The San Francisco-based start-up 21 Inc has filed an application to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to get a patent for digital currency mining circuitry.

21 Inc, known as the most investable bitcoin company with more than $116 million of funding for the time being, presented its claims for the methods of executing and verifying digital currency transactions, an integrated circuit and “an electronic device that forms a node in a peer-to-peer network of nodes that support transactions in digital currencies.”

The application was published by USPTO 15 October but is yet to be approved.

The 21 Inc describes itself as “someone to build the full-stack infrastructure for Bitcoin, from silicon to software.” It created a unique pocket-size Bitcoin computer with built-in mining chip, pre-loaded blockchain and pre-configured software adapted for bitcoin clients and servers.

The company also initiated Bitnodes Incentive Program,  which rewards miners for running a full node, and launched a non-commercial  tutorial platform to instruct developers on how exactly the bitcoin protocol works.


Maria Rudina