Gateway Server Rendering Web Content to Video for Thin Clients

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing technologies face challenges in reducing the high load on communication terminals when accessing enriched web content, despite the use of thin client technology and other solutions, as they struggle to efficiently manage and transmit rich media content.

Innovation Solution

A distribution control system that includes a browser management unit to start up appropriate browsers, a transmitter to send image and sound data, and a receiver to receive input information, configured to update and transmit data to communication terminals, utilizing cloud-based rendering and encoding to convert content into compressed video and sound data for efficient distribution.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If web content is enriched with various media formats and functionalities, then content quality and user experience are improved, but the load on communication terminals increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent qualityVSAvoidterminal load

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a gateway server as an intermediary between the web server and communication terminals. The gateway server receives web content, converts it into video format through rendering and encoding, and transmits the converted content to terminals. This mediator handles the complex processing tasks, allowing terminals to simply decode and display video without bearing the heavy load of rendering rich web content natively.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the traditional web browsing mechanism (where terminals directly render HTML/CSS/JavaScript) with a video streaming mechanism. By substituting the mechanical rendering process with video encoding and decoding, the system achieves efficient content delivery to resource-constrained terminals while maintaining rich content quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Device complexity

If thin client technology is used to reduce terminal load, then terminal resource requirements are reduced, but the ability to access enriched content remains limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveterminal resource requirementsVSAvoidcontent access capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The gateway server creates video copies of web content by rendering the original web pages and encoding them into video format. These video copies preserve the visual appearance and interactivity of the original enriched content while being compatible with simple communication terminals, thus enabling thin clients to access complex content without requiring advanced hardware capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Adaptability or versatility

If browsers are updated to support new web standards and formats, then content compatibility is improved, but terminal hardware requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent compatibilityVSAvoidbrowser update requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of updating terminal browsers to support new web standards, the patent inverts the approach by having the gateway server (with powerful processing capabilities) perform the rendering and conversion to video format. This reverses the traditional model where the client adapts to the content, making it so that the content is adapted to the client's capabilities through video encoding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

4Productivity

If real-time interaction and collaboration features are added to web content, then user collaboration capability is improved, but processing load on terminals increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollaboration capabilityVSAvoidprocessing load

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the rendering process, video encoding process, and interaction handling into a unified gateway server system. By combining these functions at the server side, the system enables real-time collaboration features (such as remote desktop control, file transfer, and communication) without distributing the processing load to individual terminals, thus maintaining high collaboration capability while keeping terminal energy consumption low.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP2779571B1Distribution control system, distribution system, distribution control method, and computer-readable storage medium

Publication Date: 2019.05.08 RICOH CO LTD

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AI summary

A distribution control system is connected to a plurality of communication terminals that output image and/or sound data indicating at least either one of an image and sound and transmits the image and/or sound data to the communication terminals. The distribution control system includes a browser management unit is configured to start up a browser appropriate for the communication terminals; a browser configured to generate the image and/or sound data by rendering content data; a transmitter configured to transmit the image and/or sound data to the communication terminals; and a receiver configured to receive input information from the communication terminals. The transmitter is configured to transmit the image and/or sound data updated by the browser in accordance with the input information to the communication terminals.