System and method for providing downloading services for digital objects

• US 20020120565A1
• Filed: 02/28/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yu, Philip Shi-Lung, Moskowitz, Paul Andrew, Boies, Stephen J., Dinkin, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US09/795,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20020120565A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A program, is stored on a computer readable medium and has a module to calculate a usage value representing resource usage for an entity under a billing plan within a cycle, calculated from measurements of at least two measurable parameters and a module to bill for excess resource usage when an expected resource usage for the entity is less than the usage value for the entity within the cycle. A method of allocating resources involves receiving a value representing an estimate of a calculated expected resource usage under a billing plan within a cycle, derived from at least two measurable resource parameters, aggregating the value with a current actual resource usage for the cycle, and adjusting a resource allocation based upon a comparing of a result of the aggregating and a current available resource amount.

Claims

1. A method of providing resources comprising:

receiving a value representing an estimate of a calculated expected resource usage under a billing plan within a cycle, the value being derived from at least two measurable resource parameters, the billing plan comprising a charge of a base amount when an actual calculated resource usage during the cycle does not exceed the calculated expected resource usage and a surcharge when the actual calculated resource usage during the cycle exceeds the calculated expected resource usage;

measuring, during a period, at least two parametric resource values representative of resource usage;

calculating a current actual resource usage value based upon a result of the measuring;

determining if the estimate has been exceeded within the cycle by comparing the current actual resource usage value with the value; and

billing according to the plan based upon a result of the determining.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring comprises continuously measuring.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring comprises measuring at regular intervals.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring comprises measuring storage utilization.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the measuring comprises measuring processor utilization.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the measuring comprises measuring bandwidth utilization.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calculating comprises:

dividing a first measured parametric value by a second measured parametric value.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein one of the first or second measured parametric values comprises one of:

bandwidth, units of storage, hits, a number of files, pages, an amount of processor utilization.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the other of the first or second measured parametric values is different from the one of the first or second measured parametric values and comprises one of:

bandwidth, units of storage, hits, a number of files, pages, an amount of processor utilization.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing the current actual resource usage value.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing the value as the estimate.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calculating comprises:

adding a new measured parameter amount to an accumulated measured parameter amount.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

prior to the billing, borrowing a next cycle estimate amount when a result of the comparing indicates that the estimate has been exceeded.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein, when the comparing the current actual resource usage value with the value determines that the estimate has not been exceeded, the method further comprises:

adding an estimate surplus from the cycle to the estimate to obtain the value.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the adjusting comprises:

adding additional resources.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the adjusting comprises:

shifting resources.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

bringing additional provider resources online.

19. The method according to claim 15 further comprising:

billing for a charge of a base amount when an actual calculated resource usage during the cycle does not exceed the calculated expected resource usage and adding a surcharge to the charge when the actual calculated resource usage during the cycle exceeds the calculated expected resource usage.

35. A programmed computer for managing resources, comprising:

storage and a processor, the storage having at least one program module which when executed by the processor performs the method of claim 1.

15. A method of allocating resources comprising:

receiving a value representing an estimate of a calculated expected resource usage under a billing plan within a cycle, the value being derived from at least two measurable resource parameters;

aggregating the value with a current actual resource usage for the cycle; and

adjusting a resource allocation based upon a comparing of a result of the aggregating and a current available resource amount.

20. A method of billing for provision of resources comprising:

receiving a value representing an estimate of a calculated expected resource usage under a billing plan within a cycle, the value comprising a mathematical combination of at least two measurable resource parameters, the billing plan comprising a charge for a base amount when an actual calculated resource usage during the cycle does not exceed the calculated expected resource usage and a surcharge when the actual calculated resource usage during the cycle exceeds the calculated expected resource usage;

comparing the actual calculated resource usage with the value to determine if the estimate has been exceeded; and

if the estimate has been exceeded and a pre-determined condition is met, aggregating the charge for the base amount with a surcharge, otherwise, if the estimate has not been exceeded but the pre-determined condition is met, applying only the charge for the base amount.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising identifying whether a specified time period has elapsed.

22. The method according to claim 20, further comprising storing the value in a database.

23. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

identifying the surcharge from one of a ramp, a step, an over carry or an u-limit carry plan.

25. The system of claim 24 further comprising:

a database, coupled to the monitor/calculator and constructed to temporarily store information provided by the monitor/calculator.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the database is also accessible to the billing manager.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the database further comprises at least two fields, a first of the fields comprising an overage indicator flag and a second of the two fields comprising a current usage accumulation field.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the billing plan comprises one of a ramp plan, a step plan, an over carry plan, or a u-limit carry plan.

30. The system according to claim 29, wherein the billing manager further comprises:

means for monitoring resource usage.

31. The system according to claim 29 further comprising:

means for matching available resources to a calculated expected resource need.

24. A system comprising:

an estimate handler,

an allocation manager,

a monitor/calculator coupled for communication with at least the allocation manager and configured to monitor resource usage based upon communication between a provider and a user and calculate an actual usage value from parameters measured during the resource usage, and

a billing manager, the billing manager and allocation manager being communicatively connected to the estimate handler so that, as the monitor/calculator monitors the resource usage, the monitor/calculator will provide the actual usage value to the allocation manager for use in resource allocation and the billing manager for use in billing according to a billing plan, the billing plan including a surcharge to a source when a total actual usage value incorporating the actual usage value exceeds an estimated resource need value.

29. A system comprising:

means for receiving a value representing an estimate of a calculated expected resource usage under a billing plan within a cycle, the value comprising at least two measurable resource parameters;

means for converting the measurable resource parameters to a calculated parametric value representative of a current actual resource usage, based upon a measuring within the cycle; and

means for comparing the calculated parametric value with the estimate and setting an overage indicator when the calculated parametric value exceeds the estimate.

32. A system comprising:

a central processor unit configured to determine if an aggregate of a system actual resource usage and a value, calculated from at least two measurable resource parameters and representing an estimate of a calculated expected resource usage under a billing plan within a cycle, will exceed an available resource capacity; and

a database containing data, at least some of the data collectively representing the system actual resource usage, at a point in time.

33. A program, stored on a computer readable medium, comprising:

a module to calculate a usage value representing resource usage for an entity under a billing plan within a cycle, calculated from measurements of at least two measurable parameters; and

a module to bill for excess resource usage when an expected resource usage for the entity is less than the usage value for the entity within the cycle.

34. A computer readable medium having modules stored thereon, comprising:

a module that, when executed, will processes received estimates of expected resource usage derived from a combination of at least two measurable parameters;

a module that, when executed, will allocate resources based upon the received estimates and a current system resource state;

a module that, when executed, calculates a usage value from at least two measured parametric values; and

a module that, upon a completion of a billing cycle, bills an entity for a base charge when an actual calculated resource usage during the cycle does not exceed an expected resource usage and adds a surcharge when the actual calculated resource usage during the cycle exceeds the expected resource usage.