ACEE 500 may also include communication interfaces 512, which may support wireless, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WLAN, cellular (4G, LTE/A), and/or wired, Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, optical networking protocols. The communication interfaces 512 may also include serial interfaces, such as universal serial bus (USB), serial ATA, IEEE 1394, lighting port, I.sup.2C, slimBus, or other serial interfaces. The ACEE 500 may include power functions 534 and various input interfaces 528. The ACEE may also include a user interface 518 that may include human-to-machine interface devices and/or graphical user interfaces (GUI). In various implementations, the system logic 514 may be distributed over multiple physical servers and/or be implemented as a virtual machine. (54) In some cases the ACEE 500 may be a specifically-defined computational system deployed in a cloud platform. In some cases, the parameters defining the ACEE may be specified in a manifest for cloud deployment. The manifest may be used by an operator to requisition cloud based hardware resources, and then deploy the logical components, for example, consensus logic 170, of the ACEE onto the hardware resources. In some cases, a manifest may be stored as a preference file such as a YAML (yet another mark-up language), .JSON, or other preference file type. (55) In some implementations, the accelerated record entry hardware 100 may manage claims in a healthcare context. The record entry 124 and record entry information 114 may include multiple fields designating values associated with particular claims. Table 1 below shows an example record entry fields that may be included in an example record entry 124 and/or conveyed by the record entry information 112. (56) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Example Record Entry Fields Field Definition Data Type Number Timestamp Date/Time of transaction posted Timestamp 1 to ledger Transaction ID Unique identifier for ledger Numeric 2 transaction Claim ID Unique identifier allowing tie- Numeric 3 back to claims system that processed this transaction prior to posting to ledger Subscriber ID Identifies subscriber to Health Numeric 4 Policy Member ID Identifies individual who Numeric 5 (Foreign Key to received care Member Demographics) Policy ID Identifies the Benefit Plan Policy Numeric 6 associated for this transaction Accumulator Accumulators are allocated to String 7 Type Members of Health Policy to track liability. One member may have multiple Accumulator types. Accumulation Date that Accumulator begins Timestamp 8 Start Date tracking transactions Accumulation Date that Accumulator ends Timestamp 9 End Date tracking transactions Participant Source organization/party that String 10 posted transaction Unit of Measure Metric for Accumulator String 11 transactions and balances Transaction Amount recorded for a Numeric 12 Amount transaction Sex Identifies male or female String 13 Date of Birth Identifies birthdate of member Date 14 Last Name Identifies last name of member String 15 First Name Identifies first name of member String 16 Relationship Identifies whether subscriber or String 17 dependent (e.g. child or spouse) Date of Service Identifies date of when member Date 18 received care Provider/Facility Name of service provider (e.g. String 19 Hospital/Physician/Pharmacy) where member received care Claim Amount $ amount submitted on claim for Numeric 20 service (57) The record entries 124 may include any or all of the above fields. For example, a record entry for an accum transaction may include fields 1-12, a member demographic record entry may include fields 4, 5 and 13-17, a record entry for a claim may include fields 5, 16, and 18-20. However, other combination of fields are possible. (58) In addition to defining fields for entries, a healthcare implementation may define accums for various values tracked by the system 100. These values may be monetary, but also may include other defined values, such as service visit tracking, dosage tracking, or other values. The system 100 may define a time window for tracking including, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, multiple-year periods, or other defined time frames. The accum may reset at the end of the timeframe, roll-over, or remain unchanged. The behavior of the accum may be defined using the consensus operating procedure. (59) Table 2 shows example accums for the healthcare transaction context. (60) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Example Accum Types Accumulator Types Used for Definition IIDED In-Network Individual Amount paid by Deductible patient/member until insurance coverage initiates. E.g. $500 Deductible means the patient must pay $500 before their insurance covers certain services IFDED In-Network Family Amount paid by full family Deductible until insurance coverage initiates. E.g. $500 Deductible means the patient must pay $500 before their insurance covers certain services OIDED Out-of-Network Individual Amount paid by Deductible patient/member until insurance coverage initiates. E.g. $500 Deductible means the patient must pay $500 before their insurance covers certain services OFDED Out-of-Network Family Amount paid by full family Deductible until insurance coverage initiates. E.g. $500 Deductible means the patient must pay $500 before their insurance covers certain services IIOOP In-Network Individual Amount member/patient has Out-of-Pocket paid towards services to date. E.g. If member paid $500 towards their deductible + were covered at 80% for a $100 service (i.e. insurance covered $80) then the total Out of Pocket balance would be $520 IFOOP In-Network Family Amount member/patient has Out-Of-Pocket paid towards services to date. E.g. If member paid $500 towards their deductible + were covered at 80% for a $100 service (i.e. insurance covered $80) then the total Out of Pocket balance would be $520 OIOOP Out-of-Network Individual Amount member/patient has Out-of-Pocket paid towards services to date. E.g. If member paid $500 towards their deductible + were covered at 80% for a $100 service (i.e. insurance covered $80) then the total Out of Pocket balance would be $520 OFOOP Out-of-Network Family Amount member/patient has Out-of-Pocket paid towards services to date. E.g. If member paid $500 towards their deductible + were covered at 80% for a $100 service (i.e. insurance covered $80) then the total Out of Pocket balance would be $520 COPAY Copayment Fixed amount a patient/member has agreed to pay for specific services. E.g. A general doctor Office Visit may have a $20 Copay. That means Member always pays that $20, rather than a % coverage (61) For the defined accums types, the system 100 may have defined operational procedures. The consensus operating procedures may be defined using computer code or scripting languages to reduce operational ambiguity. (62) Table 3 shows example pseudocode specifying a consensus operating procedure for updating an IIDED accum in response to a claim filing. (63) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Example IIDED Consensus operating procedure Pseudocode Action Pseudocode If <balance> < <Ded Limit> then: Update Accums - If <accum type> = IIDED DED and if <Transaction Amount> + <balance> <= <Ded Limit> then <balance> = (<balance> + <Transaction Amount>) Calculate Overage If <accum type> = IIDED Amount and if <Transaction Amount> + <balance> > <Ded Limit> Then <Overage Amount> = (<Transaction Amount> + <balance> − <Ded Limit>) and <balance> = <Ded Limit> Accums have Else, Limit has been reached no new accum been met updates (64) Table 4 shows example pseudocode specifying a consensus operating procedure for updating an IIOOP accum in response to a claim filing. (65) TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Example IIOOP Consensus operating procedure Pseudocode Action Pseudocode If <balance> < <OOP Limit> then: Update Accums - If <accum type> = IIOOP OOP and if <Transaction Amount> + <balance> <= <OOP Limit> then <balance> = (<balance> + <Transaction Amount>) Calculate Overage If <accum type> = IIOOP Amount and if <Transaction Amount> + <balance> > <OOP Limit> Then <Overage Amount> = (<Transaction Amount> + <balance> − <OOP Limit>) and <balance> = <OOP Limit> Accums have Else, Limit has been reached no new accum been met updates (66) Table 5 shows example pseudocode specifying a consensus operating procedure for updating an IFDED accum in response to a claim filing. (67) TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Example IFDED Consensus operating procedure Pseudocode Action Pseudocode If <Subscriber balance> < <Fam Ded Limit> then: Update Accums - If <accum type> = IFDED DED and if <Transaction Amount> + <subscriber balance> <= <Fam Ded Limit> then <subscriber balance> = (<subscriber balance> + <Transaction Amount>) Calculate Overage If <accum type> = IFDED Amount and if <Transaction Amount> + <subscriber balance> > <Fam Ded Limit> Then <Overage Amount> = (<Transaction Amount> + <Subscriber balance> − <Fam Ded Limit>) and <<subscriber balance> = <Fam Ded Limit> Accums have Else, Limit has been reached no new accum been met updates (68) Table 6 shows example pseudocode specifying a consensus operating procedure for updating an IFOOP accum in response to a claim filing. (69) TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 5 Example IFOOP Consensus operating procedure Pseudocode Action Pseudocode If <Subscriber balance> < <Fam DOOP Limit> then: Update Accums - If <accum type> = IFOOP OOP and if <Transaction Amount> + <subscriber balance> <= <Fam OOP Limit> then <subscriber balance> = (<subscriber balance> + <Transaction Amount>) Calculate Overage If <accum type> = IFOOP Amount and if <Transaction Amount> + <subscriber balance> > <Fam OOP Limit> Then <Overage Amount> = (<Transaction Amount> + <Subscriber balance> − <Fam OOP Limit>) and <<subscriber balance> = <Fam Ded Limit> Accums have Else, Limit has been reached no new accum been met updates (70) The above example consensus operational process definitions (Tables 3-6) show specific procedures that may be agreed upon by multiple parties using a blockchain. The precise definition of rules may facilitate the verifiability of compliance to the consensus operating procedures by parties reviewing the contents of blocks in the blockchain. When rules a specified such that outputs are deterministic once the inputs are set, the system 100 may verify that the posting of a block to the blockchain is compliant by applying the consensus operating procedure to the input and confirming that the output stored in the block matches the obtained value. Additionally or alternatively, validity indicators may be verified for authenticity. (71) In the example health claims context, the accums may be used to track and classify claims activity among multiple providers. In some cases, the claims may be processed and applied the accum in real-time or near real-time once the provider submits record entry information with the claims details. In some cases, access to real-time tracking for accums may increase the value of a health services to subscribers and members because they may use the continually updated information to better guide real-time health services decisions. (72) FIG. 6 shows an example of an execution-environment-implemented usage scenario 600 for the example accelerated record entry hardware system 100. For example, the usage scenario 600 and those below (700-1200) may be implemented on any or all of the CEE 300, NEE 400, or ACEE 500. In the usage scenario 600, a provider submits a medical claim 602). A medical node processes the claim 604). The medical node sends the claim to the BMC as a record entry (606). The BMC applies the consensus operating procedure 660 (608). In accord with the procedure, the Ded feed OOP rule causes the amount applied to the deductible to be fed to the out-of-pocket maximum (610). The BMC causes a display of the transaction on a user interface (612). The processor-level operations on the values are shown in the output sequence 650. (73) FIG. 7 shows an example execution-environment-implemented usage scenario 700 for the example accelerated record entry hardware system 100. In the usage scenario 700, a provider submits a pharmacy claim 702). A pharmacy node processes the claim 704). The pharmacy node sends the claim to the BMC as a record entry (706). The BMC applies the consensus operating procedure 760 (708). In accord with the procedure, the OOP is not applied to the deductible (710). The BMC causes a display of the transaction on a user interface (712). The processor-level operations on the values are shown in the output sequence 750. (74) FIG. 8 shows an example execution-environment-implemented usage scenario 800 for the example accelerated record entry hardware system 100. In the usage scenario 800, a provider submits a medical claim 802). A medical node processes the claim 804). The medical node sends the claim to the BMC as a record entry (806). The BMC applies the consensus operating procedure 860 (808). In accord with the procedure, the BMC reconciles the accum across the multiple nodes and identifies overages (810). The BMC causes a display of the transaction on a user interface (812). The processor-level operations on the values are shown in the output sequence 850. (75) FIG. 9 shows an example execution-environment-implemented usage scenario 900 for the example accelerated record entry hardware system 100. In the usage scenario 900, a provider submits a dental claim 902). A dental node processes the claim 904). The dental node sends the claim to the BMC as a record entry (906). The BMC applies the consensus operating procedure 960 (908). In accord with the procedure, the BMC prevents the dental node from accessing details regarding medical and pharmacy claims 910). The BMC causes a display of the transaction on a user interface (912). The processor-level operations on the values are shown in the output sequence 950. In accord with the access restrictions for the detail node, details from some claims are redacted from the output sequence. (76) FIG. 10 shows an example execution-environment-implemented usage scenario 1000 for the example accelerated record entry hardware system 100. In the usage scenario 1000, a provider submits a medical claim 1002). A medical node processes the claim 1004). The medical node sends the claim to the BMC as a record entry (1006). The BMC applies the consensus operating procedure 1060 (1008). The medical node later sends a correction to the claim by reference the claim ID (1010). The BMC marks affected transactions for adjustment (1012). The BMC causes a display of the transaction on a user interface (1014). The processor-level operations on the values are shown in the output sequence 1050. (77) FIG. 11 shows an example execution-environment-implemented usage scenario 1100 for the example accelerated record entry hardware system 100. In the usage scenario 1100, a provider submits a pharmacy claim 1102). A pharmacy node processes the claim 1104). The pharmacy node sends the claim to the BMC as a record entry (1106). The BMC applies the consensus operating procedure 1160 (1108). The pharmacy node later sends a correction to the pharmacy claim by reference the claim ID, "CL57" (1110). The reduction in response to the corrected claim, causes a previous medical claim to no longer cause an overage (1112). The BMC marks the affected claim for review (1114). The BMC causes a display of the transaction on a user interface (1116). The processor-level operations on the values are shown in the output sequence 1150. (78) FIG. 12 shows an example execution-environment-implemented usage scenario 1200 for the example accelerated record entry hardware system 100. In the usage scenario 1200, a provider submits a pharmacy claim 1202). A pharmacy node processes the claim 1204). The pharmacy node sends the claim to the BMC as a record entry (1206). The BMC applies the consensus operating procedure 1260 (1208). The BMC later receives an updated to the consensus operating procedure that adjusts a maximum amount for an out-of-pocket accum (1210). In this example case, the OOP maximum is changed from $200 to $150. The BMC marks affected transactions for adjustment (1212). The BMC causes a display of the transaction on a user interface (1214). The processor-level operations on the values are shown in the output sequence 1250. (79) In the various usage scenarios, the BMC may mark claims for review by adding flag bits with the claim ID to the blockchain. The flag bits may cause the node circuitry to generate prompts to initiate manual review of the affected claims. Additionally or alternatively, the BMC may initiate corrective action. For example, the BMC may send a message that causes the node circuitry to issue refunds or send additional invoicing. (80) The usage scenarios in the health claims context were described above with regard to the accelerated record entry hardware system 100. However, the accelerated record entry hardware system 100 may be used to track other accumulated values. For example, the accelerated record entry hardware system 100 may be used in maintaining a record of network usage for telecommunication service provision. For example, user equipment may post usage to a blockchain. The blockchain may be used by the provider to track usage. The blockchain may be used to ensure that the user equipment does not alter the usage record if compromised. Additionally or alternatively, the blockchain may be applied in multiple telecommunication provider contexts. For example, multiple providers may wish to coordinate complementary services, such as regional wireless coverage, television and cellular service, or other combinations of service. The blockchain of the accelerated record entry hardware system 100 may be used as a multiple-provider record for tracking usage of the difference services. The consensus operating procedure may be used to ensure the multiple providers adhere to agreed-upon tracking standards. The accelerated record entry hardware system 100 may be used in virtually any context where multiple parties agree to a consensus operating procedure for additions to a blockchain.′ (81) In an example, a method may include, in a record entry hardware system: receiving, at a blockchain management circuitry (BMC), a record entry from node circuitry; responsive to an identity of the node circuitry, applying a consensus operating procedure to generate a new accumulated value by performing a processor-level operation using a previous accumulated value and the record entry as inputs, the previous accumulated value stored within a selected block of the blockchain; and generating a new block for the blockchain responsive to new accumulated value and a hash value generated using content of a previous block on the blockchain. (82) In various implementations, the method may further include: accessing, in memory on the BMC, a definition for the consensus operating procedure responsive to the blockchain and the identity of the node circuitry. (83) In various implementations, the method may further include: response to an identity of the node circuitry, obtaining a certificate configured to grant access to a portion of a blockchain; and determining that the record entry applies to the portion of the blockchain. (84) In various implementations, applying the consensus operating procedure may include updating a health accum value. (85) In various implementations, the consensus operating procedure may be defined using a smart contract. (86) In various implementations, the hash value may prevent non-tamper-evident alteration of the previous block. (87) In various implementations, generating the new block may further include generating the new block responsive to completion of the consensus operating procedure. (88) In various implementations, the selected block and the previous block may be the same block. (89) In various implementations, the method may further include: obtaining a validity indicator responsive to completion of the consensus operating procedure. (90) In various implementations, the node circuitry may be configured to generate the record entry from record entry information received from client circuitry. (91) In various implementations, the node circuitry may be configured to receive the record entry information from an electronic form hosted by the node circuitry. (92) In another example, a system may be configured to implement one or more of the methods described above. (93) The methods, devices, architectures, processing, circuitry, and logic described above may be implemented in many different ways and in many different combinations of hardware and software. For example, all or parts of the implementations may be circuitry that includes an instruction processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), microcontroller, or a microprocessor; or as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Programmable Logic Device (PLD), or Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA); or as circuitry that includes discrete logic or other circuit components, including analog circuit components, digital circuit components or both; or any combination thereof. The circuitry may include discrete interconnected hardware components or may be combined on a single integrated circuit die, distributed among multiple integrated circuit dies, or implemented in a Multiple Chip Module (MCM) of multiple integrated circuit dies in a common package, as examples. (94) Accordingly, the circuitry may store or access instructions for execution, or may implement its functionality in hardware alone. The instructions may be stored in a tangible storage medium that is other than a transitory signal, such as a flash memory, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM); or on a magnetic or optical disc, such as a Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CDROM), Hard Disk Drive (HDD), or other magnetic or optical disk; or in or on another machine-readable medium. A product, such as a computer program product, may include a storage medium and instructions stored in or on the medium, and the instructions when executed by the circuitry in a device may cause the device to implement any of the processing described above or illustrated in the drawings. (95) The implementations may be distributed. For instance, the circuitry may include multiple distinct system components, such as multiple processors and memories, and may span multiple distributed processing systems. Parameters, databases, and other data structures may be separately stored and managed, may be incorporated into a single memory or database, may be logically and physically organized in many different ways, and may be implemented in many different ways. Example implementations include linked lists, program variables, hash tables, arrays, records (e.g., database records), objects, and implicit storage mechanisms. Instructions may form parts (e.g., subroutines or other code sections) of a single program, may form multiple separate programs, may be distributed across multiple memories and processors, and may be implemented in many different ways. Example implementations include stand-alone programs, and as part of a library, such as a shared library like a Dynamic Link Library (DLL). The library, for example, may contain shared data and one or more shared programs that include instructions that perform any of the processing described above or illustrated in the drawings, when executed by the circuitry. (96) Various implementations have been specifically described. However, many other implementations are also possible. For instance, any of the components and functionality in the architecture may be hosted in virtual machines managed by a cloud services provider. That is, while some implementations may be completely localized within a given enterprise, other implementations are completely migrated into the cloud, or are hybrid implementations with mixed local and cloud implementation. Regarding querying devices, the smartphones applications and desktop computers noted above are just particular examples, and other querying devices may be used, including hands-free systems in vehicles, digital personal assistants in smartphones or desktop PCs, hands-free control systems for the home, and many other types of devices. ### Claims 1. A method comprising: in a record entry hardware system: receiving, at blockchain management circuitry (BMC), a record entry for a selected transaction from node circuitry; obtaining a certificate configured to grant access to a portion of a blockchain, the obtaining a certificate responsive to an identity of the node circuitry; determining that the record entry applies to the portion of the blockchain; accessing, in memory within the BMC, a definition for a consensus operating procedure, the consensus operating procedure responsive to the blockchain and the identity of the node circuitry; determining a previous threshold maximum for the consensus operation procedure; altering the previous threshold maximum to reflect a new threshold maximum; responsive to altering the previous threshold maximum, applying the consensus operating procedure to generate a new accumulated value to cancel an effect of the selected transaction, the new accumulated value generated by performing a processor-level operation using a previous accumulated value and the record entry as inputs, the selected transaction determined to have occurred after the new threshold maximum was exceeded, but before the previous threshold maximum was exceeded, and the previous accumulated value stored within a selected block of the blockchain; and generating a new block for the blockchain, the generating the new block responsive to: the new accumulated value, and a hash value generated using content of a previous block on the blockchain. 2. The method of claim 1, where: the consensus operating procedure comprises a smart contract; and the definition comprises a term for the smart contract. 3. The method of claim 1, where: the record entry comprises a medical claim value; the previous accumulated value comprises a health accum value generated based on pharmacy claim information; and performing the processor-level operation comprises performing an add operation using the previous accumulated value and the medical claim value as inputs. 4. The method of claim 3, where performing the add operation comprises calculating, across medical and pharmacy claims: an out-of-pocket contribution, a deductible contribution, or both. 5. The method of claim 1, where applying the consensus operating procedure to generate a new accumulated value further comprises marking a previous transaction stored in the blockchain as erroneous; and the method further comprises adjusting the previous accumulated value to cancel an effect of the previous transaction. 6. The method of claim 1, where applying the consensus operating procedure to generate a new accumulated value further comprises correcting a transaction date for a previous transaction stored in the blockchain; and the method further comprises changing the previous accumulated value over a period determined by the transaction date before and after correction. 7. The method of claim 1, where the generating the new block further comprises generating the new block responsive to completion of the consensus operating procedure. 8. The method claim 1, further comprising obtaining a validity indicator responsive to completion of the consensus operating procedure. 9. The method of claim 1, where the selected block and the previous block comprise the same block. 10. A device comprising: memory configured to store a blockchain; communication interface circuitry configured to receive a record entry for a selected transaction from node circuitry; and blockchain management circuitry (BMC) in data communication with the memory and communication interface circuitry, the BMC configured to: responsive to an identity of the node circuitry, obtain a certificate configured to grant access to a portion of a blockchain; determine that the record entry applies to the portion of the blockchain; access a definition for a consensus operating procedure responsive to the blockchain and the identity of the node circuitry; determine a previous threshold maximum for the consensus operation procedure; alter the previous threshold maximum to reflect a new threshold maximum; responsive to altering the previous threshold maximum, apply the consensus operating procedure to generate a new accumulated value by performing a processor-level operation using a previous accumulated value and the record entry as inputs to cancel an effect of the selected transaction, the previous accumulated value stored within a selected block of the blockchain, and the selected transaction determined to have occurred after the new threshold maximum was exceeded, but before the previous threshold maximum was exceeded; and generate a new block for the blockchain responsive to the new accumulated value and a hash value generated using content of a previous block on the blockchain. 11. The device of claim 10, where: the record entry comprises a medical claim value; the previous accumulated value comprises an accumulated value generated based on pharmacy claim information; and the BMC is configured to perform the processor-level operation by performing an add operation using the previous accumulated value and the medical claim value as inputs. 12. The device of claim 11, where the BMC is configured to perform the add operation by calculating, across medical and pharmacy claims: an out-of-pocket contribution, a deductible contribution, or both. 13. The device of claim 10, where: the BMC is further configured to apply the consensus operating procedure to generate a new accumulated value by marking a previous transaction stored in the blockchain as erroneous; and the BMC is configured to perform another processor-level by adjusting the previous accumulated value to cancel an effect of the previous transaction. 14. The device of claim 10, where: the BMC is further configured to apply the consensus operating procedure to generate a new accumulated value by correcting a transaction date for a previous transaction stored in the blockchain; and the BMC is configured to perform another processor-level operation by changing the previous accumulated value over a period determined by the transaction date before and after correction. 15. A system comprising: input interface circuitry configured to accept input of record entry information; a display configured to present a representation of specific data from a blockchain, the specific data comprising values from a transaction for a specific claim type; client circuitry coupled to the input interface circuitry and the display, the client circuitry configured to: receive the record entry information from the input interface circuitry, the record entry information relevant to a specific claim type; receive the specific data; and generate the representation of the specific data; specific node circuitry in data communication with the client circuitry, the specific node circuitry configured to: receive the record entry information from the client circuitry; compile the record entry information into a record entry for the specific claim type; generate a request for the specific data; and after receiving the specific data, forwarding the specific data to the client circuitry; and blockchain management circuitry (BMC) in data communication with node circuitry, the BMC configured to: responsive to the specific node circuitry being associated with the specific claim type obtain a specific certificate configured to grant access to a specific portion of a blockchain adapted to store the specific claim type; and detect unauthorized access to another portion of the blockchain adapted to store claims other than the specific claim type; access the blockchain; determine that the record entry applies to the specific portion of the blockchain; access a definition for a consensus operating procedure responsive to the specific claim type; apply the consensus operating procedure to generate a new accumulated value by performing a processor-level operation using a previous accumulated value and the record entry as inputs, the previous accumulated value stored within a specific block of the blockchain; when no unauthorized access to the blockchain is detected, generate a new valid block for the blockchain responsive to the new accumulated value and a hash value generated using content of a previous block on the blockchain; when unauthorized access to the blockchain is detected, forgo generation of the valid new block; receive the request for the specific data; responsive to the specific certificate and the request, access the specific portion of the blockchain to obtain the specific data; and send the specific data to the node circuitry. 16. The system of claim 15, where the BMC is further configured to reject a request for selected data from the blockchain when a selected certificate configured to grant the specific node circuitry access to the selected data cannot be obtained. 17. The system of claim 16, where the BMC is further configured to allow the request for selected data from the blockchain after obtaining the selected certificate. 18. The system of claim 15, where: the consensus operating procedure comprises a smart contract; and the definition comprises a term for the smart contract. 19. The system of claim 15, where: the record entry comprises a medical claim value; the previous accumulated value comprises a health accum value generated based on pharmacy claim information; and performing the processor-level operation comprises performing an add operation using the previous accumulated value and the medical claim value as inputs. 20. The system of claim 19, where performing the add operation comprises calculating, across medical and pharmacy claims: an out-of-pocket contribution, a deductible contribution, or both.	9998286	US 9998286 B1	2018-06-12	62,455,147	Hardware blockchain consensus operating procedure enforcement	G06F21/33;G16H15/00;G16H40/63;G06Q20/02;G06Q50/18;H04L9/3268;G16H40/20;H04L9/3239;G06F21/6245;G06Q10/10;G16H10/60;H04L63/102	H04L63/0823;G06Q2220/00;H04L9/50	Ramathal; Noel Vivek et al.	Accenture Global Solutions Limited	15/595537	2017-05-15	Harriman; Dant Shaifer		1/1	Accenture Global Solutions Limited	18.042662	USPAT	15,085
