Flow Transport Network Parallel Overlay Routing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current network architectures, including satellite and Internet-based systems, face challenges in efficiently delivering high-quality live video content to a large number of receivers with minimal latency and high reliability, especially for global-scale applications, due to limitations in scalability, cost, and interactivity.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a Flow Transport and Delivery Network (FTDN) using parallel overlay networks that create and maintain multiple logical links over an underlying network, allowing for efficient routing and recovery of live flows with low latency and high reliability, enabling scalable delivery of live video and interactive content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If satellite networks are used for live video delivery, then one-to-many connectivity is achieved, but the architecture lacks flexibility for customized content delivery to different sub-groups of receivers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of receiversVSAvoidcontent customization capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the receiver population into different sub-groups or clusters, allowing customized content delivery to specific segments while maintaining efficient one-to-many delivery to broader audiences. This enables content providers to deliver different content to different receiver sub-groups without requiring dedicated transponder space for each unique flow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an additional dimension of control by implementing multiple logical overlay networks over the physical satellite network infrastructure. This layered approach allows simultaneous delivery of both customized and standardized content through different logical pathways while utilizing the same physical resources.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Adaptability or versatility

If Internet unicast architecture is used for video streaming, then content can be delivered to individual users, but bandwidth costs become prohibitively expensive for content with large audiences

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveindividual content deliveryVSAvoidbandwidth cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the advantages of unicast (individual content delivery) and multicast (efficient group delivery) by implementing an overlay network architecture that dynamically selects delivery methods. Receivers in the same sub-group share content through efficient group delivery mechanisms, while still allowing individual customization options, thereby reducing overall bandwidth consumption compared to pure unicast.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If Internet streaming is used for live video, then content delivery to individual users is enabled, but reliability and consistency of delay, packet loss and jitter degrade video quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent delivery capabilityVSAvoidvideo delivery quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces overlay network nodes as intermediaries between the content source and end receivers. These intermediary nodes perform functions such as packet reordering, error correction, and jitter buffering, thereby improving delivery reliability and video quality while maintaining the flexibility of Internet-based content delivery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Reliability

If media players use large buffers to smooth out network artifacts, then video quality is improved, but significant latency is added to live streams

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevideo playback qualityVSAvoidstreaming latency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary actions at the overlay network nodes by pre-buffering and pre-processing video data closer to the source. This distributed buffering approach allows smaller local buffers at end-user media players, thereby maintaining video quality while reducing end-to-end latency compared to large centralized buffers at the user端.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

5Reliability

If dedicated point-to-point links are used for live video transport, then high quality video delivery with low latency is achieved, but the system cannot economically deliver live flows to multiple locations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevideo delivery qualityVSAvoidnetwork infrastructure cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the overlay network nodes universal by enabling them to handle multiple video flows simultaneously and serve multiple receiver sub-groups. Each overlay node can dynamically route different content streams to different receiver groups, allowing a single physical node to perform the function of multiple dedicated point-to-point links, thereby reducing infrastructure costs while maintaining delivery quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS8619775B2Scalable flow transport and delivery network and associated methods and systems

Publication Date: 2013.12.31 LTN GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS INC

AI summary

A Flow Transport and Delivery Network (FTDN) supports delivery and transport of flows to destination nodes over parallel overlay networks. Overlay nodes executing overlay processes create and maintain one or more overlay networks. A plurality of sites are connected to each other via the parallel overlay networks with each site comprising one or more transit routers that route the flows to the destination nodes.