Patent Publication Number: US-2021192448-A1

Title: Blockchain enabled transaction processing for an industrial asset supply chain

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/010,809, entitled “BLOCKCHAIN ENABLED TRANSACTION PROCESSING FOR AN INDUSTRIAL ASSET SUPPLY CHAIN”, filed Jun. 18, 2018, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to industrial assets and, more particularly, to blockchain enabled transaction processing for a supply chain. 
     One type of business process management system relates to organizing supplies used by a business entity (e.g., a corporation) for manufacturing and delivering goods and/or services. The organization and management of supplies is often referred to as a “supply chain.” A supply chain comprises a system of organizations, people, activities, information, actors, resources, etc. (referred to herein as “entities”) associated with the manufacture and delivery of a product or service from a supplier to a customer and/or user. Because a supply chain can encompass a complex set of resources from around the globe, a supply chain entity may have only a limited ability to transfer risks associated with the supply chain. An entity&#39;s failure to allocate risks and opportunities to drive cost reduction and revenue growth may have significant impact on an organization&#39;s ability to deliver a good or service and remain profitable. 
     In a global economy, a supply chain entity may face challenges relating to allocating material globally, such as figuring out where to place inventory so it is best located for upcoming demand. Similarly, an entity may experience defects in the supply chain which may not be immediately noticeable and may also be difficult to validate. To improve the exchange of information between various entities of a supply chain, a centralized system, managed by a trusted organization or consortium, might be implemented. These types of systems may require that critical business information either pass through or be stored at a location that is under the centralized system&#39;s control. In addition, a mechanism is required to establish user identity and this information is also commonly stored centrally. Because these types of systems are so centralized, they may be susceptible to multiple types of failures or attacks, such as concentrated and/or persistent cyber-attacks. 
     Due to the complexity of managing an extended supply chain of physical flows (e.g., parts, products, and processes), information flows (e.g., events and statuses), and/or contractual/financial flows (e.g. purchase order requests and contracts) with current technologies of disintegrated systems and paper-based processes, it may be difficult and costly to design a system to process supply chain transactions. Transactional tools might be implemented individually to implement manual processes, but such an approach may be impractical and inefficient. It would therefore be desirable to provide systems and methods to efficiently and securely manage transactions for supply chain entities. 
     SUMMARY 
     Some embodiments provide a system to facilitate transaction processing associated with an industrial asset supply chain having a first entity and a second entity. A first entity computer processor may retrieve, from a first entity database, information associated with pre-delivery data about the industrial asset. The first entity computer processor may then record pre-delivery data about the industrial asset via a secure, distributed transaction ledger. A second entity computer processor may retrieve, from a second entity database, information associated with a post-delivery event involving the industrial asset. The second entity computer processor may then record post-delivery event data about the industrial asset via a secure, distributed transaction ledger. The post-delivery event data might indicate, for example, that the industrial asset has been delivered, has been installed, is working properly, has been used, etc. 
     Some embodiments comprise: means for retrieving, by a first entity computer processor from a first entity database, electronic records including information associated with pre-delivery data about the industrial asset; means for recording, by the first entity computer processor, pre-delivery data about the industrial asset via a secure, distributed transaction ledger; means for retrieving, by a second entity computer processor from a second entity database, electronic records including information associated with a post-delivery event involving the industrial asset; and means for recording, by the second entity computer processor, post-delivery event data about the industrial asset via the secure, distributed transaction ledger. 
     Technical effects of some embodiments of the invention are improved ways to efficiently and securely manage transactions for supply chain entities. With these and other advantages and features that will become hereinafter apparent, a more complete understanding of the nature of the invention can be obtained by referring to the following detailed description and to the drawings appended hereto. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a high-level block diagram of a supply chain. 
         FIG. 2  is a high-level block diagram of a system according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  is a method that may be associated with first and second supply chain entity platforms in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates elements of a supply chain in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  is a system implementing blockchain enabled supply chain information sharing with blockchain validation according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  is a system implementing blockchain enabled supply chain information sharing with multiple digital transaction engines in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  is a blockchain enabled supply chain transaction processing display according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  is a more detailed view of a supply chain in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 9  is another detailed view of a supply chain in accordance with another embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a platform according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 11  is a portion of a tabular industrial asset database in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 12  is a method to incorporate blockchain enabled transaction processing into a contractual agreement according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 13  is contractual agreement display in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 14  is a distributed transaction ledger reference architecture according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 15  illustrates a tablet computer providing a display according to some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments. 
