Dynamic Virtual Groups for Network Traffic Management

The patent segments the network traffic by dividing multicast messages into multiple unicast messages based on device groupings (virtual clusters). Instead of sending one multicast message that requires multiple retransmissions across the network, the system creates targeted unicast messages for specific device groups, reducing network congestion and delivery delays while maintaining efficient group communication.

The patent inverts the traditional approach by converting multicast messages into unicast messages rather than expanding multicast capabilities. Instead of increasing the multicast table size to handle more concurrent packets, the system uses unicast messaging to achieve the same goal of handling more device communications without the associated complexity of multicast table management and node retransmission tracking.

The patent extracts the retransmission function from the network nodes and consolidates it at the source device. Instead of having multiple nodes track and retransmit multicast packets, the source device sends targeted unicast messages directly to destination devices or device groups, eliminating the need for intermediate node retransmissions while maintaining reliable delivery.

The patent implements dynamic message transmission by adaptively choosing between unicast and multicast approaches based on real-time network conditions and device groupings. The system dynamically creates virtual clusters of devices and adjusts message routing accordingly, using unicast for small groups to reduce congestion and multicast for larger groups to minimize transmission overhead, optimizing both network throughput and message efficiency.