Patent ID: 8607057

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of securely outsourcing data aggregation, the method comprising: using a processor of a verifying computer, receiving an aggregated verifiable synopsis (AVS) corresponding to an aggregated result of a set of data values provided by a plurality of sources; using the processor of the verifying computer, verifying the aggregated result of the set of data values provided by the plurality of sources by using the received aggregated verifiable synopses (AVS), the AVS comprising at least one received data value of the set of data values provided by the plurality of sources, a received folded self-authentication value (SEAL) for the aggregated result of the set of data values, and a received inflation free proof (IFP) of a received maximum data value v m of the set of data values provided by the plurality of sources, the at least one received data value of the set of data values provided by the plurality of sources including at least the received maximum data value, the verifying comprising: computing a reference inflation free proof (IFP) for the received maximum data value using a cryptographic function known to the verifying computer and a source of the plurality of sources providing the received maximum data value using at least a value indicative of the received maximum data value; computing individual reference self-authentication values (SEALs) for the plurality of sources providing the data using a one-way function, and folding the individual reference SEALs together to form a reference folded SEAL; comparing the received IFP of the received aggregated verifiable synopsis to the computed reference IFP and the received folded SEAL of the received aggregated verifiable synopsis to the reference folded SEAL; and designating the received aggregated verifiable synopsis as valid based at least in part on the comparing determining that the received IFP equals the computed reference IFP and the received folded SEAL equals the reference folded SEAL.