Alternative Content Delivery for Suboptimal Network Conditions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face frustration and inefficient resource usage due to inability to access content items under suboptimal network conditions, such as slow or unreliable internet connections, leading to prolonged wait times and high bandwidth costs.

Innovation Solution

A computing system that detects when a user fails to access a content item and provides an alternative version optimized for faster loading, such as a transcoded, cached, or content-reduced version, allowing access through a new interactive element in the user interface.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If the user attempts to access a content item under suboptimal network conditions, then the user can access the original content item, but the download time and bandwidth consumption are excessively high

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedownload timeVSAvoidnetwork condition reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the parameters of the content item by generating an alternative version with modified characteristics (compressed format, reduced resolution, simplified content) to adapt to suboptimal network conditions, thereby reducing download time and bandwidth consumption while maintaining accessibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a copy of the original content item in an alternative format that is optimized for suboptimal network conditions. This alternative version serves as a substitute that can be downloaded and accessed more efficiently when network conditions are poor

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If the system provides the alternative version of the content item, then the download time and bandwidth consumption are reduced, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent access efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-generating and storing alternative versions of content items before they are needed. When a user requests content under suboptimal network conditions, the alternative version is already available for immediate delivery, eliminating the need for complex real-time processing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary component (alternative version generator and selector) that mediates between the original content item and the user's access request. This intermediary automatically selects or generates the appropriate version based on network conditions, managing the complexity centrally rather than at each access point

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11288336B2Systems and methods for providing content items in situations involving suboptimal network conditions

Publication Date: 2022.03.29 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

The present disclosure provides systems and methods that provide improved access to content items in situations involving suboptimal network conditions. In particular, when a user attempts but fails to access a content item, a computing system can enable the user to access an alternative version of the content item that has been modified to account for the network conditions, thereby improving the accessibility and latency of content items for devices that are suffering from slow and/or unreliable network connections.