United States Reissue Patent RE49864 Kind Code E Date of Reissued Patent March 05, 2024 Inventor(s) Razak; Abdul et al. ## Automated alarm panel classification using pareto optimization ### Abstract Systems and methods for alarm panel analysis include receiving a plurality of alarm events from the respective alarm panels monitoring corresponding buildings. An alarm analysis system may classify the alarm panels by identifying an alarm type for the alarm events. The alarm analysis system may determine a number of occurrences of each alarm type for the alarm panels, and generate a data point for a dataset for the alarm panels. The alarm analysis system may identify statistical dividers in the data points for the data set, which may be used for assigning a ranking for the alarm panels based on their location in relation to the statistical dividers. The alarm analysis system may construct and a monitoring dashboard which includes the rankings of the alarm panels, which may be rendered on a display to an end user. Inventors: Razak; Abdul (Cork, IE), Subramanian; Gopi (Boca Raton, FL), Stewart; Michael C. (Deerfield Beach, FL) Applicant: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP (Milwaukee, WI) Family ID: 69590810 Assignee: JOHNSON CONTROLS TYCO IP HOLDINGS LLP (Milwaukee, WI) Appl. No.: 17/680092 Filed: February 24, 2022 ### Related U.S. Application Data reissue parent-doc US 16172371 20181026 GRANTED US 10573168 20200225 child-doc US 17680092 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G08B19/00 (20060101); G06F17/18 (20060101); G08B25/00 (20060101); G08B29/18 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G08B29/185 (20130101); G06F17/18 (20130101); G08B19/00 (20130101); G08B25/007 (20130101); ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G08B (29/185); G08B (19/00); G08B (25/007); G06F (17/18) ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 2003/0083756 12/2002 Hsiung 700/28 G05B 15/02 2010/0109860 12/2009 Williamson 340/508 G08B 29/16 2014/0055274 12/2013 Hatch 340/679 G01H 1/00 2016/0071405 12/2015 Hayek 340/509 G08B 1/08 2016/0234232 12/2015 Poder et al. N/A N/A 2017/0213447 12/2016 Horrocks N/A G08B 19/00 2019/0102469 12/2018 Makovsky N/A G06F 11/3072 Primary Examiner: Sager; Mark Attorney, Agent or Firm: Foley & Lardner LLP ### Background/Summary .Iadd.CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS.Iaddend. (1) .Iadd.This application is a Reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 10,573,168 (previously U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/172,371, filed Oct. 26, 2018)..Iaddend. BACKGROUND (2) The present disclosure relates generally to building security systems of a building. The present disclosure relates more particularly to systems and methods for analyzing data generated by the building security systems to improve the building security systems. (3) In a building, various building devices provide security monitoring and fire detection and response. A false alarm can be a serious problem for security or fire systems. In some cases, the majority of the alarms (e.g., approximately 98%) generated by security or fire systems are false alarms. Responding to false alarms creates a heavy financial burden on customers, police departments, fire departments, and alarm system providers. (4) False alarms can, in some cases, be attributed to three preventable causes, user error, faulty equipment, and improper equipment installation. Examples of user error may be a user entering an incorrect keypad code into an alarm system, a user leaving a door or window open, or a user leaving objects near motion detectors. In some cases, the equipment itself is faulty. For example, the equipment may be reaching an end of life state and equipment parts may be wearing out or breaking. Regarding improper installation, motion detectors may not be installed in proper areas or placed at the proper heights. SUMMARY (5) According to one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to a system for analyzing alarm panels. The system includes a communications interface communicably coupled to alarm panels at respective buildings. The communications interface is configured to receive alarm events from the alarm panels. The alarm events indicate an alarm type. The system includes a processing circuit configured to receive, via the communications interface, alarm events from the respective alarm panels. The processing circuit is further configured to classify each of the alarm panels according to the alarm events. Classifying each of the alarm panels includes identifying, for each alarm event, an alarm type. Classifying each of the alarm panels includes determining, for each alarm panel, a number of occurrences of each alarm type. Classifying each of the alarm panels includes generating, for each alarm panel, a data point for a dataset. The data point represents the number of occurrences of each alarm type for a respective alarm panel. Classifying each of the alarm panels includes identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points. The statistical dividers define a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset. Classifying each of the alarm panels includes assigning a ranking for each of the alarm panels based on their respective location in relation to the statistical dividers. The processing circuit is further configured to construct a monitoring dashboard which includes the ranking of each of the alarm panels according to the classification of the alarm panels. The processing circuit is further configured to cause the monitoring dashboard to be rendered on a display to an end user. The monitoring dashboard indicates the ranking of the alarm panels for servicing the alarm panels by the end user. (6) In some embodiments, the statistical dividers are parallel and equidistant from one another. (7) In some embodiments, identifying the statistical dividers in the data points includes applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers. Identifying the statistical dividers in the data points may further include compute an upper Pareto frontier within the dataset. Identifying the statistical dividers in the data points may further include compute a lower Pareto frontier within the dataset. Identifying the statistical dividers in the data points may further include compute an upper centroid for the upper Pareto frontier, a lower centroid for the lower Pareto frontier, and a midpoint for the upper centroid and lower centroid. Identifying the statistical dividers in the data points may further include define the statistical dividers including an upper statistical divider, a lower statistical divider, and a middle statistical divider in relation to at least one of the upper centroid, lower centroid, and midpoint. (8) In some embodiments, computing the upper centroid, the lower centroid, and the midpoint includes computing the upper centroid, C.sub.UPF, for the upper Pareto frontier. Computing the upper centroid, the lower centroid, and the midpoint may further include computing the lower centroid, C.sub.LPF, for the lower Pareto frontier. Computing the upper centroid, the lower centroid, and the midpoint may further include computing the midpoint, C.sub.MPF, between the upper centroid and lower centroid according to C.sub.MPF=(C.sub.UPF+C.sub.LPF)/2. (9) In some embodiments, identifying the statistical dividers includes selecting a value, α, between 0 and 1 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining an upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VH, as C.sub.VH=(1+2α)C.sub.MPF. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining a lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VL, as C.sub.VL=(1−2α)C.sub.MPF. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining the middle statistical divider which bisects the midpoint. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining the upper statistical divider and lower statistical divider as extending through the upper statistical divider centroid and lower statistical centroid and extending parallel to the middle statistical divider. (10) In some embodiments, identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining a middle upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.H, as C.sub.H=(1+α)C.sub.MPF, and defining a middle lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.L, as C.sub.L=(1−α)C.sub.MPF. (11) In some embodiments, assigning the ranking includes determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider. Assigning the ranking may further include assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location. (12) In some embodiments, identifying the statistical dividers in the data points includes applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers to generate a filtered dataset D. Identifying the statistical points may further include computing an upper Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.D) for the filtered dataset D. Identifying the statistical points may further include selecting a value, α, between 0 and 0.25 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers. Identifying the statistical points may further include computing a plurality of lower Pareto frontiers including a very high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VH), a high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.H), a middle Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.M), a low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.L), and a very low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VL) according to UPF.sub.VH=UPF.sub.D, UPF.sub.H=(1−α)UPF.sub.D, UPF.sub.M=(1−2α)UPF.sub.D, UPF.sub.L=(1−3α)UPF.sub.D, and UPF.sub.VL=(1−4α)UPF.sub.D. In some embodiments, the upper statistical divider is UPF.sub.VH, the lower statistical divider is UPF.sub.VL, the middle statistical divider is UPF.sub.M, and wherein define the statistical dividers further include an upper middle statistical divider UPF.sub.H and a lower middle statistical divider UPF.sub.L. (13) In some embodiments, assigning the ranking includes determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider. Assigning the ranking may further include assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location. (14) In some embodiments, assigning the ranking includes determining, for each at a point in the dataset D, which statistical divider a data point is located between from the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider. Assigning the ranking may further include assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to the data point based on which statistical divider the data point is located between. (15) According to another implementation, the present disclosure is directed to a method for analyzing alarm panels. The method includes receiving, via a communications interface communicably coupled to alarm panels at respective buildings, alarm events from the respective alarm panels. The communications interface is configured to receive alarm events from the alarm panels. The alarm events indicate an alarm type. The method includes classifying the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events. Classifying the alarm panels includes identifying, for each alarm event, an alarm type. Classifying the alarm panels includes determining, for each alarm panel, a number of occurrences of each alarm type. Classifying the alarm panels includes generating, for each alarm panel, a data point for a dataset. The data point represents the number of occurrences of each alarm type for a respective alarm panel. Classifying the alarm panels includes identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points. The statistical dividers define a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset. Classifying the alarm panels includes assigning a ranking for each of the alarm panels based on their respective location in relation to the statistical dividers. The method includes constructing a monitoring dashboard which includes the ranking of each of the alarm panels according to the classification of the alarm panels. The method includes causing the monitoring dashboard to be rendered on a display to an end user. The monitoring dashboard indicates the ranking of the alarm panels for servicing the alarm panels by the end user. (16) In some embodiments, the statistical dividers are parallel and equidistant from one another. (17) In some embodiments, identifying statistical dividers in the data points includes applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include computing an upper Pareto frontier within the dataset. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include computing a lower Pareto frontier within the dataset. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include computing an upper centroid for the upper Pareto frontier, a lower centroid for the lower Pareto frontier, and a midpoint for the upper centroid and lower centroid. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining the statistical dividers including an upper statistical divider, a lower statistical divider, and a middle statistical divider in relation to at least one of the upper centroid, lower centroid, and midpoint. (18) In some embodiments, computing the upper centroid, the lower centroid, and the midpoint includes computing the upper centroid, C.sub.UPF, for the upper Pareto frontier. Computing the upper centroid, the lower centroid, and the midpoint may further include computing the lower centroid, C.sub.LPF, for the lower Pareto frontier. Computing the upper centroid, the lower centroid, and the midpoint may further include computing the midpoint, C.sub.MPF, between the upper centroid and lower centroid according to C.sub.MDF=(C.sub.UPF+C.sub.LPF)/2. (19) In some embodiments, identifying the statistical dividers includes selecting a value, α, between 0 and 1 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining an upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VH, as C.sub.VH=(1+2α)C.sub.MPF. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining a middle upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.H, as C.sub.H=(1+α)C.sub.MPF. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining a middle lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.L, as C.sub.L=(1−α)C.sub.MPF. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining a lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VL, as C.sub.VL=(1−2α)C.sub.MPF. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining the middle statistical divider, which bisects the midpoint. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include defining the upper statistical divider, a middle upper statistical divider, a middle lower statistical divider, and the lower statistical divider, which extend through the upper statistical divider centroid, the middle upper statistical divider centroid, the middle lower statistical divider centroid, and the lower statistical divider centroid, and parallel to the middle statistical divider. (20) In some embodiments, assigning the ranking includes determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider, each data point. Assigning the ranking may further include assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location. (21) In some embodiments, identifying the statistical dividers in the data points includes applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers to generate a filtered dataset D. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include computing an upper Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.D) for the filtered dataset D. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include selecting a value, α, between 0 and 0.25 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers. Identifying the statistical dividers may further include computing a plurality of lower Pareto frontiers including a very high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VH), a high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.H), a middle Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.M), a low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.L), and a very low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VL) according to UPF.sub.VH=UPF.sub.D, UPF.sub.H=(1−α)UPF.sub.D, UPF.sub.M=(1−2α)UPF.sub.D, UPF.sub.L=(1−3α)UPF.sub.D, and UPF.sub.VL=(1−4α)UPF.sub.D. In some embodiments, the upper statistical divider is UPF.sub.VH, the lower statistical divider is UPF.sub.VL, the middle statistical divider is UPF.sub.M, and wherein fine the statistical dividers further include an upper middle statistical divider UPF.sub.H and a lower middle statistical divider UPF.sub.L. (22) In some embodiments, assigning the ranking includes determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider. Assigning the ranking may further include assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location. (23) In some embodiments, assigning the ranking includes determining, for each data point in the dataset D, which statistical divider a data point is located between from the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider. Assigning the ranking may further include assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to the data point based on which statistical divider the data point is located between. (24) According to another implementation, the present disclosure is directed to a computing device for analyzing alarm panels. The computing device includes a processing circuit including a processor and memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive, via a communications interface communicably coupled to a plurality of alarm panels at respective buildings, a plurality of alarm events from the respective alarm panels, wherein the communications interface is configured to receive alarm events from the alarm panels, the alarm events indicating an alarm type. The memory further stores instructions to classify each of the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events. Classifying each of the alarm panels includes identifying, for each alarm event, an alarm type. Classifying each of the alarm panels includes determining, for each alarm panel, a number of occurrences of each alarm type. Classifying each of the alarm panels includes generating, for each alarm panel, a data point for a dataset. The data point represents the number of occurrences of each alarm type for a respective alarm panel. Classifying each of the alarm panels includes identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points. The statistical dividers define a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset. Classifying each of the alarm panels includes assigning a ranking for each of the alarm panels based on their respective location in relation to the statistical dividers. The memory further stores instructions to construct a monitoring dashboard which includes the ranking of each of the alarm panels according to the classification of the alarm panels. The memory further stores instructions to cause the monitoring dashboard to be rendered on a display to an end user, the monitoring dashboard indicating the ranking of the alarm panels for servicing the alarm panels by the end user. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) Various objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the disclosure will become more apparent and better understood by referring to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters identify corresponding elements throughout. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. (2) FIG. 1 is a drawing of a building equipped with a HVAC system, according to an exemplary embodiment. (3) FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a building automation system (BAS) that may be used to monitor and/or control the building of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment. (4) FIG. 3 is a block diagram of building security systems for multiple buildings communicating with a cloud based security system, according to an exemplary embodiment. (5) FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a cloud implemented alarm analysis system for analyzing event data to determine false alarm rules, according to an exemplary embodiment. (6) FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of an example dataset, according to an exemplary embodiment (7) FIG. 6 is a graphical representation of the example dataset of FIG. 5 following application of one or more filters, according to an exemplary embodiment. (8) FIG. 7 is a graphical representation including upper and lower Pareto centroids and a midpoint for the filtered dataset, according to an exemplary embodiment. (9) FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of the dataset including a plurality of statistical dividers, according to an exemplary embodiment. (10) FIG. 9 is another example graphical representation of the dataset including a plurality of statistical dividers, according to an exemplary embodiment. (11) FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a process that can be performed by the alarm analysis system for analyzing the alarm panels, according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (12) Overview (13) Referring generally to the FIGURES, systems and methods are shown for analyzing alarm panels, according to various exemplary embodiments. Many buildings may include an alarm panels, which operate or otherwise provide a security system for the building. The alarm panels may be communicably coupled to various security sensors. The sensors may trigger alarm events when, for instance, security issues occur. (14) In a large or complex connected security system, where alarms (including false alarms) may be numerous and noisy, it can be difficult for security personnel to identify those alarm panels and their associated devices that may be underperforming or incorrectly configured, or to highlight other causes for concern, such as systemic issues with a panel, or a persistent security threat affecting an area supervised by that panel. (15) In a connected security system, data about alarms is collected, for example, the type of alarm, time of occurrence, relevant alarm panel, and so on. Identifying alarm panels that have numerous alarm events associated with them is one way for system monitors to highlight possible underlying issues. In larger, more complex systems, however, some of the data may be anomalous, making it more difficult for system personnel to meaningfully assess individual alarm panel performance by reference to patterns in the system as a whole. For example, in considering a set of alarms, a given system may need to identify which alarms and panels need the most attention. Comparing alarm panels may be difficult due to the different types, and occurrence, of alarms. (16) The present disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods for analysis and diagnosis of alarm panel conditions. The present disclosure uses Pareto optimality approaches in order to rank alarm panels by their performance against that of the alarm system as a whole, using multiple variables. (17) Pareto optimality typically involves multi-objective optimization. In its application to this disclosure, alarm panels are ranked according to how relatively noisy they are. Connected security systems usually classify alarms by type. Two common examples of alarm types are: Burglary Alarms (BA) and Hold-up or panic alarms (HU)—though many other types of alarms may be used and included in various alarm and security systems. A single system may have many alarm type classifications. (18) For all alarm panels to be classified, the disclosed systems and methods count the number of alarm types (for example, BU, HU, and so on) occurring on each alarm panel over a similar measurement period. For each alarm type, each alarm panel may be represented in a dimensional space or dataset. Using various Pareto optimality calculations, a number of levels or rankings may be assigned to the alarm panels in terms of noisiness, such as: 'Very High', 'High', 'Medium', 'Low', and 'Very Low.' (19) Building Management System and HVAC System (20) Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary building management system (BMS) and HVAC system in which the systems and methods of the present invention can be implemented are shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring particularly to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a building 10 is shown. Building 10 is served by a BMS. A BMS is, in general, a system of devices configured to control, monitor, and manage equipment in or around a building or building area. A BMS can include, for example, a HVAC system, a security system, a lighting system, a fire alerting system, any other system that is capable of managing building functions or devices, or any combination thereof. (21) The BMS that serves building 10 includes an HVAC system 100. HVAC system 100 can include a plurality of HVAC devices (e.g., heaters, chillers, air handling units, pumps, fans, thermal energy storage, etc.) configured to provide heating, cooling, ventilation, or other services for building 10. For example, HVAC system 100 is shown to include a waterside system 120 and an airside system 130. Waterside system 120 can provide a heated or chilled fluid to an air handling unit of airside system 130. Airside system 130 can use the heated or chilled fluid to heat or cool an airflow provided to building 10. An exemplary waterside system and airside system which can be used in HVAC system 100 are described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2-3. (22) HVAC system 100 is shown to include a chiller 102, a boiler 104, and a rooftop air handling unit (AHU) 106. Waterside system 120 can use boiler 104 and chiller 102 to heat or cool a working fluid (e.g., water, glycol, etc.) and can circulate the working fluid to AHU 106. In various embodiments, the HVAC devices of waterside system 120 can be located in or around building 10 (as shown in FIG. 1) or at an offsite location such as a central plant (e.g., a chiller plant, a steam plant, a heat plant, etc.). The working fluid can be heated in boiler 104 or cooled in chiller 102, depending on whether heating or cooling is required in building 10. Boiler 104 can add heat to the circulated fluid, for example, by burning a combustible material (e.g., natural gas) or using an electric heating element. Chiller 102 can place the circulated fluid in a heat exchange relationship with another fluid (e.g., a refrigerant) in a heat exchanger (e.g., an evaporator) to absorb heat from the circulated fluid. The working fluid from chiller 102 and/or boiler 104 can be transported to AHU 106 via piping 108. (23) AHU 106 can place the working fluid in a heat exchange relationship with an airflow passing through AHU 106 (e.g., via one or more stages of cooling coils and/or heating coils). The airflow can be, for example, outside air, return air from within building 10, or a combination of both. AHU 106 can transfer heat between the airflow and the working fluid to provide heating or cooling for the airflow. For example, AHU 106 can include one or more fans or blowers configured to pass the airflow over or through a heat exchanger containing the working fluid. The working fluid can then return to chiller 102 or boiler 104 via piping 110. (24) Airside system 130 can deliver the airflow supplied by AHU 106 (i.e., the supply airflow) to building 10 via air supply ducts 112 and can provide return air from building 10 to AHU 106 via air return ducts 114. In some embodiments, airside system 130 includes multiple variable air volume (VAV) units 116. For example, airside system 130 is shown to include a separate VAV unit 116 on each floor or zone of building 10. VAV units 116 can include dampers or other flow control elements that can be operated to control an amount of the supply airflow provided to individual zones of building 10. In other embodiments, airside system 130 delivers the supply airflow into one or more zones of building 10 (e.g., via supply ducts 112) without using intermediate VAV units 116 or other flow control elements. AHU 106 can include various sensors (e.g., temperature sensors, pressure sensors, etc.) configured to measure attributes of the supply airflow. AHU 106 can receive input from sensors located within AHU 106 and/or within the building zone and can adjust the flow rate, temperature, or other attributes of the supply airflow through AHU 106 to achieve setpoint conditions for the building zone. (25) Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a building automation system (BAS) 200 is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. BAS 200 can be implemented in building 10 to automatically monitor and control various building functions. BAS 200 is shown to include BAS controller 202 and a plurality of building subsystems 228. Building subsystems 228 are shown to include a building electrical subsystem 234, an information communication technology (ICT) subsystem 236, a security subsystem 238, a HVAC subsystem 240, a lighting subsystem 242, a lift/escalators subsystem 232, and a fire safety subsystem 230. In various embodiments, building subsystems 228 can include fewer, additional, or alternative subsystems. For example, building subsystems 228 can also or alternatively include a refrigeration subsystem, an advertising or signage subsystem, a cooking subsystem, a vending subsystem, a printer or copy service subsystem, or any other type of building subsystem that uses controllable equipment and/or sensors to monitor or control building 10. In some embodiments, building subsystems 228 include a waterside system and/or an airside system. A waterside system and an airside system are described with further reference to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/631,830 filed Jun. 23, 2017, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. (26) Each of building subsystems 228 can include any number of devices, controllers, and connections for completing its individual functions and control activities. HVAC subsystem 240 can include many of the same components as HVAC system 100, as described with reference to FIG. 1. For example, HVAC subsystem 240 can include a chiller, a boiler, any number of air handling units, economizers, field controllers, supervisory controllers, actuators, temperature sensors, and other devices for controlling the temperature, humidity, airflow, or other variable conditions within building 10. Lighting subsystem 242 can include any number of light fixtures, ballasts, lighting sensors, dimmers, or other devices configured to controllably adjust the amount of light provided to a building space. Security subsystem 238 can include occupancy sensors, video surveillance cameras, digital video recorders, video processing servers, intrusion detection devices, access control devices and servers, or other security-related devices. (27) Still referring to FIG. 2, BAS controller 266 is shown to include a communications interface 207 and a BAS interface 209. Interface 207 can facilitate communications between BAS controller 202 and external applications (e.g., monitoring and reporting applications 222, enterprise control applications 226, remote systems and applications 244, applications residing on client devices 248, etc.) for allowing user control, monitoring, and adjustment to BAS controller 266 and/or subsystems 228. Interface 207 can also facilitate communications between BAS controller 202 and client devices 248. BAS interface 209 can facilitate communications between BAS controller 202 and building sub-systems 228 (e.g., HVAC, lighting security, lifts, power distribution, business, etc.). (28) Interfaces 207, 209 can be or include wired or wireless communications interfaces (e.g., jacks, antennas, transmitters, receivers, transceivers, wire terminals, etc.) for conducting data communications with building subsystems 228 or other external systems or devices. In various embodiments, communications via interfaces 207, 209 can be direct (e.g., local wired or wireless communications) or via a communications network 246 (e.g., a WAN, the Internet, a cellular network, etc.). For example, interfaces 207, 209 can include an Ethernet card and port for sending and receiving data via an Ethernet-based communications link or network. In another example, interfaces 207, 209 can include a Wi-Fi transceiver for communicating via a wireless communications network. In another example, one or both of interfaces 207, 209 can include cellular or mobile phone communications transceivers. In one embodiment, communications interface 207 is a power line communications interface and BAS interface 209 is an Ethernet interface. In other embodiments, both communications interface 207 and BAS interface 209 are Ethernet interfaces or are the same Ethernet interface. (29) Still referring to FIG. 2, BAS controller 202 is shown to include a processing circuit 204 including a processor 206 and memory 208. Processing circuit 204 can be communicably connected to BAS interface 209 and/or communications interface 207 such that processing circuit 204 and the various components thereof can send and receive data via interfaces 207, 209. Processor 206 can be implemented as a general purpose processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), a group of processing components, or other suitable electronic processing components. (30) Memory 208 (e.g., memory, memory unit, storage device, etc.) can include one or more devices (e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash memory, hard disk storage, etc.) for storing data and/or computer code for completing or facilitating the various processes, layers and modules described in the present application. Memory 208 can be or include volatile memory or non-volatile memory. Memory 208 can include database components, object code components, script components, or any other type of information structure for supporting the various activities and information structures described in the present application. According to an exemplary embodiment, memory 208 is communicably connected to processor 206 via processing circuit 402 and includes computer code for executing (e.g., by processing circuit 204 and/or processor 206) one or more processes described herein. (31) In some embodiments, BAS controller 202 is implemented within a single computer (e.g., one server, one housing, etc.). In various other embodiments BAS controller 202 can be distributed across multiple servers or computers (e.g., that can exist in distributed locations). Further, while FIG. 4 shows applications 222 and 226 as existing outside of BAS controller 202, in some embodiments, applications 222 and 226 can be hosted within BAS controller 202 (e.g., within memory 208). (32) Still referring to FIG. 2, memory 208 is shown to include an enterprise integration layer 210, an automated measurement and validation (AM&V) layer 212, a demand response (DR) layer 214, a fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) layer 216, an integrated control layer 218, and a building subsystem integration later 220. Layers 210-220 can be configured to receive inputs from building subsystems 228 and other data sources, determine optimal control actions for building subsystems 228 based on the inputs, generate control signals based on the optimal control actions, and provide the generated control signals to building subsystems 228. The following paragraphs describe some of the general functions performed by each of layers 210-220 in BAS 200. (33) Enterprise integration layer 210 can be configured to serve clients or local applications with information and services to support a variety of enterprise-level applications. For example, enterprise control applications 226 can be configured to provide subsystem-spanning control to a graphical user interface (GUI) or to any number of enterprise-level business applications (e.g., accounting systems, user identification systems, etc.). Enterprise control applications 226 can also or alternatively be configured to provide configuration GUIs for configuring BAS controller 202. In yet other embodiments, enterprise control applications 226 can work with layers 210-220 to optimize building performance (e.g., efficiency, energy use, comfort, or safety) based on inputs received at interface 207 and/or BAS interface 209. (34) Building subsystem integration layer 220 can be configured to manage communications between BAS controller 202 and building subsystems 228. For example, building subsystem integration layer 220 can receive sensor data and input signals from building subsystems 228 and provide output data and control signals to building subsystems 228. Building subsystem integration layer 220 can also be configured to manage communications between building subsystems 228. Building subsystem integration layer 220 translates communications (e.g., sensor data, input signals, output signals, etc.) across a plurality of multi-vendor/multi-protocol systems. (35) Demand response layer 214 can be configured to optimize resource usage (e.g., electricity use, natural gas use, water use, etc.) and/or the monetary cost of such resource usage in response to satisfy the demand of building 10. The optimization can be based on time-of-use prices, curtailment signals, energy availability, or other data received from utility providers, distributed energy generation systems 224, from energy storage 227, or from other sources. Demand response layer 214 can receive inputs from other layers of BAS controller 202 (e.g., building subsystem integration layer 220, integrated control layer 218, etc.). The inputs received from other layers can include environmental or sensor inputs such as temperature, carbon dioxide levels, relative humidity levels, air quality sensor outputs, occupancy sensor outputs, room schedules, and the like. The inputs can also include inputs such as electrical use (e.g., expressed in kWh), thermal load measurements, pricing information, projected pricing, smoothed pricing, curtailment signals from utilities, and the like. (36) According to an exemplary embodiment, demand response layer 214 includes control logic for responding to the data and signals it receives. These responses can include communicating with the control algorithms in integrated control layer 218, changing control strategies, changing setpoints, or activating/deactivating building equipment or subsystems in a controlled manner. Demand response layer 214 can also include control logic configured to determine when to utilize stored energy. For example, demand response layer 214 can determine to begin using energy from energy storage 227 just prior to the beginning of a peak use hour. (37) In some embodiments, demand response layer 214 includes a control module configured to actively initiate control actions (e.g., automatically changing setpoints) which minimize energy costs based on one or more inputs representative of or based on demand (e.g., price, a curtailment signal, a demand level, etc.). In some embodiments, demand response layer 214 uses equipment models to determine an optimal set of control actions. The equipment models can include, for example, thermodynamic models describing the inputs, outputs, and/or functions performed by various sets of building equipment. Equipment models can represent collections of building equipment (e.g., sub-plants, chiller arrays, etc.) or individual devices (e.g., individual chillers, heaters, pumps, etc.). (38) Demand response layer 214 can further include or draw upon one or more demand response policy definitions (e.g., databases, XML files, etc.). The policy definitions can be edited or adjusted by a user (e.g., via a graphical user interface) so that the control actions initiated in response to demand inputs can be tailored for the user's application, desired comfort level, particular building equipment, or based on other concerns. For example, the demand response policy definitions can specify which equipment can be turned on or off in response to particular demand inputs, how long a system or piece of equipment should be turned off, what setpoints can be changed, what the allowable set point adjustment range is, how long to hold a high demand setpoint before returning to a normally