Reconstructable Content Stream Assembly for Latency Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content-centric networks (CCNs) face significant download latency due to the need for multiple round-trip times to request and download embedded objects within a content collection, as existing protocols like HTTP are inefficient for transferring large numbers of small files, and there are no 'zero round-trip time' solutions available in CCN settings.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates a reconstructable all-in-one stream by creating a manifest with stream-construction rules and cryptographic signatures, allowing intermediate nodes to cache and reconstruct stream objects, thereby enabling efficient download of content collections using a single named stream, reducing latency and improving throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If multiple individual content components are downloaded separately using traditional protocols, then each component can be requested independently, but the download latency increases significantly due to multiple round-trip times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual content component downloads into a single aggregate content stream. The system creates one unified stream that encapsulates multiple content components (such as video, audio, and subtitle tracks) that can be downloaded simultaneously in parallel, eliminating the need for multiple sequential round-trip requests and significantly reducing download latency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the aggregate content stream into multiple parallel download streams at the receiver end. The manifest file contains information about how to split and reconstruct the content, allowing the system to divide the single stream into multiple components for parallel processing and reconstruction, achieving zero round-trip time for individual component requests
2Productivity
If content is delivered as a single aggregate stream, then download latency is reduced through parallel processing, but the ability to access individual content components independently is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary organization of content components into an aggregate stream with an embedded manifest that contains reconstruction information. The manifest file is created in advance with metadata about each content component's position, size, and identification, enabling the receiver to independently access and extract specific components from the aggregate stream without needing to download the entire stream sequentially
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a manifest file as an intermediary between the aggregate content stream and the individual content components. The manifest contains a table of contents or index that maps component identifiers to their locations within the stream, acting as a mediator that enables independent access to specific components while maintaining the efficiency of single-stream delivery
3Loss of energy
If intermediate nodes cache complete content streams, then network bandwidth is reduced, but storage requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables intermediate nodes to extract only the specific content components that are requested from the aggregate stream, rather than caching the entire stream. The manifest information allows nodes to identify and extract only the necessary portions (such as only video components or only audio components), significantly reducing the storage volume required at intermediate caching nodes while still enabling efficient content delivery
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment provides a system for assembling a reconstructable content stream. The system obtains a content collection that includes a plurality of content components and generates a manifest. An entry in the manifest corresponds to a content component. The system obtains a set of stream-construction rules, generates a stream-construction manifest by attaching the set of stream-construction rules to the manifest, and constructs a set of stream objects based on the stream-construction rules. A respective stream object may include an embedded chunk of a content component. The system signs the set of stream objects and assembles the reconstructable content stream by including the stream-construction manifest followed by the set of stream objects, thereby enabling an intermediate node to extract and store one or more content components and to reconstruct, at a later time, stream objects for the one or more content components based on the stream-construction manifest and the stored components.