U.S. Patent 10848315 was awarded to NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION on November 24, 2020 and is entitled “Contract agreement method, agreement verification method, contract agreement system, agreement verification device, contract agreement device, contract agreement program and agreement verification program.” The first named inventor is Akihito Akutsu of Yokosuka, . The abstract contains an overview of the patent disclosure:

Methods, systems, and devices for leaving evidence of a contract on a blockchain with a simple method while having agreements made among the involved parties, maintaining the mode of one electronic signature per transaction, and maintaining credibility. Transactions of an issuing-party terminal, an agreeing-party terminal, and an agreeing-party terminal involved in contract agreement are linked as a chain, and the agreeing-party terminal at the end generates a transaction directed to the issuing-party terminal who has issued the contract. Each of these terminals previously generates a key pair for encryption of the contract and transmits the encryption key to a terminal which is its transaction sender. Then, this sender terminal encrypts a contract to be included in a transaction of the user of the sender terminal using the encryption key of the receiver of the transaction. Link to Full Patent

This blockchain patent was originally filed on July 11, 2016  as U.S. Patent Application 15/743523 at the United Stated Patent and Trademark Office. The application was them awarded a patent grant and published as U.S. Patent 10848315. The primary examiner was Kari L Schmidt.

NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION, who is the original assignee of this patent, has at least 3422 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.