laneaxis interaction platform · 2020-05-05 · laneaxis interaction platform the laneaxis...
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LANEAXIS INTERACTION PLATFORM
TECHNICAL WHITEPAPER Version 2.0
July 3, 2018 U.S. Patent Number:
9,928,475
1
1
Table of Content
LaneAxis Interaction Platform ...................................................................................3
High Performance Enterprise Blockchain .................................................................3
Rationale for Using the Hyperledger...... ..................................................................3
Process Flow ................................................................................................................4
Edge Cases ..................................................................................................................7
Interaction Platform Technical Architecture ............................................................8
Overview .........................................................................................................................................................................8
Data Flow ..........................................................................................................................................................................9
Actors ................................................................................................................................................................................10
Blockchain Application Model ................................................................................................................................ 13
Access cOntrOl AnD Privilege ..................................................................................................................... 13
Primary Blockchain ..................................................................................................................................................... 13
channels ......................................................................................................................................................................... 14
tyPes OF trAnsActiOns ...................................................................................................................................... 15
Blockchain transaction .............................................................................................................................................. 15
channel transaction ................................................................................................................................................... 15
common-chaincode transaction .......................................................................................................................... 15
Key Activities AnD lOgic .................................................................................................................................... 16
Bidding and Matchmaking....................................................................................................................................... 16
recommendation engine ......................................................................................................................................... 18
Payments ........................................................................................................................................................................ 18
edge cases ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18
AXIS Token Benefits ..................................................................................................18AXIS Token Participants........................................................................................... .19
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform
s
The LaneAxis Patent.............................................................................. ....................20
Technical Whitepaper
LaneAxis Interaction Platform
the laneAxis interaction platform leverages Blockchain technology, and more specifically, auditable immutability and traceability of records to act as a bridge between carriers, shippers, trucks, and regulators in the transportation and logistics industries. AXis tokens will act as the origin and trust protocol for data across disparate semi-trusting organizations.
the platform will be built over a high performance enterprise blockchain, with the AXis utility tokens required for entry on the blockchain, iots installed in trucks, client side applications and integration platforms to integrate with legacy systems. This whitepaper reflects the structure and roadmap for building the LaneAxis 2.0 platform on the blockchain in the future.
High Performance Enterprise Blockchain
LAnEAXIS ECoSySTEm DESIGN oBjECTIvES FoR BLoCkCHAIn TECHnoLogy:
■ dISTRIBUTEd: Participating nodes should be able to run their own nodes
■ nodE SCALABILITy: Be able to maintain high performance as nodes increase
■ nETWoRk FAULT ToLERAnCE: cluster should be able to fully recover on node failure ormaintenance
■ PERFoRmAnCE SCALABILITy: Be able to achieve superior throughput and latency
■ TokEn PoRTABILITy: Be able to incorporate standard digital tokens like erc20 forparticipants
■ ImmUTABILITy: no changes possible once transactions are committed
Rationale for Using the Hyperledger
1. service Oriented Architecture ( sOA )
2. real-time data tracking and traceability of carriers
3. Proof of Participants identity with open identity protection Audit trail of activity andtransactions
4. Ai powered carrier and shipper recommendation engine
5. Fraud detection
6. High throughput rate, high capacity and low latency
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper3
7. test driven development
8. Maintaining privacy of information between two parties such as amount paid for shipping not beingvisible for all participants
Process Flow
the laneAxis implementation of the Hyperledger is a decentralized ledger technology that brings together the shippers and the carriers as the nodes. when a shipper creates a request, which includes shipping details such as pickup point, destination, and carriage load etc., the request is updated on all nodes. the laneAxis bot is also a node, and is distinct in that it possesses all the permissions to access information privy to the channels of the Hyperledger.
