Network Component Bandwidth Saving for Mobile Email
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile device data transfer technologies, such as those used in e-mail applications, inefficiently manage data bandwidth, leading to unnecessary data downloads and increased costs, especially with rich content attachments, as they lack effective compression and handling mechanisms to reduce data size.
Innovation Solution
A network component is introduced that temporarily expands e-mail messages below a threshold size to prevent automatic download, reduces attachment quality, and delivers only preview information to mobile devices, allowing users to decide on full download, while maintaining original content for forwarding and reducing data transmission costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If standard compression techniques are used to reduce data size, then bandwidth usage is reduced, but data reduction is limited and further reduction is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments e-mail data into header content and attachment content, applying different handling strategies to each. Header content is delivered to enable preview, while attachment content is withheld unless explicitly requested, achieving significant bandwidth savings by delivering only a small fraction of the total e-mail data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and separates the attachment content from the header content of e-mail messages. By taking out the attachment data and not automatically delivering it, the system achieves substantial data reduction while still providing users with access to essential e-mail information through the header.
2Ease of operation
If complete e-mail messages with attachments are automatically delivered, then users receive all data, but unnecessary data increases bandwidth consumption and costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by delivering only the header content of e-mail messages automatically, rather than complete messages with attachments. This partial delivery enables users to preview e-mail content and make informed decisions about whether to request full delivery, thereby avoiding unnecessary bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to users by delivering header content that enables preview capability. Users can see e-mail subject, sender, and other header information, then provide explicit feedback by requesting full message delivery only when desired, creating a controlled data delivery mechanism.
3Extent of automation
If e-mail applications make per-message decisions about data delivery, then data handling is automated, but unwanted data is automatically downloaded increasing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by treating header content and attachment content differently. Header content is delivered with high quality to enable preview, while attachment content is withheld unless explicitly requested. This differentiated approach prevents unwanted data downloads while maintaining automation.
4Productivity
If data is compressed to reduce size, then transmission efficiency improves, but compression techniques are limited and require dedicated clients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism that separates header content delivery from attachment content delivery. This intermediary approach enables efficient data transmission by delivering only essential header information automatically, while attachment delivery is triggered only by explicit user request, eliminating the need for complex compression techniques or dedicated clients.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for reducing data bandwidth usage in wireless communication comprises receiving a request from a mobile device to provide the an e-mail message; sending a request to the an e-mail server for delivery of the e-mail message; analyzing the e-mail message delivered from the e-mail server to determine if a size of the e-mail message is above a threshold value, and if not expanding the e-mail content to be above the threshold value; acknowledging to the mobile device the existence of the e-mail message and its respective size; and delivering to the mobile device header content of the e-mail content, thereby only a small fraction of the data corresponding to the e-mail message is actually delivered to the mobile device.