Walmart Files Patent for Blockchain-based Drone System

The patent was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Aug. 1. It emphasized on drones that will rely on a vehicle-to-vehicle communication for its operations.

Based on the blockchain system, the drone will encrypt and stores its operational parameters, according to the filing by Walmart. The information is subsequently conveyed to another drone, which is decrypted, read, and then configured to those parameters.

Thus, the so-called vehicle-to-vehicle communication system between drones would depend on data interpretation. It will relay messages, mesh communications networks, and allow the drones to be aware of each others’ bearing as well as location.

However, this is not the first time Walmart has engaged in patenting blockchain solutions for drones. Since 2017, the retail company, Walmart notably filed a patent application with the USPTO sometime in May 2017 for a system of “Unmanned Aerial Delivery to Secure Location.”

Blockchain-managed Smart Appliances

In August 2018, Walmart filed a patent which accounts for blockchain-powered management of smart appliances. The application outlined systems and methods for managing intelligent tools, including a desktop or server computer, a kiosk, a tabletop device, and others.  

The blockchain server network featured support for Internet of Things (IoT) in order to manage more smart appliances. “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 patent reads.

In addition, Walmart per the patent hopes to build smart home environments, where the proposed appliance management system will be used, such as home, healthcare, media, manufacturing, energy.

Walmart wants a Stablecoin

Now venturing into the crypto sphere, Walmart submitted another patent for blockchain-based digital currency pegged to the U.S dollar, just like Facebook Libra.

The patent filing had the number; 20190236564, “System and Method for Digital Currency via Blockchain.” it was published by USPTO on Aug. 1., outlining for a method for:

“Generating one digital currency unit by tying the one digital currency unit to a regular currency; storing information of the one digital currency unit into a block of a blockchain; buying or paying the one digital currency unit.”