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper4
the laneAxis bot creates a list of carriers best suited to undertake the contract, then forwards it to the shipper. This list is created from the total number of carrier auto-acceptances and the manual acceptances. this list of recommendations is created by the laneAxis bot, based on a patented algorithm that uses multiple factors such as distance from pick-up point, rating of the carrier, and rating of the shipper, by applying specific weights to these factors. the algorithm ensures that the list of the recommendation of carriers is not uniform, but includes a mix of experienced as well as new carriers. this is purposefully encoded into the algorithm to protect the long-tail.
the shipper receives this list and makes the most suitable choice. in case the shipment order is accepted by only one carrier, the laneAxis bot automatically assigns the shipment to that carrier.
Once a shipment contract between the shipper and the carrier is finalized, the Shipper is responsible for creating a new channel by creating a genesis block. the shipper must also add the respective carrier to the channel. This channel contains a shared chaincode with the shipper and the carrier acting as the nodes which will endorse the trip initiation and completion related transactions on the Hyperledger. the laneAxis bot is also a part of this channel by default and is responsible for calculating the internal reputation scores based on all activities in the Hyperledger and risk management.
since shippers might need multiple shipments to be transported and the carriers might be transporting shipments of more than one shipper, the Hyperledger allows each shipper and carrier to be a part of multiple channels. the information contained within one channel cannot be accessed by another channel, even if the shipper and carrier are the same, as long as the shipment is different. Thus, each channel is a distinct unit and contains information pertinent to one shipment only. the drivers and other such ancillaries can be assigned as optional nodes to a particular channel by the carrier. However, this step is optional and not mandatory. the driver can be added to the channel only after the shipment contract has been finalized between the shipper and the carrier. If the driver has been added to the channel, he/she can accept the details from the shipper on behalf of the carrier. if the carrier does not add the driver to the channel, the driver receives the trip related information from the carrier’s node and transmits information back to the carrier’s node via REST APIs.
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper5
the driver picks up the shipment from the pick-up location and transmits this information to the shipper, either through the carrier’s node, or directly, as the optional node, as the case may be. this displays the best suitable route to the driver who must pass through the route dependent checkpoints in the calculated intervals within the margin of error. short detours will not be flagged by the iot device attached to the driver’s truck, but a longer detour will be flagged and attract a penalty. Every such penalty will affect the score (out of 1000) of the carrier and lower his/her chances of getting picked by the LaneAxis bot for another shipment.
All of the below-mentioned activities of the carriers will attract a penalty and lower their reputation score:
1. trip cancellation after shipper’s confirmation
2. Delay in pickup
3. Delay in delivery confirmation
4. incorrect information listed in the profile
The Shippers are also responsible for certain activities, and not performing them in a timely manner will negatively affect their score as well. The activities that lower a shipper’s reputation score include:
1. Failing to accept carrier’s requests in time
2. canceled shipment after confirmation
3. Payment delays or failure
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper6
Once the shipment is carried to the pre-decided destination by the driver, the Axistokens automatically get transferred from the shipper to carrier after confirmation from both parties.
For the purpose of the Hyperledger, the carrier node broadcasts on the private channel to the shipper node that the shipment has been delivered. it can also be verified by the data transmitted by the driver to the channel, whether directly, or indirectly. Once verified, the shipper must transfer the funds to the carrier’s cold wallet. The use of cold wallets is preferred to ensure maximum safety of the funds received/stored in the wallet.
Edge Cases
What happens if the shipment is delivered after expiry?
since the configuration transaction (configtx) has a valid_until value, it cannot be used to confirm the shipment after the expiry.
What happens if the shipper fails to choose a carrier within the stipulated time?
if the shipper fails to take any relevant action, no contract is created and the shipper must create a new shipping request and choose from the new list of carriers fetched by the laneAxis bot.
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper7
Interaction Platform Technical Architecture
ovERvIEW
to utilize the transparent and immutable nature of the Blockchain while also requiring permissioned visibility of certain data, the laneAxis solution uses Hyperledger technology. each transaction that occurs between the shippers and carriers is facilitated via erc20-based AXIS tokens.