scheduled setpoint, how close to approach capacity limits, which equipment modes to utilize, the energy transfer rates (e.g., the maximum rate, an alarm rate, other rate boundary information, etc.) into and out of energy storage devices (e.g., thermal storage tanks, battery banks, etc.), and when to dispatch on-site generation of energy (e.g., via fuel cells, a motor generator set, etc.). (39) Integrated control layer 218 can be configured to use the data input or output of building subsystem integration layer 220 and/or demand response later 214 to make control decisions. Due to the subsystem integration provided by building subsystem integration layer 220, integrated control layer 218 can integrate control activities of the subsystems 228 such that the subsystems 228 behave as a single integrated supersystem. In an exemplary embodiment, integrated control layer 218 includes control logic that uses inputs and outputs from a plurality of building subsystems to provide greater comfort and energy savings relative to the comfort and energy savings that separate subsystems could provide alone. For example, integrated control layer 218 can be configured to use an input from a first subsystem to make an energy-saving control decision for a second subsystem. Results of these decisions can be communicated back to building subsystem integration layer 220. (40) Integrated control layer 218 is shown to be logically below demand response layer 214. Integrated control layer 218 can be configured to enhance the effectiveness of demand response layer 214 by enabling building subsystems 228 and their respective control loops to be controlled in coordination with demand response layer 214. This configuration can reduce disruptive demand response behavior relative to conventional systems. For example, integrated control layer 218 can be configured to assure that a demand response-driven upward adjustment to the setpoint for chilled water temperature (or another component that directly or indirectly affects temperature) does not result in an increase in fan energy (or other energy used to cool a space) that would result in greater total building energy use than was saved at the chiller. (41) Integrated control layer 218 can be configured to provide feedback to demand response layer 214 so that demand response layer 214 checks that constraints (e.g., temperature, lighting levels, etc.) are properly maintained even while demanded load shedding is in progress. The constraints can also include setpoint or sensed boundaries relating to safety, equipment operating limits and performance, comfort, fire codes, electrical codes, energy codes, and the like. Integrated control layer 218 is also logically below fault detection and diagnostics layer 216 and automated measurement and validation layer 212. Integrated control layer 218 can be configured to provide calculated inputs (e.g., aggregations) to these higher levels based on outputs from more than one building subsystem. (42) Automated measurement and validation (AM&V) layer 212 can be configured to verify that control strategies commanded by integrated control layer 218 or demand response layer 214 are working properly (e.g., using data aggregated by AM&V layer 212, integrated control layer 218, building subsystem integration layer 220, FDD layer 216, or otherwise). The calculations made by AM&V layer 212 can be based on building system energy models and/or equipment models for individual BAS devices or subsystems. For example, AM&V layer 212 can compare a model-predicted output with an actual output from building subsystems 228 to determine an accuracy of the model. (43) Fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) layer 216 can be configured to provide on-going fault detection for building subsystems 228, building subsystem devices (i.e., building equipment), and control algorithms used by demand response layer 214 and integrated control layer 218. FDD layer 216 can receive data inputs from integrated control layer 218, directly from one or more building subsystems or devices, or from another data source. FDD layer 216 can automatically diagnose and respond to detected faults. The responses to detected or diagnosed faults can include providing an alarm message to a user, a maintenance scheduling system, or a control algorithm configured to attempt to repair the fault or to work-around the fault. (44) FDD layer 216 can be configured to output a specific identification of the faulty component or cause of the fault (e.g., loose damper linkage) using detailed subsystem inputs available at building subsystem integration layer 220. In other exemplary embodiments, FDD layer 216 is configured to provide "fault" events to integrated control layer 218 which executes control strategies and policies in response to the received fault events. According to an exemplary embodiment, FDD layer 216 (or a policy executed by an integrated control engine or business rules engine) can shut-down systems or direct control activities around faulty devices or systems to reduce energy waste, extend equipment life, or assure proper control response. (45) FDD layer 216 can be configured to store or access a variety of different system data stores (or data points for live data). FDD layer 216 can use some content of the data stores to identify faults at the equipment level (e.g., specific chiller, specific AHU, specific terminal unit, etc.) and other content to identify faults at component or subsystem levels. For example, building subsystems 228 can generate temporal (i.e., time-series) data indicating the performance of BAS 200 and the various components thereof. The data generated by building subsystems 228 can include measured or calculated values that exhibit statistical characteristics and provide information about how the corresponding system or process (e.g., a temperature control process, a flow control process, etc.) is performing in terms of error from its setpoint. These processes can be examined by FDD layer 216 to expose when the system begins to degrade in performance and alarm a user to repair the fault before it becomes more severe. (46) Systems and Methods for Analyzing Alarm Panels (47) Referring now to FIG. 3, a security system 300 is shown for multiple buildings, according to an exemplary embodiment. The security system 300 is shown to include buildings 10a-10d. Each of buildings 10a-10d is shown to be associated with a corresponding alarm panel 302a-302d. The buildings 10a-10d may be the same as and/or similar to building 10 as described with reference to FIG. 1. The alarm panels 302a-302d may be one or more controllers, servers, and/or computers located in a security panel or part of a central computing system for a building. (48) The alarm panels 302a-302d may communicate with various security sensors that are part of the building subsystems 228. For example, fire safety subsystems 230 may include various smoke sensors and alarm devices, carbon monoxide sensors and alarm devices, etc. The security subsystems 238 are shown to include a surveillance system 315, an entry system 316, and an intrusion system 318. The surveillance system 315 may include various video cameras, still image cameras, and image and video processing systems for monitoring various rooms, hallways, parking lots, the exterior of a building, the roof of the building, etc. The entry system 316 can include one or more systems configured to allow users to enter and exit the building (e.g., door sensors, turnstiles, gated entries, badge systems, etc.) The intrusion system 318 may include one or more sensors configured to identify whether a window or door has been forced open. The intrusion system 318 can include a keypad module for arming and/or disarming a security system and various motion sensors (e.g., IR, PIR, etc.) configured to detect motion in various zones of the building 10a. (49) Each of buildings 10a-10d may be located in various cities, states, and/or countries across the world. There may be any number of buildings 10a-10b. The buildings 10a-10b may be owned and operated by one or more entities. For example, a grocery store entity may own and operate buildings 10a-10d in a particular geographic state. The alarm panels 302a-302d may record data from the building subsystems 228 and communicate collected security system data to the cloud server 304. (50) The cloud server 304 is shown to include a security system 306 that receives the security system data from the alarm panels 302a-302d of the buildings 10a-10d. The cloud server 304 may include one or more processing circuits (e.g., memory devices, processors, databases) configured to perform the various functionalities described herein. The processing circuits may be the same and/or similar to the processing circuit 204, the processor 206, and/or the memory 208 as described with reference to FIG. 2. The cloud server 304 may be a private server. In some embodiments, the cloud server 304 is implemented by a cloud system, examples of which include AMAZON WEB SERVICES® (AWS) and MICROSOFT AZURE®. (51) In some embodiments, the cloud server 304 can be located on premises within one of the buildings 10a-10d. For example, a user may wish that their security, fire, or HVAC data remain confidential and have a lower risk of being compromised. In such an instance, the cloud server 304 may be located on-premises instead of within an off-premises cloud platform. (52) The security system 306 may implement an interface system 308, an alarm analysis system 310, and a database storing historical security data 312, security system data collected from the alarm panels 302a-302d. The interface system 308 may provide various interfaces of user devices 314 for monitoring and/or controlling the alarm panels 302a-302d of the buildings 10a-10d. (53) Security systems e.g., the alarm panel 302a, can protect residential or commercial premises by implementing functionality e.g., intrusion detection, access control, video surveillance, and fire detection. In each case, sensors deployed at various locations in and around the building transmit data back to a central system for analysis, e.g., the alarm panels 302a-302d. In some instances, such data is further transmitted to an offsite location that serves as a monitoring center, e.g., the alarm analysis system 310. In either case, the sensor data can be analyzed to determine if a condition exists at the premises that requires attention by a security professional. For example, if a motion sensor detects that someone has entered a building at a time that the intrusion system is armed or if an access control system detects that a door is being forced open, that information is transmitted to the local or remote monitoring center which can deploy security guards or call the police. (54) Unfortunately, such security systems for detecting alarms (e.g., a fire, an intrusion, etc.) may not be foolproof. If a sensor is going bad or requires maintenance, it may produce spurious data falsely indicating that there has been a security breach. For example, a smoke detector may indicate the presence of smoke in the building when it is simply an accumulation of dust on the device. Likewise, a contact switch on a warehouse door may indicate that the door has been opened when, in fact, the magnetic switch has simply stopped working correctly. Such false alarm situations can be numerous and can cost building owners a substantial amount of money each year in business down-time, security agency response fees, and maintenance personnel truck rolls. In many instances, the purported cause of a false alarm is repaired but other related problems exist with the systems that are not detected until further false alarms events occur. (55) In some instances, some buildings 10a-10d may be located in geographical locations which are more prone to crime. As such, these buildings 10a-10d may experience more alarm events (e.g., rather than false alarms). In these instance, it may be advantageous for owners or operators of the buildings 10a-10d to be made aware of the number of alarm events so that such owners/operators may reinforce their security measures at the corresponding buildings 10a- 10d. (56) Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram of the alarm analysis system 310 as described with reference to FIG. 3 is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. The alarm analysis system 310 can be configured to identify patterns of alarm events based on event data reported by the alarm panels 302a-302d. Such patterns may be used for diagnosing errors in the alarm panels 302a-302d, security equipment or sensors, and for upgrading security systems as needed. The alarm analysis system 310 is shown to include a processing circuit 402 that includes a processor 404 and a memory 406. The memory 406 can include instructions which, when executed by the processor 404, cause the processor 404 to perform the one or more functions described herein. The processor 404 may be the same and/or similar to the processor 206 as described with reference to FIG. 2 and the memory 406 may be the same as and/or similar to the memory 208 as described with reference to FIG. 2. (57) In addition to a traditional processor and memory, the processing circuit 402 may include integrated circuitry for processing and/or control, e.g., one or more processors and/or processor cores (e.g., microprocessor and/or microcontroller) and/or FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) and/or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuitry). The processing circuit 402 can include and/or be connected to and/or be configured for accessing (e.g., writing to and/or reading from) the memory 406, which may include any kind of volatile and/or non-volatile memory, e.g., cache and/or buffer memory and/or RAM (Random Access Memory) and/or ROM (Read-Only Memory) and/or optical memory and/or EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). (58) The memory 406 can be configured to store code executable by control circuitry and/or other data, e.g., data pertaining to communication, e.g., configuration and/or address data of nodes, etc. The processing circuit 402 can be configured to implement any of the methods described herein and/or to cause such methods to be performed, e.g., by the processor 404. Corresponding instructions may be stored in the memory 406, which may be readable and/or readably connected to the processing circuit 402. It may be considered that the processing circuit 402 includes or may be connected or connectable to the memory 406, which may be configured to be accessible for reading and/or writing by the controller and/or the processing circuit 402. (59) The security system 302a includes a communication interface 408. The communication interface 408 is configured to facilitate communicate with a domain expert device 410 and/or the alarm panels 302 in some embodiments. Furthermore, the communication interface 408 can be configured to communicate with all of the devices and systems described with reference to FIG. 3. (60) Via the communication interface 408, the historical security database 412 can be configured to receive (collect) and store security system data from the security system 302a. The security system data may be events (e.g., alarm events) such as an occurrence detected by a sensor of the security system 302a. For example, an intrusion sensor or other burglary alarm may identify that an individual is trying to force a window or door open. Another event may be a door being opened or closed. The detection of an occupant walking through the door may also be an event. As another example, a hold-up alarm may be triggered when a person (e.g., a robber) attempts a hold-up of a business. The alarm events 414 may be binary (e.g., indicating a high, or "1", when the alarm event is detected). In some embodiments, the alarm events 414 can further include signals containing various information, such as which sensor triggered the alarm event 414, a location (e.g., within a building 10a-10d, which particular building 10a-10d) corresponding to the sensor, etc. In each of these embodiments, the historical security database 412 may be configured to store an event type for the alarm event 414, and data corresponding to the building 10a-10d associated with the alarm event 414. The historical security database 412 may receive and store the alarm event 414, and may store the alarm event type (e.g., burglary alarm, hold-up alarm, fire alarm, etc.) based on data contained in the alarm event 414, since the particular sensor sent a binary high, and so forth. The historical security database 412 may store the data corresponding to the building 10a-10d associated with the alarm event 414 based on data contained in the alarm event 414, since the particular sensor which sent the binary high is located at a particular building 10a-10d, etc. (61) The memory 406 is shown to include an event classifier 416. The event classifier 416 can be configured to classify the alarm panels 302a-302d. The event classifier 416 may classify the alarm panels 302a-302d according to the alarm events received via the communications interface 408 from the respective alarm panels 302a-302d. As described above, the alarm panels 302a-302d can be configured to communicate events 414 responsive to triggers or signals from respective sensors in or corresponding to the building 10a-10d. The alarm panels 302a-302d can be configured to communicate the alarm events 414 in real-time, at various intervals (e.g., the end of business, end of the day, end of the week, etc.). The alarm events 414 may be stored in the historical security database 412 (with data associated therewith). The event classifier 416 may be communicably coupled to the historical security database 412 and, therefore, may access the alarm events 414 stored therein for each alarm panel 302a and data associated therewith. (62) The event classifier 416 can be configured to identify an alarm type for each alarm event 414. The event classifier 416 can be configured to access the historical security database 412. As described above, the historical security database 412 may store the alarm type for each alarm event 414. The event classifier 416 can be configured to retrieve, from the historical security database 412, the alarm events 414 and data associated therewith (e.g., the alarm type, the sensor location within the building 10a-10d which triggered the alarm event 414, the particular building in which the alarm event 414 occurred, etc.). In receiving such data, the event classifier 416 can quantify particular occurrences of each alarm event type, which may be used for diagnosing faults within the security system, bolstering the security system as needed, etc. (63) In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 can be configured to receive data corresponding to whether various alarm events 414 are false alarms. For instance, the alarm panels 302a-302d can be configured to communicate alarm events 414 to the historical security database 412 upon a triggering event from an alarm sensor in a particular security system for a building 10a-10d. An authorized user device 314 may subsequently communicate a false alarm signal associated with the alarm event 414 (e.g., following a user inspecting the building 10a-10d determining that the alarm event 414 was a false alarm). The historical security database 412 may be configured to receive and store the false alarm signal associated with the particular alarm event 414. Such data may be used for identifying faults in security systems, required updates, etc., particularly where reoccurring false alarm signals are received for the same sensor(s) in a given building 10a-10d. (64) The event classifier 416 can be configured to determine, quantify, or evaluate a number of occurrences of each alarm type for each alarm panel 302a-302d. The event classifier 416 can be configured to identify the alarm type for the data corresponding to particular alarm events 414 (e.g., described above). The event classifier 416 may be configured to build a matrix or dataset corresponding to each alarm panel 302a-302d. Each cell (also referred to herein as "data point") in the matrix or dataset may define the number of occurrences of each alarm type. For purposes of a simple example, a building 10a-10d may have two types of alarms—burglary alarms and hold-up alarms. Hence, the alarm panels 302a-302d may report, provide, communicate, etc. alarm events 414 for burglary events and hold-up events. A given building 10a may have, for a duration (e.g., a month, a week, a year, etc.) ten burglary events and two hold-up events. For the building 10a, the event classifier 416 can generate a cell for the building which indicates the number of alarm events 414 (e.g., a cell [10,2]). As the event classifier 416 identifies new alarm events 414 (e.g., within the historical security database 412), the event classifier 416 can be configured to update, revise, edit, etc. the matrix or dataset and corresponding cells or data points. Hence, each data point may represent a number of occurrences of each alarm type for a respective alarm panel 302a-302d. (65) In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 can be configured assign a weight to particular alarm events 414. The event classifier 416 may assign weights to particular alarm events 414 based on alarm type. For instance, the event classifier 416 may apply a greater weight to some alarm types (such as hold-up alarm events 414), a lesser weight to some alarm types (such as fire or smoke alarm events 414). The weights may be generated, created or determined by a security administrator on a corresponding user device, such as the domain expert device 410, and communicated to the event classifier 416. The weights may be defaulted to "1", and increased or decreased by the security administrator on the user device 314. The event classifier 416 can be configured to multiply the number of occurrences of particular alarm events 414 by their corresponding weight. The weights may be used for modifying the dataset to emphasize or prioritize particular alarm events 414, as described in greater detail below. (66) The event classifier 416 can be configured to identify statistical dividers in the dataset. The statistical dividers may be used for assigning a ranking of each of the data points and, correspondingly, alarm panels 302a-302d. The event classifier 416 can be configured to analyze the dataset to compute the statistical dividers, as described in greater detail below. The event classifier 416 can be configured to generate a graphical representation of the dataset. The graphical representation can include each of the data points or cells within the dataset. Hence, the graphical representation can represent each alarm type and corresponding number of occurrences for each alarm panel 302a-302d. (67) Referring now to FIG. 5, a graphical representation 500 of an example dataset is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. While the graphical representation 500 shown in FIG. 5 is two dimensional (for purposes of illustrating a simple example), the graphical representation 500 may include any number of dimensions. For instance, the graphical representation 500 may include a third dimension which quantifies the number of fire alarm events, false alarm events or bypasses, etc. (68) In the graphical representation 500 depicted in FIG. 5, each data point 502 corresponds to a particular alarm panel 302a-302d. Additionally, each data point 502 may have an x component and a y component. The x component may be the number of burglary alarm events (BA) for the alarm panel 302a-302d, and the y component may be the number of hold-up alarm events (HU) for the alarm panel 302a-302d. The event classifier 416 can be configured to apply one or more filters to the dataset. For instance, the event classifier 416 can filter data points 502 for alarm panels 302a-302d which have zero occurrences of each of the alarm types (e.g., zero burglary alarm events and zero hold-up alarm events). The event classifier 416 can be configured to filter outlier data points 502. As one example, the event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate a standard deviation for the dataset and filter alarm panels which fall outside of a number of standard deviations from a mean or median number of alarm events. As shown in the graphical representation 500, the dataset may be filtered to remove two alarm panels 302 (e.g., one outlier and one alarm panel 302 having zero occurrences of alarm events). (69) Referring now to FIG. 6, a graphical representation 600 of the example dataset of FIG. 5 following application of the one or more filters, according to an exemplary embodiment. The event classifier 416 can be configured to compute an upper Pareto frontier 602 and/or a lower Pareto frontier 604 within the graphical representation 600. The event classifier 416 can be configured to compute the upper Pareto frontier 602 by determining maximum dominate data points within the filtered dataset. Similarly, the event classifier 416 can be configured to compute the lower Pareto frontier 604 by determining minimum dominate data points within the filtered dataset. The event classifier 416 can be configured to analyze each of the data points 502 in the filtered dataset. (70) Generally speaking, Pareto analysis solves an optimization problem. The event classifier 416 analyzes the dataset to determine optimal solutions. The event classifier 416 defines an order or relation on the data points within the dataset. In a bidirectional case where maximization of objectives is of importance, for two data points [(3,4) and (2,4)], (3,4) dominates (2,4) because 3>=2 and 4>=4. In a bidirectional case where minimization of objectives is of importance, for two data points [(1,2) and (3,4)], (1,2) dominates (3,4) because 1<=3 and 2<=4. In a Pareto frontier, each of the dominant data points are a set of multi-objective solutions which are not dominated by any other existing solution, or a set of optimal or undominated solutions. (71) The event classifier 416 can determine the maximum and minimum dominant data points. The event classifier 416 can connect the maximum dominant points to form the upper Pareto frontier 602, and connect the minimum dominant points to form the lower Pareto frontier 604. (72) Referring now to FIG. 7, a graphical representation 700 including upper and lower Pareto centroids 702, 704 and a midpoint 706 for the filtered dataset is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. The event classifier 416 can be configured to compute the upper Pareto centroid, C.sub.UPF, 702 for the upper Pareto frontier 602 and the lower Pareto centroid, C.sub.LPF, 704 for the lower Pareto centroid 604. The event classifier 416 may compute the upper Pareto centroid 702 by averaging the data points located along the upper Pareto frontier 602. Continuing the example shown in FIG. 6, the upper Pareto frontier 602 includes data points at (3,16), (6,15), (8,10), (9,7), and (10,2). The event classifier 416 can be configured to compute the average for the x values—e.g., (3+6+8+9+10)/5, or 7.7—and the average for the y values—e.g., (16+15+10+7+2)/5, or 10. The event classifier 416 can define the upper Pareto centroid 702 as the average x and y values, or (7.7, 10). Similarly, the event classifier 416 may compute the lower Pareto centroid 704 by averaging the data points located along the lower Pareto frontier 604. Continuing the example in FIG. 6, the lower Pareto frontier 604 includes data points at (0,4), (1,1), and (2,0). The event classifier 415 can be configured to compute the average for the x values—e.g., (0+1+2)/3, or 1—and the average for they values—e.g., (4+1+0)/3, or 1.33. The event classifier 416 can define the lower Pareto centroid 704 as the average x and y values, or (1, 1.33). (73) The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate the midpoint, C.sub.MPF,706 between the upper Pareto centroid 702 and lower Pareto centroid 704. The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate the midpoint 706 by averaging the x values for the upper Pareto centroid 702 and lower Pareto centroid 704—e.g., (7.7+1)/2, or 4.35—and averaging the y values for the upper Pareto centroid 702 and lower Pareto centroid 704—e.g., (10+1.33)/2, or 5.66. The event classifier 416 can define the midpoint 706 as the average x and y values, or (4.35, 5.66). (74) The event classifier 416 can be configured to define a number of statistical dividers in the dataset. The event classifier 416 can be configured to define the statistical dividers in several different ways, some of which will be described herein. The event classifier 416 can assign rankings to each of the data points in the dataset according to their location in relation to the statistical dividers, as described in greater detail below. (75) Referring now to FIG. 8, a graphical representation 800 of the dataset including a plurality of statistical dividers 802-810 is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the statistical dividers 802-810 are hyperplanes—though, as described in greater detail below, the statistical dividers may take different shapes. In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 can be configured to define an upper statistical divider 802, a lower statistical divider 804, and a middle statistical divider 806. The event classifier 416 may construct the statistical dividers 802-806 to extend parallel to one another (e.g., be equidistant from one another) and in relation to at least one of the upper Pareto centroid C.sub.UPF 702, the lower Pareto centroid C.sub.UPF 704, and/or the midpoint C.sub.MPF 706. (76) The event classifier 416 can be configured to select a value, α, which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers. In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 receives the value a via the communications interface 408 from the domain expert device 510. In some embodiments, the value a is a preset value used by the event classifier 416. The value a may have a fixed, or limited, range of possible values. In some embodiments, the value a may be between zero and one (e.g., 0<α<1). In some embodiments, the value a may be between zero and 0.5 (e.g., 0<α<0.5). In some embodiments, the value a may be between zero and 0.25 (e.g., 0<α<0.25). (77) The event classifier 416 can be configured to define the statistical dividers using the value a. In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 defines the statistical dividers by constructing one of the statistical dividers to extend through one of the upper Pareto centroid C.sub.UPF 702, lower Pareto centroid C.sub.LPF 704, and midpoint C.sub.MPF 706. The event classifier 416 may define the remaining statistical dividers by performing shifts from the constructed statistical divider. (78) In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 can be configured to first define middle statistical divider 806. The event classifier 416 may define the middle statistical divider 806 as extending through the midpoint C.sub.MPF 706. The middle statistical divider 806 may have a slope of (−1). The event classifier 416 may define the upper statistical divider 802 and lower statistical divider 804 in relation to the middle statistical divider 806. The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate a centroid C.sub.VH for the upper statistical divider 802 as C.sub.VH=(1+2α)C.sub.MPF. The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate a centroid C.sub.VL for the lower statistical divider 804 as C.sub.VL=(1−2α)C.sub.MPF. In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate a centroid C.sub.H for the middle upper statistical divider 808 as C.sub.H=(1+α)C.sub.MPF, and a centroid C.sub.L for the middle lower statistical divider 810 as C.sub.L=(1−α)C.sub.MPF. The event classifier 416 can be configured to define each of the statistical dividers (e.g., the upper statistical divider 802, the middle upper statistical divider 808, the middle lower statistical divider 810, and the lower statistical divider 804) in relation to the middle statistical divider 806. Each of the statistical dividers 802-804 and 808-810 as extending parallel to the middle statistical divider 806 and through their corresponding centroids (e.g., V.sub.VH, C.sub.VL, C.sub.H, and C.sub.L respectively). Such embodiments and examples are shown in FIG. 8. (79) Referring now to FIG. 9, another example graphical representation 900 of the dataset including a plurality of statistical dividers 902-910 is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the statistical dividers 902-910 take the shape of one of the Pareto curves. Hence, the statistical dividers 902-910 are themselves Pareto curves. In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 can be configured to first define the upper statistical divider 902. The event classifier 416 may define the upper statistical divider UPF.sub.D 902 along the upper Pareto frontier 602. In this embodiment, the upper statistical divider 902 follows along the upper Pareto frontier 602. The event classifier 416 may define the middle upper statistical divider 908, middle statistical divider 906, the middle lower statistical divider 910, and lower statistical divider 904 in relation to the upper statistical divider 802. The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate data points for the middle upper statistical divider 908 according to UPF.sub.H=(1−α) UPF.sub.D. The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate data points for the middle statistical divider 906 according to UPF.sub.M=(1−2α) UPF.sub.D. The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate data points for the middle lower statistical divider 910 according to UPF.sub.L=(1−3α) UPF.sub.D. The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate data points for the lower statistical divider 904 according to UPF.sub.VL=(1−4α) UPF.sub.D. (80) In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 can be configured to first define the lower statistical divider 904. The event classifier 416 may define the lower statistical divider UPF.sub.A 904 along the lower Pareto frontier 604. In this embodiment, the lower statistical divider 904 follows along the lower Pareto frontier 604. The event classifier 416 may define the upper statistical divider 902, middle upper statistical divider 908, middle statistical divider 906, and the middle lower statistical divider 910 in relation to the lower statistical divider 904. The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate data points for the upper statistical divider 902 according to UPF.sub.VH=(1+4α) UPF.sub.A. The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate data points for the middle upper statistical divider 902 according to UPF.sub.VH=(1+3α). The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate data points for the middle statistical divider 906 according to UPF.sub.M=(1+2α) UPF.sub.D. The event classifier 416 can be configured to calculate data points for the middle lower statistical divider 910 according to UPF.sub.L=(1+α) UPF.sub.D. (81) Referring back to FIG. 4, the event classifier 416 can be configured to assign a ranking to each of the data points in the dataset (e.g., the full dataset prior to any filtering described above). The event calculator 416 can be configured to assign the ranking to each of the data points based on their location in relation to the statistical dividers defined by the event calculator 416 and described above. The possible rankings may be defined by the number of statistical dividers. For instance, continuing the example above, the event calculator 416 can select a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low since there are five statistical dividers. However, the number of rankings may increase or decrease in accordance with the number of statistical dividers. (82) The event classifier 416 can be configured to analyze the location of each data point in relation to the statistical dividers. In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 is configured to determine a proximity of a given data point in relation to the statistical dividers. The event classifier 416 can be configured to assign a ranking to the data point corresponding to the statistical divider nearest to the data point. For instance, where a given data point is located nearest to the upper statistical divider, the data point may be assigned a very high ranking, where a given data point is located nearest to the middle upper statistical divider, the data point may be assigned a high ranking, where a given data point is located nearest to the middle statistical divider, the data point may be assigned a middle ranking, where a given data point is located nearest to the middle lower statistical divider, the data point may be assigned a low ranking, and where a given data point is located nearest to the lower statistical divider, the data point may be assigned a very low ranking. (83) In some embodiments, the event classifier 416 assigns a ranking to a data point based on which statistical dividers the data point is located between. For instance, where a given data point is located between the upper and middle upper statistical dividers, the data point may be assigned a very high ranking, where a given data point is located between the middle upper and middle statistical