Special Local Area Network Edge Caching for Video Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current networking technologies face challenges in reducing latency and bandwidth costs, especially in the 'last mile' of data transfer between network data centers and customer devices, particularly for video streaming, due to high latency, continuity issues, and bandwidth limitations, which are not adequately addressed by existing Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and Point of Presence (PoP) solutions.
Innovation Solution
A Special Local Area Network (SLAN) is created using physically close Wi-Fi access points that can communicate directly and cache data independently of existing networks, allowing for point-to-point data transfer and caching of multimedia content, reducing the burden on internet traffic and improving latency and bandwidth efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If video data is transferred over the Internet through multiple network nodes, then data can be delivered to client devices, but latency increases and bandwidth costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by caching video data in advance at multiple distributed edge locations (access points, routers, set-top boxes) before client requests are made. This pre-positioning of content at the network edge enables rapid data delivery when requested, significantly reducing latency compared to traditional centralized delivery through multiple network nodes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary caching devices (access points, routers, set-top boxes) positioned between the content source and client devices. These intermediaries store copies of video data locally and can fulfill client requests directly without requiring data to traverse the entire network path from the origin server, thereby reducing latency and improving transfer speed.
2Productivity
If video data is transferred through the 'last mile' of the network, then data reaches customer devices, but bandwidth costs increase and performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by distributing caching capabilities to multiple local network elements (access points, routers, set-top boxes) positioned throughout the network infrastructure. Each local cache stores video data relevant to its geographic area, enabling data to be delivered from the nearest available cache rather than traversing the entire network, thereby reducing last-mile bandwidth consumption and improving transfer efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-positions video data in local caches at network edge locations before client requests arrive. This preliminary caching action at distributed locations eliminates the need to repeatedly transmit full video streams through the expensive last-mile connection, significantly reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining high transfer efficiency.
3Reliability
If video quality is reduced to match bandwidth fluctuations, then data can be transferred continuously, but video quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-loads and caches complete high-quality video data at multiple edge locations before client requests are made. This preliminary action ensures that when clients request video content, the full-quality data is already available locally at the cache, eliminating the need to dynamically reduce quality to match bandwidth fluctuations and ensuring both continuity and high quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates multiple copies of video data and distributes them to various caching locations throughout the network. This copying strategy ensures that clients can access high-quality video data from the nearest available cache without being constrained by bandwidth limitations, maintaining both transfer reliability and video quality.
4Manufacturing precision
If bandwidth is increased to handle large video data transfers, then video quality is maintained, but network infrastructure costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by distributing caching capabilities to multiple local network elements positioned throughout the network infrastructure. Each local cache stores video data relevant to its geographic area, enabling data to be delivered from the nearest available cache rather than traversing the entire network, thereby reducing last-mile bandwidth consumption and improving transfer efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates multiple copies of video data and distributes them to various caching locations throughout the network. This copying strategy enables high-quality video delivery from distributed sources, reducing the bandwidth capacity required on any single network path while maintaining video quality.
5Loss of time
If CDN edge nodes are used to cache video data, then latency is reduced, but device complexity and infrastructure costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functionality by enabling existing network elements (access points, routers, set-top boxes) to perform caching functions in addition to their primary roles. Rather than deploying dedicated CDN edge nodes, the system utilizes the computational and storage resources of devices already present in the network, reducing infrastructure complexity while achieving low-latency delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables network elements to serve themselves by automatically caching video data based on observed demand patterns and client requests. The caching system operates autonomously, with devices making intelligent decisions about what content to cache and when to serve it, eliminating the need for complex centralized control infrastructure while achieving low-latency delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
A secure local area network and method for using the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the network arrangement comprises a plurality of access points that are part of one or more existing networks and operable to individually address and communicate with each other to form a local area network (LAN) to transfer data between two or more of the plurality of access points using point-to-point links independent of their function in the one or more first existing networks, where each access point of the plurality of access points is associated with a cache to store content that may be forwarded to other access points access points in the plurality of access points, and wherein one access point is operable to identify one or more of the plurality of access points from which desired content is cached and to request at least one of the one or more of the plurality of access points to transfer desired content to the one access point via one or more direct point-to-point transfers between access pairs of the plurality of access points.