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper8
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform
data Flow All participants in the blockchain belong to at least 1 channel. every node belongs to a primary network and endorses all the transactions on this network. these transactions are always related to a shipment. Once a shipment is finalized, a new channel is established between carrier and shipper for trip-related transactions and geo details. A carrier, at any point of time, may involve further parties to this channel (such as driver, insurance company, partners etc). the significance of a channel is realized upon completion of the last trip between a shipper and carrier. the carrier and shipper both possess shared-chaincode and will endorse the trip initiation and completion related transactions on the blockchain. All specific details of the trip will be abstracted in the channel.
Technical Whitepaper9
2. Shippersshippers are organizations that create a shipment request, thus creating an opportunity to generate value on the blockchain. every shipper runs a single node on the blockchain. Once the shipper and carrier have been paired, the shipper node is responsible for the creation of a new channel by creating a genesis block, then adding the respective carrier to the channel. the following diagram illustrates the shipper flow:
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform
Actors
1. LaneAxis BotA bot is a special type of peer possessing all permissions. this user will be part of all channelsin the network and will interface with a different network outside the blockchain as well. the task of this user is to interface the Ai infrastructure to the blockchain. the bot will be responsible for recommendations for shipper and carrier, calculating internal reputation scores based on all activities in the blockchain and risk management
Technical Whitepaper10
3. Carriers
carriers are organizations that accept orders and allocate shipment resources towards completion ofa specific shipment. each carrier will run a hyperledger node which will be used for interaction withthe rest interface for drivers and associated parties.
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper11
4. drivers
A driver represents an optional node, which means a driver may act as a node but it is not a mandatoryaction. in case a driver is not a node, the access is provided via rest APis interfaced with the carrier’s node inorder to provide the trip-related information to the driver. A carrier can add the driver to a channel once thetrip is finalized between carrier and shipper. the benefit of being on the blockchain is that drivers can begiven access to act as a proxy for the carrier and accept trips from shippers.
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper12
LaneAxis Blockchain Application model
ACCESS ConTRoL And PRIvILEgE
the laneAxis app will have one primary network, and further will have separate channels for every trip between the shipper, carrier and the drivers. the transaction privilege will depend on applicable access rules as well as by channel membership.
Primary Blockchainthis is the key blockchain network of laneAxis which mandates all shippers and carriers to act as nodes. this network needs a minimum of 2 nodes to bootstrap, with all public transactions generated over this blockchain. these transactions include: booking request, booking bid, booking confirmation, delivery commencement, expected time for delivery, delivery confirmation and internal reputation scores.
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper13
Channelschannels are the key to Hyperledger Fabric privacy and access control. in laneAxis, the channels are personal to every every carrier and shipper, and have a many-to-many type of relation, which means a carrier can be in channel with multiple shippers at any given time and a shipper can also be in channel with multiple carriers at any time. the channels ensure that trip-related specifics such as the agreed upon cost for services is kept abstracted from the primary blockchain. All the channels will have following lifecycle events:
A. Creationcreation of a channel occurs when the order is accepted from the carrier and is confirmed from theshipper. At this point, the configuration transaction (configtx) is stored in a special block that containsnot only the incremental configuration update, but the entire configuration so that when a peer needs to
know the channel’s configuration, it only needs to access the latest configtx block.
B. Invites
More actors will be invited to the channel upon creation. these will be the bot user, drivers (optional) and
insurance company (optional).
C. Accessthe drivers need to be part of the blockchain either directly by acting as a node, or indirectly by usingrest services from the carrier node that the driver belongs to. All iot-related information will exist in thechannel and only actors who are part of this channel will be able to access it. One common user to all thechannels will be the bot, which will enable smart recommendations and trigger smart alerts during a tripif and when required. Below are the types of transactions and access control privileges for different actors
in a channel:
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper14
TyPES oF TRAnSACTIonS
Blockchain Transactions■ Post shipment request
■ Manual/Auto Acceptance shipment request
■ Manual/Auto confirmation of shipper
■ trip completion information
■ Payment confirmation
■ reputation score for carrier and shipper
■ checkpoint touch Base confirmationtransaction
■ trip cancellation request
Channel Transactions■ selected Bid and Agreement Details
■ Pickup confirmation
■ geo location Data
■ checkpoint touch Base confirmationtransaction
■ Delivery confirmation transaction
■ trip cancellation transaction
■ Payment confirmation transaction
■ Peer rating transaction
Common-Chaincode Transactions■ Pickup confirmation
■ checkpoint touch Base confirmationtransaction
■ Delivery confirmation transaction
■ trip cancellation transaction
■ Payment confirmation transaction
■ Peer rating transaction
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper15
kEy ACTIvITIES And LogIC
Bidding and matchmaking this section describes how requests are posted and processed between a shipper and carrier over the blockchain. A shipper posts a request with auto-accept conditions, shipment-related requirements, origin and destination locations, date of pickup and bid amount (optional).