dividers, the data point may be assigned a high ranking, where a given data point is located between the middle and middle lower statistical dividers, the data point may be assigned a middle ranking, where a given data point is located between the middle lower and lower statistical dividers, the data point may be assigned a low ranking, and where a given data point is located beneath lower statistical divider, the data point may be assigned a very low ranking. As another example, where a given data point is located above the upper statistical divider, the data point may be assigned a very high ranking, where a given data point is located between the upper and middle upper statistical dividers, the data point may be assigned a high ranking, where a given data point is located between the middle upper and middle statistical dividers, the data point may be assigned a middle ranking, where a given data point is located between the middle and middle lower statistical dividers, the data point may be assigned a low ranking, where a given data point is located between the middle lower and lower statistical dividers, the data point may be assigned a very low ranking. (84) The interface system 308 can be configured provide, provision, or otherwise render a monitoring dashboard to the user device 314 (e.g., on a display for the user device 314). The interface system 308 is shown to include a dashboard generator 424. The dashboard generator 424 can be configured to receive the rankings from the event classifier 416. The dashboard generator 424 can be configured to generate the monitoring dashboard. The monitoring dashboard may be, for instance, a listing of rankings for each of the alarm panels 302. The monitoring dashboard may be a listing of rankings for a subset of the alarm panels 302. For instance, the monitoring dashboard may be configured to identify those alarm panels 302 having a ranking which is higher than a middle ranking, higher than a high ranking, etc. The dashboard generator 424 can be configured to communicate the monitoring dashboard (or various information or data for rendering the monitoring dashboard) to the user device 314 for rendering. An end user may view the monitoring dashboard and may replace or modify various security sensors, increase security measures by adding additional security sensors, etc. (85) Referring now to FIG. 10, a flow diagram of a process 1000 that can be performed by the alarm analysis system 310 for analyzing the alarm panels 302 is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. The alarm analysis system 310 can be configured to perform the process 1000. Furthermore, any one or combination of the computing devices described herein can be configured to perform the process 1000. (86) In step 1005, the alarm analysis system 310 can receive a plurality of alarm events 414 from respective alarm panels 302. In some embodiments, the alarm analysis system 310 can receive the plurality of alarm events 414 from the respective alarm panels 302 via the communications interface 408. The communications interface 408 may be communicably coupled to the plurality of alarm panels 302 at respective buildings 10. Hence, the communications interface 408 may be configured to receive alarm events 414 from the alarm panels 302. In some embodiments, the alarm events 414 may indicate an alarm type. (87) In step 1010, the alarm analysis system 310 can classify the alarm panels 302 according to the plurality of alarm events 414. The process for classifying the alarm panels 302 is described with reference to steps 1015-1035. It is noted that, while showing as being sub-processes of step 1010, in some embodiments, some of the steps 1015-1035 may be performed separately from or outside of step 1010. (88) In step 1015, the alarm analysis system 310 can identify an alarm type. The alarm analysis system 310 may identify an alarm type for each of the alarm events 414. The alarm analysis system 310 may identify an alarm type for a subset of the alarm events 414. The alarm events 414 may indicate (or include data which indicates) the alarm type. The alarm analysis system 310 may identify the alarm type based on the alarm events 414 (or data from the alarm events 414). (89) In step 1020, the alarm analysis system 310 can determine a number of occurrences of each alarm type for the alarm panels 302. The alarm analysis system 310 may determine the number of occurrences of each alarm type for each of the alarm panels 302. The alarm analysis system 310 may determine the number of occurrences of each alarm type for a subset of the alarm panels 302. The alarm analysis 310 may compute the number of occurrences of each alarm type by maintaining a ledger of the alarm types identified at step 1015. The alarm analysis system 310 may determine the number of occurrences based on the data contained in the ledger. (90) In step 1025, the alarm analysis system 310 can generate a data point for a data set corresponding to the alarm panels 302. The data point may represent the number of occurrences of the alarm types for a respective alarm panel 302. The alarm analysis system 310 may generate the data point using the determined number of occurrences of each alarm type (e.g., at step 1020). The alarm analysis system 310 may generate the data point with a structure such that each representation of the alarm panels 302 in a data point have a similar structure. For instance, where an alarm panel 302 has three occurrences of burglary alarms and two occurrences of hold-up alarms, the alarm analysis system 310 may generate a data point of (3, 2) which represents the alarm panel 302. (91) In step 1030, the alarm analysis system 310 can identify statistical dividers in the data points for the dataset. The statistical dividers may define a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset. The alarm analysis system 310 can perform Pareto analysis to determine, for instance, a Pareto frontier. The alarm analysis system 310 can determine a centroid for the Pareto frontier. The alarm analysis system 310 may identify the statistical dividers based on the location of the centroid and/or the determined Pareto frontier. In some embodiments, the alarm analysis system 310 can determine two Pareto frontiers (e.g., a minimum [or lower] Pareto frontier and maximum [or upper] Pareto frontier). The alarm analysis system 310 can determine a centroid for the two Pareto frontiers and a midpoint between the two centroids. The alarm analysis system 310 may identify the statistical dividers in relation to the two centroids and/or the midpoint. (92) In step 1035, the alarm analysis system 310 can assign a ranking for the alarm panels 302 based on their respective location in relation to the statistical dividers. In some embodiments, the alarm analysis system 310 may assign a ranking of very high, high, medium, low, or very low based on the corresponding data point's location with respect to the statistical dividers. The alarm analysis system 310 may assign a ranking to the alarm panels 302 based on which statistical divider the corresponding data point is located nearest to. The alarm analysis system 310 may assign a ranking to the alarm panels 302 based on which statistical dividers the data point located between. (93) In step 1040, the alarm analysis system 310 can construct a monitoring dashboard which includes the ranking of the alarm panels 302 according to the classification of the alarm panels. In some embodiments, the alarm analysis system 310 can construct the monitoring dashboard to include the ranking of each of the alarm panels 302. In some embodiments, the alarm analysis system 310 can construct the monitoring dashboard to include the ranking of a subset of (including but not limited to one of) the alarm panels 302. The alarm analysis system 310 can construct the monitoring dashboard to list alarm panels 302 having a ranking which exceeds a threshold ranking (e.g., medium ranking, high ranking, etc.). (94) In step 1045, the alarm analysis system 310 can cause the monitoring dashboard to be rendered on a display to an end user. The alarm analysis system 310 can communicate data corresponding to the monitoring dashboard (e.g., constructed at step 1040) to a user device 314. The user device 314 may then render the monitoring dashboard on the display for the user device 314. The user device 314 may display the monitoring dashboard to indicate the ranking of each (or a subset) of the alarm panels. The user viewing the monitoring dashboard may then service the alarm panels. (95) Configuration of Exemplary Embodiments (96) The construction and arrangement of the systems and methods as shown in the various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.). For example, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. (97) The present disclosure contemplates methods, systems and program products on any machine-readable media for accomplishing various operations. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using existing computer processors, or by a special purpose computer processor for an appropriate system, incorporated for this or another purpose, or by a hardwired system. Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure include program products comprising machine-readable media for carrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such machine-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way of example, such machine-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. When information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a machine, the machine properly views the connection as a machine-readable medium. Thus, any such connection is properly termed a machine-readable medium. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of machine-readable media. Machine-executable instructions include, for example, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions. (98) Although the figures show a specific order of method steps, the order of the steps may differ from what is depicted. Also two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Such variation will depend on the software and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, software implementations could be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule based logic and other logic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps and decision steps. ### Claims 1. A system for analyzing alarm panels, the system comprising: a communications interface communicably coupled to a plurality of alarm panels at respective buildings, the communications interface configured to receive alarm events from the alarm panels, the alarm events indicating an alarm type; and a processing circuit configured to: receive, via the communications interface, a plurality of alarm events from the respective alarm panels; classify each of the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events by: identifying, for the alarm events, an alarm type; determining, for the alarm panels, a number of occurrences of each alarm type; generating, for the alarm panels, a data point for a dataset, the data point representing the number of occurrences of the alarm types for a respective alarm panel; identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points, the statistical dividers defining a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset; and assign a ranking for the alarm panels based on their respective location in relation to the statistical dividers; construct a monitoring dashboard which includes the ranking of the alarm panels according to the classification of the alarm panels; and cause the monitoring dashboard to be rendered on a display to an end user, the monitoring dashboard indicating the ranking of the alarm panels. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the statistical dividers are parallel and equidistant from one another. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying the statistical dividers in the data points comprises: applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers; computing an upper Pareto frontier within the dataset; computing a lower Pareto frontier within the dataset; computing an upper centroid for the upper Pareto frontier, a lower centroid for the lower Pareto frontier, and a midpoint for the upper centroid and lower centroid; and defining the statistical dividers including an upper statistical divider, a lower statistical divider, and a middle statistical divider in relation to at least one of the upper centroid, lower centroid, and midpoint. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein computing the upper centroid, the lower centroid, and the midpoint comprises: computing the upper centroid, C.sub.UPF, for the upper Pareto frontier; computing the lower centroid, C.sub.LPF, for the lower Pareto frontier; computing the midpoint, C.sub.MPF, between the upper centroid and lower centroid according to C.sub.MPF=(C.sub.UPF+C.sub.LPF)/2. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein identifying the statistical dividers comprises: selecting a value, α, between 0 and 0.5 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers; defining an upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VH, as C.sub.VH=(1+2α)C.sub.MPF; defining a lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VL, as C.sub.VL=(1−2α)C.sub.MPF; defining the middle statistical divider, which bisects the midpoint; defining the upper statistical divider and lower statistical divider as extending through the upper statistical divider centroid and lower statistical centroid and extending parallel to the middle statistical divider. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein identifying the statistical dividers further comprises: defining a middle upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.H, as C.sub.H=(1+α)C.sub.MPF; and defining a middle lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.L, as C.sub.L=(1−α)C.sub.MPF. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider; and separator assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying the statistical dividers in the data points comprises: applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers to generate a filtered dataset D; computing an upper Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.D) for the filtered dataset D; selecting a value, α, between 0 and 0.25 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers; and computing a plurality of lower Pareto frontiers including a very high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VH), a high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.H), a middle Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.M), a low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.L), and a very low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VL) according to: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.VH=UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.H=(1−α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.M=(1−2α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.L=(1−3α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.VL=(1−4α)UPF.sub.D;in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? wherein the upper statistical divider is UPF.sub.VH, the lower statistical divider is UPF.sub.VL, the middle statistical divider is UPF.sub.M, and wherein define the statistical dividers further include an upper middle statistical divider UPF.sub.H and a lower middle statistical divider UPF.sub.L. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider; and assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, which statistical divider a data point is located between from the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider; and assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to the data point based on which statistical divider the data point is located between. 11. A method for analyzing alarm panels, the system comprising: receiving, via a communications interface communicably coupled to a plurality of alarm panels at respective buildings, a plurality of alarm events from the respective alarm panels, wherein the communications interface is configured to receive alarm events from the alarm panels, the alarm events indicating an alarm type; classifying the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events by: identifying, for the alarm events, an alarm type; determining, for the alarm panels, a number of occurrences of each alarm type; generating, for the alarm panels, a data point for a dataset, the data point representing the number of occurrences of the alarm types for a respective alarm panel; identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points, the statistical dividers defining a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset; and assigning a ranking for the alarm panels based on their respective location in relation to the statistical dividers; constructing a monitoring dashboard which includes the ranking of the alarm panels according to the classification of the alarm panels; and causing the monitoring dashboard to be rendered on a display to an end user, the monitoring dashboard indicating the ranking of the alarm panels. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the statistical dividers are parallel and equidistant from one another. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying the statistical dividers in the data points comprises: applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers; computing an upper Pareto frontier within the dataset; computing a lower Pareto frontier within the dataset; computing an upper centroid for the upper Pareto frontier, a lower centroid for the lower Pareto frontier, and a midpoint for the upper centroid and lower centroid; and defining the statistical dividers including an upper statistical divider, a lower statistical divider, and a middle statistical divider in relation to at least one of the upper centroid, lower centroid, and midpoint. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein computing the upper centroid, the lower centroid, and the midpoint comprises: computing the upper centroid, C.sub.UPF, for the upper Pareto frontier; computing the lower centroid, C.sub.LPF, for the lower Pareto frontier; computing the midpoint, C.sub.MPF, between the upper centroid and lower centroid according to C.sub.MPF=(C.sub.UPF+C.sub.LPF)/2. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying the statistical dividers comprises: selecting a value, α, between 0 and 0.5 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers; defining an upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VH, as C.sub.VH=(1+2α)C.sub.MPF; defining a middle upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.H, as C.sub.H=(1+α)C.sub.MPF; defining a middle lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.L, as C.sub.L=(1−α)C.sub.MPF; defining a lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VL, as C.sub.VL=(1−2α)C.sub.MPF; defining the middle statistical divider, which bisects the midpoint; and defining the upper statistical divider, a middle upper statistical divider, a middle lower statistical divider, and the lower statistical divider, which extend through the upper statistical divider centroid, the middle upper statistical divider centroid, the middle lower statistical divider centroid, and the lower statistical divider centroid, and parallel to the middle statistical divider. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider, each data point; and assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location. 17. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying the statistical dividers in the data points comprises: applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers to generate a filtered dataset D; computing an upper Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.D) for the filtered dataset D; selecting a value, α, between 0 and 0.25 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers; and computing a plurality of lower Pareto frontiers including a very high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VH), a high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.H), a middle Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.M), a low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.L), and a very low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VL) according to: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.VH=UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.H=(1−α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.M=(1−2α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.L=(1−3α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.VL=(1−4α)UPF.sub.D;in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? wherein the upper statistical divider is UPF.sub.VH, the lower statistical divider is UPF.sub.VL, the middle statistical divider is UPF.sub.M, and wherein define the statistical dividers further include an upper middle statistical divider UPF.sub.H and a lower middle statistical divider UPF.sub.L. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider; and assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, which statistical divider a data point is located between from the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider; and assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to the data point based on which statistical divider the data point is located between. 20. A computing device for analyzing alarm panels, the computing device comprising: a processing circuit including a processor and memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive, via a communications interface communicably coupled to a plurality of alarm panels at respective buildings, a plurality of alarm events from the respective alarm panels, wherein the communications interface is configured to receive alarm events from the alarm panels, the alarm events indicating an alarm type; classify the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events by: identifying, for the alarm events, an alarm type; determining, for the alarm panels, a number of occurrences of each alarm type; generating, for the alarm panels, a data point for a dataset, the data point representing the number of occurrences of the alarm types for a respective alarm panel; identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points, the statistical dividers defining a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset; and assigning a ranking for the alarm panels based on their respective location in relation to the statistical dividers; construct a monitoring dashboard which includes the ranking of the alarm panels according to the classification of the alarm panels; and cause the monitoring dashboard to be rendered on a display to an end user, the monitoring dashboard. .Iadd.21. A system for analyzing alarm panels, the system comprising: a communications interface communicably coupled to a plurality of alarm panels at respective buildings, the communications interface configured to receive alarm events from the alarm panels, the alarm events indicating an alarm type; and a processing circuit configured to: receive, via the communications interface, a plurality of alarm events from the respective alarm panels; classify each of the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events by: identifying, for the alarm events, an alarm type; determining, for the alarm panels, a number of occurrences of each alarm type; generating, for the alarm panels, a data point for a dataset, the data point representing the number of occurrences of the alarm types for a respective alarm panel; and assign a ranking for the alarm panels based on the respective data points within the dataset; construct a monitoring dashboard which includes the ranking of the alarm panels according to the classification of the alarm panels; and cause the monitoring dashboard to be rendered on a display to an end user, the monitoring dashboard indicating the ranking of the alarm panels..Iaddend. .Iadd.22. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to classify each of the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events by identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points, the statistical dividers defining a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset, wherein the statistical dividers are parallel and equidistant from one another..Iaddend. .Iadd.23. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to classify each of the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events by identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points, the statistical dividers defining a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset, wherein identifying the statistical dividers in the data points comprises: applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers; computing an upper Pareto frontier within the dataset; computing a lower Pareto frontier within the dataset; computing an upper centroid for the upper Pareto frontier, a lower centroid for the lower Pareto frontier, and a midpoint for the upper centroid and lower centroid; and defining the statistical dividers including an upper statistical divider, a lower statistical divider, and a middle statistical divider in relation to at least one of the upper centroid, lower centroid, and midpoint..Iaddend. .Iadd.24. The system of claim 23, wherein computing the upper centroid, the lower centroid, and the midpoint comprises: computing the upper centroid, C.sub.UPF, for the upper Pareto frontier; computing the lower centroid, C.sub.LPF, for the lower Pareto frontier; computing the midpoint, C.sub.MPF, between the upper centroid and lower centroid according to C.sub.MPF=(C.sub.UPF+C.sub.LPF)/2..Iaddend. .Iadd.25. The system of claim 24, wherein identifying the statistical dividers comprises: selecting a value, α, between 0 and 0.5 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers; defining an upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VH, as C.sub.VH=(1+2α)C.sub.MPF; defining a lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VL, as C.sub.VL=(1−2α)C.sub.MPF; defining the middle statistical divider, which bisects the midpoint; defining the upper statistical divider and lower statistical divider as extending through the upper statistical divider centroid and lower statistical centroid and extending parallel to the middle statistical divider..Iaddend. .Iadd.26. The system of claim 25, wherein identifying the statistical dividers further comprises: defining a middle upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.H, as C.sub.H=(1+α)C.sub.MPF; and defining a middle lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.L, as C.sub.L=(1−α)C.sub.MPF..Iaddend. .Iadd.27. The system of claim 26, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider; and separator assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location..Iaddend. .Iadd.28. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to classify each of the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events by identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points, the statistical dividers defining a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset, wherein identifying the statistical dividers in the data points comprises: applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers to generate a filtered dataset D; computing an upper Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.D) for the filtered dataset D; selecting a value, α, between 0 and 0.25 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers; and computing a plurality of lower Pareto frontiers including a very high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VH), a high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.H), a middle Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.M), a low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.L), and a very low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VL) according to: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.VH=UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.H=(1−α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.M=(1−2α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.L=(1−3α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.VL=(1−4α)UPF.sub.D;in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? wherein the upper statistical divider is UPF.sub.VH, the lower statistical divider is UPF.sub.VL, the middle statistical divider is UPF.sub.M, and wherein define the statistical dividers further include an upper middle statistical divider UPF.sub.H and a lower middle statistical divider UPF.sub.L..Iaddend. .Iadd.29. The system of claim 28, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider; and assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location..Iaddend. .Iadd.30. The system of claim 28, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, which statistical divider a data point is located between from the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider; and assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to the data point based on which statistical divider the data point is located between..Iaddend. .Iadd.31. A method for analyzing alarm panels, the system comprising: receiving, via a communications interface communicably coupled to a plurality of alarm panels at respective buildings, a plurality of alarm events from the respective alarm panels, wherein the communications interface is configured to receive alarm events from the alarm panels, the alarm events indicating an alarm type; classifying the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events by: identifying, for the alarm events, an alarm type; determining, for the alarm panels, a number of occurrences of each alarm type; generating, for the alarm panels, a data point for a dataset, the data point representing the number of occurrences of the alarm types for a respective alarm panel; and assigning a ranking for the alarm panels based on the respective data points within the dataset; constructing a monitoring dashboard which includes the ranking of the alarm panels according to the classification of the alarm panels; and causing the monitoring dashboard to be rendered on a display to an end user, the monitoring dashboard indicating the ranking of the alarm panels..Iaddend. .Iadd.32. The method of claim 31, wherein classifying the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events further comprises identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points, the statistical dividers defining a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset, wherein the statistical dividers are parallel and equidistant from one another..Iaddend. .Iadd.33. The method of claim 31, wherein classifying the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events further comprises identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points, the statistical dividers defining a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset, wherein identifying the statistical dividers in the data points comprises: applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers; computing an upper Pareto frontier within the dataset; computing a lower Pareto frontier within the dataset; computing an upper centroid for the upper Pareto frontier, a lower centroid for the lower Pareto frontier, and a midpoint for the upper centroid and lower centroid; and defining the statistical dividers including an upper statistical divider, a lower statistical divider, and a middle statistical divider in relation to at least one of the upper centroid, lower centroid, and midpoint..Iaddend. .Iadd.34. The method of claim 33, wherein computing the upper centroid, the lower centroid, and the midpoint comprises: computing the upper centroid, C.sub.UPF, for the upper Pareto frontier; computing the lower centroid, C.sub.LPF, for the lower Pareto frontier; computing the midpoint, C.sub.MPF, between the upper centroid and lower centroid according to C.sub.MPF=(C.sub.UPF+C.sub.LPF)/2..Iaddend. .Iadd.35. The method of claim 34, wherein identifying the statistical dividers comprises: selecting a value, α, between 0 and 0.5 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers; defining an upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VH, as C.sub.VH=(1+2α)C.sub.MPF; defining a middle upper statistical divider centroid, C.sub.H, as C.sub.H=(1+α)C.sub.MPF; defining a middle lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.L, as C.sub.L=(1−α)C.sub.MPF; defining a lower statistical divider centroid, C.sub.VL, as C.sub.VL=(1−2α)C.sub.MPF; defining the middle statistical divider, which bisects the midpoint; and defining the upper statistical divider, a middle upper statistical divider, a middle lower statistical divider, and the lower statistical divider, which extend through the upper statistical divider centroid, the middle upper statistical divider centroid, the middle lower statistical divider centroid, and the lower statistical divider centroid, and parallel to the middle statistical divider..Iaddend. .Iadd.36. The method of claim 35, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider, each data point; and assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location..Iaddend. .Iadd.37. The method of claim 31, wherein classifying the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events further comprises identifying, for the dataset, statistical dividers in the data points, the statistical dividers defining a separation of rankings for the data points within the dataset, wherein identifying the statistical dividers in the data points comprises: applying a filter to the data points of the dataset which removes zeros and outliers to generate a filtered dataset D; computing an upper Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.D) for the filtered dataset D; selecting a value, α, between 0 and 0.25 which defines a spacing between the statistical dividers; and computing a plurality of lower Pareto frontiers including a very high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VH), a high Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.H), a middle Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.M), a low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.L), and a very low Pareto frontier (UPF.sub.VL) according to: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.VH=UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.H=(1−α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.M=(1−2α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.L=(1−3α)UPF.sub.D in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"?UPF.sub.VL=(1−4α)UPF.sub.D;in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? wherein the upper statistical divider is UPF.sub.VH, the lower statistical divider is UPF.sub.VL, the middle statistical divider is UPF.sub.M, and wherein define the statistical dividers further include an upper middle statistical divider UPF.sub.H and a lower middle statistical divider UPF.sub.L..Iaddend. .Iadd.38. The method of claim 37, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, a relative location to the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider; and assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to each data point according to the relative location..Iaddend. .Iadd.39. The method of claim 37, wherein assigning the ranking comprises: determining, for each data point in the dataset D, which statistical divider a data point is located between from the upper statistical divider, upper middle statistical divider, middle statistical divider, lower middle statistical divider, and lower statistical divider; and assigning a ranking of very high, high, middle, low, and very low to the data point based on which statistical divider the data point is located between..Iaddend. .Iadd.40. A computing device for analyzing alarm panels, the computing device comprising: a processing circuit including a processor and memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive, via a communications interface communicably coupled to a plurality of alarm panels at respective buildings, a plurality of alarm events from the respective alarm panels, wherein the communications interface is configured to receive alarm events from the alarm panels, the alarm events indicating an alarm type; classify the alarm panels according to the plurality of alarm events by: identifying, for the alarm events, an alarm type; determining, for the alarm panels, a number of occurrences of each alarm type; generating, for the alarm panels, a data point for a dataset, the data point representing the number of occurrences of the alarm types for a respective alarm panel; and assigning a ranking for the alarm panels based on the respective data points within the dataset; construct a monitoring dashboard which includes the ranking of the alarm panels according to the classification of the alarm panels; and cause the monitoring dashboard to be rendered on a display to an end user, the monitoring dashboard..Iaddend.	RE49864	US RE49864 E	2024-03-05	69,590,810	Automated alarm panel classification using pareto optimization	G08B29/185;G08B19/00;G08B25/14;G08B25/007;G06F17/18	G08B25/08	Razak; Abdul et al.	JOHNSON CONTROLS TYCO IP HOLDINGS LLP	17/680092	2022-02-24	Sager; Mark		1/1	Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP	7.65917	USPAT	28,070