     One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     It may generally be desirable to efficiently and securely manage transactions for supply chain entities. As used herein, the phrase “supply chain” might be associated with, for example, a sequence of processes and/or entities involved in a production and/or distribution of a commodity (such as an industrial asset component or part).  FIG. 1  is a high-level block diagram of a typical supply chain  100 . The supply chain  100  includes suppliers  110  that may provide components or raw materials to a manufacturer  120  which might be tracked via purchase orders transmitted via facsimiles. The manufacturer  120  may fabricate an industrial asset and arrange for delivery/installation  140  via a distributor  130 . These supply chain steps might involve exchanging Electronic Data Interchange (“EDI”) files, emailed shipping notifications, signed delivery receipts, etc. Eventually, a customer  150  will receive the industrial asset (e.g., “in the field”) and, in some cases, arrange for the asset to be used by a user  160  (e.g., a doctor might use an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (“MRI”) machine and send an invoice to a patient via postal mail). 
     Because many different ways are used to exchange information in the supply chain  100 , it can be difficult to process transactions in creative or more efficient ways. Note that current supplier-buyer relationships are characterized in part by the payment terms agreed upon between suppliers and customers. These payment terms are usually dependent upon the timing of the receipt of goods or services from the supplier, as defined by the supplier and buyer. These payment terms define the financial flow within a complex supply chain and may be dependent upon the information flow about the receipt of the good or service. The relative simplicity of these payment terms (dependent upon the receipt and terms of the contract) can create a misalignment of physical flow, information flow, and/or financial flow within a supply chain. For example, it may be that payment can only be remitted based upon the receipt of the good, not the point at which the good is used, e.g., the assembly point, the date of asset deployment, or the date of asset commissioning. Furthermore, no decentralized method for enabling buyer-supplier payments based upon the use of an asset in the field exists (nor does the ability to securitize these payments). 
     To reduce such problems, a supply chain system  200  includes a first entity platform  210  with a communication port to exchange information with a first entity database  212  (e.g., containing information about an industrial asset). Similarly, a second entity platform  250  may have a communication port to exchange information with a second entity database  252 . The second entity database  252  might include, for example, electronic data records associated with industrial asset events  254 , including an asset identifier  256 , an event type  258 , a date and time of the event, etc. By way of an example only, the first entity platform  210  might be associated with a supplier or manufacturer while the second entity platform  250  might be associated with a customer or user. 
     According to some embodiments, the first entity platform  210  records pre-delivery data in a secure, distributed transaction ledger  290 . For example, the first entity platform  210  might record one or more of an order date and time, a price, an industrial asset item location, or the like via the secure, distributed transaction ledger  290  in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein. The second entity platform  250  records post-delivery events (e.g., in indication that an industrial asset has been installed or used) in the secure, distributed transaction ledger  290 . The transaction ledger  290  might be associated with, for example, blockchain technology that can be verified via a remote operator or administrator device  270 . According to some embodiments, the distributed transaction ledger might be associated with the HYPERLEDGER® blockchain verification system. Note that the platforms  210 ,  250  could be completely de-centralized and/or might be associated with a third party, such as a vendor that performs a service for an enterprise. According to some embodiments the first and second entity platforms  210 ,  250  may also exchange information with each other directly (as illustrated by the dotted arrow in  FIG. 2 ). 
     The first entity platform  210  and/or second entity platform  250  might be, for example, associated with a Personal Computer (“PC”), laptop computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, an enterprise server, a server farm, and/or a database or other storage devices. According to some embodiments, an “automated” first entity platform  210  may automatically record supply chain information in the transaction ledger  290  via a blockchain verification process. As used herein, the term “automated” may refer to, for example, actions that can be performed with little (or no) intervention by a human. 
     As used herein, devices, including those associated with the first entity platform  210  and any other device described herein, may exchange information via any communication network which may be one or more of a Local Area Network (“LAN”), a Metropolitan Area Network (“MAN”), a Wide Area Network (“WAN”), a proprietary network, a Public Switched Telephone Network (“PSTN”), a Wireless Application Protocol (“WAP”) network, a Bluetooth network, a wireless LAN network, and/or an Internet Protocol (“IP”) network such as the Internet, an intranet, or an extranet. Note that any devices described herein may communicate via one or more such communication networks. 