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kEy ACTIvITIES And LogIC
■ this request is broadcast on the blockchain and reaches the bot node which interfaces the blockchainwith the laneAxis Ai bot. the Ai bot is responsible for matchmaking utilizing logic that ensures everycarrier in the blockchain has an opportunity to receive shipments. Additionally, every shipper shouldreceive an appropriate number of carrier bids/acceptance so the choice of carrier is not overwhelming
■ the Bot node creates a new transaction based on the recommendation by the Ai Bot for a specificshipper request. this transaction has an “valid_until” value and cannot be used to confirm theshipment after the expiration.
■ if the shipper receives a single auto-confirm order they will not have to perform any action for theshipment process to begin. if there are more than one auto-confirms, or if there are zero, the shipperwill be alerted to take action (and confirm shipment) within a specified timeframe.
■ if the shipper fails to act in time, the shipment request has to be re-sent in order to get freshrecommendations from the bot.
■ Upon every successful action by the shipper and carrier (such as post-shipment requests, pickupconfirmation etc), the chaincode will add a reputation score internally in order to help the Ai bot forimproved recommendations.
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper17
Recommendation Enginethe laneAxis Ai bot will be responsible for generating personalized recommendations to the shipper about the carrier prospects on the basis of various parameters:
■ internal reputation score
■ Peer rating based on previous trips
■ number of shipments executed on the platform
■ Origin and destination by shipper
■ expected destination time and location of carriers already delivering a shipment
■ size of shipment
■ Any previous experience of shipper for same shipment (cancellations / burnt by carrier?)
■ Any previous experience of carrier from older shipments (payment delayed / cancelled)
TransactionsTransactions such as data access and authentication will be handled by a cold wallet with all laneAxis erc20 tokens to be utilized for such utilitarian purposes.
Edge CasesWhat happens if the shipment is delivered after deadline expiration?
since the configuration transaction (configtx) has a “valid_until” value, it cannot be used to confirm the shipment after expiration.
What happens if the shipper fails to choose a carrier within the stipulated time?
if the shipper fails to take any relevant action, no contract is created and the shipper must create a new shipping request and choose from the new list of carriers fetched by the laneAxis bot.
AXIS Token Benefits
to increase incentivization for proper actions by participants in the ecosystem, and to facilitate fair trade, laneAxis will utilize the AXis token. Utilizing the token will incentivize trade partners to participate fairly within the regulatory framework.
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform Technical Whitepaper18
Benefits of AXis tokens include:
AXIS Token Participants
1. data Access for fair participation and trust2. Regulatory Readiness by providing document validation in the system3. Facilitate transactions in the network4. Decrease operational expenditures
Shippers:
1. spend to register withmembership services
2. spend to uploadcontract information
3. spend to access datasuch as verificationdocuments, real timetracking, expressservices, etc.
1. spend to register withmembership services
2. spend to have dataverified
3. earn when contractgranted
1. earn when assigned forshipment by carriers
2. spend to havedocuments verified
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform
Carriers:
Drivers:
Regulators:1. Earn when shippers
access verification data
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LaneAxis Interaction Platform
THE LANEAXIS PATENT
U.S. Patent Number: 9,928,475Issued March 27, 2018
"SHIPPER-CARRIER DIRECT OPTIMIZATION PLATFORM"
The LaneAxis "Shipper-Carrier Direct Optimization Platform patent includes claims relating to a method, computer program product, and a system for optimizing shipper and carrier interaction.
You can read the complete patent HERE.
