Gateway Terminal Multimedia Command Interpolation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing multimedia data rendering techniques are not suitable for ultra-lightweight terminals with limited processing capabilities, as they require significant hardware and cannot fragment software, leading to bandwidth limitations and complex, costly infrastructure.

Innovation Solution

A method where a gateway interrogates the terminal about its capabilities, transmits only executable commands, and uses interpolation to convert complex commands into simpler ones, optimizing processing based on terminal capacity and network conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If graphical display offloading mechanisms are used with classic client/server architecture, then display operations can be performed on remote terminals, but the terminal requires significant minimum hardware configuration to run software like X server

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay operation capabilityVSAvoidhardware configuration requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the complex rendering software (X server) from the terminal device and places it entirely on the application server. The terminal only retains minimal display capabilities to receive and show rendered content, eliminating the need for complex hardware configuration on the terminal side.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of having the terminal run rendering software and send display output to a server, the patent inverts the architecture: the server runs the rendering software and sends the rendered display output to the terminal for display. This reversal allows ultra-lightweight terminals to function without complex software environments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Reliability

If the entire software package is present on the terminal, then the terminal can process incoming information, but software cannot be fragmented within the communication terminal

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation processing capabilityVSAvoidsoftware package size
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the software functionality into two parts: complex rendering software runs on the application server, while only minimal display software resides on the terminal. This segmentation allows the terminal to process incoming information reliably through the server while keeping its own software footprint minimal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary rendering mechanism where the application server acts as a mediator between the terminal and the complex software requirements. The server handles all software-intensive processing and communicates results to the terminal, allowing software functionality to be distributed rather than fragmented within the terminal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of information

If significant volume of information is transmitted to the terminal for display, then the data from the remote application can be displayed, but this results in congestion of the communication network

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay data completenessVSAvoidnetwork bandwidth efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter of data transmission from sending raw, uncompressed display data to sending rendered output that has already been processed and optimized by the server. This parameter change reduces the volume of information that needs to be transmitted while maintaining display quality, improving network bandwidth efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP1894390B1Method and device for the restitution of multimedia data transmitted by a gateway to a terminal
Publication Date: 2020.03.04 ORANGE SA
  • EP1894390B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP1894390B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP1894390B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for the restitution of multimedia data transmitted by a gateway to a communications terminal via a first transmission channel. According to the invention, a method of this type comprises the following steps: interrogating said terminal via the gateway about its capabilities of restituting the multimedia data; transmitting, to this gateway via the terminal, a list of commands that it is capable of executing; transmitting, via the gateway, multimedia data with the aid of at least one series of commands that is part of the list of commands that can be executed by the terminal, and restituting, in this terminal, the multimedia data with the aid of the received command(s).