Alibaba patent details blockchain domain name management system

Alibaba Group has applied for a US patent entitled ‘Domain Name Management Scheme for Cross-Chain Interactions in Blockchain Systems’.

A continuation of an application filed in November 2018, this flags up Alibaba’s intention to patent a system that uses a “unified blockchain domain name” (UBCDN) in order to denote and share information. The Chinese e-commerce giant proposes a computing system that would generate a UBCDN message containing a blockchain domain name and a chain identifier that is paired with that name.

The patent cites various instances in which this technology could be useful. For example: “The UBCDN can include a human readable identifier or label, helping users to memorise and reach a blockchain instance easily, and thus promoting adoption or use of the blockchain instance. As an example, owners or operators of public blockchains, private blockchains, or consortium blockchains can choose blockchain domain names that correspond to their names, helping users to remember the identifiers of the blockchain instances.”

The patent adds: “Unlike existing cross-chain implementations such as COSMOS, that uses a relay chain for cross-chain interactions, in which each blockchain is assigned an identifier (ID) within the relay chain network but the ID only has a local scope and cannot be reused in other relay chain networks, in the described domain name scheme, the UBCDN can be used and is recognisable globally by all blockchain instances in the unified block chain network.”

Earlier this year, Alibaba announced plans to integrate blockchain technology into its intellectual property system of global enterprises and brands. Further info here.