Tunnel Node Slice Fetching for Congestion-Resilient Web Delivery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current Internet communication protocols face challenges in efficiently handling network congestion, traffic load balancing, and unpredictable network behavior, leading to issues such as packet loss, duplication, and out-of-order delivery, which affect the performance of applications like the World Wide Web, email, and streaming media.
Innovation Solution
The use of intermediate nodes that can function as both end-user and intermediate devices, partitioning data into slices for transmission, and employing tunnel devices to fetch and reconstruct content, optimizing data delivery through the Internet Protocol Suite.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If TCP/IP protocols are used for Internet communication, then reliable data delivery is achieved, but network congestion and unpredictable network behavior cause packet loss, duplication, and out-of-order delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a TCP splicer as an intermediary component that sits between the TCP stack and the application. This splicer intercepts TCP segments, reassembles them in the correct order, and removes duplicates before passing data to the application. By placing this intermediary layer, the system maintains TCP's reliable delivery guarantees while eliminating the inefficiencies of packet loss, duplication, and retransmission, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the TCP communication stream into individual segments that can be independently tracked and reassembled. The TCP splicer maintains a buffer and processes segments in order, allowing out-of-order delivery to be handled systematically. This segmentation approach enables the system to maintain reliability through proper reassembly while improving productivity by avoiding unnecessary retransmissions and efficiently handling out-of-order packets.
2Productivity
If intermediate nodes are used to optimize data delivery, then network congestion is reduced and response times improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements end devices (such as personal computers, smartphones, or tablets) to perform multiple functions: they act as both end-users and intermediate nodes in the network. These devices run TCP splicer software that enables them to optimize data delivery for themselves and potentially assist in network-wide congestion management. By making end devices multi-functional, the system improves data delivery efficiency without requiring dedicated intermediate infrastructure, thus avoiding the complexity penalty of adding specialized network devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The TCP splicer is implemented as software running on end devices, allowing these devices to self-optimize their own data delivery. Each device independently manages its own TCP segment reassembly and optimization without requiring external control or complex coordination with other network elements. This self-service approach improves productivity by enabling localized optimization while minimizing device complexity by avoiding the need for sophisticated inter-device coordination protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for fetching a content from a web server to a client device is disclosed, using tunnel devices serving as intermediate devices. The client device accesses an acceleration server to receive a list of available tunnel devices. The requested content is partitioned into slices, and the client device sends a request for the slices to the available tunnel devices. The tunnel devices in turn fetch the slices from the data server, and send the slices to the client device, where the content is reconstructed from the received slices. A client device may also serve as a tunnel device, serving as an intermediate device to other client devices. Similarly, a tunnel device may also serve as a client device for fetching content from a data server. The selection of tunnel devices to be used by a client device may be in the acceleration server, in the client device, or in both. The partition into slices may be overlapping or non-overlapping, and the same slice (or the whole content) may be fetched via multiple tunnel devices.