     The platforms  210 ,  250  may store information into and/or retrieve information from data stores. The data stores might, for example, store electronic records representing prior transactions, transactions currently in process, digital events, etc. The data stores may be locally stored or reside remote from the platforms  210 ,  250 . Although a single first entity platform  210  and second entity platform  250  are shown in  FIG. 2 , any number of such devices may be included. Moreover, various devices described herein might be combined according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, in some embodiments, the first entity platform  210 , first entity database  212 , and/or other devices might be co-located and/or may comprise a single apparatus. 
     Note that the system  200  of  FIG. 2  is provided only as an example, and embodiments may be associated with additional elements or components. According to some embodiments, the elements of the system  200  provide blockchain enabled supply chain transaction information processing. For example,  FIG. 3  illustrates a method that might be performed by the system  200  described with respect to  FIG. 2 , or any other system, according to some embodiments of the present invention. The flow charts described herein do not imply a fixed order to the steps, and embodiments of the present invention may be practiced in any order that is practicable. Note that any of the methods described herein may be performed by hardware, software, or any combination of these approaches. For example, a computer-readable storage medium may store thereon instructions that when executed by a machine result in performance according to any of the embodiments described herein. 
     The method of  FIG. 3  may be associated with an industrial asset, such as an engine, an aircraft, a locomotive, power generation, a wind turbine, a medical device, farming equipment, an autonomous vehicle, additive manufacturing, an unmanned aerial vehicle, etc. Moreover, the method is associated with a supply chain, such as a local supply chain, an international supply chain, a global supply chain, etc. At S 310 , a first entity computer processor may retrieve, from a first entity database, electronic records including information associated with pre-delivery data about the industrial asset. The first entity might be associated with, for example, a component supplier, a manufacturer of the industrial asset, a distributor, etc. 
     At S 320 , the first entity computer processor may record pre-delivery data about the industrial asset via a secure, distributed transaction ledger. According to some embodiments, the secure, distributed transaction ledger comprises blockchain technology that is controlled by a single, centralized entity or by multiple, distributed entities. 
     At S 330 , a second entity computer processor may retrieve, from a second entity database, electronic records including information associated with a post-delivery “event” involving the industrial asset. The second entity might be associated with, for example, a delivery entity, an installer entity, a customer, a user of the industrial asset, etc. As used herein, the term “event” may refer to any action or change in state associated with an industrial asset. Examples of events might include indications that the industrial asset has been delivered, the industrial asset has been installed, the industrial asset is working properly, the industrial asset has been used, etc. 
     At S 340 , the second entity computer processor may record post-delivery event data about the industrial asset via the secure, distributed transaction ledger. Note that the secure, distributed transaction ledger may store various types of information associated with an industrial asset, including quality information, delivery information, mission critical information, physical location data, product quality or quantity information, material quality information, inspection information, a price of a good, a price of a service, contractual commitment data, delivery conditions, shipping information, a blockchain enabled smart contract, etc. 
     In this way, the risks and costs associated with a supply chain may be allocated in various creative or more efficient ways. For example, a supplier might only be paid for a component after a completed industrial asset is installed and working for a customer. In general, some embodiments may allow for the creation of new payment structures using distributed transaction ledgers (e.g., blockchains), enabling verified payment remittances based on digitally-verifiable events (e.g., receipt, installation, assembly, commissioning, service rendering or usage) and securitization structures may be created from these payment remittances to dynamically change the financial structure of a supply chain consistent with physical transactions in the supply chain. Moreover, some embodiments may enable new contractual and financial relationships across an extended supply chain. 
