Walmart files another blockchain-application patent

Blockchain enthusiast Walmart has applied for another patent using the distributed ledger technology that underpins cryptocurrency transactions, according to a filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Walmart files application for patent using blockchain technology

The retail giant has outlined a system for using blockchain to manage smart appliances such as mobile computer devices, media players, desktop computers and gaming machines. One particular use case for the application would be a kiosk for receiving packages from delivery drones.

Managing devices

Patent number 20180219676 described a “user device [that] may be a wearable device that maintains the private key used to authorize the transaction.

“The kiosk may sync with the user device and be automatically provisioned as a home delivery station and added as a device in the distributed ledger management system.”

The system proposes building up a home environment using the internet of things (IoT) to manage a variety of smart devices.

“A resource in the IoT ecosystem may be associated with one or more roles and, thus, is associated with a single role in the context of a single corresponding transaction,” the application said.

Other applications

Walmart has been highly active in blockchain research and has filed several application that use the technology.

Last month it applied for a patent for a “delivery reservation apparatus and method” using blockchain’s ledger technology to enable a locker system to keep delivered items safe until collection.

Back in June, the retailer was awarded a patent for the development of an electrical grid, powered by bitcoin and monitored by the blockchain.