Technical Whitepaper20
Attorney Docket No. 050739-501P01US
BLOCKCHAIN-BASED SHIPPER-CARRIER DIRECT OPTIMIZATION
TECHNICAL FIELD
[1] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an interaction platform for shippers and
carriers.
SUMMARY
[2] In one aspect, there is provided a method. The method may include auditable
immutability and traceability of records to act as a bridge between carriers, shippers, trucks, and
regulators.
[3] Implementations of the current subject matter can include, but are not limited to,
systems and methods including one or more features as described as well as articles that
comprise a tangibly embodied machine-readable medium operable to cause one or more
machines (e.g., computers, etc.) to result in operations described herein. Similarly, computer
systems are also described that may include one or more processors and one or more memories
coupled to the one or more processors. A memory, which can include a computer-readable
storage medium, may include, encode, store, or the like one or more programs that cause one or
more processors to perform one or more of the operations described herein. Computer
implemented methods consistent with one or more implementations of the current subject matter
can be implemented by one or more data processors residing in a single computing system or
multiple computing systems. Such multiple computing systems can be connected and can
exchange data and/or commands or other instructions or the like via one or more connections,
including but not limited to a connection over a network (e.g. the Internet, a wireless wide area
network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wired network, or the like), via a direct
connection between one or more of the multiple computing systems, etc.
[4] The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth
in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the
subject matter described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the
claims. While certain features of the currently disclosed subject matter are described for
illustrative purposes in relation to an enterprise resource software system or other business
software solution or architecture, it should be readily understood that such features are not
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Attorney Docket No. 050739-501P01US
intended to be limiting. The claims that follow this disclosure are intended to define the scope of
the protected subject matter.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[5] 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,
[6] FIGs. 1-13 relate to subject matter disclosed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[7] The LaneAxis interaction platform leverages blockchain technology, and more
specifically, auditable immutability and traceability of records to act as a bridge between
carriers, shippers, trucks, and regulators. AXIS tokens act as a provenance and trust protocol for
data across disparate semi-trusting organizations.
[8] The platform is built over a high performance enterprise blockchain, with the AXIS
utility token required for blockchain entry, IoTs installed in trucks, client side applications and
integration platforms to integrate with legacy systems.
[9] Rationale for using the Hyperledger
1. Service Oriented Architecture ( SOA )
2. Real-time data tracking and traceability of carriers
3. Proof of Participants identity with open identity protection Audit Trail of
activity and transactions
4. Al Powered carrier and shipper recommendation engine
5. Fraud detection
6. High throughput rate, high capacity and low latency
7. Test driven development
8. Maintaining privacy of information between two parties such as amount paid
for shipping not being visible for all participants
[10] Process Flow
[11] The LaneAxis implementation of the Hyperledger is a decentralized ledger technology
that brings together the shippers and the carriers as the nodes. When a shipper creates a request,
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Attorney Docket No. 050739-501P01US
which includes shipping details such as pickup point, destination, and carriage load etc., the
request is updated on all nodes. The LaneAxis bot is also a node, and is distinct in that it
possesses all the permissions to access information privy to the channels of the Hyperledger.
[12] The LaneAxis bot creates a list of carriers best suited to undertake the contract, then
forwards it to the shipper. This list is created from the total number of carrier auto-acceptances
and the manual acceptances. This list of recommendations is created by the LaneAxis bot, based
on a patented algorithm that uses multiple factors such as distance from pick-up point, rating of
the carrier, and rating of the shipper, by applying specific weights to these factors. The algorithm
ensures that the list of the recommendation of carriers is not uniform, but includes a mix of
experienced as well as new carriers. This is purposefully encoded into the algorithm to protect
the long-tail.
[13] The shipper receives this list and makes the most suitable choice. In case the shipment
order is accepted by only one carrier, the LaneAxis bot automatically assigns the shipment to that
carrier.