United States Reissue Patent RE49968 Kind Code E Date of Reissued Patent May 14, 2024 Inventor(s) Ebrahimi; Armin et al. ## Electronic identification verification methods and systems with storage of certification records to a side chain ### Abstract Method of certification including receiving user data at a device of a certifying entity. The method includes generating a salt that is unique. The method includes hashing the data combined with the salt to create a generated hashed data. The method includes generating a certification record based on signing the generated hashed data using a private key of the certifying entity to create a signed certification of the data. The method includes hashing the certification record. The method includes transmitting the hashed certification record to a blockchain for storing. The method includes receiving a certification tx-ID of the hashed certification record. The method includes generating a certification data block including the certification record and the certification tx-ID. The method includes storing the certification data block to a side chain. Inventors: Ebrahimi; Armin (Los Gatos, CA), Khot; Gaurav (Cupertino, CA), Reshetnikov; Vladimir (San Jose, CA), Gadbois; Robert (Los Gatos, CA) Applicant: Ping Identity Corporation (Denver, CO) Family ID: 90971897 Assignee: Ping Identity Corporation (Denver, CO) Appl. No.: 17/752536 Filed: May 24, 2022 ### Related U.S. Application Data continuation-in-part parent-doc US 15890333 20180206 US 10498541 20191203 child-doc US 17752536 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06K7/14 (20060101); G06F7/58 (20060101); G06Q20/06 (20120101); G06Q20/38 (20120101); H04L9/00 (20220101); H04L9/06 (20060101); H04L9/32 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06K7/1417 (20130101); G06Q20/065 (20130101); G06Q20/38215 (20130101); G06Q20/3827 (20130101); H04L9/0643 (20130101); H04L9/3236 (20130101); H04L9/3247 (20130101); H04L9/3263 (20130101); H04L9/3297 (20130101); G06F7/588 (20130101); G06Q2220/00 (20130101); H04L9/50 (20220501) ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06Q (20/065); G06Q (20/3827); G06Q (20/38215); G06Q (2220/00); G06K (7/1417); G06F (7/588); H04L (9/50); H04L (9/0643); H04L (9/3236); H04L (9/3247); H04L (9/3263); H04L (9/3297) ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 5005200 12/1990 Fischer N/A N/A 5901229 12/1998 Fujisaki et al. N/A N/A 5923763 12/1998 Walker et al. N/A N/A 5996076 12/1998 Rowney et al. N/A N/A 6088717 12/1999 Reed et al. N/A N/A 6310966 12/2000 Dulude et al. 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No. 15/890,333, filed on Feb. 6, 2018, entitled "Electronic Identification Verification Methods and Systems".Iadd., now U.S. Pat. No. 10,498,541.Iaddend.; which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/455,199, filed on Feb. 6, 2017, entitled "Electronic Identification Verification Methods and Systems"; and claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/596,434, filed on Dec. 8, 2017, entitled "Method And Systems For Creating And Decrypting A Secure Envelope Whose Sender Can Be Verified On The Blockchain"; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. TECHNICAL FIELD (1) The present embodiments relate to methods, systems, and programs for managing the identify of users and of identifying those users to third parties, and more particularly, providing a certification of the identity of a user using a salt to obfuscate. BACKGROUND (2) Identity theft causes tens of billions of dollars in losses every year. In an effort to combat identity theft, systems and methods for identifying users to third parties have been developed. In particular, user identity may be achieved through presentation of some form of identification card, such as a government issued ID. Further, a certification process may be performed to certify that form of identification. However, this certification process may not be secure as certifications may be discoverable, such that a certification may be associated with a particular user. Users may wish to keep valuable certifications secret. (3) It would be advantageous to have a more secure system and method for managing the identity of users and of identifying users to third parties, such as when certifying a user. (4) It is in this context that embodiments arise. SUMMARY (5) The present embodiments relate to solving one or more problems found in the related art, and specifically to provide for login without requiring a user to enter a username and password. In particular, methods and systems are presented for certification of data previously registered to a blockchain, wherein the certification is obfuscated using a salt that is unique. It should be appreciated that the present embodiments can be implemented in numerous ways, such as a method, an apparatus, a system, a device, or a computer program on a computer readable medium. Several embodiments are described below. (6) In one embodiment, a method for certification is performed. The method includes receiving data of a user at a certification device of a certifying entity. The method includes receiving a registration tx-ID of the data, wherein the registration tx-ID is generated from a blockchain in response to receiving and storing a signed hash value of the data for registration. The signed hash value being signed using a private key of the user, and wherein the hash value of the data is generated using a registration hash algorithm. The method includes generating a salt that is random and/or unique. The method includes hashing the data combined with the salt using a certification hash algorithm to create a generated hashed data. The method includes signing the generated hashed data using a private key of the certifying entity to create a signed certification of the data. The method includes transmitting the signed certification of the data to a blockchain for storing. The method includes receiving a certification tx-ID of the signed certification of the data. The method includes writing the certification record to a side chain and hash of the data to a second blockchain. The method includes writing multiple certification records to a side chain and hash of each certification record combined in a separate box-car record and the hash of the box-car record written to a second blockchain and then the box-car record written to the side chain. The method includes the side-chain being a private or public blockchain. The method includes the second blockchain being a private or public blockchain. (7) In another embodiment, a method for certification is performed. The method includes receiving user data at a device of a certifying entity. The method includes generating a salt that is unique. The method includes hashing the data combined with the salt to create a generated hashed data. The method includes generating a certification record based on signing the generated hashed data using a private key of the certifying entity to create a signed certification of the data. The method includes hashing the certification record. The method includes transmitting the hashed certification record to a blockchain for storing. The method includes receiving a certification tx-ID of the hashed certification record. The method includes generating a certification data block including the certification record and the certification tx-ID. The method includes storing the certification data block to a side chain. (8) In still another embodiment, another method for certification is performed. The method includes generating a plurality of certification data blocks. Further, the generating for each certification data block includes: receiving data of a user at a certification device of a certifying entity; generating a salt that is unique; hashing the data combined with the salt to create a generated hashed data; signing the generated hashed data using a private key of the certifying entity to create a signed certification of the data that comprises a corresponding certification record; hashing the certification record to generate a corresponding hashed certification record; appending the hashed certification record to a list of hashes in a box car record; receiving a corresponding box car tx-ID for the hashed certification record; and writing the corresponding certification data block and the corresponding box car tx-ID to a side chain. The method further includes reaching a threshold of hashed certification records in the list of hashes. The method includes hashing the list of hashes. The method includes writing the hashed list of hashes to the blockchain. The method includes receiving list tx-ID from the blockchain. The method includes writing the list tx-ID to the box car record. The method includes writing the box car record including the hashed list of hashes and the list tx-ID to the side chain. (9) In another embodiment, a computer system is disclosed, wherein the computer system includes a processor and memory that is coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein instructions that, if executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to execute a method. The method includes receiving user data at a device of a certifying entity. The method includes generating a salt that is unique. The method includes hashing the data combined with the salt to create a generated hashed data. The method includes generating a certification record based on signing the generated hashed data using a private key of the certifying entity to create a signed certification of the data. The method includes hashing the certification record. The method includes transmitting the hashed certification record to a blockchain for storing. The method includes receiving a certification tx-ID of the hashed certification record. The method includes generating a certification data block including the certification record and the certification tx-ID. The method includes storing the certification data block to a side chain. (10) Other aspects will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) The embodiments may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. (2) FIG. 1A illustrates a data flow for registering data in a blockchain, such as for registering user identification, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (3) FIG. 1B illustrates a data flow for certifying the registered data using a blockchain, such as for certifying user identification that is registered with an identity manager, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (4) FIG. 1C illustrates a data flow for verifying the registered data, and for verifying the certification of the registered data, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure (5) FIG. 2 illustrates the implementation of a blockchain to ensure the integrity of the data embedded within, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (6) FIG. 3A illustrates one certification use case, wherein an organization certifies personally identifiable information (PII) data provided by a customer, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (7) FIG. 3B illustrates another certification use case, wherein a university (e.g., certifying entity) is able to certify grades of a corresponding student (e.g., a user), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (8) FIG. 3C illustrates a certification use case, wherein the certification is used to publish and/or deliver data between entities, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (9) FIG. 3D illustrates a certification use case, wherein a user may only wish to share portions of the data that has been previously registered with a blockchain, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (10) FIG. 4A illustrates a data flow for certifying the registered data using a blockchain, such as for certifying user identification that is registered with an identity manager, wherein the certification is further obfuscated using a salt, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (11) FIGS. 4B-1 and 4B-2 show a process for verifying hashed input data and a digital signature, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (12) FIG. 4C shows the secure delivery of the certification record from a certifying entity back to a user, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (13) FIG. 5A is a diagram of the generation of a certification record from data taken as a whole, and the application of a salt value to the certification record, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (14) FIG. 5B is a diagram of the generation of a plurality of certification records from data that is parsed into multiple fields, and the application of corresponding salt values to the certification records, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (15) FIG. 6 illustrates the use of salt values to generate compensation for downstream certifications, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (16) FIG. 7 illustrates the use of a one or more public ledgers to publish and verify seals (e.g., registrations) and certifications to one or more private and/or public ledgers (e.g., blockchains), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (17) FIG. 8 illustrates the use of a one or more public ledgers to publish and verify multiple seals (e.g., registrations) and/or multiple certifications to one or more private and/or public ledgers (e.g., blockchains), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (18) FIG. 9 illustrates the further obfuscation of a certification data block, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (19) FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating a system 1000A for performing registration, verification, validation, and certification of data of a user 5, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (20) FIG. 10B is a flow diagram 1000B illustrating steps in a method for certification, wherein the certification is performed using a salt value to obfuscate the certification, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. (21) FIG. 11 illustrates components of an example device that can be used to perform aspects of the various embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (22) Although the following detailed description contains many specific details for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the aspects of the present disclosure described below are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claims that follow this description. (23) Generally speaking, the various embodiments of the present disclosure describe systems and methods that provide for authenticated login, registration, and call center validation. In particular, embodiments of the present invention allow users to login to websites, services and other portals without the use of usernames or passwords. Further, embodiments of the present invention allow users to remotely validate themselves such that a remote or local operator, such as those at a call center or a teller, can positively authenticate a user in order to gain access to their profiles and other information. Other embodiments of the present disclosure describe systems and methods that provide for certification of user generated data (e.g., biometrics), which can be used for authenticating a user, and for providing access based on the certification. (24) With the above general understanding of the various embodiments, example details of the embodiments will now be described with reference to the various drawings. Similarly numbered elements and/or components in one or more figures are intended to generally have the same configuration and/or functionality. It will be apparent, that the present embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known process operations have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present embodiments. (25) Throughout parts of this specification, various terms are used with similar functionality and definition, unless otherwise defined, and are summarized below. For instance, the term "user" refers to an individual who has identifying credentials. The term "man-in-the-middle" refers to a system or individual listening to communication between two parties in either electronic or analog form. For example, the man-in-the-middle may be a hacker. The term "verifier" refers to a service which is configured to verify some or all of user information associated with a user. The term "certifier" refers to a person or service which is configured to certify the user information (which previously could have been verified and validated). The certifier is configured to produce a certification record, which uniquely further identifies data (e.g., user information), and can be used as proof that certain data belonged to a certain user at the time of the certification according to the certifier. The term "session ID" refers to a unique identifier that may be used throughout an authentication and login process, thereby connecting the devices used in the process, and wherein the session ID may be associated with a communication session that will be established after successful login of a corresponding user. The term "signature" refers to a process by which a user is able to digitally sign data using a public/private key pair. The process of signing data may be protected with access control to the App or device. For example, a Touch ID process previously introduced may be used as the user's permission to allow the App to digitally sign data on the user's behalf. (26) Registration, Validation, and Certification of Data (27) Embodiments of the present invention are based on an identity management platform implementing a technology layer that interacts with a blockchain. The blockchain securely holds data used for certifying identity transactions. In a traditional sense, a blockchain is a technology that forms the heart of the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. In embodiments, the blockchain technology can be used by several integrated systems for purposes other than currency transactions, such as for identity management. There are various implementations of the blockchain beyond what is used in Bitcoin, including but not limited to Ethereum and Hyper-ledger, Litecoin, Bitcoin cash, stellar, etc. The blockchain can be a publicly viewable blockchain, such as Bitcoin, or it can be a private blockchain. (28) In one embodiment, registration (e.g., of a user) (also referred to as validation) is implemented with an identity manager using a blockchain. Further, a certification process may be processed for certifying the registration and/or validation. In one embodiment, to register a user, some form of user identification (e.g., a driver's license or passport) is scanned. One or more fields are extracted, such as your name, license number, passport number, date of birth (or other data), etc. Also, that identifying information can be gathered individually. Further, the identifying information can be gathered manually. Each field is then processed to produce a hash of the data. Optionally, to further obfuscate the original data, the hash can be produced of the original data along with a paired random data to prevent brute-force discovery of the hashed data; in this case, to validate the hash, the data and the random data (e.g., salt) must always be used together. In this example, the private key that is present on the mobile device can be used to create a digital signature of that hash. Each signature of the hash is paired with a name to form the sequence name=value where the value is the signature of the hash. The name field refers to the data type that is in the value. For example DOB=signed.hash(field+Salt) could refer to Date of Birth field with the value as described. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to obfuscate the name portion as well. In such a case, the name field can be appended with a Salt and then hashed. Using this method with the DOB example above, the resulting name=value would be: hash(DOB+Salt1)—signed.hash(field+Salt2). The above process repeats for every field. The signed hash value and optionally the public key of the user are stored to the blockchain; if the public key is not stored on the blockchain, it can be shared through other means when it is necessary to validate the digital signature. In one configuration, the various fields are put together in one record to create an ID (e.g., in the form of a seal) for that user. (29) The user can then provide the raw data along with the corresponding Salts (if Salts are used) with a public key and a pointer to that record on the blockchain in order to allow verification of the data by a third party. In particular, this provides a correlation between the data (e.g., the raw data) that the user has on the mobile device and what's on the blockchain. That is, the raw data that is newly presented may be verified using the data on the blockchain. (30) In still other embodiments, following the registration process, a user can be certified by some other trusted party, such as a bank or "know your customer" (KYC) checking company, which then can issue a certification for the user, based on the seal associated with the registration and validation of the user. By way of example, these certifiers can use their own private key to write the records on the blockchain, pointing to record entry of the user that is also on the blockchain. This certification may be referred to as the "User ID" (e.g., ShoCard ID issued by ShoCard, Inc.). As such, there are generally two steps: the first step is the registration process where hash signatures of the individual fields are sealed on the blockchain, and the second step is a certification of the sealed registration. The certifier does not necessarily sign all fields of a user's record. They will create a signature of the hash of the data-fields that are presented and they are able to verify or attest to. When hashing these fields, the 3.sup.rd party certifier may optionally add a salt to each data-field before hashing it as well. More than one 3.sup.rd party can certify a user, each certifying the user by signing their attestations using their own private key. This creates a multi-party certification of the user. The more certifiers that a user has, the greater web of trust that there will be in their identity and related attributes. (31) In still other embodiments, the platform providing registration and certification also provides for a secure work-around in cases when a bank suspects a credit card transaction could be fraudulent and wants to reject that transaction. The bank, for example, can send a notification/challenge (e.g., a secure notification), wherein the challenge looks for a response confirming the user, and the challenge also confirms that the user authorizes the current transaction. Additional features can include use of a biometrics for access-control (e.g., Touch ID). In one embodiment, each die the user's private key can be accessed to answer those questions. In one embodiment, by using the private key of the user when responding to questions (i.e., to see the data or questions), it is possible to avoid using clear text, which can ultimately be hacked. (32) Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide for being able to authenticate the user whenever the user does any kind of transaction, such as logging into a website, calling a call center, authenticating a transaction. In particular, the systems, methods, and technical operations described herein, and based on the identity management platform providing for registration and/or certification of data, can be implemented with the confidence of knowing who the user really is, and enabling this verification process in a timely manner. (33) The registration and/or validation process may be referred to as "sealing." Certification of the registration may be referred to as "certifying." In particular, sealing is the process of hashing and digitally signing the User ID data and storing it in the blockchain. Once it is sealed in the blockchain, the data becomes a permanent record. The data in the user ID may be changed, but the new data must be resealed in a new blockchain record. In one embodiment, no readable information is stored in the blockchain, only an indecipherable digital signature of a hash that can only be verified by producing the original data and the optional salt that was hashed and the user's public key. The user data is in control of the user and not available on the blockchain. (34) Certification of the registration and/or validation is the process of another party (e.g., third party, bank, airline, etc.) acknowledging the accuracy of the user ID that is registered, and marking that data (e.g., user ID) with a certification that can be recognized, such that the data can be recognized as being accurate when presented in the future, without having to see any other evidence of identity beyond the user ID. To certify a user ID, the certifier provides a user with a unique SessionID (e.g., via a QR Code that the user can scan). The user then signs the SessionID along with his/her raw data (e.g., user ID) and corresponding seal tx-ID on the blockchain and encrypts it with the public key of the certifier and delivers to the certifier. The certifier performs decryption using its corresponding private key and generates a new hash based on the newly presented raw data and then verifies the digital signature of the hash on the blockchain against the newly generated hash and the public key of the user. It also verifies that it can use the same public key to verify the signature of the hash of combined SessionID along with the user's raw data. If the verification process is a match, this proves that the user has the private key(s) that is used to create both records. If the certifier is satisfied that the user is as they represent, the certifier can create a new record (e.g., certification record) with their own private key(s) that references the user ID that is registered and stored in the blockchain. The certifier can also create a separate signature for each field that it is able to verify (e.g., user name, date of birth, etc.). In this case, each field is ultimately a key=value pair where the value is a digital signature of the hash of the data being certified signed with the private key of the certifier. In the future, when the user presents their user ID to a third party along with the pointer to the certification records, the third party can check the certification to make sure that the user is presenting the same user ID that was previously certified. In each reference of hashing data, optionally a Salt is added to the data before hashing to obfuscate the data further. (35) It should be understood that the embodiments and described use cases described herein are only by way of example. Many new use cases can be encompassed and facilitated by the functionality based on the technology and identity management platform implementing registration and/or certification of data. For instance, identity verification (e.g., verification of a registration and/or certification of data) can be integrated into various commercial applications, as well as private applications. Commercial applications may include those that require commercial entities to verify the identity of a user. Verifying the identity of a user can be required for achieving any number of functions, such as traveling, making transactions, banking, communication, loan verification, credit verification, purchase verification, and other uses. In other embodiments, private identity verification can also be facilitated using the methods, apparatus, computer readable media, and systems described herein. For example, private identity verification may be useful when a user wishes to prove their identity to another user in a fast and efficient manner. The systems and methods described herein write data to the blockchain database, which is non-rewritable and permanently maintains the record without compromise. This enables writing of information to the blockchain in a manner that can be verified by one or more transactions executed by methods of the present inventions. (36) Additionally, the systems and methods described herein may be executed with any number of computer systems. By way of example, the computer systems may include user devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, desktop computers, watch computers, head attached computers, eyeglasses computers, or combinations thereof. Server operations may also be performed and communicated between client devices, to facilitate transactions with the blockchain database, server storage, and the like. By way of example, these computer devices can communicate over networks, such as the Internet, local area networks, Bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC), or even via exchange of codes such as QR codes. The networks enable individual devices to transact with each other, such as by way of sending, receiving, and processing exchanged information. The exchanged information can include different types of encrypted data, hashed data, data envelopes, codes, QR codes, PDF417 codes, messages, notifications, and other types of data. (37) In embodiments, the messaging and communication functions described herein are provided to enable users to exchange data over communication networks in order to verify identity, or enable or provide access to users to services, goods, or commercial transactions. In the case of banking operations, the verification process can be utilized by banks, as well as users of the bank, or third parties that require certified information from the banks regarding those users. In the case of travel type verifications, different travel entities can require identification of users, and the identification can also be verified by themselves or by other third parties that are trusted. These operations can be facilitated using the systems, methods, computer readable media, and code that execute the verification processes. Broadly speaking, verification of a user identity (e.g., verification of the registration and/or certification of data, such as user ID) can be useful in any type of industry, or private setting. The use of verification is simply facilitated by using the verifying infrastructure, programs code, applications, and combinations thereof, to ensure that verification is secure. (38) In some embodiments, the verification systems can be embodied in an application, such as those that can be installed on mobile devices (e.g., Apps). By way of example, users wishing to have their identity verified can use an application to seal information regarding their identity. Once the data has been sealed (e.g., signed hashed data has been stored to the blockchain), this data (e.g., raw data) can be used for later certification by another party. The other party may also be utilizing a corresponding App or other applications on other devices, which enables efficient reading of the data, code, QR code, message, or notification, to validate the identity of the user. (39) In still other embodiments, code plug-ins can be integrated into commercial websites, which may use identity verification for different reasons or functions. For example, banks can install plug-in applications, code, or programs that can execute part or all of the verification processing to seal information and/or to certify information regarding identity. In view of the foregoing, it should be understood that the verifying processes described herein and the various use cases are only by way of example, and additional use cases will be evident to those skilled in the art. (40) FIGS. 1A-1C show data flows for the registration and/or validation process as well as the certification of the registered data, for example, as implemented by the identity management platform described herein, in embodiments of the present invention. These processes are performed to facilitate the implementation of authenticated login, registration, call center validation, and certification of user generated data (e.g., biometrics). (41) In FIGS. 1A-1C and throughout the specification, the UGD may be combined with a corresponding salt value for added security, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. As such, in cases where the salt value is added, the UGD should be understood to include the salt value (UGD+Salt). For example, for the hash of UGD shown in FIGS. 1A-1C and throughout the specification should be modified to include the salt value, such that hash(UGD).fwdarw.hash(UGD+Salt). (42) In particular, FIG. 1A illustrates a data flow 100A for registering data in a blockchain, such as for registering user identification, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. At operation 105, a user 5 may generate and/or capture any type of raw data (UGD) and have that data certified by a third party (e.g., certifier). There are no limitations as to the type of data generated. For example, the data can be any of the following types, but not limited only to these types of data: a simple text string; a date; an enumerated data type; a number; an arbitrary series of data bytes (e.g., a data block), a digital key, biometrics, etc. For distinction, the data types would have a name associated with them, so they appear in a key:value format (e.g., Name=Value). (43) This data can be saved locally on a device associated with the user 5 (e.g., mobile phone operating an identity management application). The user 5 would then seal her record by writing this data to a blockchain 50 in operation 115. This can be done by either inserting a new seal record with the added user generated data, that may overwrite any previous seal (if any), or a new seal that complements any prior seals. (44) The value field written to the blockchain is for registration and/or validation of the original, raw data only. The user 5 is expected to securely (e.g., through encryption) hold onto that data on their own private devices such as a mobile-phone and only share it when the user chooses to. Hence, the data is first hashed in operation 110 so the UGD becomes <hash.UGD>. In embodiments, any number of hashing algorithms can be used, such as SHA256. In addition, the user 5 then signs the <hash.UGD> with a private key of the user, producing <signed.hash.UGD> (e.g., using Touch ID). In operation 115, the signed hash becomes the value that is then written to the blockchain in the form: Name=<signed.hash.UGD>. More particularly, a seal 120 is generated that includes a transaction identifier for the blockchain that can be used to access the signed hash value (<signed.hash.UGD>) at the appropriate location in the blockchain. Optionally, the UGD field can be a combination of actual data plus a Salt value that is appended to the data and then hashed. (45) FIG. 1B illustrates a data flow 100B for certifying the registered data using a blockchain, such as for verifying raw data that is registered with an identity manager using a blockchain 50, and for certifying the raw data (e.g., user identification) that is registered, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. Once the record 120 is registered and sealed, at operation 125 the user 5 may then present the UGD (securely maintained by the user or another device storage of her choosing), along with her public-key and a pointer to the seal record 120 on the blockchain to another party. In one embodiment, the other party is a verifier 30 that performs operations to verify the UGD. In another embodiment, the other party is a certifier 20 that performs operations to certify the registered UGD. Operations 130 and 135 may be performed by the certifier 20 or verifier 30 for purposes of verifying the UGD that was previously registered, though these operations are shown as being performed by the certifier 20. In particular, at operation 130, a request to access the registered seal record 120 is made to the public blockchain 50, and at operation 135, the seal record 120 is returned to the certifier. (46) In block 140, operations are performed for verifying the UGD. In particular, the data stored in the blockchain 50 is extracted, namely the signed hash value (<signed.hash.UGD>). In addition, the newly presented UGD is hashed using the same hash algorithm that was performed when registering the data. Verification of the raw data (UGD) is performed by performing a verification process on input data including the newly generated hash value, the public key of the user, and the <signed.hash.UGD> stored on the blockchain 50. For purposes of illustration only, in the verification process, hash values of the UGD newly generated and based on the <signed.hash.UGD> (e.g., using the public key), may be compared, and is verified when the hash values match. (47) In block 145, the certifier 20 begins the certification process. In particular, validation of the raw data (UGD) is performed. For example, the raw data is inspected to see if it conforms to public form (e.g., follows the form of a driver's license), and is validated if the raw data as presented conforms with the public form. Then, the seal 120 (e.g., transaction identifier or txn-ID) along with the public key of the certifier 20, and any other suitable data, is signed using the private key of the certifier 20 to generate a certification signature. In one embodiment, the seal 120 and public key optionally