Content Indirection in Electronic Messaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic messaging systems face challenges in efficiently managing and retrieving additional content, such as images or videos, stored on separate servers, especially when intermediate nodes are involved in communication paths, as they often require direct retrieval by the end recipient.
Innovation Solution
The system introduces a content indirection mechanism where an indicator in the message specifies which entity in the communication path is responsible for retrieving and inserting additional content, allowing any entity in the path to perform content retrieval, reducing the burden on the end recipient and optimizing resource use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the end recipient directly retrieves content from storage units in existing electronic messaging systems, then the content can be delivered to the recipient, but the signaling load and resource usage increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary content retrieval mechanism where an indicator in the message specifies which entity in the communication path is responsible for retrieving and inserting additional content. This intermediary approach allows any entity in the path (not just the end recipient) to perform content retrieval, thereby distributing the signaling load and reducing the burden on the end recipient while maintaining reliable content delivery
2Reliability
If the end recipient is responsible for retrieving additional content, then content can be delivered, but the complexity of the messaging system increases
Solution Approach 1:
By introducing an intermediary indicator mechanism that specifies which entity should retrieve content, the patent simplifies the overall system architecture. Instead of requiring the end recipient to always perform retrieval operations, the system can delegate this task to more suitable entities in the communication path, reducing the complexity burden on the recipient device while maintaining content delivery reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the content retrieval function from the message reception function. By using an indicator to specify which entity performs retrieval, the system separates the concerns of message transmission and content fetching, allowing different entities to handle different aspects of the process based on their capabilities and position in the communication path
3Productivity
If any entity in the communication path can retrieve content, then resource usage is optimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The indicator mechanism serves as an intermediary that enables any entity in the communication path to potentially retrieve content without requiring each entity to have complex built-in retrieval logic. The indicator specifies which entity should perform the retrieval, allowing entities to act as simple forwarders or as active retrievers based on the indicator, thus optimizing resource usage while maintaining relatively simple device architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically determines which entity performs content retrieval based on the indicator in the message and the position/capabilities of entities in the communication path. This dynamic allocation of retrieval responsibility allows the system to optimize resource usage by having the most appropriate entity (based on network conditions, entity capabilities, etc.) perform the retrieval, without requiring each entity to have fixed complex retrieval functionality
Data Source
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AI summary
A method includes receiving an electronic message by a communication entity; determining if an indicator in the electronic message identifies the communication entity as an entity to retrieve a content referenced in the electronic message; and retrieving the content from a storage unit if the indicator identifies the communication entity as an entity to retrieve the content. An address of the content is identified in the electronic message.