Multicast Content Delivery via Client-Side Preference Filtering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current media distribution systems, particularly multicast technologies, face inefficiencies in delivering personalized content to multiple recipients due to their inability to effectively address narrow-interest content delivery, leading to resource-intensive network usage and limited scalability.

Innovation Solution

The system uses metadata-based content descriptors and user-specific personalized preference descriptors to select and process content on wireless devices, allowing for efficient delivery of content relevant to individual user interests through a multicast mechanism.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If multicast technology is used to deliver content to multiple recipients, then network resource consumption is reduced and scalability is improved, but the ability to deliver personalized content to individual users deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork resource consumptionVSAvoidpersonalized content delivery capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the content delivery process into two stages: (1) multicast distribution of content to multiple recipients simultaneously, and (2) selective filtering and processing of content based on individual user preferences at the receiving end. This allows the system to maintain the efficiency of multicast while enabling personalization through client-side segmentation of content based on user profiles and preferences.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces user preference descriptors and content descriptors as intermediary elements that mediate between the multicast content and individual user requirements. These descriptors act as filters that translate the general multicast content into personalized content selections for each user, resolving the contradiction between efficient multicast delivery and personalized content delivery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If unicast system is used to deliver content to one recipient at a time, then personalized content delivery is achieved, but network resource consumption increases and scalability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepersonalized content delivery capabilityVSAvoidnetwork resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the advantages of unicast (personalization) and multicast (efficiency) by combining multicast content distribution with selective unicast-like filtering at the client end. Multiple users receive the same multicast content simultaneously, but each user's device selectively processes and delivers only the content relevant to their preferences, achieving both efficiency and personalization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Productivity

If content is selected based on group user characteristics in multicast, then content delivery efficiency is improved, but content relevance to individual users deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent delivery efficiencyVSAvoidcontent relevance to individual users
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by transitioning from group-level content selection to individual-user-level content selection. Each user's device uses their specific preference descriptors to filter and select content from the multicast stream, ensuring that the content received by each user is highly relevant to their individual interests rather than being based on general group characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2521331B1Apparatus and methods of distributing content and receiving selected content based on user personalization information
Publication Date: 2021.04.07 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP2521331B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2521331B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2521331B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5

AI summary

Apparatus and methods include the distribution of a plurality of content, at least one of which is tagged with descriptive metadata. Further, the apparatus and methods include selecting content from the plurality of content based on a match between a personalized content preference descriptor stored on the device and the tagged content. Thus, the selected content represents content likely to be applicable or relevant, and/or of interest, to the user associated with the personalized content preference descriptor.