may also be hashed. Data may be combined in a certification record that is signed (using the private key of the certifier 20) and sealed in a blockchain, wherein the data may include one or more of the seal 120 of the UGD (e.g., seal txn-ID, pointer to the blockchain), the raw UGD, the certification signature (as the raw data of the certification record), public key of certifier, etc. At operation 150, the certification record is sealed in the same or different blockchain 50, and in operation 155 the certification record seal including the pointer to the blockchain where the certification record is stored is returned to the certifier 20 for distribution. For example, the certification record seal is provided to the user 5 to offer as certifying proof of the UGD, as is described in FIG. 1C. When the certification record is given to the user, the raw fields (UGD) plus any corresponding Salts are also given to the user if the certifier wishes the user to freely share that certification with others. (48) In particular, FIG. 1C illustrates a data flow 100C for verifying the registered data, and for verifying the certification of the registered data, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, at operation 165 the user 5 may present the raw UGD (and other information) to a third party, along with registration and certification record information, so that the third party may verify the UGD using multiple factors (e.g., registration and/or certification). That is, data may be combined for presentation, and includes one or more of the raw UGD, public key of the user 5, seal 120 of the UGD (e.g., seal txn-ID, pointer to the blockchain), the certification signature (as the raw data of the certification record), the certification record seal (e.g., certification seal txn-ID, pointer to blockchain), public key of certifier, etc. For purposes of illustration, the third party is verifier 30. (49) At operations 170 and 175, verifier 30 obtains the seal record 120 (e.g., using txn-ID for the blockchain) to obtain the data stored in the blockchain 50 (e.g., <signed.hash.UGD> and public key of user 5) to verify the raw data (UGD). At block 180, operations are performed to verify the data. For instance, the data stored in the blockchain 50 is extracted, namely the signed hash value (<signed.hash.UGD>). In addition, the newly presented UGD is hashed using the same hash algorithm that was performed when registering the data. Verification of the raw data (UGD) is performed by performing a verification process on input data including the newly generated hash value, the public key of the user, and the <signed.hash.UGD> stored on the blockchain 50. For purposes of illustration only, in the verification process, hash values of the UGD newly generated and that based on the <signed.hash.UGD> (e.g., using the public key), may be compared, and is verified when the hash values match. (50) When the hash values match, verification of the certification of the registered raw data (UGD) is performed. In particular, at operations 185 and 190, verifier 30 obtains the certification seal record (e.g., using certification seal txn-ID for the blockchain) to obtain the data stored in the blockchain 50 (same or different blockchain). That is, at operation 190 the certification record is returned to the verifier 30. At block 195, operations are performed to verify the certification record. In particular, the data stored in the blockchain 50 is extracted, namely the certification record which may be signed using the private key of the certifier 20 (e.g., signed hash value (<signed.certification record>). In addition, the newly presented certification record can be hashed using the same hash algorithm that was performed when sealing the certification record—however, the method of hashing needs to be known so it can be reproduced. Verification of the certification record is performed by performing a verification process on input data including the newly generated hash value, the public key of the certifier 20, and the <signed.certification record> stored on the blockchain 50. For purposes of illustration only, in the verification process, hash values of the UGD newly generated and hash values based on the <signed.hash.UGD> (e.g., using the public key), may be compared, and is verified when the hash values match. In addition, in block 195, verification of the raw data, UGD, may be performed if not already performed. In that manner, the verification has been performed on the UGD itself and a certification of the UGD. As such, upon successful verification of the UGD and certification record, at operation 197 the presented UGD is trustworthy after going through a verification of the UGD and the certification record of the UGD. (51) Certification of Data Through Obfuscation (52) In one embodiment, the certification process allows one entity (e.g., a certifying entity) to certify another entity, such as through corresponding data associated with the entity. The certification can contain one or both of the following, as previously described: data that is shared with the certifying entity, and/or unsolicited data that is typically generated by the certifying entity. The certification of data (e.g., personal data), such as through a certification record, allows a user to present the personal data along with the certification to a third party. In that manner, the personal data is more trustworthy having been examined and given a certification. In one implementation, the third party relies solely on the certification record to validate the personal data, especially when the third party fully trusts the certifying entity. In another implementation, the third party is able to verify the certification record, as previously described. Various use cases are provided below as examples of the use of a certification record when certifying data. (53) FIG. 3A illustrates one certification use case, wherein an organization (e.g., bank 325) certifies personally identifiable information (PII) data provided by a customer 305, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, at 312 the customer 305 provides the bank 325 with a Seal. The PII may have been previously registered at 310 with a blockchain, thereby generating the Seal. After receipt of the data, the bank 325 is configured to certify those fields of the PII (e.g., as presented in a identification card—driver's license, etc.). The Seal is based on and associated with identifying information, such as first and last names, address, photo id, etc. Certification is performed after a verification and/or validation process is performed at 314, such as verifying/validating address information, verifying/validation that the photo id matches the face of the customer 305 through automatic or manual methods, etc. This verification and/or validation step is typically performed by the bank employee at the physical branch of the bank 325 or it can be done digitally using facial recognition and facial comparison engines (these services are readily available as SaaS or on-premise services that can be integrated into server, such as a bank server). As such, after verification and validation of the user data, the bank 325 can certify the PII, and in association the customer at 316. The bank can share the certification at 318, such as with the customer 305. The customer 305 at 320 can store the certification (e.g., certification record), and present the certification along with the PII to a third party to prove to the third party that the PII is reliable, since it has been previously certified. (54) FIG. 3B illustrates another certification use case, wherein a university 335 (e.g., certifying entity) is able to certify grades of a corresponding student 330 (e.g., a user), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this case, the university would generate grades for the user at 340. At 342, the university 335 can issue a certification containing the grades. At 344, the university 335 can share the certification along with the grades with the student 330. The student 330 can store the certification (e.g., certification record), which the student 330 can later use it to prove his grades from that university 335. For example, the student 330 can present the certification along with a copy of the grades to a third party to prove to the third party that the grades are reliable, since it has been previously certified by the university 335. (55) FIG. 3C illustrates a certification use case, wherein the certification is used to publish and/or deliver data between entities, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, a certification can be presented as a proof, and is further verifiable by a third party. As shown, at 351 the student 330 might present his grades (previously certified in FIG. 3B) and various other certifications that certify other data to a potential employer 350. Other data may include a PII (e.g., as presented through a university ID, driver's license, etc.). The PII may include one or more fields, such as name, date-of-birth (DOB), address, image, etc. The employer 350 can verify each of the following is true, as previously described (e.g., verification/validation of the data, and verification of the corresponding certification). For example, at 352, the employer 352 can verify the identity of the student 330 using corresponding identifying information (e.g., driver's license DMV or other government certification) and a corresponding certification. In addition, at 354, the employer 354 can verify the identity of the university using a corresponding university ID and a corresponding certification. Further, at 356, the employer 350 can verify the grades, as previously described in FIG. 3B using a copy of the grades and the corresponding certification. In that manner, the employer can verify the integrity of the data containing the grades as presented by the student, such as to rule out man-in-the-middle spoofs. Additional verification information may be used, including verifying timestamps and signatures, wherein the grades provided by the student 330 can be issued by a university 335 (as verified through signatures of data) and at a particular time (as verified through timestamps). At 358, once the data has been verified through corresponding certifications, the data presented by the student 330 may be accepted. (56) FIG. 3D illustrates a certification use case, wherein a user (e.g., individual 360) may only wish to share portions of the data that has been previously registered with a blockchain, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. That is, the individual 360 may decide to share only portions of their identity. For example an individual 360 visiting a bar 370 may decide to share only his or her photo identification and DOB. The individual may wish to keep other personal information private. For example, the individual 360 may wish to not expose his or her name, home address, etc.). Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a certification/verification that supports partial data verification. Specifically, each key/value pair of the PII is individually registered and certified. In particular, partial Seal data registration of personal data (e.g., as presented through an identification card, such as driver's license, etc.) is performed. That is, each key/value pair of the PII is individually signed by the user when registering the corresponding key/value pair with the blockchain, as previously described. For example, each field (e.g., DOB, address, name, height, weight, etc.) of the PII contained in a driver's license of a DMV 365 is registered with a blockchain. Further, certification of the partial Seal data registration is also possible at 382. That is, each of the fields of the PII (e.g., as presented through a university ID, driver's license, etc.) is separately certifiable, such that each field (e.g., name, DOB, address, image, etc.) has a corresponding certification. For example, each registration and corresponding field is signed by the certifying entity to generate a corresponding certification record of the field, as previously described. In addition, the certifications may be partially submitted at 386. For example, at 386, the individual 360 may wish to only present raw data of a photo ID and a DOB, along with the corresponding certifications for those fields to the bar 370. The bar 370 can verify each of the following is true, as previously described (e.g., verification/validation of the data, and verification of the certification). For example, at 391 the bar 370 can verify the person through a visual inspection. In addition, at 392, the bar 370 is able to verify the DMV identity using a corresponding DMV ID and a corresponding certification. Further, at 393 the bar 370 can verify the particular fields of information, such as DOB and photo ID using the corresponding fields of information and corresponding certifications. At 395, once the data has been verified through corresponding certifications, the data presented by the individual 360 may be accepted by the bar 370. (57) The certification process can be further strengthened through the application of a salt value when generating the certification record, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. A user may wish to keep corresponding certifications issued by one or more certifying entities on behalf of the user (e.g., wherein the certification may be used to log into a web site of a corresponding certifying entity) private. For example, the user may have been issued a certification from a luxury service provider. The user may wish to keep that association private so that an inference that the user is wealthy cannot be openly viewed by just anyone. In another example, the user may have been issued a certification with a particular political organization. The user may wish to keep that association also private so that his or her political views are not discoverable. However, certifications may be discoverable through brute force processes. For example, if a hacker obtains the user PII (e.g., driver's license) that potentially may be used for creating a certification, the hacker may use various combinations of the PII data, hashes of those combinations using appropriate hash algorithms, and public keys of all the certifying entities of interest to discover matches. Once a match is discovered, that validates the certification, and an association may be made between the user and the corresponding certifying entity. Application of a salt value to a corresponding certification would ensure that the certification is obfuscated from discovery, such as through a brute force discovery process. This is because the salt value is virtually impossible to discover without disclosure from a holder of the salt value. (58) FIG. 4A shows a simplified block diagram for a certification method for managing the identity of a user in a public storage facility 428, wherein the certification is further obfuscated using a salt, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. By way of example, an identification card 402 may be used. In other embodiments, other forms of identification, which may be digital or non-digital may be used. In the example of the identification card 402, personal data 404 is contained thereon, which identifies the user. The input data can include a photo 406 of the user; the user's name, address and driver license number 408, and/or a bar code 410 or similar computer code for storing, scanning and/or retrieving additional data. Such coding can include PDF417 codes, QR codes, and other such codes. However, it is not necessary to have such code and the identification card may only have human-readable text strings. As noted above, the identification card 402 may also take a physical or a digital form and the information can be retrieved either through scanning a code as described, performing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on text strings, digitally transferring a digital identification card from one system to another, manually inputting the information using a keyboard, manually inputting the information using voice recognition, etc., in example embodiments. (59) The identification card 402 can be a government issued form of identification such as a driver license, passport, employee badge, military identification, political documentation, or the like. The identification card 402 can also be a privately issued form of identification such as a student ID, library card, social club card, or any other form of identification issued by a third party. (60) In one embodiment, as indicated by triangle 414, an input device 412 may be used to input such personal data from the identification card 402 to provide input data. Input device 412 can take many forms. For example, input device 412 can be a digital scanner, digital camera, or smartphone (e.g., with the camera commonly found in smartphones) for reading data from the identification card 402, including any codes appearing on the card 402. The input device 412 can also be a device for manually inputting personal data such as a keyboard, touchscreen, voice recognition device, handwriting recognition device, or other manual input device. (61) As shown in FIG. 4A, the input data can be optionally encrypted by encryption logic 418 and securely stored. In one implementation, the input data is transferred directly to hashing logic 420, without passing through encryption logic 418. For ease of understanding, the operations of the optional encryption logic 418 will be discussed first, and then the operations processed by the hashing logic 420. As such, the process may proceed directly from receiving the user information via 412 to the hashing logic 420. (62) The input data collected from the input device 412 (e.g., a user's smartphone) is passed to encryption logic 418 on input device 412. In an example embodiment, encryption logic 418 might include software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof, and consist of one or more encryption algorithms, e.g., an RSA encryption algorithm. Encryption logic 418 encrypts the input data with a public key to provide encrypted data. The public key is paired with an associated private key as is conventional when generating such keys using an RSA encryption algorithm, an Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), or other encryption algorithm known to those skilled in the art. This encrypted data can then be stored locally on the input device 412 for added security. It can then only be accessed with the private key of the user on the input device 412, which might be stored in a more secure part of input device 412, e.g., "the Keychain", if input device 412 is an iOS (e.g., operating system used by devices made by Apple, Inc.) smartphone. If the device is of a different type, e.g., one using an Android OS (e.g., operating system by Google, Inc.), similar secure device storage methods may be used. In this manner, for added security, the private key is not compromised and is kept safely on the input device 412. It should be understood that the private key may be stored on another device, but similar or additional security should be processed to ensure that the private key is not compromised. (63) As noted above, the operations to be performed by the hashing logic 420 can proceed directly after receiving the input data from the input device 412. In this embodiment, the hashing logic 420 is used for hashing the input data (or selected fields of the input data or personal data) to provide or generate a hash value. The hash value is sometimes referred to as "hash data," that is generated by an algorithm. The data that is being hashed can be the original data value (e.g., a date-of-birth), but can optionally appended by a salt, which is a random long and unique string. In an example embodiment, hashing logic 420 might be software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof, and consist of one or more hashing algorithms, e.g., a Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) algorithm. Hashing logic 420 passes the hash value to digital-signature logic 421, which performs a digital signature on the hash value, using the private key on the input device 412. In an example embodiment, digital-signature logic 421 might be a component (or module) of encryption logic 418. In other embodiments, the digital-signature logic 421 may be defined by separate code, firmware, and/or hardware. (64) In one embodiment, the digital-signature logic 421 then passes the signed hash value and the public key to a user accessible interface 426 (e.g., a graphical user interface or GUI), which might be other software running on the input device 412. In an example embodiment, the user accessible interface 426 might be part of an application or app that includes encryption logic 418, hashing logic 420, and digital-signature logic 421, and/or other modules or code. The user accessible interface 426 might be used by the user to transmit the digitally signed hash value and, optionally, the public key to a public storage facility 428 via a line 430, and receive back from the public storage facility 428 a transaction number 432 corresponding to the transmitted hash value and public key. (65) In one embodiment, the public storage facility 428 can take the form of a block chain (e.g., in a bitcoin online payment system) or any other public or private distributed database. The public storage facility 428 is connected to a communication link via a line and can be adapted to communicate over a public computer network, the internet, an intranet, an extranet, or any private communication network. Broadly speaking, the public storage facility 428 is accessible by any device that has an Internet connection over a network. (66) As indicated above, in an example embodiment, the input data (or selected fields of the input data) might be hashed and the resulting hash value might be signed with a digital signature, created using a private key paired with a public key, before transmission, along with, optionally, the public key, from the input device (e.g., a user's smartphone) 412 to the public storage facility 428 for storage. The user accessible interface 426 is thus adapted to "seal" the signed hash value and the public key in the public storage facility 428. In one embodiment, once the hash value, and, optionally, the public key of the user is written to the block chain in a transaction, a later verification may be made if another party is able to hash the same input data. (67) The user accessible interface 426 (e.g., a GUI) can be controllable by the user of the input device 412 to encrypt and provide the transaction number 432, the input data (or selected fields of the input data), and, optionally, the public key to an input device 442 (e.g., a smartphone) of a certifier. In an example embodiment, the encryption might be performed by the encryption logic 418 using a public key of a certifier paired with a private key of the certifier. Then, coding logic on the input device 412 might code the encrypted transaction number 432, the input data (or selected fields of the input data), and, optionally, the public key into a barcode or QR code and the certifier might use input device 442 to scan the barcode or QR code and decode it to gain access to the encrypted items. Thereafter, the certifier might decrypt the encrypted items using the private key of the certifier and verify them, e.g., using a "verify" function call to an RSA algorithm as explained in further detail below. (68) Once the certifier's input device 442 receives the barcode or QR code, decoding logic on the certifier's input device 412 might decode the barcode or QR code and decryption logic 470 on the certifier's input device 442 might use the certifier's private key to decrypt the encrypted items. In an example embodiment, decryption logic 470 might be a component (or module) of more general encryption logic. (69) In one embodiment, the decrypted input data (or selected fields of the input data) and the salt might be hashed into a hash value by hashing logic 472 on the certifier's input device 442, using the same hashing algorithm that was used to create the hash value that was digitally signed by the user. And the decrypted transaction number 432 might be used by a user accessible interface 480 (e.g., a GUI) to access the public storage facility 428 (e.g., the block chain) and retrieve the signed hash value and public key of the user. The retrieved signed hash value, the generated hash value, and the retrieved or obtained public key might then be input to verifying logic 473 for verification (e.g., through a "verify" function call to an RSA algorithm), which outputs a "true" value if the two hash values are the same and the public key is associated with the signature or a "false" value if the two hash values are not the same or the public key is not associated with the signature. In an example embodiment, verifying logic 473 might be a component (or module) of decryption logic 470. In another embodiment, the verifying logic 473 may be a separate module, software, firmware and/or hardware. As indicated above, in an example embodiment, the public key of the user might be obtained from some other source other than the public storage facility 428 (e.g., from the user), in an example embodiment. (70) This verification process is depicted in FIGS. 4B-1 and 4B-2. FIG. 4B-1 shows how a digitally signed hash value is created from input data. The input data (or selected fields of the input data) is hashed into a hash value "ABC" by hashing logic 420 on the user's input device 112, in operation 1. Then the hash value "ABC" is digitally signed with the user's private key using digital-signature logic 121 to create digitally signed hash value "XYZ", in operation 2. (71) FIG. 4B-2 shows how a digitally signed hash value is verified after being retrieved along with the public key of the user from the public storage facility 428. The input data (or selected fields of the input data) is received from the user's input device 412 at the certifier's input device 442 and is hashed into a generated hash value "ABC" using hashing logic 472, in operation 3. Then the signed hash value "XYZ", the generated hash value "ABC", and the user's public key are input to verification logic 473 in operation 4. The verification logic 473 might include a RSA verification algorithm, in an example embodiment. If the hash value in the digitally signed hash value "XYZ" is the same as the generated hash value "ABC" and the digital signature was signed with a private key that is associated with the user's public key, the verification logic 473 returns a value of "true". Otherwise the verification logic 473 returns a value of "false". It should be understood that the verification logic 473 may be executed on any device (e.g., a user's device, a certifier's device, a verifier's device, a third party's device, a commercial entity's device, a private entity's device, etc.), that needs to perform a verification operation. (72) Upon receipt of a "true" value from encryption logic 470, the certifier might create a certification record that refers to the verification. In an example embodiment, the certification record might include the transaction number 432, the input data (or selected fields of the input data) received from the user, and, optionally, a timestamp. To further obfuscate the certification record, a salt value may also be appended to each field. (73) In particular, a salt generator 471 generates a salt value for each field, and combines the above information (e.g., transaction number 432, the input data—or selected fields of the input data—received from the user, and, optionally, a time-stamp) with the salt value when generating the certification record. For example, the salt value may be appended to the data, or added to the data, or concatenated with the data, etc. The salt value or salt may be unique value, such as a random number generated by a random number generator. (74) In addition, the certification record (including the salt value) might be hashed and digitally signed by the certifier using a private key of the certifier associated with a public key. Then the certifier might use user accessible interface 480 (e.g., a GUI) to transmit the signed certification record to the public storage facility 428 for storage and receive in return transaction number 482 from the public storage facility 428. In an example embodiment, the certifier might encrypt the certification record with the certifier's public key before transmission to the public storage facility 428, in order to keep the certification record private. (75) It will be appreciated that the verification process shown in FIGS. 4B-1 and 4B-2 might be used to verify the digital signature on items of data other than the input data (or selected fields of the input data) received by input device 412. In an example embodiment, the item of data that is digitally signed might not be hashed before being digitally signed. In an example embodiment, the verification process shown in FIGS. 4B-1 and 4B-2 might be used to verify a digitally-signed hash of a document other than an identification card, e.g., a digitally-signed certification as described above or a digitally-signed acknowledgement as described below. Or, the same verification process might be used to verify a digitally-signed token (e.g., random number) that is sent by a sender using a secure-envelope process. A secure-envelope process, as described below, might be used instead of, or in addition to, public-key encryption when transmitting data from a user to a certifier, verifier, third party, etc., and vice versa. (76) In an example embodiment, when using a secure envelope process, a sender might hash a real-time token (e.g., a random number generated by the receiver's remote device) and digitally sign the hashed token using the sender's private key. In an example embodiment, a timestamp might be optionally included with the token. Then the sender might optionally transmit the signed hashed token and, optionally, the public key associated with the sender's private key to a distributed public database for storage, receiving a transaction number in return from the distributed public database. Thereafter, the sender might transmit the signed hashed token or the transaction number and the token to a receiver, e.g., a certifier, a verifier, a third party, etc., optionally, after encrypting the signed hashed token or the transaction number and the token with the receiver's public key. In an example embodiment, the receiver might receive the transaction number and token (optionally including the time-stamp), decrypt them using the receiver's private key, if necessary, and then use the transaction number to retrieve the digitally signed hashed and, optionally, the sender's public key from the distributed public database. If the signed hashed token was sent instead of a transaction number, that signed hash would be used. The receiver might generate a hash of the token using the same hashing algorithm the sender used. Then the receiver might verify, e.g., using an RSA verify call as described above, that the token in the generated hash is the same as the token in the digitally signed hash token and verify that the digital signature was created with the sender's private key. An RSA verify call may be, for example, processed by verifying logic 473, e.g., to execute a verify operation. In an example embodiment, the token (optionally including the timestamp) might not be hashed before being signed. (77) In one configuration, as depicted in FIG. 4C, the certifier might encrypt the certification record and transaction number 482 (e.g., the transaction number the certifier received from the public storage facility 428) with the user's public key and transmit in 481 the encrypted certification record to the user, using user accessible interface 480 (e.g., a GUI). Upon receiving the encrypted certification record, the user might decrypt it using the user's private key. In addition, the salt value may be included in the certification record, and as such upon decryption, the user is aware of the salt value. (78) Further, the user may create an acknowledgement record that refers to or includes the certification record, and optionally includes a timestamp, in order to link the two records in the public storage facility 428 to facilitate convenient lookup by a third party, if the certification record is verified. Here again, to verify the certification record, the user might hash the certification record (including the salt value) using the same hashing algorithm that the certifier used prior to digital signature by the certifier. The user might use transaction number 482 to retrieve the signed certification record and the certifier's public key from the public storage facility 428. Then the user might verify that the certification record in the generated hash is the same as the certification record in the digitally signed certification record and verify that the digital signature was created with the certifier's private key, e.g., using an RSA verify call as described above. (79) In an example embodiment, the acknowledgement record might include the certification record, the transaction number 482, and optionally, a timestamp, and the user might digitally sign the acknowledgement record with the user's private key. Then the user might use user accessible interface 428 (e.g., a GUI) to transmit the signed acknowledgement record and the user's public key to the public storage facility 428 for storage and receive a transaction number 429 in response from the public storage facility 428. In an example embodiment, the user might encrypt the signed acknowledgement record with the user's public key before transmission to the public storage facility 428 in order to keep the acknowledgement record private. (80) FIG. 5A is a diagram of the generation of a certification record from data taken as a whole, and the application of a salt value to the certification record, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In that manner, the certification record may be further obfuscated from discovery, such as through brute force, dictionary, and other discovery tactics on the signed data. As previously described, a certifying entity generates a certification record of data, wherein the data was previously registered to a blockchain. As shown, the data may be PII, such as that obtained from a government agency ID card (e.g., driver's license). The combined data 505 may include the PII and other optional data (e.g., the registration tx-ID of the PII on the blockchain). Block 510 creates a JSON string 515 from the combined data 505, in one embodiment, though other types of data strings may be used in other embodiments. The Name/Value fields (e.g., key/value pairs) can be passed in any number of methods, such as a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data structure, name=value strings with a separator, or any other structural form that passes the data. The JSON string 515 may include a universal unique identifier (e.g., registration tx-ID that is generated by the client), a timestamp representing the time the record was created, and other data, in one embodiment. The JSON string 515 and a unique salt value 521 are combined (e.g., appended to, concatenated, added, etc.) and hashed using a hash algorithm 520 (e.g., SHA256) to generate a hashed value 525 (that includes the salt value). Thereafter the hashed value 525 is signed with the private key 531 of the certifying entity to generate a signed value 535. As previously described, the signed value may comprise or form part of a certification record 537 that may be stored to a blockchain. (81) For verification, a holder of the certification record along with the corresponding salt value, may present and/or share both pieces of information to a third party. As such, the third party may perform a verification process to verify the original data (also presented) that was certified by performing a signature verification process, as previously described. (82) In the example of FIG. 5A, the data obtained from the input data (e.g., the PII from the driver's license) is treated as a whole unit of data. That is, in one embodiment, in order to ensure the consistency and ownership of the data, certifying entities may be configured to sign the entire certification string when generating a corresponding certification record. That is, the certification record is signed and can be used to verify the original data that has been certified. In this manner, the certifying entity is able to prove the ownership of the entire string, and to ensure that the certification record has not been tampered with. (83) FIG. 5B is a diagram of the generation of a plurality of certification records from data that is parsed into multiple fields, and the application of corresponding salt values to the certification records, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In that manner, each of the certification records corresponding to fields may be further obfuscated from discovery, such as through brute force discovery tactics. For instance, each certification record corresponds to a data field (e.g., obtained from a map of key/value pairs) representing unsolicited data being certified. Each key/value pair may be signed by a certifying