Itinerary-Based Multimedia Pre-Caching for Weak-Signal Travel

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face challenges in accessing multimedia content during travel due to poor or no network signal reception, which deteriorates their entertainment experience.

Innovation Solution

An electronic device pre-caches multimedia content based on user itinerary information, determining cache duration and network signal strength to ensure content is available offline during travel, using applications like smart assistants or settings to manage caching.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If users access multimedia content through the Internet during travel, then entertainment requirements can be met, but poor or no network signal reception prevents real-time content access

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent accessibilityVSAvoidnetwork signal reception
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by obtaining itinerary information before travel occurs, predicting network coverage areas with reduced signal quality in advance, and pre-caching multimedia content before the user enters these areas. This ensures content is available offline when network signal is poor, resolving the contradiction between reliable content access and harmful network signal conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If multimedia content is pre-cached before travel, then uninterrupted entertainment is ensured during travel, but storage space and time resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveentertainment continuityVSAvoidstorage space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by predicting specific network coverage areas with reduced signal quality and pre-caching content only for those specific areas rather than caching all content universally. This selective approach ensures entertainment continuity in problematic areas while minimizing unnecessary storage space consumption in areas with good network signal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by obtaining itinerary information before travel occurs, predicting network coverage areas with reduced signal quality in advance, and pre-caching multimedia content before the user enters these areas. This ensures content is available offline when network signal is poor, resolving the contradiction between reliable content access and harmful network signal conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If the system predicts network coverage areas and pre-caches content, then offline entertainment is enabled, but network signal strength prediction accuracy is required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoffline content availabilityVSAvoidnetwork signal prediction accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses network coverage map information as an intermediary to represent predicted network signal conditions. This intermediary data structure allows the system to work with available network coverage information to determine prediction areas, enabling offline content availability without requiring direct real-time measurement of network signal strength during travel.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4459483B1Pre-caching method, user interface, and electronic device
Publication Date: 2025.12.03 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4459483B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4459483B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4459483B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

This application discloses a pre-caching method, a user interface, and an electronic device. The method includes: The electronic device obtains itinerary information, and pre-caches, based on the itinerary information, multimedia content before a user travels, or pre-caches a part of the multimedia content when the user travels, to ensure that the electronic device can play the cached multimedia content smoothly when the user passes through a road section whose network signal strength is weak during travel. In this way, the user can be freed from being affected by a network signal when watching the multimedia content, and an entertainment requirement of the user during travel can be met.