Social Network Relay for Offline Content Delivery

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication technologies fail to efficiently determine and establish a preferred connection between communication-network end-users with dual network connectivity for seamless multimedia content exchange, particularly when one party is not continuously connected to a network.

Innovation Solution

A system that queries a computer database to determine current network connectivity of both parties, enabling a preferred communication connection over a combination of networks, with options for real-time transmission or storing content until the recipient has suitable connectivity, and allowing a third party to act as a relay for facilitating content exchange.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If real-time transmission is used for multimedia content exchange, then transmission speed is improved, but reliability deteriorates when recipient is not continuously connected

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission speedVSAvoiddelivery reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by storing multimedia content at a server before the recipient needs it. When the sender initiates a transfer, the content is uploaded to the server in advance, and the recipient is notified when available. This eliminates the need for real-time connection during transmission while ensuring reliable delivery when the recipient becomes available.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between sender and recipient. The server acts as a buffer, receiving content from the sender and making it available to the recipient asynchronously. This intermediary resolves the contradiction by decoupling the transmission timing from the reception timing, allowing fast upload without requiring the recipient to be online simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If content is stored until recipient has suitable connectivity, then delivery reliability is improved, but transmission time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery reliabilityVSAvoidtransmission time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by storing multimedia content at a server before the recipient needs it. When the sender initiates a transfer, the content is uploaded to the server in advance, and the recipient is notified when available. This eliminates the need for real-time connection during transmission while ensuring reliable delivery when the recipient becomes available.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If dual network connectivity is supported, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork connectivity adaptabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between sender and recipient. The server acts as a buffer, receiving content from the sender and making it available to the recipient asynchronously. This intermediary resolves the contradiction by decoupling the transmission timing from the reception timing, allowing fast upload without requiring the recipient to be online simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9525732B2Social networking and network connectivity

Publication Date: 2016.12.20 AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P

AI summary

Social networking is used to enhance content delivery to mobile devices. Sometimes a mobile device lacks network connectivity, such as when the mobile device is off or offline. Content cannot be sent to the mobile device when lacking network connectivity. A social network, however, may be retrieved for interim storage of the content. When the mobile device lacks network connectivity, the content may be routed to a member device of the social network. The member device stores the content until the mobile device resumes network connectivity. The member device may then send or forward the content to the mobile device.