     For example,  FIG. 4  illustrates a supply chain  400  according to some embodiments. The supply chain  400  includes a manufacture  420  of an industrial item (e.g., a gas turbine engine) that is provided to a customer  450  via a distributor  430  and/or a delivery/installation service  440 . According to this embodiment, the supply chain  400  includes a pre-delivery portion (e.g., including a manufacturer  420  of the asset) and a post-delivery portion (e.g., including an ultimate customer  450 ). By recording information into a secure, distributed transaction ledger  490 , the supply chain  400  can arrange to allocate risks and costs in various ways. For example, the manufacture  420  of a jet engine might not receive any payment (or a reduced payment) when an airplane is delivered to an airline but instead be paid on a per-mile basis as the airplane is flown. According to some embodiments, a transaction prediction and/or compilation platform  480  may be associated with the distributed transaction ledger  490  and/or other supply chain entities to facilitate such an arrangement (e.g., by tracking flown miles and transferring a payment to the jet engine manufacturer on a yearly basis). Note that the manufacturers  420 , distributor  430 , delivery/installation service  440 , and/or customers  450  may also exchange information with each other directly (e.g., as illustrated by the dotted arrows in  FIG. 4 ). 
       FIG. 5  is a system  500  implementing supply chain information incorporating blockchain validation according to some embodiments. A cloud-based integrity monitor  510  may provide transaction integrity data via a web browser and exchange information with a blockchain  520  and a digital transaction engine  550  via Representational State Transfer (“REST”) web services. The REST web services may, for example, provide interoperability between computer systems on the Internet (e.g., by allowing requesting systems to access and manipulate textual representations of web resources using a uniform, predefined set of stateless operations). According to some embodiments, portions of the digital transaction engine  550  may be associated with a MySQL or Oracle® database. In this way, the digital transaction engine  550  and blockchain  520  can be used to provide transaction level verification for a client  540  (e.g., a supply chain entity). Although  FIG. 5  illustrates a system  500  with a single blockchain  520  and digital transaction engine  550 , note that embodiments may employ other topologies. For example,  FIG. 6  is a system  600  implementing supply chain information sharing incorporating multiple digital transaction engines in accordance with some embodiments. In particular, an additional blockchain  622  and digital transaction engine  652  may provide protection for an additional client  642 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , each digital transaction engine  650 ,  652  may be associated with multiple blockchains  620 ,  622  providing additional protection for the system  600  (e.g., by storing information at multiple, geographically disperse nodes making cyber-attacks impractical). That is, each verifier (e.g., digital transaction engine) may commit a brief summary to an independent data store and, once recorded, the information cannot be changed without detection to provide a tamper-proof System of Records (“SoR”). 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a computer display  700  in accordance with some embodiments. The display  700  includes a graphical representation  710  of a supply chain such that a user may select elements of the supply chain (e.g., via a computer mouse pointer  720  or touchscreen) to see further information and/or adjust details about that element (e.g., via a pop-up window). According to some embodiments, the display  700  includes one or more selectable icons  730  that can be used to update a supply chain, export or import data, save files, publish information, perform a blockchain validation, etc. 
     Thus, embodiments may provide blockchain enabled transaction information processing and sharing in a distributed supply chain. As illustrated by the supply chain  400  of  FIG. 4 , business partners across a globally distributed, multi-echelon supply chain may exchange information via a transaction ledger  490 . Enabled by the secure, distributed transaction ledger, such as one associated with block-chain technology, embodiments described herein may enable companies to share business information across a trusted network. 
     Through a distributed blockchain network controlled by one, few, or many participants (e.g., an industry consortium), a collaborative system across a local or global supply chain may enable companies and individuals to participate in a flexible and trustworthy system. For example, a supplier of sensor components to an industrial customer might decide to assume all liability for future sensor failures. By participating in the network, both the supplier and customer may know that the information will be trustworthy. Moreover, the information might only be shared with the company and/or individual who need to know. Because the system can be configured to fit individual use cases, the need to sharing large chunks of data (when just a few data points are needed) may be reduced. 
     For information that is repetitive and/or needs to be updated and shared on a regular basis, the system may be configured and connected to specific locations (e.g., associated with databases, computers, etc.) at network participant sites. Validation information, such as location data, database information, computer information, etc., might be automatically accessed and entered into the information chain (and validated if needed by a trusted human owner/sender of the information). According to some embodiments, this information may be used to create a “digital fingerprint” to be added to the information, thus increasing a user&#39;s level of trust. 
     According to some embodiments, the blockchain enabled exchange of information between supply chain entities may be associated with a supplier Line Of Balance (“LOB”) process. A LOB process may be associated with a repetitive process that exists within a contract&#39;s work scope and the manufacturing and assembly of parts in the factory. A LOB may comprise a management control process for collecting, measuring and presenting facts relating to time, cost and accomplishment which may all be measured against a specific plan. 