[14] Once a shipment contract between the shipper and the carrier is finalized, the Shipper is
responsible for creating a new channel by creating a genesis block. The shipper must also add the
respective carrier to the channel. This channel contains a shared chaincode with the shipper and
the carrier acting as the nodes which will endorse the trip initiation and completion related
transactions on the Hyperledger. The LaneAxis bot is also a part of this channel by default and is
responsible for calculating the internal reputation scores based on all activities in the
Hyperledger and risk management.
[15] Since shippers might need multiple shipments to be transported and the carriers might
be transporting shipments of more than one shipper, the Hyperledger allows each shipper and
carrier to be a part of multiple channels. The information contained within one channel cannot be
accessed by another channel, even if the shipper and carrier are the same, as long as the shipment
is different. Thus, each channel is a distinct unit and contains information pertinent to one
shipment only. The drivers and other such ancillaries can be assigned as optional nodes to a
particular channel by the carrier. However, this step is optional and not mandatory. The driver
can be added to the channel only after the shipment contract has If the driver has been added to
the channel, he/she can accept the details from the shipper on behalf of the carrier. If the carrier
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Attorney Docket No. 050739-501P01US
does not add the driver to the channel, the driver receives the trip related information from the
carrier's node and transmits information back to the carrier’s node via REST APIs.
[16] The driver picks up the shipment from the pick-up location and transmits this
information to the shipper, either through the carrier’s node, or directly, as the optional node, as
the case may be. This displays the best suitable route to the driver who must pass through the
route dependent checkpoints in the calculated intervals within the margin of error. Short detours
will not be flagged by the IoT device attached to the driver’s truck, but a longer detour will be
fluffed and attract a penalty. Each such penalty will affect the score (out of 1000) of the carrier
and lower his/her chances of getting picked up by the LaneAxis bot for another shipment.
[17] All of the below-mentioned activities of the carrier will attract a penalty and lower their
reputation score:
1. Trip cancellation after shipper’s confirmation
2. Delay in pickup
3. Delay in delivery confirmation
4. Incorrect information listed in the profile
[18] The shipper is also responsible for certain activities, and not performing them in a
timely manner will negatively affect their score as well. The activities that lower a shipper’s
reputation score include:
1. Failing to accept carrier’s requests in time
2. Canceled shipment after confirmation
3. Payment delays or failure
[19] Once the shipment is carried to the pre-decided destination by the driver, the AXIS
Tokens automatically get transferred from the shipper to carrier after confirmation from both
parties.
[20] For the purpose of the Hyperledger, the carrier node broadcasts on the private channel
to the shipper node that the shipment has been delivered. It can also be verified by the data
transmitted by the driver to the channel, whether directly, or indirectly. Once verified, the
shipper must transfer the funds to the carrier’s cold wallet. The use of cold wallets is preferred to
ensure maximum safety of the funds received/stored in the wallet.
[21] Edge Cases
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Attorney Docket No. 050739-501P01US
[22] What happens if the shipment is delivered after time limit expiration? Since the
configuration transaction (configtx) has a valid_until value, it cannot be used to confirm the
shipment after deadline expiration.
[23] What happens if the shipper fails to choose a carrier within the stipulated time? If the
shipper fails to take any relevant action, no contract is created and the shipper must create a new
shipping request and choose from the new list of carriers fetched by the LaneAxis bot.
[24] Interaction Platform Technical Architecture
[25] Overview
[26] To utilize the transparent and immutable nature of the Blockchain while also requiring
permissioned visibility of certain data, the LaneAxis solution uses Hyperledger technology. Each
transaction that occurs between the shippers and carriers is denominated in ERC20 AXIS tokens.
[27] Data Flow
[28] All participants in the blockchain belong to at least 1 channel. Every node belongs to a
primary network and endorses all the transactions on this network. These transaction are always
related to a shipment. Once a shipment is finalized, a new channel is established between carrier
and shipper for trip-related transactions and geo details. A carrier, at any point of time, may
involve further parties to this channel (such as driver, insurance company, partners, etc.). The
significance of a channel is realized upon completion of the last trip between a shipper and
carrier. The carrier and shipper both possess shared-chaincode and will endorse the trip initiation
and completion related transactions on the blockchain. All specific details of the trip will be
abstracted in the channel.
