Content Relaying Apparatus for Social-Aware Data Sharing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional content sharing systems face increased communication costs and processing loads due to the need to upload and store large amounts of content data on distribution servers, especially when sharing content between multiple users.

Innovation Solution

A content sharing system that utilizes a content relaying apparatus to determine familiarity degrees between users and prioritize direct data transmission between content providing and obtaining apparatuses, reducing the need for server storage and communication through social information management and modified content data generation based on user familiarity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If content data is uploaded to a distribution server for sharing, then content sharing capability is improved, but communication cost and processing load increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent sharing capabilityVSAvoidcommunication cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a distribution server as an intermediary that stores content data and manages distribution to multiple terminals. The server acts as a mediator between the content providing terminal and multiple content obtaining terminals, enabling sharing without direct peer-to-peer uploads from the source terminal to each recipient.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates copies of content data stored on the distribution server and transmits these copies to multiple terminals. Instead of the source terminal uploading the same data multiple times to different destinations, the server maintains one master copy and distributes copies to requested terminals, reducing the total communication load on the source terminal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Adaptability or versatility

If content data is uploaded to a distribution server for sharing, then content sharing capability is improved, but processing load increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent sharing capabilityVSAvoidprocessing load

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The distribution server serves as an intermediary that handles all processing operations including data storage, retrieval, and distribution management. This transfers the processing load from the content providing terminal to the server, which is designed to handle such operations efficiently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The distribution server automatically manages content distribution based on requests from terminals. When a terminal requests content, the server autonomously retrieves it from storage and transmits it without requiring intervention from the original content providing terminal, thereby reducing the processing burden on user devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If large amount of content data is stored on distribution server, then content sharing capability is improved, but server storage capacity requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent sharing capabilityVSAvoidserver storage capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the storage function with the distribution function by integrating a storage device into the distribution server. This consolidation allows the server to maintain content data locally and serve multiple terminals simultaneously, eliminating the need for each terminal to maintain separate copies or for multiple upload operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system stores one master copy of content data on the distribution server and creates additional copies only when needed for distribution to terminals. This approach minimizes the base storage requirement on the server while enabling sharing across multiple devices, as the server maintains the primary repository and manages copy distribution efficiently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS9064235B2Content sharing system and method, content relaying apparatus and method, and content providing apparatus and method

Publication Date: 2015.06.23 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORP OF AMERICA

AI summary

In a content sharing system, a content relaying apparatus includes: a social information managing unit configured to obtain a familiarity degree indicating familiarity between a user of a content providing apparatus and a user of a content obtaining apparatus with reference to social information including the familiarity degree between the users when a first data obtainment request for obtainment of content data is received from the content obtaining apparatus; and a provision and relay determining unit configured to transmit, to the content obtaining apparatus, connection information for enabling the content obtaining apparatus to establish network connection with the content providing apparatus when the obtained familiarity degree is larger than or equal to a threshold value.