     In some embodiments, the blockchain enabled exchange of supply chain information may indicate that there is a high probability that each of the actors will timely deliver their respective goods or services. For example, an output of a LOB process might illustrate a status, a background, timing and phasing of project activities, and thus the LOB may provide management with measuring tools to (i) compare actual progress with an objective plan, (ii) examine any deviations from the objective plan (as well as gauging their degree of severity with respect to the remainder of the project), (iii) indicate areas where appropriate corrective action is required and/or (iv) forecast future performance. The blockchain enabled exchange of supply chain information may also be associated with extra costs that will occur when an actor is not timely and potentially misses a delivery date. The blockchain enabled exchange of supply chain information may be associated with constraints such as if a supplier can&#39;t build his goods, the supplier can&#39;t ship his goods and there may be financial repercussions associated with missing a delivery date. Unlike manual methods, the present embodiments may automatically facilitate (e.g., a technical effect) the optimization of supply chain functionality as various actors change component data and/or when there is a change in the various actors. 
     With dozens or hundreds of individual systems and smaller point solutions, companies would be left to manually handle critical business information with their hundreds or thousands of business partners. Enabled by block-chain technology, embodiments described herein may help companies share and retrieve business information across a trusted network allowing for creative ways to allocate costs, risks, etc. While focusing on the information sharing and processing, note that embodiments are not limited to any particular type of business data (e.g., the tracking of physical goods). Rather, embodiments may provide for the sharing of any supply chain information across the global networks—including quality information of products and materials, prices of goods and services, contractual commitments, delivery conditions, shipping information, etc. 
     Note that the supply chain  400  provided in  FIG. 4  is only one example, and embodiments may be associated with any other number of configurations. For example,  FIG. 8  is a more detailed view of a supply chain  800  in accordance with some embodiments. As before, the supply chain  800  includes a manufacture  820  of an industrial item (e.g., a farm tractor) that is provided to a customer  850  via a distributor  830  and/or a delivery/installation service  840 . Moreover, suppliers  810  may provide components (e.g., engines, tires, blades, etc.) to the manufacturer  820 . The supply chain  800  includes a pre-delivery portion (e.g., including a manufacturer  820  of the tractor) and a post-delivery portion (e.g., including the farmer or customer  850 ). By recording information into a secure, distributed transaction ledger  890 , the supplier  810  and customers  850  can arrange to allocate risks and costs in various ways. For example, the supplier  810  of tractor blades might not receive payment until a farmer (customer  850 ) begins using a tractor with those blades. Note that the suppliers  810 , manufacturers  820 , distributor  830 , delivery/installation service  840 , and/or customers  850  may also exchange information with each other directly (e.g., as illustrated by the dotted arrows in  FIG. 8 ). 
       FIG. 9  is another detailed view of a supply chain  900  in accordance with another embodiment. As before, the supply chain  900  includes a manufacture  920  of an industrial item (e.g., an X-ray machine) that is provided to a customer  950  via a distributor  930  and/or a delivery/installation service  940 . Moreover, suppliers  910  may provide components to the manufacturer  920 . The supply chain  900  includes a pre-delivery portion (e.g., including a manufacturer  920  and distributor  930  of the X-ray machine) and a post-delivery portion (e.g., including a hospital or customer  950  and users  960  such as doctors or patients). By recording information into a secure, distributed transaction ledger  990 , the supplier  910  and customers  950  or users  960  can arrange to allocate risks and costs in various ways. For example, the supplier  910  of an X-ray machine component (e.g., a software application) might receive payments every time the X-ray machine is used, a patient is billed, etc. Note that the suppliers  910 , manufacturers  920 , distributor  930 , delivery/installation service  940 , customers  950 , and/or users  960  may also exchange information with each other directly (e.g., as illustrated by the dotted arrows in  FIG. 9 ). 
