On 2nd August, the patent application was filed by Walmart against the management of Smart Appliances using blockchain technology. This report was regarding the methods and detail systems that can be applied to manage smart appliances such as a smart home system or a receipt counter for drone-delivered packages.

Before, there have been a number of applications filing for blockchain patents. Some of them include medical record storage systems, blockchain package delivery system, and blockchain technology-based digital marketplace.

The patent is one amongst the broader expeditions of Walmart into the space of blockchain. However, they may mark the retail platform surging its game with regards to claiming the crucial blockchain technologies. The patent could brace the delivery system of Walmart in terms of its recent patent filed in July.

The Recent Blockchain Technology-Related Patents by Walmart

Walmart filed a patent in the recent past envisions associated to delivery using blockchain technology and trace shipments via drones. This retail platform has also been awarded some blockchain technology-based patents for other innovation unrelated to delivery.

For example, in the previous month, the big-box retailer has conceded a patent. They found out the detailed way to securely store the medical records on a blockchain and access them in the emergency. Meanwhile, Walmart was also awarded a patent on an electrical grid charged by Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrencies.

The Patent Application Filed By Walmart

The patent application examines the usage of blockchain network server to reinforce an IoT (internet of things) ecosystem.

According to the inventors:

The blockchain server network includes one or more secondary server systems that use one or more server-side applications [….] other resources in the IoT ecosystem.” They added, “A resource in the IoT ecosystem may be associated with one or more roles […] in the context of a single corresponding transaction.

Users will have to wear up the device to access a safely locked deposit box. This is where drones can deliver their goods and user can find their products.

A user may obtain and add the new kiosk to the distributed ledger using their smart device to authorize kiosk. Example, the user device may be a wearable device maintaining private key to authorize transaction. The kiosk may sync with the user device and be automatically provisioned as a home delivery station. They can be as a device in the distributed ledger management system

The application also mentions the possibility of the technology being used to create a smart home system in future.

The patent applicants said:

“without limitation, a home and media environment, a monitoring and manufacturing environment, an energy and healthcare management environment, a transportation environment, a retail environment, an agricultural environment, and the like.”

However, the concepts discussed in the new patent might be adopted soon to augment IoT systems and home entertainment incorporating blockchain smart appliance technology.