Opportunistic Content Delivery Routing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) face high costs and latency issues in providing high-performance content delivery, as they typically require expensive high-performance data centers to maintain optimal performance, which is not economically viable for all users.

Innovation Solution

The system optimizes content delivery by initially transmitting content from high-performance sources when beneficial and switching to lower-performance sources when the client's buffer is sufficiently filled, reducing the need for continuous high-speed delivery, thereby conserving resources and lowering costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If high-performance data centers are used to ensure optimal content delivery performance, then delivery speed and reliability are improved, but operational costs increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent delivery speedVSAvoidoperational cost

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically switches between high-performance and lower-performance content sources based on real-time conditions. The content delivery system monitors buffer status and client capabilities, then adaptively routes requests to appropriate sources, making the performance level dynamic rather than static. This resolves the contradiction by using high-performance sources only when necessary while cost-effectively utilizing lower-performance sources during appropriate conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the performance parameter of content delivery by selecting different content sources with varying performance characteristics. When the client buffer is sufficiently filled or the client is identified as having slow connection, the system switches to lower-performance sources, thereby changing the delivery performance parameter to match actual needs and reduce operational costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If high-performance data centers are used to maintain optimal performance during peak times, then service reliability is improved, but cost to the provider increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice reliabilityVSAvoidprovider cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the performance level of content delivery based on actual service conditions. During peak times or when high reliability is needed, the system routes to high-performance sources. When conditions allow, it switches to lower-performance sources, making reliability adaptive rather than consistently high, thereby reducing provider costs while maintaining service reliability when necessary.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses lower-performance, cost-effective content sources for periods when high performance is not critical. These cheaper sources are utilized temporarily during appropriate conditions (when buffer is full or client has slow connection), replacing expensive high-performance sources, thereby reducing overall provider cost while maintaining reliability when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Speed

If content is continuously delivered from high-performance sources, then delivery performance is maintained, but resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery performanceVSAvoidresource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system makes delivery performance dynamic by switching between high-performance and lower-performance sources based on real-time buffer status and client capabilities. This dynamic approach ensures high performance is provided only when necessary (when buffer is not full and client can accept fast delivery), thereby reducing resource consumption while maintaining delivery performance when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the delivery performance parameter by selecting different content sources with varying performance characteristics. When the client buffer is sufficiently filled or the client has slow connection, the system switches to lower-performance sources, changing the performance parameter to match actual needs and reducing resource consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Quantity of substance

If the client buffer is sufficiently filled, then additional high-performance delivery is not needed, but the system should still ensure content availability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent buffer quantityVSAvoiddelivery speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts delivery speed based on buffer status. When the client buffer is sufficiently filled, the system switches to lower-performance sources for additional content delivery, as the client can tolerate slower delivery. This dynamic adjustment ensures content availability while optimizing resource usage, resolving the contradiction between maintaining high speed and ensuring content availability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS9137301B1Client based opportunistic routing

Publication Date: 2015.09.15 AMAZON TECH INC

AI summary

When a client requests content from a Content Delivery Network (or other system), a first portion of the content is requested from a source capable of providing high performance to that client. When the client has a sufficient amount of the content to perform its function, then additional portions of the content can be requested from a source that provides a lower performance to that client with a minimal or no performance penalty to the user of the client.