U.S. Patent 11055703 was awarded to Hitachi, Ltd. on July 06, 2021 and is entitled “Smart contract lifecycle management.” The first named inventor is Yuki Kondo of Cupertino, CA. The abstract contains an overview of the patent disclosure:

In some examples, a first node is able to communicate with one or more second nodes for participating in a consensus system. The first node may receive, from a computing device, a request to execute a first smart contract associated with a first blockchain. The first node may invoke execution of the first smart contract to cause the first smart contract to execute a transaction by reading at least a portion of transaction data from the first blockchain as a transaction result. Further, the first node may check whether a simulation indicator has been set, which indicates that an expiration time of the first smart contract has been reached. Based on determining that the first smart contract has the simulation indicator set, the first node refrains from writing the transaction result to the blockchain as a valid transaction result and sends the transaction result to the computing device. Link to Full Patent

This blockchain patent was originally filed on June 19, 2017  as U.S. Patent Application 15/626236 at the United Stated Patent and Trademark Office. The application was them awarded a patent grant and published as U.S. Patent 11055703. The assistant examiner was Toan Duc Bui.

Hitachi, Ltd., who is the original assignee of this patent, has at least 43825 total granted patents in the United States as of the date of this article. This blockchain patent has been cited 1 times by other U.S. patents according to our law firm research, and can be considered an innovative patent in the field of cryptocurrency and blockchain.

Select IP monitors top patents and patents which have been allowed and granted worldwide. We are experts in patent law with experience blockchain technology and IP law and intellectual property law as it pertains to blockchain technology and cryptocurrency patents. If you are interested in connecting with an IP law attorney or patent law attorney, please contact us via the contact form.

Patentability Searches – Determine the patentability of your inventions.
Freedom to Operate Searches & Opinions – Identify patents may give you potential infringement issues (including in the recording, communication or information retrieval equipment field).
Non-Infringement Opinions – Determine if your product infringes a competitor’s patent.
Patent Invalidity Searches & Opinions – Find prior art to invalidate a competitor’s patent.
U.S. Provisional Patent Applications – Receive cost-effective “patent pending” status for your invention.
U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Applications (Utility) – Apply for patent protection on the structural and functional aspects of your invention.
U.S. Design Patent Applications – Apply for patent protection on the ornamental appearance of your invention.