Communication Gateway Unicast to Multicast Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unicast and multicast schemes for distributing content to a large number of unspecified user terminals lead to increased processing and management loads, making efficient packet transfer difficult.
Innovation Solution
A communication device with a storage unit for a conversion table, a receiving unit for packets addressed to user terminals, and an address conversion unit that converts unicast packets into multicast packets by adding an identification ID for the user terminal's group, enabling efficient packet transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If unicast or multicast scheme is used to distribute content to large number of user terminals, then content distribution capability is improved, but processing load and management load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary device between the server and user terminals. The gateway receives unicast packets from the server, converts them to multicast packets, and distributes them to multiple user terminals. This intermediary approach allows the server to send packets once while the gateway handles the replication and distribution, reducing the server's processing load while maintaining efficient content distribution to many users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the packet transmission parameter from unicast (one-to-one) to multicast (one-to-many) at the gateway level. By converting the destination address format and using multicast group addresses, the system enables a single packet to be delivered to multiple users simultaneously, improving distribution efficiency without requiring the server to process each user individually.
2Productivity
If existing unicast or multicast scheme is used for content distribution, then packet transfer is achieved, but relay traffic increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple unicast packet streams into a single multicast packet stream at the gateway. Instead of the gateway receiving separate unicast packets for each user and forwarding them individually (which would double the traffic), the gateway consolidates these into a single multicast packet that is delivered to all users simultaneously, reducing relay traffic by half while maintaining delivery to all users.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway acts as an intermediary that receives unicast packets from the server and converts them to multicast packets for distribution to user terminals. This conversion process at the gateway level reduces the amount of traffic that needs to be relayed through the network, as the multicast packet is forwarded only once to the gateway's downstream connections rather than being replicated at each user terminal.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multicast address management is implemented, then packet distribution to groups is enabled, but management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as an intermediary that handles all multicast address management operations. Instead of requiring the server or individual user terminals to manage complex multicast address mappings, the gateway maintains the conversion tables and handles the translation between unicast and multicast addresses locally, simplifying the overall system architecture while enabling flexible group-based distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway performs multiple functions including receiving unicast packets, converting addresses to multicast format, managing multicast groups, and distributing packets to multiple users. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise be separate management operations into a single device, reducing overall system complexity while enabling versatile group-based packet distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication device includes a storage unit that stores a conversion table; a receiving unit that receives a packet addressed to a user terminal from a server, and an address conversion unit that converts a destination address of the packet into a multicast address in accordance with the conversion table, adds, to the packet, an identification ID for identifying a group to which the user terminal belongs, and transmits the packet to which the identification ID is added.