     Embodiments described herein may comprise a tool to help share information among supply chain entities and may be implemented using any number of different hardware configurations. For example,  FIG. 10  illustrates a platform  1000  that may be, for example, associated with the supply chain entity platforms  210 ,  250  of  FIG. 2  (as well as other systems described herein). The platform  1000  comprises a processor  1010 , such as one or more commercially available Central Processing Units (“CPUs”) in the form of one-chip microprocessors, coupled to a communication device  1020  configured to communicate via a communication network (not shown in  FIG. 10 ). The communication device  1020  may be used to communicate, for example, with one or more remote platforms and/or a ledger. Note that communications exchanged via the communication device  1020  may utilize security features, such as those between a public internet user and an internal network of an insurance enterprise. The security features might be associated with, for example, web servers, firewalls, and/or Public Key Infrastructure (“PKI”) devices. The platform  1000  further includes an input device  1040  (e.g., a mouse and/or keyboard to enter information about a distributed transaction ledger, a business relationship, etc.) and an output device  1050  (e.g., to output usage reports, arrange for a transfer funds, etc.). 
     The processor  1010  also communicates with a storage device  1030 . The storage device  1030  may comprise any appropriate information storage device, including combinations of magnetic storage devices (e.g., a hard disk drive), optical storage devices, mobile telephones, and/or semiconductor memory devices. The storage device  1030  stores a program  1012  and a transaction processing engine for controlling the processor  1010 . The processor  1010  performs instructions of the programs  1012 ,  1014 , and thereby operates in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein. For example, the processor  1010  may provide a system to facilitate transaction processing associated with an industrial asset supply chain having a first entity and a second entity. The processor  1010  may retrieve, from a first entity database, information associated with pre-delivery data about the industrial asset. The processor  1010  may then record pre-delivery data about the industrial asset via a secure, distributed transaction ledger. When the platform  1000  is associated with another entity, the processor  1010  may retrieve, from a second entity database, information associated with a post-delivery event involving the industrial asset. The processor  1010  may then record post-delivery event data about the industrial asset via a secure, distributed transaction ledger. The post-delivery event data might indicate, for example, that the industrial asset has been delivered, has been installed, is working properly, has been used, etc. 
     The program  1012  may be stored in a compressed, compiled, uncompiled and/or encrypted format. The program  1012  may furthermore include other program elements, such as an operating system, a database management system, and/or device drivers used by the processor  1010  to interface with peripheral devices. 
     As used herein, information may be “received” by or “transmitted” to, for example: (i) the platform  1000  from another device; or (ii) a software application or module within the platform  1000  from another software application, module, or any other source. 
     In some embodiments (such as shown in  FIG. 10 ), the storage device  1030  further stores an industrial asset database  1100 . An example of a database that might be used in connection with the platform  1000  will now be described in detail with respect to  FIG. 11 . Note that the database described herein is only an example, and additional and/or different information may be stored therein. Moreover, various databases might be split or combined in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein. For example, the industrial asset database  1100  might be combined with and/or linked to the program  1012 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , a table is shown that represents the industrial asset database  1100  that may be stored at the platform  1000  in accordance with some embodiments. The table may include, for example, entries identifying industrial assets distributed via a supply chain. The table may also define fields  1102 ,  1104 ,  1106 ,  1108 ,  1110 ,  1112 ,  1114  for each of the entries. The fields  1102 ,  1104 ,  1106 ,  1108 ,  1110 ,  1112 ,  1114  may, according to some embodiments, specify: an industrial asset identifier  1102 , an industrial asset description  1104 , an event identifier  1106 , an event type  1108 , a date and time  1110 , a contract result  1112 , and an indication of whether or not the event was recorded via a blockchain transaction ledger. The industrial asset database  1100  may be created and updated, for example, based on information electrically received from remote customer platforms, additive or subtractive manufacturer platforms, and/or distributed transaction ledger devices. 
     The industrial asset identifier  1102  may be, for example, a unique alphanumeric code identifying an asset distributed via a supply chain and the industrial asset description  1104  may describe the asset (e.g., as being a wind turbine, drone inspection, etc.). The event identifier  1006  may be a unique alphanumeric code identifying an event associated with the asset (e.g., a change in state or status), the event type  1108  might explain what the event means (e.g., an asset has been delivered or used), and the date and time  1110  might reflect when the event occurred. The contract result  1112  might indicate, for example, that funds need to be paid as a result of occurrence of the event. The recording in blockchain indication might indicate that the event was (or was not) recorded, that recordation is pending, etc. 
