Price offerings for bandwidth-sharing ad hoc networks

• US 10,560,872 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2015
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dawson, Christopher J., Finn, Peter G., Hamilton, II, Rick A., Li, Jenny S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, George
• Application Number:
  US14/619,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20150156675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/145 trading network capacity or selecting route based on tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Methods and systems to establish and execute price offerings among the lenders and borrowers in a bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage. The method comprises establishing a price offering among a lender and borrower in a bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage. The method further includes executing the price offering upon acceptance of a lender to the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing a price offering among a lender and borrower in a bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage; and

executing the price offering upon acceptance of a lender to the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage,

wherein at least one of the establishing and the executing is performed using a computer device including a processor;

the lender comprises a plurality of lender computer devices and the borrower comprises a borrower computer device; and

the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network is configured such that the borrower computer device communicates with the plurality of lender computer devices via local wireless communication protocol, and the plurality of lender computer devices communicate with a remote location on behalf of the borrower computer device to create a virtual fat pipe comprised of the plurality of lender computer devices for the borrower computer device for uploading/downloading data over a network,

wherein the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network is established by steps comprises the borrower computer device scanning a plurality of potential lender computer devices, wherein the scanning comprises;

the borrower computer device requesting bandwidth-sharing information, including a data transfer rate provided by the respective one of the plurality of potential lender computer devices, from each of the plurality of potential lender computer devices;

sending, by the borrower computer device, a borrower/lender table to the plurality of potential lender computer devices requesting information regarding increasing the data transfer rate of the borrower computer device for communicating with the remote location;

receiving, by the borrower computer device, the borrower/lender table back from each of the plurality of potential lender computer devices; and

selecting, by the borrower computer device, the at least one lender computer device from the plurality of potential lender computer devices based on information regarding increasing the data rate of the borrower computer device in the borrower/lender table received back from each of the plurality of potential lender computer devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using predetermined factors in setting the price offering, wherein the predetermined factors include at least one of:

a time of the day or day of week;

a predefined stipulation of availability duration;

specified quality of service (QoS) stipulations; and

common provider connections.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the price offering is higher for expected peak hours, expected periods of high bandwidth-sharing demand, or expected periods of lender bandwidth needs.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the QoS stipulations are dictated by a borrower or service provider.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the predefined stipulation of availability duration is dictated by a borrower, service provider or a lender.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a usage threshold in determining the price offering for lending bandwidth to the borrower.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the usage threshold is one of a data volume cap, a data rate cap, a time cap, a percentage of a lender'"'"'s available bandwidth, and a percentage of the lender'"'"'s available and unused bandwidth.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the usage threshold is a predefined limit of usage.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the usage threshold is a n-tier, system wherein a price exists up to a predefined usage limit and differing price options are provided past the predefined usage limit.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider charges fees for providing bandwidth sharing features and/or handling of billing.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the service provider is a wireless service provider or a multiplexing service provider.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising calculating a selling price of shared bandwidth S_total by:

S_total=(c₁+m₁)*(unit of time of bandwidth used below a usage threshold)+(c₂+m₁)* (unit of time of bandwidth used above the usage threshold),

where;

c₁ is a price per unit time for bandwidth usage that is below the usage threshold,

c₂ is a price per unit time for bandwidth usage that is above the usage threshold, as set by the lender,

m₁ is a price per unit time for service provider fees.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage is one of a peer-to-peer environment and a multiplexed environment.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the borrower of bandwidth solicits a price from the lender.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the price offering is a fixed price offering irrelevant of a number of potential lenders or borrowers in a given ad hoc network area, and the price offering goes into effect once the lender has decided to become a lending device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the price offering is based on a price per data volume pricing scheme.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the price offering is based on a price for a unit time with a data volume cap pricing scheme.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the price offering is based on a one-time charge pricing scheme.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network is established by steps comprising:

the borrower computer device selecting the plural lender computer devices from the plurality of potential lender computer devices, based on the scanning, to create the single virtual fat pipe for transmission of data for the borrower computer device over a network to the remote location,

wherein the selecting is based on the bandwidth-sharing information received from each of the plurality of potential lender computer devices, and

wherein the bandwidth-sharing information includes the data transfer rate provided by the respective one of the plurality of potential lender computer devices.