Hybrid Multicast Unicast Content Delivery Platform
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing content delivery methods face challenges in ensuring minimum data rate guarantees and efficient re-transmissions due to the unidirectional nature of multicast data delivery, particularly in scalable solutions like multicast, which struggles with link variations and requires significant investment for peak video consumption.
Innovation Solution
A method that combines multicast and unicast data delivery modes, using rateless coding to generate encoded units that can be transmitted over different networks, allowing for seamless integration and supplementation of multicast capacity with unicast, thereby controlling link send rates and minimizing latency and overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multicast transmission is used for content delivery, then scalability and cost-effectiveness are improved, but reliability and ability to handle link variations deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multicast and unicast transmission modes into a hybrid system. Multicast is used for bulk content delivery to maintain scalability, while unicast is used for retransmissions and error correction to ensure reliability. The system dynamically switches between modes based on network conditions and user requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (FEC packets and retransmission buffers) that mediates between multicast transmission and reliable delivery. These intermediaries enable error correction and retransmission without requiring direct bidirectional communication, thus maintaining multicast efficiency while improving reliability.
2Reliability
If unicast transmission is used for content delivery, then reliability and re-transmission capability are improved, but scalability and cost-effectiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial unicast action by using unicast only for specific purposes (retransmissions, error correction, initial setup) rather than for all content delivery. This selective use of unicast maintains reliability where needed while avoiding the scalability penalties of full unicast deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the content delivery function into different transmission modes: multicast handles bulk delivery for scalability, while unicast handles error correction and retransmissions for reliability. This segmentation allows each mode to operate in its optimal performance range.
3Productivity
If pure multicast delivery is used, then cost-efficiency for peak consumption is improved, but ability to guarantee minimum data rates deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system monitors network conditions, user device capabilities, and delivery performance. Based on this feedback, it dynamically adjusts the mix of multicast and unicast transmissions to maintain minimum data rate guarantees while optimizing cost-efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic transmission system that adapts to changing network conditions and user requirements. The system can switch between multicast and unicast modes, adjust FEC overhead, and modify retransmission strategies in real-time to balance cost-efficiency with data rate guarantees.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A method, in examples, in a content delivery platform, for delivering a content segment comprising source units comprises generating encoded units formed from respective ones of the source units of the content segment, transmitting encoded units of the content segment using a first data delivery mode of the content delivery platform, and transmitting encoded units of the content segment using a second data delivery mode of the content delivery platform.