Hierarchical Status Reporting for VoIP Network Congestion

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Solution Overview

Problem

In Voice over IP (VoIP) networks, the frequent status updates from numerous entities during network restarts lead to network congestion and overload, as every device sends and receives status updates, causing resource consumption and inefficiencies.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a hierarchical status reporting system where intermediate entities collectively report the status of subordinate entities to supervisor entities, reducing the need for individual status updates and stabilizing status changes before reporting, thus minimizing network congestion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If every device sends individual status updates to all other devices, then status information is comprehensive and up-to-date, but network congestion and device overload occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestatus information completenessVSAvoidnetwork congestion

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the status update process by introducing intermediate entities that aggregate status information from subordinate entities before reporting to supervisor entities. This divides the network into hierarchical levels where status updates are processed locally rather than broadcast to all devices, reducing network traffic while maintaining information completeness through the aggregation mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges status updates from multiple subordinate entities into a single aggregated status report transmitted by an intermediate entity to its supervisor. This combining approach consolidates multiple individual status messages into one unified report, significantly reducing the number of network messages while preserving complete status information through the aggregation of subordinate entity states.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If all entities transmit updated status simultaneously during network restart, then all entities are notified of status changes, but network resources are overloaded

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestatus update reliabilityVSAvoidnetwork resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by having intermediate entities aggregate and prepare status updates before transmitting them to supervisor entities during network restart. This preliminary aggregation process occurs locally at intermediate entities, allowing status information to be prepared and organized before entering the broader network, thereby reducing the impact of simultaneous transmissions on network resources.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces intermediate entities as mediators between subordinate entities and supervisor entities. These intermediaries receive status updates from subordinate entities, aggregate the information, and then transmit the consolidated status reports to supervisor entities. This intermediary layer prevents direct simultaneous transmissions across the entire network, reducing resource overload while maintaining reliable status propagation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Object-generated harmful factors

If hierarchical status reporting is implemented, then network traffic is reduced, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork traffic reductionVSAvoidhierarchical structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by designing intermediate entities that perform multiple functions: receiving status updates from subordinate entities, determining which subordinates exist, aggregating status information, and transmitting to supervisor entities. This multi-functional design reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity while achieving network traffic reduction through hierarchical aggregation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9571361B1Status reporting system

Publication Date: 2017.02.14 SHORETEL INC

AI summary

A supervisor entity comprises an entity status module for maintaining status of its subordinate entities and updating the supervisor entity with status updates for itself and the subordinate entities. The entity status module comprises an entity status controller for receiving a status message from a first subordinate entity, a subordinate determination module for determining a second subordinate entity that is subordinate to the first subordinate entity, a status update module for updating the status of the second subordinate entity based on the received status message from the first subordinate entity, a status reporting module for reporting the updated status of the second subordinate entity to a supervisor entity and a status storage for storing the status of the second subordinate entity.