Real-Time Communication Multiplexing for Firewall Traversal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Real-time communication over IP networks faces challenges due to bursty data traffic, limited bandwidth, and difficulties in traversing firewalls, particularly with existing multiplexing mechanisms that do not prioritize signaling and control traffic effectively, leading to potential disruptions in connectivity and media session management.
Innovation Solution
A method that fragments non-real-time signaling and control traffic and multiplexes it with real-time traffic streams, ensuring absolute priority for real-time packets while using available bandwidth for non-real-time packets, allowing seamless traversal through firewalls and maintaining connectivity even in bandwidth-limited conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If signalling traffic is transmitted with the same priority as real-time traffic, then signalling connectivity is maintained, but real-time transmission quality deteriorates due to bandwidth consumption by bursty signalling traffic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments signalling traffic into individual packets that can be transmitted independently within available bandwidth gaps. Each signalling packet is treated as a separate entity that can be inserted without disrupting the continuous real-time media stream, thus maintaining signalling reliability while preserving real-time quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic transmission of signalling packets at intervals determined by available bandwidth gaps in the real-time stream. Rather than continuous transmission, signalling packets are sent periodically when bandwidth is available, ensuring connectivity while minimizing impact on real-time traffic.
2Manufacturing precision
If signalling traffic is transmitted with lower priority, then real-time transmission quality is maintained, but signalling connectivity may be disrupted due to bandwidth limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic priority handling where signalling packets are transmitted when bandwidth gaps are available, adapting to real-time network conditions. The system dynamically adjusts signalling transmission based on available bandwidth without requiring fixed priority assignment, ensuring both real-time quality and signalling reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism that monitors bandwidth availability and mediates between real-time and signalling traffic requirements. This intermediary layer determines optimal transmission moments for signalling packets based on real-time stream characteristics, ensuring connectivity without compromising media quality.
3Device complexity
If simple multiplexing mechanisms are used, then device complexity is reduced, but bandwidth efficiency deteriorates due to inability to prioritize traffic effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the multiplexing function into simple packet insertion operations rather than complex scheduling mechanisms. By dividing signalling traffic into individual packets that can be independently inserted into bandwidth gaps, the system achieves effective prioritization without requiring complex multiplexing devices or algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service multiplexing where the real-time media stream itself provides the structure for signalling transmission. Bandwidth gaps naturally occurring in the media stream serve as automatic carriers for signalling packets, eliminating the need for external complex multiplexing control mechanisms.
4Reliability
If bandwidth is allocated for signalling traffic, then signalling connectivity is ensured, but available bandwidth for real-time traffic is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic transmission of signalling packets during naturally occurring bandwidth gaps in real-time media streams. Rather than reserving continuous bandwidth for signalling, the system transmits signalling periodically when gaps are available, ensuring connectivity while maximizing real-time bandwidth utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers unused bandwidth capacity by utilizing gaps in real-time media transmission for signalling purposes. Bandwidth that would otherwise be wasted during silent periods or low-activity intervals in media streams is recovered and repurposed for signalling traffic, ensuring connectivity without reducing allocated real-time bandwidth.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a method of providing a real-time communication connection over an IP communication network between a first entity and a second entity, as well as a sending and a receiving device to execute the method. The basic idea of the invention is to fragment non-real-time streams associated with the real-time communication connection at the first entity, to multiplex the fragments of the non-real-time streams into real-time streams of the real-time communication connection at the first entity, and to transmit the multiplexed real-time streams comprising the real-time streams and the fragments of the non-real-time streams via the real-time communication connection from the first entity to the second entity. In order to ensure a reliable quality of service of the real-time data, the real-time part of the multiplexed data stream is assigned the highest priority for transmission. At the second entity, the multiplexed real-time streams are demultiplexed, the fragments of the non-real-time streams are re-composed and the original non-real-time streams are re-generated.