[29] Bot: A bot is a special type of peer possessing all permissions. This user will be part of
all channels in the network and will interface with a different network outside the blockchain as
well. The task of this user is to interface the Al infrastructure to the blockchain. The bot will be
responsible for recommendations for shipper and carrier, calculating internal reputation scores
based on all activities in the blockchain and risk management.
[30] Shippers: Shippers are organizations that create a shipment request, thus creating an
opportunity to generate value on the blockchain. Every shipper runs a single node on the
blockchain. Once the shipper and carrier have been paired, the shipper node is responsible for the
creation of a new channel by creating a genesis block, then adding the respective carrier to the
channel.
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Attorney Docket No. 050739-501P01US
[31] Carriers: Carriers are organizations that accept orders and allocate shipment resources
towards completion of a specific shipment. Each carrier will run a hyperledger node which will
be used for interaction with the REST interface for drivers and associated parties.
[32] Drivers: A driver represents an optional node, which means a driver may act as a node
but it is not a mandatory action. In case a driver is not a node, the access is provided via REST
APIs interfaced with the carrier's node in order to provide the trip-related information to the
driver. A carrier can add the driver to a channel once the trip is finalized between carrier and
shipper. The benefit of being on the blockchain is that drivers can be given access to act as a
proxy for the carrier and accept trips from shippers.
[33] Access Control and Privilege: The LaneAxis app will have one primary network, and
further will have separate channels for every trip between the shipper, carrier and the drivers.
The transaction privilege will depend on the CA access rules as well as by channel membership.
[34] Channels: Channels are the key to Hyperledger Fabric privacy and access control. In
LaneAxis, the channels are personal to every carrier and shipper, and have a many-to-many type
of relation, which means a carrier can be in channel with multiple shippers at any given time and
a shipper can also be in channel with multiple carriers at any time. The channels ensure that trip-
related specifics such as the agreed upon cost for services is kept abstracted from the primary
blockchain.
[35] Creation: Creation of a channel occurs when the order is accepted from the carrier and
is confirmed from the shipper. At this point, the configuration transaction (configtx) is stored in a
special block that contains not only the incremental configuration update, but the entire
configuration so that when a peer needs to know the channel’s configuration, it only needs to
access the latest configtx block.
[36] Invites: More actors will be invited to the channel upon creation. These will be the bot
user, drivers (optional) and insurance company (optional).
[37] Access: The drivers need to be part of the blockchain either directly by acting as a
node, or indirectly by using REST services from the carrier node that the driver belongs to. All
IoT-related information will exist in the channel and only actors who are part of this channel will
be able to access it. One common user to all the channels will be the bot, which will enable smart
recommendations and trigger smart alerts during a trip if and when required. Below is the access
control privileges for different actors in a channel.
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Attorney Docket No. 050739-501P01US
[38] Types of Transactions
[39] Blockchain Transaction
• Post shipment request
• Manual/auto acceptance shipment request
• Manual/auto confirmation of shipper
• Trip completion information
• Payment confirmation
• Reputation score for carrier and shipper
• Checkpoint touch base confirmation transaction
• Trip cancellation request
[40] Channel Transaction
• Selected bid and agreement details
• Pickup confirmation
• Geo location data
• Checkpoint touch base confirmation transaction
• Delivery confirmation transaction
• Trip cancellation transaction
• Payment confirmation transaction
• Peer rating transaction
[41] Common-Chaincode Transaction
• Pickup confirmation
• Checkpoint touch base confirmation transaction
• Delivery confirmation transaction
• Trip cancellation transaction
• Payment confirmation transaction
• Peer rating transaction
[42] Key Activities and Logic
[43] Bidding and Matchmaking
[44] This section describes how requests are posted and processed between a shipper and
carrier over the blockchain.
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[45] A shipper posts a request with auto-accept conditions, shipment-related requirements,
origin and destination locations, date of pickup and expected amount (optional).
[46] This request is broadcast on the blockchain and reaches the bot node which interfaces
the blockchain with the LaneAxis Al bot. The Al bot is responsible for matchmaking utilizing
logic that ensures every carrier in the blockchain has an opportunity to receive shipments.
