Edge Caching for Interactive Content Streaming Latency

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing content streaming systems for interactive content, such as videogames, suffer from high latency due to geographical separation between primary servers and users, as edge servers cannot generate content in real-time and are ineffective for interactive content.

Innovation Solution

Implementing an edge server system that caches pre-recorded or predictable content, reduces data streaming from primary servers by caching non-interactive content, and optimizes data transmission using modes that include caching cut-scenes, parallel audio, static image caching, and offloading rendering tasks to the edge server.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If edge servers are deployed to reduce latency for users far from primary servers, then latency is reduced for non-interactive content, but edge servers cannot generate content in real-time and appear to be another node forwarding live content, which does not solve the latency problem for interactive content

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovelatencyVSAvoidcontent generation capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments content into non-interactive content (cut-scenes, static images, audio) and interactive content (real-time game rendering). Non-interactive content is cached at edge servers, while interactive content is streamed from primary servers. This segmentation allows edge servers to reduce latency for non-interactive content without compromising real-time content generation capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-rendering and caching non-interactive content (cut-scenes, static images, audio) at edge servers before they are needed during gameplay. This preliminary caching reduces latency when these content elements are required, as they can be served from the edge server rather than requiring real-time generation or streaming from primary servers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If all content is streamed from primary servers to ensure real-time generation, then content generation is maintained, but bandwidth usage increases and latency increases for users far from primary servers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent generation capabilityVSAvoidlatency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments content into non-interactive content (cut-scenes, static images, audio) and interactive content (real-time game rendering). Non-interactive content is cached at edge servers, while interactive content is streamed from primary servers. This segmentation allows edge servers to reduce latency for non-interactive content without compromising real-time content generation capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-rendering and caching non-interactive content (cut-scenes, static images, audio) at edge servers before they are needed during gameplay. This preliminary caching reduces latency when these content elements are required, as they can be served from the edge server rather than requiring real-time generation or streaming from primary servers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Loss of energy

If edge servers cache all content to reduce latency, then bandwidth usage decreases, but device complexity increases due to caching management requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth usageVSAvoidcaching management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments content into non-interactive content (cut-scenes, static images, audio) and interactive content (real-time game rendering). Non-interactive content is cached at edge servers, while interactive content is streamed from primary servers. This segmentation allows edge servers to reduce latency for non-interactive content without compromising real-time content generation capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-rendering and caching non-interactive content (cut-scenes, static images, audio) at edge servers before they are needed during gameplay. This preliminary caching reduces latency when these content elements are required, as they can be served from the edge server rather than requiring real-time generation or streaming from primary servers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20260039934A1Content streaming system and method

Publication Date: 2026.02.05 SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC

AI summary

An interactive content provision system comprises a primary server configured to generate interactive content, and to stream generated interactive content to an edge server, and an edge server configured to receive generated interactive content from the primary server, and stream it to a client device; wherein the edge server is further configured to store at least some cached content, being predetermined content of the interactive content generated by the primary server, the edge server is configured to receive data from the primary server indicating a cached content for provision to the client device by the edge server, and the edge server is configured to provide streamed generated interactive content and indicated cached content to the client device.