       FIG. 12  is a method to incorporate blockchain enabled transaction processing into a contractual agreement according to some embodiments. Note that embodiments may provide supply chain participants (suppliers, original equipment manufacturers, service providers, customers, etc.) an ability to rapidly reconfigure financial and contractual arrangements of a supply chain and access new ways of financing the manufacture, delivery, and operation of equipment. Embodiments may leverage the decentralized validation of digitally-verifiable events using distributed transaction ledgers to change the contractual methods by which suppliers are remitted payment for goods or services provided to an Original Equipment Manufacturer (“OEM”) or end customer. When properly configured, these contractual methods may help reduce or avoid the agency problems inherent in a supply chain that is limited by inflexible payment terms. The independent and decentralized validation of these digitally-verifiable events may enable many different contractual arrangements including:
         blockchain-enabled verification of receipt of material (e.g., a widget arrived) triggering payment to suppliers by OEMs, investors, and/or other financing participants;   blockchain-enabled verification of material assembly point (e.g., a widget installed) triggering payment to supplier by an OEM, investors, and/or other financing participants;   blockchain-enabled verification of asset deployment (e.g., a widget-in-the-field) triggering payment to suppliers, OEMs, investors, and/or other financing participants;   blockchain-enabled verification of asset commissioning (e.g., a widget-working-in-the-field) triggering payments to suppliers, OEMs, investors, and/or other financing participants;   blockchain-enabled verification of asset usage triggering pay-on-use to supplier or OEM (e.g., a widget-being-used-in-the-field), in effect creating an event-based capital lease with event-based, time-based, and/or schedule-based payments to OEMs, suppliers, investors, and/or other financing participants;   blockchain-enabled factoring and securitization of payments, either based on pay-on-use from end customers or other upstream tollgates with automatic triggers based on component life limits or reliability issues tied to specific supplier issues and the blending of various types of payments into a market-available security;   blockchain-enabled pass-through value chain financing of assets and components;   an ability to dynamically share risk, margin, equity and insurance across multiple legal entities in a supply chain; and/or   an ability to dynamically change contractual agreements with suppliers during the New Product Development (“NPD”), New Product Introduction (“NPI”), New Services Introduction (“NSI”) phases of a product or service lifecycle, limiting cash flow consequences (e.g., stranded inventory and cash-to-cash inversion).       

     At S 1210 , a contractual relationship may be established between supply chain entities in connection with an industrial asset. For example, a manufacturer and customer might enter into an agreement. At S 1220 , the system may monitor a secure, distributed transaction ledger to identify post-delivery events associated with the industrial asset (e.g., that the asset was delivered, that the asset as installed, that the asset was used). At S 1230 , it is determined if such an event was detected. If a post-delivery event was not detected at S 2130 , the system may continue to monitor the ledger at S 1220 . If a post-delivery event was detected at S 1230  (e.g., the event occurred and was recorded in the transaction ledger), the system may arrange for a transfer of funds between the supply chain entities in accordance with the established contract at S 1240 . The system may then continue to monitor the ledger at S 1220  (e.g., to see if further events occur). 
       FIG. 13  is contractual agreement display  1300  in accordance with some embodiments. The display  1300  includes a graphical representation  1310  of a supply chain contract definition interface. The interface may allow for the definition of parties (e.g., via drop-down menus  1320 ), contact terms regarding payment events (e.g., selectable via computer mouse pointer  1330 ), payment details, etc. The display  1300  may further include a user selectable icon  1340  that allows the contract details to be uploaded (e.g., to a secure, distributed transaction ledger) when competed. 
     Thus, embodiments may enable a decentralized verification and corresponding remittance to a supplier based upon the date of receipt of goods or services, the date of assembly, deployment, commissioning, and/or use. This decentralized verification and remittance may then be used to securitize the payment stream of pay-on-use contractual arrangements, enabling an alignment of the physical and information flow of material and services through a supply chain with the corresponding financial flow of that supply chain. 
     Embodiments may be associated with any type of distributed transaction ledger having a de-centralized consensus-based network that supports smart contracts, digital assets, record repositories, and/or cryptographic security. For example,  FIG. 14  is a distributed transaction ledger reference architecture  1400  according to some embodiments. The architecture  1400  includes ledger services and an event stream  1410  that may contain network security service information (e.g., from a supply chain platform). Membership services  1420  (e.g., including registration, identity managements, and/or an auditability process) may manage identity, privacy, and confidentially for membership  1450  for the network security service. Blockchain services  1430  (e.g., including a consensus manager, Peer-to-Peer (“P2P”) protocol, a distributed transaction ledger, and/or ledger storage) may manage the distributed transaction ledger through a P2P protocol built on HTTP to maintain a single state that is replicated at many nodes to support blockchains  1460  and transactions  1470 . Chaincode services  1440  (e.g., secure container and/or a secure registry associated with a smart contract) may help compartmentalize smart contract (or chaincode  1480 ) execution on validating nodes. Note that the environment may be a “locked down” and secured container with a set of signed base images that contain a secure OS and programming languages. Finally, APIs, Software Development Kits (“SDKs”), and/or a Command Line Interface (“CLI”) may be utilized to support a network security service via the reference architecture  1400 . 
