Skippable Ad Streaming Bandwidth Reduction via Partial Download

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Video advertising (AD) streaming consumes significant network bandwidth, especially in 4G and 5G networks, due to the need to download entire ads before they can be skipped, leading to wastage of both provider and user resources.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that detect skippable video ads using screen analysis and machine learning to determine the skipable duration, allowing only the necessary ad content to be downloaded, reducing bandwidth usage by pausing or stopping ad data transfer if the user chooses to skip the ad.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the entire video ad is downloaded before streaming, then the ad can be skipped after a certain duration, but network bandwidth is wasted by downloading portions of the ad that will not be viewed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvead skipping functionalityVSAvoidnetwork bandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the video ad into multiple segments or chunks that can be downloaded independently. Instead of downloading the entire ad before streaming, the system downloads only the initial segment required for the skip duration, allowing users to skip without wasting bandwidth on the full ad content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs partial downloading of the video ad by retrieving only the necessary portion (enough for the skip duration) rather than the complete ad. This partial action is sufficient to enable the skip functionality while avoiding excessive bandwidth consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Loss of energy

If only partial ad content is downloaded to reduce bandwidth usage, then network resources are conserved, but the ad may not play smoothly if the user chooses not to skip

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork bandwidth consumptionVSAvoidvideo playback continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary downloading of the ad segments that are likely to be needed based on user behavior patterns. By anticipating that many users will skip the ad, the system pre-downloads only the skip-duration portion, balancing bandwidth savings with playback readiness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic downloading strategies where the system adjusts the amount of ad content downloaded based on real-time conditions such as network status, user preferences, and ad characteristics. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize between bandwidth savings and playback continuity on a per-user basis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11290780B2Method and system to reduce network bandwidth usage for video streaming

Publication Date: 2022.03.29 AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P

AI summary

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method comprising determining whether a skippable advertisement is being streamed preceding a requested video; responsive to determining that the skippable advertisement is being streamed, initiating a skippable advertisement procedure, wherein the skippable advertisement procedure comprises streaming a first portion of the skippable advertisement without imposing constraints and streaming a second portion of the skippable advertisement imposing constraints; responsive to receiving a request to skip the skippable advertisement, ceasing the streaming the second portion of the skippable advertisement and initiating streaming of the requested video without imposing constraints. Other embodiments are disclosed.