Balanced Network Using Player Node Bandwidth Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional client-server systems face scalability issues when delivering high-bandwidth content to a large number of clients, as the server requires significant upload capacity, making it difficult to support multiple clients efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic network where communication devices, or player nodes, share both upload and download bandwidths with each other, reducing the bandwidth requirement on the data source and allowing for scalable data delivery without limits on the number of nodes, using a control server to manage connections and meta data for efficient data stream distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional client-server system is used to deliver high-bandwidth content to multiple clients, then the server can provide centralized data distribution, but the server requires huge upload capacity which limits scalability with the number of clients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data delivery function by dividing the network into source nodes, intermediate player nodes, and sink nodes. Each node segments the data stream into packets and forwards to multiple destinations, eliminating the need for a single server to handle all upload traffic. This segmentation allows scalable data delivery where intermediate nodes share the upload burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of client and server by allowing player nodes to simultaneously receive data (client function) and forward data to other nodes (server function). This merging transforms the traditional client-server architecture into a peer-to-peer like structure where nodes collaborate, significantly reducing the upload capacity requirement of any single node while maintaining high overall delivery capacity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a server provides entire download bandwidth for all clients in a client-server system, then centralized control is maintained, but the system becomes non-scalable when servicing a large number of clients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling player nodes to autonomously receive data packets from the source and forward them to other nodes without requiring centralized server intervention for each transmission. Nodes independently manage their own data reception and distribution, allowing the network to scale to large numbers of clients while maintaining efficient bandwidth utilization through distributed intelligence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a traditional two-dimensional client-server model to a multi-dimensional mesh network where data can flow through multiple paths and dimensions. This dimensional expansion allows data to reach sinks through various routes (direct from source, through single intermediates, through multiple intermediates), enabling the system to adapt to large numbers of clients while optimizing bandwidth usage across the network topology.
3Productivity
If player nodes exchange data with each other to obtain complete copy of data stream, then bandwidth requirement on data source is significantly reduced, but network topology management becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces control servers as intermediaries that manage the complex topology relationships between player nodes. The control server receives notifications of node joins and leaves, maintains the topology graph, and coordinates data packet routing. This intermediary approach allows player nodes to freely exchange data while the control server handles the complexity of topology management, enabling efficient bandwidth utilization without overwhelming individual nodes with management complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where player nodes send join and leave notifications to control servers, which then update the topology graph and notify affected nodes. This feedback loop enables dynamic topology management where the system continuously adapts to node additions and removals, maintaining efficient data routing and bandwidth utilization while automatically managing the complexity of inter-node relationships.
Data Source
AI summary
A low-latency, high-bandwidth, and highly scalable method delivers data from a source device to multiple communication devices on a communication network. Under this method, the communication devices (also called player nodes) provide download and upload bandwidths for each other. In this manner, the bandwidth requirement on the data source is significantly reduced. Such a data delivery network is scalable without limits with the number of player nodes. In one embodiment, a computer network includes (a) a source server that provides a data stream for delivery in the computer network, (b) player nodes that exchange data with each other to obtain a complete copy of the data stream, the network nodes being capable of dynamically joining or exiting the computer network, and (c) a control server which maintains a topology graph representing connections between the source server and the player nodes, and the connections among the player nodes themselves. In one embodiment, the control server is associated with a network address (e.g., an IP address) known to both the source server and the player nodes. The data stream may include, for example, a real-time broadcast of a sports event.