     Thus, some embodiments described herein may use blockchain technology to provide for an independent verification of material position and/or service disposition. Moreover, embodiments may create contractual agreements with payment remittance based upon more complex material/service states and provide a more accurate and consistent material flow through a supply chain. Some advantages of embodiments described herein include: an external funding of a supply chain; deferment of cash-to-cash cycle based on Accounts Receivable (“AR”)/Accounts Payable (“AP”) reversal; predictable flows of funds (limiting opportunity for fraud); limited NPI cash consequences (e.g., stranded inventory); a securitization and service plans; independent verification and validation of product performance tied to supplier quality; financial risk sharing across an extended supply chain; operational risk sharing across extended supply chain (e.g., resource allocation), etc. 
     The following illustrates various additional embodiments of the invention. These do not constitute a definition of all possible embodiments, and those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is applicable to many other embodiments. Further, although the following embodiments are briefly described for clarity, those skilled in the art will understand how to make any changes, if necessary, to the above-described apparatus and methods to accommodate these and other embodiments and applications. 
     Note that embodiments described herein might be associated with many different types of supply chains and/or business entities. For example, some embodiments may be associated with additive manufacturing in accordance with some embodiments. In such cases, information associated with at least a portion of a supply chain may be retrieved from an additive manufacturing platform database. According to some embodiments, the additive manufacturing platform utilizes an additive manufacturing printer associated with three-dimensional printing. In this case, the information about the supply chain might be associated with a printer model, a resolution, a powder, a deadline, material specifications, process conditions, etc. As used herein, the phrase “additive manufacturing” may refer to various types of three-dimensional printing, including, for example, those described in the American Society for Testing and Materials (“ASTM”) group “ASTM F42—Additive Manufacturing” standards. These include vat photopolymerisation (using a vat of liquid photopolymer resin), material jetting (where material is jetted onto a build platform), binder jetting (e.g., using a powder based material and a binder), material extrusion such as Fuse Deposition Modelling (“FDM”). powder bed fusion (e.g., Direct Metal Laser Sintering (“DMLS”), Electron Beam Melting (“EBM”), etc.), a sheet lamination (including Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing (“UAM”) and Laminated Object Manufacturing (“LOM”)), and Directed Energy Deposition (“DED”). Payment obligations may then be based on events associated with item printing, item use, etc. 
     Note that the processes described herein might be applicable in other supply chain environments. For example, the supply chain might be associated with automobile manufacturing, consumer electronics (e.g., smartphones, tablet computers, and the like), electric power generation, etc. As another example, a producer of intellectual property (e.g., Computer Aided Design (“CAD”) files describing a product, movies, songs, television shows, etc.) might record post-deployments event information via a secure, distributed transaction ledger. A distributor of such intellectual property might then access the ledger to arrange for supply chain payments as appropriate. 
     Although specific hardware and data configurations have been described herein, note that any number of other configurations may be provided in accordance with embodiments of the present invention (e.g., some of the information described herein may be combined or stored in external systems). Moreover, although embodiments have been described with respect to transaction information processing system, note that embodiments might be associated with other types of processing systems in general. Similarly, the displays shown and described herein are provided only as examples, and other types of displays and display devices may support any of the embodiments. For example,  FIG. 15  illustrates a tablet computer  1500  with a display  1510  that might utilize an interactive graphical user interface. The display  1510  might comprise a graphical overview of the devices associated with a supply chain and/or the products that are being exchanged. Selection of an element on the display  1510  might result in further information about that element being presented  1520  (e.g., a current status of an industrial asset). 
     The present invention has been described in terms of several embodiments solely for the purpose of illustration. Persons skilled in the art will recognize from this description that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but may be practiced with modifications and alterations limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.