Distributed Media Data Dissemination Architecture for Bandwidth Bottleneck Resolution

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional cable-based television systems face limitations in viewer control over program timing and bandwidth constraints, making true video-on-demand impractical due to central bottlenecks and double switch traversal in existing dissemination approaches.

Innovation Solution

A distributed media data dissemination architecture with multiple devices, schedulers, and senders that stripe media data across devices, allowing schedulers to request and prioritize media data blocks directly from senders without central routing, and employs multicasting and replication to alleviate bottlenecks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a central collector and forwarder is used to route television programming portions to clients, then centralized control and coordination are achieved, but bandwidth limitations and bottlenecks occur due to all traffic passing through the central node

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecentralized controlVSAvoidbandwidth utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the centralized collection function into distributed senders deployed across multiple devices. Each sender independently handles media data portions stored on its host device, eliminating the single-point bottleneck at the central collector while maintaining coordinated delivery through scheduler-managed send requests.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a new architectural dimension by distributing senders across multiple devices in the network rather than concentrating functionality in a single central collector. This spatial distribution across devices enables parallel media data delivery paths, increasing overall bandwidth utilization and eliminating the central bottleneck.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Ease of operation

If television programming portions are sent through the network switch twice (to central collector and back to clients), then centralized routing is maintained, but communication traffic and bandwidth usage increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverouting controlVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the media data transmission function from the central collector and relocates it to distributed senders on client devices. This eliminates the unnecessary round-trip through the network switch by enabling direct sender-to-client delivery, reducing communication traffic while maintaining routing control through scheduler coordination.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Productivity

If multiple senders are distributed across devices with direct sending capability, then bandwidth bottlenecks are reduced, but coordination complexity and device complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth utilizationVSAvoidsystem coordination

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the scheduling function with each distributed sender, creating integrated scheduler-sender units on each device. This combination simplifies coordination by enabling local decision-making at each sender based on scheduler-formulated requests, reducing the complexity of inter-device communication while maintaining efficient bandwidth utilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Adaptability or versatility

If video-on-demand is implemented with traditional cable networks, then viewer control over program timing is improved, but bandwidth limitations make true VOD impractical

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveviewer controlVSAvoidbandwidth capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables devices to serve themselves as senders, with each device capable of directly transmitting media data portions to clients based on scheduler requests. This self-service capability eliminates the bandwidth constraints of traditional cable networks by distributing transmission capacity across multiple devices, enabling true video-on-demand with full viewer control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS7443791B2Priority mechanism for distributed sending of media data

Publication Date: 2008.10.28 ADEIA TECHNOLOGIES INC

AI summary

Media data is distributed across multiple devices, and multiple schedulers and senders are installed across the multiple devices. Schedulers formulate send requests that stipulate particular media data portions and designate destination clients. Each send request is associated with a send priority. The send requests are transmitted from the multiple schedulers to the multiple senders. The senders rank respective received send requests according to their associated send priorities. Based on the ranked respective send requests and responsive to a respective send bandwidth of each sender, the senders ascertain respective threshold priorities. Each respective threshold priority corresponds to the lowest send priority of all send requests that have been accepted for sending by a respective sender. By comparing individual send priorities associated with individual send requests to respective threshold priorities, the schedulers are able to determine which send requests are selected for sending by respective senders.