entity to generate a corresponding certificate record, which can be used to verify the original data. (84) Closely following FIG. 5A, a certifying entity generates a plurality of certification records of data based on the fields. Each of the fields of the data was previously registered to a blockchain, and as such a plurality of registrations (e.g., corresponding registration tx-IDs) were generated. As shown, the fields of data may be independent pieces of PII, such as that obtained from a government agency ID card (e.g., driver's license). Examples of fields are provided, to include: name, address, phone number, height, weight, photo ID, etc. For each field, combined data may include the field of the PII and other optional data (e.g., the registration tx-ID of the corresponding PII field on the blockchain). For example, there may be fields 1-N. As shown, for field 1, the combined data 505a may include field-1 and other optional data (e.g., the registration tx-ID of the PII field-1 on the blockchain). Block 510 creates a JSON string 515a from the combined data 505a. The JSON string 515a and a unique salt value 521a are combined (e.g., appended to, concatenated, added, etc.) and hashed using a hash algorithm 520 (e.g., SHA256) to generate a hashed value 525a (that includes the salt value 521a). Thereafter the hashed value 525a is signed with the private key 531 of the certifying entity to generate a signed value 535a. As previously described, the signed value 535a may comprise or form part of a certification record 537a for PII field-1 that may be stored to a blockchain. Hence, the salt value may be applied to a combination of all fields, or a unique salt value used for each individual field. (85) This signature process is repeated for each of the fields. For instance, for field N, the combined data 505n may include field-N and other optional data (e.g., the registration tx-ID of the PII field-N on the blockchain). Block 510 creates a JSON string 515n from the combined data 505n. The JSON string 515n and a unique salt value 521n are combined (e.g., appended to, concatenated, added, etc.) and hashed using a hash algorithm 520 (e.g., SHA256) to generate a hashed value 525n (that includes the salt value 521n). Thereafter the hashed value 525n is signed with the private key 531 of the certifying entity to generate a signed value 535n. As previously described, the signed value 535n may comprise or form part of a certification record 537n for PII field-N that may be stored to a blockchain. (86) Initial Coin Offering (87) FIG. 6 illustrates the use of salt values to generate compensation for downstream certifications, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, a first certifying entity 650 may wish to leverage the use of generated salt values to control the dissemination of corresponding certification records. As shown, the first certifying entity 650 generates a certification record 601, wherein a salt value 615 was used to obfuscate the certification record 601. The certification record 601 was generated at the request of the user 655. For instance, the user 655 may present the original data (e.g., PII, field of PII, etc.) that was registered (e.g., registration tx-ID) to the first certifying entity 650 for certification. The certification record 605 may be stored to a blockchain, and a certification tx-ID 605 is returned. The certification tx-ID 605 may be the certification or form part of the certification of the original data, in one embodiment. (88) Further, the first certifying entity may present the certification to the user, such as in the form of the certification tx-ID 605. As such, the user 655 may present the certification along with the original data to a third party for verification of the original data based on the certification. For example, the user 655 may present the original data and the certification tx-ID 605 to a second certifying entity 660, for purposes of obtaining a second certification. The original data was previously certified (e.g., certification tx-ID) by the first certifying entity 650. The certification record 601 stored to the blockchain was generated using a salt value for added security. The second certifying entity 660 may fully verify the certification record 601 only if given the salt value 615. (89) In one case, where the salt value 615 is freely disseminated, such as when the certifying entity passes the salt value to the user after certification, the second verifying entity is able to then verify the certification record 601 using the methods previously described. In that manner, the second certifying entity 660 may take full advantage of the work and cost of the first certifying entity 650 when originally certifying the original data (e.g., verification/validation and certification). In addition, the second certifying entity 660 may generate a second certification based on the first certification, with minimal cost to the second certifying entity 660. As a result, the cost for certification is fully borne by the first certifying entity 650. The cost may be significant depending on the type of data being certified. For example, the certification process may take anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 days, with an associated ramp in cost. (90) In another embodiment, the salt value 615 is not freely disseminated. In that case, the certifying entity may leverage the salt value 615 in order to obtain compensation for its release. Without the salt value 615, the second certifying entity 660 cannot verify the certification record 601. Because the first certifying entity 650 controls the salt value 615, the second certifying entity 660 sends a request 610 to the first certifying entity 650 for the salt value 615. The request 610 includes compensation in return for the salt value 615. For instance, the compensation may be in the form of a cryptocurrency, such as one associated with an initial coin offering (ICO). In return, the first certifying entity 650 sends the salt value 615 back to the second certifying entity 660. In that manner, the second certifying entity can verify the certification record 601 along with the original data. At this point, the overall cost to certify the original data is borne across one or more certifying entities'. Further, revenue may be further generated from the certification of the original data through downstream certification entities. The salt value 615 may also be stored with a service provider or an exchange that performs the exchange of compensation for the salt value on behalf of the first certifying entity 650. (91) Storing Certification Records in Sidechains (92) One or more ledgers may be used to publish and verify seals (e.g., registrations of data) and certifications. The ledgers (e.g., blockchains) may be public or private. (93) In one embodiment, publication may be made to a ledger with unlimited data storage. In that case, the compete seal and certification records may be published in the ledger, and may include for example, data, signature, public keys, timestamps, user ID (e.g., ShoCard ID) of the originator (e.g., registration of the user with the identity manager), and a hash of the data. (94) In another embodiment, publication is made to ledgers with limited data storage. Depending on the size limitations of the blockchain, one or more subsets of the following may be published: data, signature, public key, timestamp, ShoCardID, hash. (95) In another embodiment, publication is made to ledgers with very limited data storage. In that case, size limitation only allow extremely low amount of data to be preserved. As such, embodiments of the invention publish a hash of data (e.g., described in the previous paragraph) that may be stored in another location. (96) In still another embodiment, publication is made to multiple ledgers, including a first ledger (e.g., private or public blockchain) and a sidechain (e.g., public or private blockchain). For example, FIG. 7 illustrates the use of one or more public ledgers to publish and verify seals (e.g., registrations) and certifications to one or more private and/or public ledgers (e.g., blockchains), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, a public blockchain 720 is used in combination with a side chain 710. (97) As previously noted, the blockchain 720 may be public or private. For instance, many banks use a permission based blockchain, which is a form of a private blockchain. Public blockchains are open to anyone, and include Bitcoin blockchain, Ethereum, etc. In addition, the side chain 710 may be a private chain or a public chain (e.g., private turned into a public blockchain). Even if public, the side chain 710 may not be as popular or as widely distributed as major blockchains, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. (98) In FIG. 7, the certification data block includes collectively one associated group of data, such as the different fields of a PII of a single user. As such, the certification record may include one or more of hashes of the combination of fields and salts that are signed. For instance, one entry may include a signature of a first hash of a combination of a first field and first salt value, and a second entry may include a signature of a second hash of a combination of second field and a second value, and so on. (99) At operation 1, a hash of the certification record is performed. As shown, the certification record may include one or more entries of signatures of combinations of hashed fields combined with corresponding salts. (100) At operation 2, the hash of the certification record is written to a public blockchain, in one embodiment. For example, the public blockchain may be a Bitcoin blockchain, or any other suitable blockchain. In addition, the hash of the certification record may be written to a private blockchain in some embodiments. (101) At operation 3, the transaction ID of the hash of the certification record stored on the public blockchain is received from the public blockchain. The transaction ID may be named—Txn\_ID\_Pub. (102) Furthermore, the transaction ID (e.g., Txn\_ID\_Pub) is appended to the end of the certification record. As such, this combination of the data, including the certification record, the hash of the certification record, and the appended transaction ID (e.g., Txn\_ID\_Pub) is collectively called the "Certification Data Block." (103) At operation 4, the Certification Data Block is written to the side chain 710, and includes the transaction ID (e.g., Txn\_ID\_Pub). The side chain 710 generates a new transaction ID (e.g., Txn\_ID\_Side) that has a reference to the hash of its data on the public blockchain (e.g., transaction ID—Txn\_ID\_Pub). (104) FIG. 8 illustrates the use of a one or more public ledgers to publish and verify multiple seals (e.g., registrations) and/or multiple certifications to one or more private and/or public ledgers (e.g., blockchains), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, a public blockchain 820 is used in combination with a side chain 810. (105) As previously noted, the blockchain 820 may be public or private. For instance, many banks use a permission based blockchain, which is a form of a private blockchain. Public blockchains are open to anyone, and include Bitcoin blockchain, Ethereum, etc. In addition, the side chain 810 may be a private chain or a public chain (e.g., private turned into a public blockchain). Even if public, the side chain 810 may not be as popular or as widely distributed as major blockchains, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. (106) In FIG. 8, collection of certification data blocks is generated and includes Certification Data Block 1, Certification Data Block 2 . . . Certification Data Block N. Each certification data block 1-N may be associated with different fields of a corresponding PII of a corresponding user, for example. As shown, the Certification Record Data Block 1 includes a certification record of one or more of hashes of the combination of fields and salts that are signed. The certification record may be associated with user 1. For instance, one entry may include a signature of a first hash of a combination of a first field and first salt value, and a second entry may include a signature of a second hash of a combination of second field and a second value, and so on. (107) Similarly, the Certification Record Data Block 2 includes a certification record of one or more of hashes of the combination of fields and salts that are signed. The certification record may be associated with user 2. (108) This process is continued until a threshold is reached. For example, the threshold may be a maximum number, in one embodiment. The threshold may be a period of time, such as 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, after which the collected Certification Data Blocks are gathered and collected. For example, when N records are written to the Box Car Hash List, or when a timer expires (e.g., every 10 minutes), then the box-car is considered to be full. (109) In particular, in each of operations a, b . . . and c, corresponding Certification Data Blocks are generated. For example, a hash is created for the corresponding certification record. For Certification Data Block 1, a "Hash 1(Certification Record)" is generated; for Certification Data Block 2, a "Hash2(Certification Record)" . . . and for Certification Data Block N, a "HashN(Certification Record)". (110) Then, the hash of the corresponding certification record is added to the Box Car Record. Further, the BoxCar ID (e.g., BoxCar\_ID\_X) is appended to each of the Certification Data Blocks 1-N. (111) Each of the competed Certification Data Blocks 1-N are then written to the side chain 710. In some embodiments, more than one side chain is used. For example, one side chain may be used for Certification Data Blocks, and another side chain used for Box Car Records. (112) In addition, at operation 1, the HashBoxCar (HashList) is written to the public blockchain 720. (113) At operation 2, a transaction ID of that operation is returned (e.g., Txn\_ID\_Pub). This value is written to the end of the Box Car Record. That is, the HashList is also hashed (e.g., HashBoxCar), and stored to the blockchain 720 and the Box Car Record. (114) At operation 3, the full Box Car Record is then written to the side chain 710. (115) FIG. 9 illustrates the further obfuscation of a certification data block, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In some implementations, it is desirable to obfuscate the key(s) (e.g., associated with a public/private key pair) in the certification record as well. As shown, the certification data block 910a has keys in clear text. For example, if a certifying entity uses a particular unique key that is in clear text, hackers can look, using brute-force, through all certification records looking for those key matches and using that, they may be able to identify who the certifier is. However, to provide further security these keys cannot be in clear text. For these instances, a hash of the key+salt is used, so that the keys cannot be discoverable through brute-force discovery techniques. As shown, the certification data block 910b has keys that are obfuscated. By obfuscating these records, only the certification records and keys that are desired can be discovered and only when a user explicitly shares the key plus the salt value for the keys. (116) FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating a system 1000A for performing registration, verification, validation, and certification of data of a user 5, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, user 5 is associated with one or more electronic devices, such as client device 1010 and device 1011. Client device 1010 may include a web browser configurable for communication over a network 1050, such as the internet. For example, client device 1010 and/or device 1011 may allow a user 5 to register data of a user. Client device 1010 and device 1011 can be any type of computing device having at least a memory 1104 and a processor module 1130 that is capable of connecting to the network 1050. Some examples of client device 100 include a personal computer (PC), a game console, a home theater device, a general purpose computer, mobile computing device, a tablet, a phone, or any other types of computing devices. (117) Identity manager 1030 includes any type of computing device having at least a memory 1104 and a processor module 1130 that is capable of connecting to the network 1050. Data store 1035 may be controlled and/or accessible by identity manager 330. Data store 1035 may be a public or private blockchain. In particular, identity manager 330 may be used, in part, to implement technology to perform registration, validation, and/or certification of raw data, as previously introduced. (118) Certifying entity 1020 may be configured for certifying the raw data that was previously registered to the blockchain. Certifying entity may include any type of computing device having at least a memory 1104 and a processor module 1130 that is capable of connecting to the network 1050. Data store 1025 may be controlled and/or accessible by certifying entity 1020. For example, data store 1025 may be a public or private blockchain. (119) Certifying entity 1020 may be configured to provide information and/or services over network 1050. In particular, certifying entity 1020 may be used, in part, to implement technology to perform registration, validation, and/or certification of raw data, as previously introduced. One or more certifying entities may be similarly configured as certifying entity 1020, each of which may be implemented to perform registration, validation, and/or certification of raw data. (120) A data store 1060 may be configured for storing registration and/or certification data. Data store 1060 may be controlled and/or accessible by one or more certifying entities, such as certifying entity 1020. For example, data store 1025 may be a public or private blockchain. (121) FIG. 10B is a flow diagram 1000B illustrating steps in a method for certification, wherein the certification is performed using a salt value to obfuscate the certification, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method outlined in FIG. 10B may be performed by one or more of the entities described in this specification. In one embodiment, the method in flow diagram 1000B is performed by a certifying entity, as previously introduced throughout the specification. (122) At 1041, the method includes receiving data of a user at a certification device of a certifying entity. The data may be PII, such as that collected from a government issued ID card (e.g., driver's license, passport, etc.). The data was previously registered through a blockchain, and as such a registration tx-ID was generated. (123) At 1043, the method includes receiving the registration tx-ID of the data. The registration tx-ID is generated from a blockchain in response to receiving and storing a signed hash value of the data for registration. In addition, the signed hash value is signed using a private key of the user. Further, the hash value of the data was generated using a registration hash algorithm. (124) At 1045, the method includes generating a salt that is unique. The salt value may be a randomly generated number, such as that generated through a random number generator. A salt may also be a GUID (Global Unique Identifier) or a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) that are commonly used in software technology with their methods available on the world wide web or other identifiers that use a method to generate a unique or random value. The salt value provides additional security for the resulting certification record. (125) At 1047, the method includes hashing the data that is combined with the salt value using a certification hash algorithm to create a generated hashed data. This may be performed after the verification of the data is performed using original data newly submitted, the optional salt value, a public key of the user, and the record on the blockchain (e.g., the original data signed with the user's private key). In that manner, once the data is verified through its corresponding registration, the certifying entity may choose to certify the data. (126) At 1049, the method includes signing the generated hashed data (as generated using the salt) using a private key of the certifying entity to create a signed certification of the data. This value may form all or part of the certification record, wherein at 1051, the method includes transmitting the signed certification of the data to a blockchain for storing. In return, at 1053 the method includes receiving a certification tx-ID of the signed certification of the data. As such, a holder of the certification (e.g., certification tx-ID), along with the original data, and salt value, may present such for verification of the original data, based on the certification. (127) FIG. 11 illustrates components of an example device that can be used to perform aspects of the various embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary hardware system suitable for implementing a device in accordance with one embodiment. This block diagram illustrates a computer system 1100, such as a personal computer, video game console, personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, or other digital device, suitable for practicing an embodiment of the invention. Computer system 1100 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 1102 for running software applications and optionally an operating system. CPU 1102 may be comprised of one or more homogeneous or heterogeneous processing cores. (128) In accordance with various embodiments, CPU 1102 is one or more general-purpose microprocessors having one or more processing cores. Further embodiments can be implemented using one or more CPUs with microprocessor architectures specifically adapted for highly parallel and computationally intensive applications. For example, CPU 1130 may be configured to include a certification engine 1141 configured for performing certification of data previously registered to a block chain, a verification engine 1142 for performing verification logic (e.g., verifying data that is signed, registered, and/or certified), a scanning engine 1143 configured for scanning codes (e.g., QR code, scan code, PDF417 code, etc.), an encryption/decryption engine 1144 configured for encrypting and decrypting data using a public/private key pair, a hashing engine 1145 configured for hashing data using any one of a number of well known hashing algorithms, a signing engine 1146 configured for creating a digital signature using a private key, a handle generator 1147 configured for generating a session ID or envelope ID, a scan code generator 1148 for generating a scannable code (e.g., QR code, scan code, PDF417 code, etc.), an a comparator or matching engine 1149 configured for comparing newly captured biometric data and original biometric data. (129) Memory 1104 stores applications and data for use by the CPU 1102. Storage 1106 provides non-volatile storage and other computer readable media for applications and data and may include fixed disk drives, removable disk drives, flash memory devices, and CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Blu-ray, HD-DVD, or other optical storage devices, as well as signal transmission and storage media. User input devices 1108 communicate user inputs from one or more users to the computer system 1100, examples of which may include keyboards, mice, joysticks, touch pads, touch screens, still or video cameras, and/or microphones. Network interface 1110 allows computer system 1100 to communicate with other computer systems via an electronic communications network, and may include wired or wireless communication over local area networks and wide area networks such as the Internet. An audio processor 1112 is adapted to generate analog or digital audio output from instructions and/or data provided by the CPU 1102, memory 1104, and/or storage 1106. The components of computer system 1100, including CPU 1102, memory 1104, data storage 1106, user input devices 1108, network interface 1110, and audio processor 1112 are connected via one or more data buses 1122 (130) A graphics subsystem 1114 is further connected with data bus 1122 and the components of the computer system 1100. The graphics subsystem 1114 includes a graphics processing unit (GPU) 1116 and graphics memory 1118. Graphics memory 1118 includes a display memory (e.g., a frame buffer) used for storing pixel data for each pixel of an output image. Graphics memory 1118 can be integrated in the same device as GPU 1116, connected as a separate device with GPU 1116, and/or implemented within memory 1104. Pixel data can be provided to graphics memory 1118 directly from the CPU 1102. Alternatively, CPU 1102 provides the GPU 1116 with data and/or instructions defining the desired output images, from which the GPU 1116 generates the pixel data of one or more output images. The data and/or instructions defining the desired output images can be stored in memory 1104 and/or graphics memory 1118. In an embodiment, the GPU 1116 includes 3D rendering capabilities for generating pixel data for output images from instructions and data defining the geometry, lighting, shading, texturing, motion, and/or camera parameters for a scene. The GPU 1116 can further include one or more programmable execution units capable of executing shader programs. (131) The graphics subsystem 1114 periodically outputs pixel data for an image from graphics memory 1118 to be displayed on display device 1122. Display device 1122 can be any device capable of displaying visual information in response to a signal from the computer system 1100, including CRT, LCD, plasma, and OLED displays. Computer system 1100 can provide the display device 1122 with an analog or digital signal. (132) Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure disclosing registration, verification, validation, and certification using salt values have been described. While specific embodiments have been provided to demonstrate the use of registration, validation, and certification of data, these are described by way of example and not by way of limitation. Those skilled in the art having read the present disclosure will realize additional embodiments falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. (133) The various embodiments defined herein may define individual implementations or can define implementations that rely on combinations of one or more of the defined embodiments. Further, embodiments of the present invention may be practiced with various computer system configurations including hand-held devices, microprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers and the like. The invention can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a wire-based or wireless network. (134) Any of the operations described herein that form part of the invention are useful machine operations. The invention also relates to a device or an apparatus for performing these operations. The apparatus can be specially constructed for the required purpose, or the apparatus can be a general-purpose computer selectively activated or configured by a computer program stored in the computer. In particular, various general-purpose machines can be used with computer programs written in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may be more convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the required operations. (135) With the above embodiments in mind, it should be understood that the disclosure can employ various computer-implemented operations involving data stored in computer systems. These operations are those requiring physical manipulation of physical quantities. Any of the operations described herein that form part of the disclosure are useful machine operations. The disclosure also relates to a device or an apparatus for performing these operations. The apparatus can be specially constructed for the required purpose, or the apparatus can be a general-purpose computer selectively activated or configured by a computer program stored in the computer. In particular, various general-purpose machines can be used with computer programs written in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may be more convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the required operations. (136) One or more embodiments can also be fabricated as computer readable code on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium is any non-transitory data storage device that can store data, which can be thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable storage medium include hard drives, network attached storage (NAS), read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, magnetic tapes and other optical and non-optical data storage devices. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium can include computer readable storage medium distributed over a network-coupled computer system so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. (137) Although the method operations were described in a specific order, it should be understood that other housekeeping operations may be performed in between operations, or operations may be adjusted so that they occur at slightly different times, or may be distributed in a system which allows the occurrence of the processing operations at various intervals associated with the processing, as long as the processing of the overlay operations are performed in the desired way. (138) Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the embodiments are not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims. ### Claims 1. A method, comprising operations of: receiving data of a user at a certification device of a certifying entity; generating a salt that is unique; hashing the data combined with the salt to create a generated hashed data; generating a certification record based on signing the generated hashed data using a private key of the certifying entity to create a signed certification of the data; hashing the certification record; transmitting the hashed certification record to a blockchain for storing; receiving a certification tx-ID of the hashed certification record; generating a certification data block including the certification record and the certification tx-ID; storing the certification data block to a side .[.chains.]. .Iadd.chain.Iaddend.; receiving a registration tx-ID of the data, wherein the registration tx-ID is generated from .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.blockchain in response to receiving and storing a signed hash value of the data for registration, wherein the signed hash value is signed using a private key of the user, wherein the hash value of the data is generated using a registration hash algorithm; retrieving the signed hash value of the data stored in the blockchain using the registration tx-ID; and positively verifying that the generated hash value and the retrieved signed hash value is identical. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the side chain is a private blockchain. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the side chain is a public blockchain. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a side tx-ID of the certification data block from the side chain, wherein the side tx-ID includes a reference to the certification tx-ID of the blockchain. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating a second salt that is unique; hashing the signed certification of the data combined with the second salt; and storing the hash of the signed certification of the data combined with the second salt in the certification record. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating a second salt that is unique; hashing the signed certification of the data combined with the second salt and combined with a public key of the certifying entity; and storing the hash of signed certification of the data combined with the second salt and combined with the public key of the certifying entity in the certification record. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the certification .Iadd.record .Iaddend.includes: generating a plurality of salts for a plurality of fields of the data; for each field, hashing the corresponding field combined with a corresponding salt to create a corresponding generated hashed data of the field; for each field, signing the corresponding generated hashed data of the field using the private key of the certifying entity; and generating the certification record based on a plurality of signed certifications of the fields. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the salt is random. 9. A method, comprising operations of: generating a plurality of certification data blocks, wherein the generating for each certification data block comprises: receiving data of a user at a certification device of a certifying entity; generating a salt that is unique; hashing the data combined with the salt to create a generated hashed data; signing the generated hashed data using a private key of the certifying entity to create a signed certification of the data that comprises a corresponding certification record; hashing the corresponding certification record to generate a corresponding hashed certification record; appending the corresponding hashed certification record to a list of hashes in a box car record; receiving a corresponding box car tx-ID for the corresponding hashed certification record; writing the corresponding certification data block and the corresponding box car tx-ID to a side chain; receiving a registration tx-ID of the data, wherein the registration tx-ID is generated from a blockchain in response to receiving and storing a signed hash value of the data for registration, wherein the signed hash value is signed using a private key of the user, wherein the hash value of the data is generated using a registration hash algorithm; retrieving the signed hash value of the data stored in the blockchain using the registration tx-ID; and positively verifying that the generated hash value and the retrieved signed hash value is identical; reaching a threshold of hashed certification records in the list of hashes; hashing the list of hashes; writing the hashed list of hashes to the blockchain; receiving .Iadd.a .Iaddend.list tx-ID from the blockchain; writing the list tx-ID to the box car record; and writing the box car record including the hashed list of hashes and the list tx-ID to the side chain. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the threshold comprises a maximum number of hashed certification records in the list of hashes. 11. The method of claim 9, .[.herein.]. .Iadd.wherein .Iaddend.the threshold comprises a period of time. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the side chain is a private blockchain. 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the side chain is a public blockchain. 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the generating for each certification data block further comprises: generating a second salt that is unique; hashing the signed certification of the data combined with the second salt and combined with a public key of the certifying entity; and storing the hash of signed certification of the data combined with the second salt and combined with the public key of the certifying entity in the certification record. 15. The method of claim 9, wherein the salt is random. 16. A computer system comprising: a processor; and memory coupled to the processor and having stored therein instructions that, if executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to execute a method comprising: receiving data of a user at a certification device of a certifying entity; generating a salt that is unique; hashing the data combined with the salt to create a generated hashed data; generating a certification record based on signing the generated hashed data using a private key of the certifying entity to create a signed certification of the data; hashing the certification record; transmitting the hashed certification record to a blockchain for storing; receiving a certification tx-ID of the hashed certification record; generating a certification data block including the certification record and the certification tx-ID; storing the certification data block to a side .[.chains.]. .Iadd.chain.Iaddend.; receiving a registration tx-ID of the data, wherein the registration tx-ID is generated from .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.blockchain in response to receiving and storing a signed hash value of the data for registration, wherein the signed hash value is signed using a private key of the user, wherein the hash value of the data is generated using a registration hash algorithm; retrieving the signed hash value of the data stored in the blockchain using the registration tx-ID; and positively verifying that the generated hash value and the retrieved signed hash value is identical. 17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein in the method the side chain is a private blockchain. 18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein in the method the side chain is a public blockchain. 19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: receiving a side tx-ID of the certification data block from the side chain, wherein the side tx-ID includes a reference to the certification tx-ID of the blockchain. 20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: generating a second salt that is unique; hashing the signed certification of the data combined with the second salt; and storing the hash of the signed certification of the data combined with the second salt in the certification record. 21. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: generating a second salt that is unique; hashing the signed certification of the data combined with the second salt and combined with a public key of the certifying entity; and storing the hash of signed certification of the data combined with the second salt and combined with the public key of the certifying entity in the certification record. 22. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the generating the certification record of the method further comprises: generating a plurality of salts for a plurality of fields of the data; for each field, hashing the corresponding field combined with a corresponding salt to create a corresponding generated hashed data of the field; for each field, signing the corresponding generated hashed data of the field using the private key of the certifying entity; and generating the certification record based on a plurality of signed certifications of the fields. 23. The computer system of claim 16, wherein in the method the salt is random.	RE49968	US RE49968 E	2024-05-14	90,971,897	Electronic identification verification methods and systems with storage of certification records to a side chain	H04L9/3247;G06Q20/065;G06Q30/018;H04L9/3236;G06Q20/38215;H04L9/3297;H04L9/3239;G06Q20/3827;G06F21/31;G06K7/1417;H04L9/3263;G06Q50/265;H04L9/0643	H04L9/50;G06Q2220/00;G06F7/588	Ebrahimi; Armin et al.	Ping Identity Corporation	17/752536	2022-05-24	Heneghan; Matthew E		1/1	Ping Identity Corporation	15.829208	USPAT	34,848
