). ▁ ▁The ▁concept ▁of ▁commit ment ▁schemes ▁was ▁perhaps ▁first ▁formal ized ▁by ▁G illes ▁Br ass ard , ▁David ▁Cha um , ▁and ▁Claude ▁Cre pe au ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 8 , ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁various ▁Zero - K now ledge ▁protocol s ▁for ▁N P , ▁based ▁on ▁various ▁types ▁of ▁commit ment ▁schemes ▁( see ▁also : ▁). ▁But ▁the ▁concept ▁was ▁used ▁without ▁being ▁treated ▁formally ▁prior ▁to ▁that . ▁The ▁notion ▁of ▁commit ments ▁appeared ▁earliest ▁in ▁works ▁by ▁Manuel ▁Bl um , ▁Sh imon ▁Even , ▁and ▁Sh am ir ▁et ▁al . ▁The ▁termin ology ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁origin ated ▁by ▁Bl um , ▁although ▁commit ment ▁schemes ▁can ▁be ▁inter change ably ▁called ▁bit ▁commit ment ▁schemes — s ometimes ▁reserved ▁for ▁the ▁special ▁case ▁where ▁the ▁committed ▁value ▁is ▁a ▁bit . ▁Ear lier ▁to ▁that , ▁commit ment ▁via ▁one - way ▁hash ▁functions ▁was ▁considered , ▁e . g ., ▁as ▁part ▁of , ▁say , ▁Lam port ▁signature , ▁the ▁original ▁ ▁one - time ▁one - bit ▁signature ▁scheme . ▁ ▁App lications ▁ ▁Co in ▁f li pping ▁ ▁Suppose ▁Alice ▁and ▁Bob ▁want ▁to ▁resolve ▁some ▁dispute ▁via ▁coin ▁f li pping . ▁If ▁they ▁are ▁phys ically ▁in ▁the ▁same ▁place , ▁a ▁typical ▁procedure ▁might ▁be : ▁▁ ▁Alice ▁" c alls " ▁the ▁coin ▁f lip ▁ ▁Bob ▁f li ps ▁the ▁coin ▁ ▁If ▁Alice ' s ▁call ▁is ▁correct