Transport Intermediation Server Packet Delivery Policy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current telecommunications systems face challenges in managing packet delivery efficiently, particularly in ensuring secure and authorized transmission of messages between devices, as intermediation servers cannot decrypt encrypted payloads and lack effective filtering mechanisms to prevent unwanted messages.

Innovation Solution

The method involves receiving messages at transport intermediation servers with unique encryption mechanisms, extracting origination and destination identifiers, and applying delivery policies to forward messages only from permitted senders, using techniques like whitelisting and encryption to secure packet delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If encryption mechanisms are used to secure message transmission between content computers and electronic devices, then message security is improved, but intermediation servers cannot decrypt payloads and cannot effectively filter unwanted messages

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage securityVSAvoidunwanted message delivery
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by establishing delivery policies and white lists before message transmission occurs. The intermediation server receives and stores delivery policies that specify which content computers are authorized to send messages to which electronic devices. This preliminary configuration enables the server to filter messages based on policy compliance rather than requiring decryption, thus maintaining both security and filtering capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The message structure is segmented into distinct components: the payload remains encrypted and intact, while separate metadata fields (origination identifier, destination identifier, policy identifier) are extracted and processed independently. This segmentation allows the intermediation server to validate message routing and policy compliance without compromising the encrypted payload, resolving the contradiction between security and filterability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If intermediation servers forward all encrypted messages without filtering, then message delivery completeness is improved, but bandwidth and resources are wasted on unwanted messages

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage delivery completenessVSAvoidbandwidth and resource wastage
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

Delivery policies are pre-configured and stored in the intermediation server before message transmission occurs. The server uses these pre-established policies to perform rapid policy compliance checks on incoming messages, filtering out non-compliant messages before they consume bandwidth for transmission. This preliminary filtering action prevents resource wastage while ensuring all compliant messages are delivered

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The intermediation server acts as an intelligent intermediary that uses policy identifiers and delivery policies as mediation mechanisms. Instead of forwarding all messages or requiring decryption, the server mediates message flow by matching message metadata against stored policies, allowing only authorized messages to proceed. This intermediary function eliminates unwanted message transmission while preserving delivery completeness for authorized messages

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If delivery policies are implemented to filter messages at intermediation servers, then unwanted message filtering is improved, but system complexity increases due to policy management

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunwanted message filteringVSAvoidpolicy management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and processes only essential metadata fields (origination identifier, destination identifier, policy identifier) from messages, separating these from the encrypted payload. This extraction approach simplifies policy management by focusing only on routing-related information, reducing the complexity of policy validation while maintaining effective filtering capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes parameters by using policy identifiers as a simplified reference mechanism rather than storing complex policy rules directly. The policy identifier serves as a compact parameter that references pre-stored delivery policies, reducing memory requirements and simplifying the policy management process while maintaining comprehensive filtering functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2323321B1Method, apparatus and system for managing packet delivery
Publication Date: 2011.12.28 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2323321B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2323321B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2323321B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Portable electronic devices typically have reduced computing resources, including reduced available bandwidth to receive communications. A method, apparatus and system is provided to manage packet delivery to electronic devices to mitigate some of these problems.