Patent ID: 8910237

Claim:
A method for collecting a response to a query from nodes of a network, the method comprising: an initiating node determining its true response to the query, the true response being a number, adding an obfuscation number to its true response to generate a resulting number that conceals the value of its true response, entering in a data field of the message the resulting number, and then initiating a first data round by sending the message to one of the nodes; each node in the network other than the initiating node receiving the message, determining its own true response to the query, the true response also being a number, adding an obfuscation number to its true response to generate a resulting number that conceals the value of its true response, updating the data field of the message by adding the resulting number to the value contained in the data field, and sending the message to another node; the initiating node receiving the message after each other node has updated the data field of the message and initiating a second data round by resending the message to one of the nodes; each node in the network other than the initiating node receiving the message, subtracting its obfuscation number from the value contained in the data field of the message, and sending the message to another node; and the initiating node again receiving the message after each other node has subtracted its obfuscation number from the value contained in the data field of the message, subtracting the initiating node's obfuscation number from the value contained in the data field of the message, and identifying the result of the subtraction as the final result of the query.