Intermediate Tunnel Nodes for Congestion-Resilient Content Fetching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current Internet communication systems face challenges in efficiently managing network congestion and ensuring reliable data transfer due to unpredictable network behavior, leading to issues like packet loss, duplication, and out-of-order delivery, which affect the overall performance and reliability of data transmission.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of advanced intermediate nodes that function both as end-users and intermediate nodes, utilizing advanced protocols like TCP/IP and HTTP to enhance communication by optimizing data routing, error detection, and retransmission mechanisms, thereby improving network efficiency and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If intermediate nodes are used to manage network traffic, then network congestion is reduced and reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes end-user devices perform dual functions: serving as both endpoints for data communication and as intermediate nodes for network traffic management. This multi-functionality allows the system to benefit from intermediate node capabilities without adding dedicated infrastructure, thereby improving reliability while controlling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
End-user devices autonomously perform intermediate node functions such as packet forwarding, error detection, and retransmission without requiring external control or additional hardware. The devices self-organize into a mesh network, making intelligent routing decisions independently, which reduces the need for complex centralized management.
2Reliability
If advanced protocols like TCP/IP are implemented at intermediate nodes, then error detection and retransmission are improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements TCP protocols selectively at intermediate nodes rather than requiring full TCP stacks at all devices. Intermediate nodes perform essential functions like error detection and packet forwarding, while more complex TCP features are only activated when needed, reducing overall processing overhead while maintaining reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If end-user devices function as intermediate nodes, then network coverage and redundancy are improved, but device resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic mesh network where end-user devices can flexibly switch between acting as pure endpoints and functioning as intermediate nodes based on real-time network conditions, device capabilities, and resource availability. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maximize coverage and redundancy while ensuring devices only perform intermediate functions when they have sufficient resources.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for fetching a content from a web server to a client device is disclosed, using tunnel devices serving as intermediate devices. The client device accesses an acceleration server to receive a list of available tunnel devices. The requested content is partitioned into slices, and the client device sends a request for the slices to the available tunnel devices. The tunnel devices in turn fetch the slices from the data server, and send the slices to the client device, where the content is reconstructed from the received slices. A client device may also serve as a tunnel device, serving as an intermediate device to other client devices. Similarly, a tunnel device may also serve as a client device for fetching content from a data server. The selection of tunnel devices to be used by a client device may be in the acceleration server, in the client device, or in both. The partition into slices may be overlapping or non-overlapping, and the same slice (or the whole content) may be fetched via multiple tunnel devices.