Local Content Access Points for Low-Cost Last-Mile Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of delivering large digital content, such as video, to client devices is exacerbated by the 'last mile' network between the Internet Service Provider and the client device, despite improvements in Internet infrastructure, leading to a need for expensive networking solutions.
Innovation Solution
A Content Delivery System comprising a Content Access Point with local content caching and wireless connectivity, a Client Application for content initiation, and Dedicated Web Services for management and authorization, enabling fast and secure content delivery directly to client devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If content is delivered through the last mile network between ISP and client device, then content can be transmitted to client devices, but network infrastructure costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by caching content at Content Access Points (CAPs) before client devices need it. Content is pre-loaded into the CAP's local storage, so when a client connects, the content is already available locally rather than needing to be streamed through the expensive last mile network infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The Content Access Point acts as an intermediary between the content source and the client device. Instead of direct content transmission through the costly last mile network, the CAP mediates by storing content locally and providing it to clients through simple wireless connection, eliminating the need for expensive dedicated networking infrastructure.
2Speed
If content is cached locally at Content Access Point, then delivery speed increases and latency decreases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the content delivery function by introducing intermediate Content Access Points that are distributed throughout the service area. Each CAP is a simple node with local storage and wireless connectivity, rather than requiring complex centralized processing. This segmentation allows content to be cached at multiple simple locations, improving speed without requiring each location to be complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses copying by creating multiple copies of content at different Content Access Points. Instead of having a single centralized content source requiring complex coordination, content is copied to many simple CAPs throughout the area. When clients need content, they access the nearest copy locally, improving transfer speed while keeping each copying location simple.
3Reliability
If Digital Rights Management is implemented for secure content delivery, then content security improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the complex authorization logic from the content delivery process and places it in a separate, centralized Authorization Server. The Content Access Points and client devices only need simple authentication credentials, not the full complexity of DRM systems. This extraction maintains security while keeping the distributed components simple.
Data Source
AI summary
A content delivery platform and method for using the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the content delivery platform comprises one or more client devices, each of the one or more client devices having memory for storing an application and one or more processors to execute the application; and a first device having a physically local content cache to store content to be served directly to the one or more client devices, each of the one or more client devices, in response to executing the application with the one or more processors, operable to: automatically detect presence of the first device; automatically connect to the first device; request content from the first device; obtain the content from the first device; and disconnect from the first device after receiving the content from the first device.