Media File Error Handling via Droppable Portion Markers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing technologies face challenges in handling errors in media files transmitted over networks, particularly in identifying and mitigating erroneous data to prevent decoding failures in video decoders.

Innovation Solution

A file delivery protocol unit determines suspect portions of media files and provides markers or byte ranges to indicate errors, allowing applications to drop droppable portions without affecting other parts of the file, ensuring robust handling and error resilience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If error detection and handling mechanisms are implemented in media file transmission, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveerror resilienceVSAvoidprotocol complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the media file into multiple portions and assigns droppable flags to individual portions or groups of portions. This allows error handling to be applied selectively to specific segments rather than requiring complex global error management, thereby improving reliability while limiting the increase in device complexity to manageable local decisions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary error detection and marking during the file delivery phase, before the media file reaches the decoding stage. By identifying and marking erroneous portions in advance using file delivery protocol indicators, the system prevents propagation of errors to the decoder without requiring complex real-time error handling in the decoding chain.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If suspect portions of media files are identified and handled, then manufacturing precision is improved, but measurement precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata integrityVSAvoiderror detection accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary file delivery protocol indicator layer between the transmission medium and the media processing chain. This intermediary carries error information and droppable flags that simplify the measurement requirements at each stage, as the intermediary has already performed the complex task of identifying and marking erroneous portions based on transmission protocol information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of information

If droppable portions are removed from media files, then loss of information is minimized, but ease of operation increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemedia qualityVSAvoidprocessing simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service error handling where the media file structure itself contains the information needed to identify and handle erroneous portions. The droppable flags and portion markers are embedded within the file structure, allowing automated identification and removal of error portions without requiring complex external analysis or manual intervention, thus minimizing information loss while maintaining processing simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3167621B1Error handling for files exchanged over a network
Publication Date: 2021.04.21 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3167621B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3167621B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3167621B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An example device for processing media data includes one or more processors configured to receive a file including media data, determine that a portion of the file is potentially erroneous, form error-indicative data indicating that the file includes the portion that is potentially erroneous, and store the file and the error-indicative data to a location available to a target application for the media data of the file. Another example device includes one or more processors configured to receive a file including media data, receive a first set of information indicative of one or more removable portions of the file that can be removed from the file, receive a second set of information indicative of a suspect portion of the file, determine one or more of the removable portions that completely overlap the suspect portion, and remove the determined one or more removable portions from the file.