Additionally, every shipper should receive an appropriate number of carrier bids/acceptance so
the choice of carrier is not overwhelming.
[47] The Bot node creates a new transaction based on the recommendation by the AI BOT
for a specific shipper request. This transaction has an “valid_until” value and cannot be used to
confirm the shipment after the expiration.
[48] If the shipper receives a single auto-confirm order they will not have to perform any
action for the shipment process to begin. If there are more than one auto-confirms, or if there are
zero, the shipper will be alerted to take action (and confirm shipment) within a specified
timeframe. If the shipper fails to act in time, the shipment request has to be re-sent in order to get
fresh recommendations from the bot.
[49] Upon every successful action by the shipper and carrier (such as post-shipment
requests, pickup confirmation, etc.), the chaincode will add a reputation score internally in order
to help the AI bot for improved recommendations.
[50] Recommendation Engine
[51] The LaneAxis AI bot will be responsible for generating personalized recommendations
to the shipper about the carrier prospects on the basis of various parameters:
• Internal reputation score
• Peer rating based on previous trips
• Number of shipments executed on the platform
• Origin and destination by shipper
• Expected destination time and location of carriers already delivering a
shipment
• Size of shipment
• Any previous experience of shipper for same shipment (cancellations / burnt
by carrier?)
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• Any previous experience of carrier from older shipments (payment delayed /
cancelled)
[52] Payments: Payments will be handled by a cold wallet with all LaneAxis ERC20 tokens
to be used as payment in exchange for services on the platform. Upon beginning the trip, the
shipper would be verified for sufficient balance of tokens, and the shipment cost would be
debited from the shipper’s wallet. Upon completion of the trip, the tokens will automatically be
transferred to the carrier.
[53] Edge Cases
[54] What happens if the shipment is delivered after deadline expiration? Since the
configuration transaction (configtx) has a “valid_until” value, it cannot be used to confirm the
shipment after expiration.
[55] AXIS Token Benefits
[56] To increase reward for proper actions by participants in the ecosystem, and to facilitate
fair trade, LaneAxis will utilize the AXIS Token. Utilizing the token will reward trade partners
for fair participation in the regulatory framework.
[57] Benefits of AXIS tokens include:
• Data Access for fair participation and trust
• Regulatory Readiness by providing document validation in the system
• Facilitate transactions in the network
• Decrease operation expenditures
[58] AXIS Token
[59] Token Use cases:
[60] Shippers:
1. Spend to register with membership services
2. Spend to upload contract information
3. Spend to access data such as verification documents, real time tracking,
express services, etc.
[61] Carriers:
1. Spend to register with membership services
2. Spend to have data verified
3. Reward when contract granted
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[62] Regulators:
1. Reward when shippers access verification data
[63] Drivers:
1. Reward when assigned for shipment by carriers
2. Spend to have documents verified
[64] Although various illustrative embodiments are described above, any of a number of
changes may be made to various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention
as described by the claims. For example, the order in which various described method steps are
performed may often be changed in alternative embodiments, and in other alternative
embodiments one or more method steps may be skipped altogether. Optional features of various
device and system embodiments may be included in some embodiments and not in others.
Therefore, the foregoing description is provided primarily for exemplary purposes and should
not be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention as it is set forth in the claims.
[65] 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.
[66] 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,
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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.
[67] 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
[68] The examples and illustrations included herein show, by way of illustration and not of
limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. As mentioned,
other embodiments may be utilized and derived there from, such that structural and logical
substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Such
embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein individually or
collectively by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily
limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept, if more than one
is, in fact, disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described
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herein, any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the
specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or
variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other
embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon
reviewing the above description.
[69] Appendix A includes a paper titled “Blockchain-Based Shipper/Carrier Direct
Optimization Platform,” pages 1-45, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
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WHAT IS CLAIMED IS
1. A method as substantially described and shown.
2. An apparatus as substantially described and shown.
3. A computer-readable medium as substantially described and shown.
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