United States Reissue Patent RE50467 Kind Code E Date of Reissued Patent June 24, 2025 Inventor(s) Gauthier; Stephane et al. ## Cooling a computer processing unit ### Abstract Computer processing systems are cooled and the otherwise wasted heat is extracted for space heating by providing a cooling dielectric liquid in a tank which passes from a manifold at the bottom of the tank through an array of tubular housings each having open top and bottom ends and containing row of the circuit boards. The housings sit on a divider sheet which has arrays of openings aligned with the housings allowing the liquid to pass from the manifold under little or no pressure so that the liquid flows through the housings by convection and stratifies to generate a layer of heated liquid above the open tops of the housings which can be tapped off to a heat exchanger. The liquid around the housings is not fed from the manifold and the power supplies for the circuit boards sit in this body of liquid and are cooled thereby. Inventors: Gauthier; Stephane (La Broquerie, CA), Miller; Oscar (Steinbach, CA), Torrealba; Hartley (Richmond, CA), Le Wong; Anna (Vancouver, CA) Applicant: 10130163 Manitoba Ltd. (La Broquerie, CA) Family ID: 72516662 Assignee: 10130163 Manitoba Ltd. (La Broquerie, CA) Appl. No.: 17/946307 Filed: September 16, 2022 ### Related U.S. Application Data reissue parent-doc US 16405627 20190507 GRANTED US 10782751 20200922 child-doc US 17946307 ### Publication Classification Int. Cl.: G06F1/20 (20060101); F24D17/00 (20220101); H05K7/20 (20060101) U.S. Cl.: CPC G06F1/20 (20130101); F24D17/0042 (20130101); H05K7/20236 (20130101); H05K7/20272 (20130101); H05K7/20781 (20130101); G06F2200/201 (20130101) ### Field of Classification Search CPC: G06F (1/20); G06F (2200/201); F24D (17/0042); H05K (7/20236); H05K (7/20272); H05K (7/20781); Y02B (10/20); Y02B (10/70); Y02B (30/18) ### References Cited #### U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Issued Date Patentee Name U.S. Cl. CPC 5297621 12/1993 Taraci 165/104.13 G01R 31/2891 5329418 12/1993 Tanabe N/A N/A 8179677 12/2011 Campbell 361/699 H05K 7/203 9992914 12/2017 Best N/A H05K 7/20763 10416736 12/2018 Dupont N/A H05K 7/20809 10888031 12/2020 Franz N/A G11C 29/56016 2009/0126910 12/2008 Campbell N/A N/A 2011/0132579 12/2010 Best 165/104.31 H05K 7/20763 2017/0265336 12/2016 Ichinose N/A H05K 7/20772 2017/0295676 12/2016 Conn N/A G06F 1/181 2018/0343770 12/2017 Brink N/A N/A 2019/0281727 12/2018 Fujiwara N/A H05K 7/20236 2019/0364693 12/2018 Nishiyama N/A H05K 7/20236 2020/0029464 12/2019 Inano N/A H05K 7/20272 2020/0037467 12/2019 Ishinabe N/A H05K 7/20236 2020/0257342 12/2019 Mao N/A H01M 10/6568 2020/0288600 12/2019 Gao N/A H05K 7/20272 2020/0323100 12/2019 Chiu N/A H05K 7/208 #### FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Patent No. Application Date Country CPC 106846413 12/2016 CN N/A 107979955 12/2017 CN N/A 202005002390 12/2004 DE N/A 3249496 12/2016 EP N/A S58114500 12/1982 JP N/A 2009044015 12/2008 JP N/A WO2014109869 12/2013 WO N/A Primary Examiner: Whittington; Kenneth Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ade & Company Inc. ### Background/Summary (1) This invention relates to a computer processing unit and particularly to an arrangement which includes a cooling tank to extract and utilize heat from the operation of the computer processing to maintain the unit cool and to enable the heat to be transferred and utilized in a separate operation. (2) In this way the excess heat can be extracted and transferred to a heat exchanger which enables the extracted heat to be used in many different areas including but not limited to: Commercial/Industrial in-floor or geo thermal hydronic heating systems Greenhouses Agricultural barns—Hog, Poultry and Dairy Heating hot water in larger industrial application—Car/truck washes Residential heating Grain drying Cannabis drying/Dehydration systems Low temperature evaporation systems Cannabis industry including heating and low temperature dehydrating Aquaculture installation to heat water Underground mining operations—heating mine shafts Large swimming pools BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (3) The arrangement herein provides a unique arrangement for space heating which uses computing chips as replacement of conventional heating elements creating a modulating resistive load heater. The idea is to utilize lower cost commercial electricity rates as well a as a 100% renewable energy provided by electric utilities particularly hydro based utilities to do two functions: the first to provide space heating and second to provide a means of cooling for the intense revenue generating computing such as mining crypto currencies or similar data processing. (4) In recent years with the development of Blockchain technology, it has now become evident that this new method of computing will allow for more decentralized computing and would offer greater potential to install more robust and redundant data processing system simultaneously giving the ability to capitalize on all the heat generated. (5) This invention offers a solutions for space heating especially in countries where the climate is colder. For example, many northern communities don't have access to natural gas and are typically heating with electric boilers and or fossil fuel boilers. This invention will allow for an easy "Quick Connect" option to efficiently integrate to an existing hydronic system. The boiler systems can be installed as individual units or as a module containing multiple boilers to achieve the desired heat output. The boiler design can be customized to any size with a large range, from 20 KW single tank to a 400+ KW system. The tank design is such that it can be installed in either a standalone installation inside existing infrastructure or installed housed in a containerized module. (6) Currently the conventional way of cooling computers, servers or mining rigs is with air using high volume fans. This causes major problems with noise and dust control system equating to higher maintenance and set up costs. The system uses immersion cooling which is itself is not new. However the present invention can take into account simplicity and very low cost to install per kilo watt. The tank design is also able to be adapted and modified to make sure the system can accommodate the latest technologies coming into the computing markets. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION (7) According to the invention there is provided a method for computer processing comprising: (8) providing in a tank a cooling liquid formed of a dielectric material: (9) the tank containing a plurality of computer processing units, each comprising: an exterior housing having a bottom opening at a bottom end and a top opening at a top end and defining a closed peripheral wall between the top and bottom ends; at least one computer processing board carrying electrical components mounted within the housing which operates to carry out computer processing operations while generating heat; (10) the tank having a dividing sheet in the tank dividing the tank into a bottom manifold below the dividing sheet and a main portion of the tank above the sheet; (11) the exterior housing of each computer processing unit being mounted on the sheet with the bottom opening located at the sheet and the peripheral wall upstanding within the tank to the top end which spaced from the dividing sheet; (12) a plurality of liquid transfer opening arrangements in the sheet where each opening arrangement is associated with a respective one of the housings to allow liquid from the manifold to enter the housing and pass through the opening; (13) introducing the cooling liquid into the manifold; (14) arranging a top surface of the liquid within the tank at a location which is above the top end of the exterior housings; (15) causing the liquid to enter through the opening arrangements into the exterior housings and to rise within the housings by convection caused by the heat within the housings and to exit from the housings through the top end into the tank; (16) the liquid exiting from the top ends of the housings forming a heated layer in the tank between the surface and the top ends; (17) extracting liquid from the layer; (18) and extracting heat from the extracted liquid to create a heat supply and to return cooled liquid to the manifold. (19) Preferably the top ends lie in a common plane defining a bottom of the layer to improve the stratification of the liquid in the layer as the hottest area of the tank to be tapped off. This zone depth can also be adjusted to accommodate various working fluid temperatures. The thicker the layer the hotter the fluid. (20) Typically the extracted liquid is returned to the manifold by a pump which is arranged to create a slight positive pressure such that the liquid is caused to flow through the housings substantially wholly by the convection rather than as a positive flow. This again improves the stratification of the liquid. No liquid enters the quiescent zones between the tubular housings so that this area again allows the heat to concentrate in the stratified heated zone at the top of the tubular housings. The housings are preferably wholly open at the top and bottom so that the peripheral wall is fully open at each end as this creates the required flow through the housings. (21) That is in one embodiment, the openings from the manifold through the divider sheet are located at the housings such that the liquid only enters the housings and not between the housings to form the quiescent zone. (22) In one embodiment, the openings each provide an array which is shaped to match the interior shape of the housing to generate a smooth flow rising in the housings so that for example the housings are rectangular in cross-section and the array is also rectangular and approximately matches the inside surface of the housing. For example, the array is formed by a series of parallel slots having a length approximately equal to the dimension across the housing but an array of other holes can be used. (23) In one embodiment, the tank is dimensioned so that it contains the housings arranged in rows and columns. (24) In one embodiment, the liquid is extracted through an opening at one side of the tank which can be provided as a single opening communicating to a single duct feeding to a separate heat exchanger. (25) Preferably the opening is arranged at a height above the top ends and below the top surface so as to extract only from the layer. (26) Preferably the liquid is a mineral oil, vegetable oil based or in some cases a fully synthetic dielectric fluid can be used. (27) Preferably the liquid has the one or more of the following characteristics: Density: Near or in the range of 0.92 g/m3 (7.667 lbs/gal) Kinematic Viscosity: Near or in the range of 33-35 mm.sup.2/s © 40° C. or near or in the range of 15 cSt @ 70° C. Dielectric Breakdown: 2 mm [kV]≥35 (ASTM D6871) Boiling point: ≥360° C. Flash point: ≥265° C. (Closed Cup) Auto/self-ignition temperature: 401-404° C. (ASTM E659) Vapor Pressure: Near or in the range 0 PA @≤200° C. Thermal Conductivity: Near or in the range of 0.15089 W/mK @ 70° C. Specific Heat: Near or in the range of 2.3472 kJ/kgK @70° C. (28) Preferably the dielectric liquid is selected with the characteristics to cause very intense stratified temperature zone due to the inherent thermal insulating properties. (29) Preferably the dielectric liquid has properties that allow: a maximum heat transfer, a high working fluid temperature (above 60 degrees C.) and an efficient heat transfer. (30) Preferably the flow of liquid into the manifold and through the housings is arranged such that the temperature in the layer is in the range 10 to 60° C. (31) Preferably the flow of liquid into the manifold and through the housings is arranged such that the temperature returned to the manifold is in the range 30-85° C. (32) Preferably each computer processing unit is associated with an adjacent power supply which is contained within the tank alongside the associated housing where the power supply is located in and cooled by the liquid between the housings without any flow from the manifold. (33) Preferably the computer processing units are dropped out when a peak demand situation occurs. (34) Preferably the computer processing units are connected to utility smart meters to aid in peak demand management. (35) Preferably there is provided a U-shaped holder mounted on the sheet and arranged to hold the housing and the power supply supported upright. (36) Preferably the tank has a head zone that also acts as an expansion area to accommodate fluid level fluctuations. This head zone should be kept free from any moisture and should be equipped to filter out particulate matter as well as moisture. (37) Preferably the tank is completely sealed and vapour tight. The installation of a pressure relief check valve set at 1-2 PSI is installed to prevent any over pressures causing damage. (38) Preferably the computing rigs or processors used are able to be immersed without any modifications other than removing or disabling any fans installed. All the air cooling arrangements or fines can be left intact. (39) The idea was to develop a very simple cost-effective tank system to cool the computing rigs or chips using a dielectric fluids with certain properties that allow: a maximum heat transfer, a high working fluid temperature (above 60 degrees C.) and an efficient heat transfer. There are minimal to no moving parts in the tank. The result is a design that operates with only one small circulating pump that uses approximately 300 watts of power to pump the working fluid (Dielectric Fluid) through a heat exchanger. (40) In order to achieve a system with no moving or overly complex parts, the key was to try and minimize modifications required to conventional air-cooled computing rigs including utilizing the factory made aluminum bodies and power supplies. We designed a special holder where the CPU aluminum chassis or body is supported upright (Vertically) as well as the power supply to power each unit. (41) Another aspect of the tank design is the baffle plate to allow the cool working fluid to collect in the "Cool Zone" of the tank under the baffle plate where the circulating pump will create a slight positive pressure. The baffle plate has a number of precision cut slots that direct the fluid into each computing rig housings or "tubes". The amount and sizes of the slots is determined based on the viscosity of the fluid and the maximum temperature allowable before any damage can occur to the computing chips. This is typically maximum of 85 degree C.). The housings or "tubes" act a chimney and can be customized to accommodate any type of computing mother boards. (42) The combination of having the cool stream of working fluid pass through the baffle plates slots and directed into the aluminum mining rig bodies or tubes give a very strong thermal dynamic pumping action or chimney effect. This effect help to efficiently move the cooler working fluid from under the baffle plate through the tube structure, passed the computing boards including processing chips and carry away the intense heat generated. (43) Upon exiting the mining rig body or tube, the hot working fluid collects at the top of the tank area or "Hot Zone". Another interesting part of this invention is that we are able to efficiently remove the hot working fluid with only one port reducing complicated baffles designs and costly manifold systems. We use the natural tendencies of the dielectric fluid to cause very intense stratified temperature zone due to the inherent thermal insulating properties. (44) The design also allows the power supply which is suspended higher on the holder to use the "Neutral Zone" temperature to cool the power supplies (See drawings). The power supplies do not generate as much heat as the main computing boards or chips so less working fluid is required to circulate through the unit. (45) The system is designed to be fully modulating and remote controlled interface for isolated operations including northern regions of Canada and US. It can also be coupled to utility smart meters to aid in peak demand management. The systems can be designed to drop out when a peak demand situation occurs. (46) The current tank design can be suited from a residential setting to large industrial. ### Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (1) One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: (2) FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the complete apparatus including the cooling tank, heat exchanger, heating load, electrical connections and connection to the power utility according to the present invention. (3) FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a processing unit and power supply mounted on a mounting bracket for mounting inside the tank of FIG. 1. (4) FIG. 3 is s side elevational view of the processing unit and power supply and bracket of FIG. 2. (5) FIG. 4 is s top plan view of the processing unit and power supply and bracket of FIG. 2. (6) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 5-5 of FIG. 1 showing the interior of the tank. (7) FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 6-6 of FIG. 4 showing the passage of liquid through the plate to the interior of the tubular housing. (8) In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION (9) The arrangement here in provides a tank 10 containing a cooing liquid 11 for cooling a plurality of circuit boards 12 and transferring the heat therefrom to a load 13. The cooling liquid 11 is extracted from the tank through a discharge opening 14, passed through a heat exchanger 16 and returned to the tank thorough a return 15. A pump 17 is provided in the circuit through the heat exchanger to cause a flow in the liquid and to generate a low pressure at the return 15. (10) The tank comprises a rectangular body with four upstanding sides 18, a top cover 19 and a base 20. This forms a closed container where the tank has a head zone above the level 11A of the liquid and below the top 19 that also acts as an expansion area to accommodate fluid level fluctuations. The head zone is kept free from any moisture by an extraction and a filter system 21 to filter out any particulate material from the liquid as well as any moisture. The tank is thus sealed and vapour tight. (11) The liquid in the tank filling the area between the base 20 and the top level 11A acts as a cooling liquid which is formed of a suitable dielectric material having the characteristics defined above. (12) The tank carries a superstructure 22 mounted on end brackets 23 which connect the superstructure to the ends of the tank. The superstructure provides a rectangular housing which contains the electronics necessary to control the operation of the circuit boards and the communications necessary to operate the system. This includes a communication system 24 for communication with the power utility 25 supplying the necessary power to the processing system. (13) The tank 10 contains a plurality of computer processing units 30 arranged in an array of rows and columns in the tank. Each unit 30 includes an exterior tubular housing 31 defined by four rectangular sides 32 extending from a bottom end 33 to a top end 34. The top and bottom ends are generally open so that the housing forms a tubular duct through which the liquid can pas freely from the bottom end to the top end. The housing is a conventional housing structure which is supplied by many computer processing suppliers and typically the processing boards 12 within the housing are cooled by air flow generated by a fan on one or both ends of the housing. The fans are removed so that the existing housing containing the existing boards are now cooled by the liquid. The housing thus defines a bottom opening at a bottom end and a top opening at a top end and a closed peripheral wall between the top and bottom ends. (14) The computer processing boards carrying electrical components mounted within the housing are arranged as parallel boards at spaced positions across the housing. These operate to carry out computer processing operations in conventional manner while generating heat. As is well known the amount of processing power required for various high processing operations generates high levels of heat which must be removed and which are sufficient for significant amount of space heating particularly in cold weather areas. (15) Each computer processing unit is associated with an adjacent power supply 35 in the form of a generally rectangular body containing convention components for the processing unit 30. There is provided an L-shaped holder bracket 36 mounted on the sheet and arranged to hold the housing and the power supply supported upright. The bracket includes a horizontal base plate 37 which extends across the bottom end 33 of the housing 31. An upstanding plate 38 connected to the base at an apex 36A carries the power supply on an inner face of the plate so that it is located adjacent the housing 31 and both are held generally parallel and slightly spaced. A connector 35A extends from the poser supply through the tank to an exit gland (not shown) to the control system in the superstructure. (16) The bracket 36 has in the base 37 and opening 37A which exposes the bottom end 12A of the boards 12 for entry of the cooling liquid through the base 37 into the tubular housing 31. The opening is generally rectangular so that the edges 37C are parallel to the side walls 32. However triangular flanges 37B are located at the corners for attachment of similar shaped flanges at the bottom end 33 to be attached to the base 37. Thus the housing 31 and the boards 12 therein is attached to the base 37 and the power supply 35 is attached to the plate 38 enabling both to be mounted in the rows and columns shown in FIG. 5 within the tank. (17) The rectangular tank has a dividing sheet 40 in the tank 10 parallel to the base 20 dividing the tank into a bottom manifold 41 below the dividing sheet 40 and above the base 20 and a main portion of the tank 42 above the sheet 40. (18) The brackets 36 are fastened to the bottom sheet 40 in the rows and columns so that the exterior housing 31 of each computer processing unit is mounted on the sheet 40 with an opening at the bottom end 33 located at the sheet 40 and the peripheral wall 32 upstanding within the tank to the top end 34 which spaced from the dividing sheet 40. (19) In order for the cooling liquid to pass from the manifold 41 into each housing 32, a plurality of liquid transfer opening arrangements 44 are provided in the sheet where each opening arrangement 44 is associated with a respective one of the housings 31 to allow liquid from the manifold 41 to enter the housing 31 and pass through the opening 37A into the housing. The liquid enters the manifold through the return 15 and spreads in the manifold so the opening arrangements 44 for passage into the housings. The opening arrangements 44 as shown include a row of parallel spaced slots 44A, 44B and 44C which form an area generally matching the area of the opening 37A so that the slots are of a length matching the width of the housing 31. (20) The depth of the liquid is arranged so that the top surface 11A of the liquid within the tank is at a position below the top wall 19 at a location and which is above the top end 35 of the exterior housings 31. (21) The liquid thus acts to enter through the opening arrangements 44 into the exterior housings and each provides an array which is shaped to match the interior shape of the housing to generate a smooth flow rising in the housings and to rise within the housings by convection caused by the heat within the housings and to exit from the housings through the top end 34 into the tank 10. This acts so that the liquid exits from the top ends 34 of the housings forming a heated layer 11B in the tank between the surface 11A and the top ends 34. (22) The liquid in the heated layer 11B is extracted through the discharge opening 14 which lies wholly in the stratified layer so that in effect only the heated stratified layer is removed. (23) As shown in FIG. 6, the top ends 34 all lie in a common plane defining a bottom of the layer 11B. The extracted liquid Is returned to the manifold by a pump arranged to create a slight positive pressure such that the liquid is caused to flow through the housings 31 substantially wholly by convection. (24) As explained above the opening arrangements 44 are located at the housings 31 such that the liquid only enters the housings 31 and not between the housings where little cooling is required as the power supplies are cooled sufficiently merely by the presence of the stationary liquid between the housings with any heated liquid rising into the stratified layer 11B. (25) The dielectric liquid is selected with the characteristics to cause very intense stratified temperature zone due to the inherent thermal insulating properties and allows a maximum heat transfer, a high working fluid temperature (above 50 degrees C.) and an efficient heat transfer. (26) Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. ### Claims 1. A method for computer processing comprising: providing in a tank a cooling liquid formed of a dielectric material; the tank containing a plurality of computer processing units, each comprising: an exterior housing having a bottom opening at a bottom end and a top opening at a top end and defining a closed peripheral wall between the top and bottom ends; at least one computer processing board carrying electrical components mounted within the exterior housing which operates to carry out computer processing operations while generating heat; the tank having a dividing sheet in the tank dividing the tank into a bottom manifold below the dividing sheet and a main portion of the tank above the dividing sheet; the exterior housing of each computer processing unit being mounted on the dividing sheet with the bottom opening located at the dividing sheet and the peripheral wall upstanding within the tank to the top end which spaced from the dividing sheet; a plurality of liquid transfer opening arrangements in the dividing sheet where each of the liquid transfer opening arrangement is associated with a respective one of the exterior housings to allow liquid from the bottom manifold to enter the exterior housing and pass through the bottom opening; introducing the cooling liquid into the bottom manifold; arranging a top surface of the liquid within the tank at a location which is above the top end of the exterior housings; causing the liquid to enter through the liquid transfer opening arrangements into the exterior housings and to rise within the exterior housings by convection caused by the heat within the exterior housings and to exit from the exterior housings through the top end into the tank; the liquid exiting from the top ends of the exterior housings forming a heated layer in the tank between the top surface and the top ends; extracting liquid from the heated layer; and extracting heat from the extracted liquid to create a heat supply and to return cooled liquid to the bottom manifold. 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the top ends of the exterior housings lie in a common plane defining a bottom of the heated layer. 3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the extracted liquid Is returned to the bottom manifold by a pump. 4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the pump is arranged to create a slight positive pressure such that the liquid is caused to flow through the exterior housings substantially wholly by convection. 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the liquid transfer opening arrangements are located at the exterior housings such that the liquid only enters the exterior housings and not between the exterior housings. 6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the liquid transfer opening arrangements each provide an array which is shaped to match the interior shape of the exterior housing to generate a smooth flow rising in the exterior housings. 7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the exterior housings are rectangular in cross-section and the array is rectangular. 8. The method according to claim 6 wherein the array is formed by a series of parallel slots. 9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the exterior housings are arranged in rows and columns. 10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the liquid is extracted through an opening at one side of the tank. 11. The method according to claim 9 wherein the opening is arranged at a height above the top ends and below the top surface so as to extract only from the heated layer. 12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the liquid is a mineral oil. 13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the liquid has the one or more of the following characteristics: Density: Near or in the range of 0.92 g/m3 (7.667 lbs/gal); Kinematic Viscosity: Near or in the range of 33-35 mm.sup.2/s @ 40° C. or near or in the range of 15 cSt @ 70° C.; Dielectric Breakdown: 2 mm [kV]≥35 (ASTM D6871); Boiling point: ≥360° C.; Flash point: ≥265° C. (Closed Cup); Auto/self-ignition temperature: 401-404° C. (ASTM E659); Vapor Pressure: Near or in the range 0 PA @≤200° C.; Thermal Conductivity: Near or in the range of 0.15089 W/mK @ 70° C.; and Specific Heat: Near or in the range of 2.3472 kJ/kgK @ 70° C. 14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the dielectric liquid is selected with the characteristics to cause very intense stratified temperature zone due to the inherent thermal insulating properties. 15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the dielectric liquid has properties that allow: a maximum heat transfer, a high working fluid temperature (above 50 degrees C.) and an efficient heat transfer. 16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the flow of liquid into the bottom manifold and through the exterior housings is arranged such that the temperature in the heated layer is in the range 10-60° C. 17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the flow of liquid into the bottom manifold and through the exterior housings is arranged such that the temperature returned to the bottom manifold is in the range 30-85° C. 18. The method according to claim 1 wherein each computer processing unit is associated with an adjacent power supply which is contained within the tank alongside an associated exterior housing where the power supply is located in and cooled by the liquid between the exterior housings without any flow from the bottom manifold. 19. The method according to claim 1 wherein the computer processing units are dropped out when a peak demand situation occurs. 20. The method according to claim 1 wherein the computer processing units are connected to utility smart meters to aid in peak demand management. 21. The method according to claim 18 wherein there is provided a U-shaped holder mounted on the dividing sheet and arranged to hold the exterior housing and the power supply supported upright. 22. The method according to claim 1 wherein the tank has a head zone above the liquid that also acts as an expansion area to accommodate fluid level fluctuations. 23. The method according to claim 22 wherein the head zone is kept free from any moisture and includes a filter system to filter out particulate matter as well as moisture. 24. The method according to claim 22 wherein the tank is sealed and vapour tight. .Iadd.25. An apparatus for use in for computer processing comprising: a tank arranged to receive and contain a cooling liquid formed of a dielectric material; the tank arranged to receive and contain a plurality of computer processing units, each comprising: an exterior housing having a bottom opening at a bottom end and a top opening at a top end and defining a closed peripheral wall between the top and bottom ends; at least one computer processing board carrying electrical components mounted within the exterior housing which operates to carry out computer processing operations while generating heat; the tank having a dividing sheet in the tank dividing the tank into a bottom manifold below the dividing sheet and a main portion of the tank above the dividing sheet; the tank and the dividing sheet being arranged such that the exterior housing of each computer processing unit. when installed. is mounted on the dividing sheet with the bottom opening located at the dividing sheet and the peripheral wall upstanding within the tank to the top end which spaced from the dividing sheet; the dividing sheet having a plurality of liquid transfer opening arrangements therein where the liquid transfer opening arrangements are arranged to allow liquid from the bottom manifold to enter the exterior housings and pass through the bottom opening; an inlet conduit for introducing the cooling liquid into the bottom manifold; an outlet conduit for discharge of the cooling liquid from a top of the main portion of the tank where the outlet conduit is arranged such that a top surface of the liquid within the tank is at a location which is above the top end of the exterior housings, when installed; the liquid transfer opening arrangements into the exterior housings and the dividing sheet being arranged to cause the liquid to rise within the exterior housings when installed by convection caused by the heat within the exterior housings and to exit from the exterior housings through the top end into the tank; the top ends of the exterior housings being arranged, when installed, to form a heated layer in the tank between the top surface of the liquid and the top ends of the housings; the outlet conduit being arranged for extracting liquid from the heated layer; and a heat transfer arrangement for extracting heat from the extracted liquid to create a heat supply and to return cooled liquid through the inlet conduit to the bottom manifold..Iaddend. .Iadd.26. The apparatus according to claim 25 wherein there is provided a pump arranged such that the extracted liquid ls returned to the bottom manifold..Iaddend. .Iadd.27. The apparatus according to claim 25 wherein the liquid transfer opening arrangements are located at the exterior housings such that the liquid only enters the exterior housings and not between the exterior housings..Iaddend. .Iadd.28. The apparatus according to claim 25 wherein the liquid transfer opening arrangements each provide an array which is shaped to match the interior shape of the exterior housing to generate a smooth flow rising in the exterior housings..Iaddend. .Iadd.29. The apparatus according to claim 25 wherein the exterior housings are rectangular in cross-section and the array is rectangular..Iaddend. .Iadd.30. The apparatus according to claim 29 wherein the array is formed by a series of parallel slots..Iaddend. .Iadd.31. The apparatus according to claim 25 wherein the exterior housings are arranged in rows and columns..Iaddend.	RE50467	US RE50467 E	2025-06-24	72,516,662	Cooling a computer processing unit	H05K7/20272;H05K7/20236;F24D17/0042;H05K7/20781;G06F1/20	Y02B10/70;G06F2200/201;Y02B30/18;Y02B10/20	Gauthier; Stephane et al.	10130163 Manitoba Ltd.	17/946307	2022-09-16	Whittington; Kenneth		1/1	10130163 Manitoba Ltd.	8.825262	USPAT	8,036

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