Hybrid Push-Pull Multimedia Content Delivery System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for distributing multimedia content via peer-to-peer networks do not effectively combine 'push' and 'pull' modes, particularly lacking a 'sweater' download step, which hampers efficient content distribution and network resource optimization.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that combines 'push' and 'peer-to-peer' modes by downloading partial multimedia content in 'push' mode from a content server and completing it with 'sweater' mode from another client device, allowing reconstruction with n+p blocks, where n blocks are downloaded in 'push' and p blocks in 'sweater' mode, ensuring content usability only after receiving all blocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If multimedia content is distributed using only peer-to-peer mechanisms, then network resource utilization is improved, but content distribution efficiency deteriorates due to lack of centralized coordination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines push mode (server-initiated) and pull mode (client-initiated) download mechanisms into a unified hybrid architecture. The server pushes content fragments to multiple clients, and clients subsequently pull additional fragments from peer clients, merging centralized and decentralized distribution advantages to resolve the contradiction between network resource utilization and distribution efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The multimedia content is divided into multiple fragments or blocks that can be distributed independently through different modes. Some fragments are pushed by the server while others are pulled from peer clients, allowing segmented distribution that optimizes both network resource utilization and overall distribution efficiency
2Reliability
If all multimedia content is downloaded in push mode from the server, then content distribution control is improved, but server load increases and network bandwidth is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the content distribution function from the central server and delegates it to peer clients. Once the server pushes initial content fragments, individual clients take over the distribution of their stored fragments to other clients, reducing server load and avoiding redundant network bandwidth consumption while maintaining distribution control through the hybrid architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The server creates multiple copies of content fragments and distributes them to different clients in push mode. These copied fragments are then reused by receiving clients through pull mode, eliminating the need for the server to transmit the same content multiple times and reducing overall network bandwidth waste
3Ease of operation
If multimedia content is distributed using traditional pull mode only, then client flexibility is improved, but network resource utilization deteriorates due to redundant transmissions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges push mode (which enables efficient server-initiated distribution) with pull mode (which provides client flexibility) into a hybrid architecture. Clients maintain flexibility by initiating pull requests for specific fragments while benefiting from push-mode efficiency when the server distributes initial content, resolving the contradiction between client flexibility and network resource utilization
4Speed
If complete multimedia content is made available immediately, then user access speed is improved, but network bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments multimedia content into multiple fragments that can be downloaded independently through push and pull modes. Users can access and view content using the fragments already received while remaining fragments are downloaded in parallel, achieving fast access without requiring complete content transmission upfront and reducing overall network bandwidth consumption
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a multimedia content delivery method which is characterised in that it comprises the following steps, namely: a first step consisting in partially downloading a multimedia content in push mode from a content server to a client device (EC1), and a second step consisting in downloading the missing elements from the multimedia content in pull mode using a peer-to-peer mechanism from another client device (EC2). The invention is also characterised in that the multimedia content can be recreated with n + p blocks, whereby n and p are non-zero natural numbers, n blocks being downloaded during the first step and p blocks being downloaded during the second step. The multimedia content can only be used after n + p blocks have been received.