System for and managing assets using priority tokens

• US 20030069828A1
• Filed: 10/04/2001
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Covannon, Edward, Blazey, Richard N.
• Application Number:
  US09/970,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069828A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

The present invention is a system that allows users to bid on time slots of a video conferencing resource 10 using market orders and limit bid orders denominated in tokens of different values. The users are provided with a display 110 that shows the current bids and orders along with their account balance and allowed to place orders using tokens. The slots are allocated immediately when a market bid equals a market price and allocated to the highest bidder at an end of a bidding period for limit orders when a market order has not already captured the time slot. Winning order holders are informed about the allocation of the time slots with a confirmation display 200. The users allocated the time slots have a priority specified by the cost of the time slot in tokens and can be disabled from using the time slot after use has started. Users that are to be selectively disabled are determined by comparing user priority to a priority threshold, notifying the users who qualify and allowing them to upgrade their priority by paying more for the time slot in tokens that indicate priority.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling utilization of a network resource, comprising:

setting a market price for use of the resource;

allowing users to bid on use of the resource; and

allocating the resource to a highest bidder.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, updating a network control database with the allocation.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising presenting a display to a user showing user account balance, time slots for a desired meeting, prices for the time slots, allocated time slots for the resource and the highest bid for each time slots.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the display shows a number of bids for each time slot.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising presenting, to a user having an order accepted, a display confirming allocation of a time slot, confirming cancellation of an alternate time slot, providing a meeting identifier and a password and showing an updated account balance.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising presenting a display to a user that has been out bid indicating that the user has been out bid for a time slot and showing a credit to an account balance of the user.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the resource is divided into time slots and the users bid on the time slots using market and limit orders.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the resource comprises multimedia conference communication channels and further comprises:

specifying available time slots in the channels for use of the network for multimedia conferencing;

defining priority levels for access to the time slots during a specified period of time, and a number of available tokens for each priority level;

distributing the tokens to users according to needs and command on the resource;

assigning the market price for each time slot where the market price is measured in token value;

setting a closing date for each time slot thereby setting a date and time that limit orders will be filled;

receiving market and limit orders in tokens for the time slots;

allocating the time slots to market orders on a first-come-first-served basis;

allocating the time slots to the highest limit orders for slots not previously allocated at the closing date;

confirming allocation to holders of allocated time slots;

notifying limit order holders that are not the highest bids for the time slots of being out bid;

canceling alternative time slot orders for allocated time slot holders; and

changing token balances of users in response to the allocating.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising accessing and updating a database comprising time slot data and user data, the time slot data comprising entries for:

available time slots, time slot ID, date/time of the slot, number of conferences that can be conducted at each time slot, assigned market prices for each of the time slots, market orders, limit orders, number of bids for each time slot, and closing date/time of the bidding for each time slot, the user data comprising;

user account ID, users name, and token balance.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising allowing a first user to bump a second user from a resource using the tokens.

11. A method of scheduling utilization of a resource, comprising:

setting a market price for use of the resource;

presenting a display to a user showing user account balance, time slots for a desired meeting, prices for the time slots, allocated time slots for the resource, a highest bid for each time slot and a number of bids for each time slot;

allowing users to bid on use of the resource using market and limit orders;

allocating the resource to a highest bidder and canceling alternate time slots;

presenting, to the highest bidder, a display confirming allocation of a time slot, confirming cancellation of alternate time slots, providing a meeting identifier and password, and showing an updated account balance;

updating a network control database with the allocation; and

presenting a display to an out-bid-user that has been out bid indicating that the out-bid-user has been out bid for a time slot and showing a credit to an account balance of the out-bid-user.

12. A method of scheduling a multimedia conference on a network, comprising:

specifying available time slots for use of the network for multimedia conferencing;

defining a plurality of priority levels for access to the time slots during a specified period of time, and a number of available tokens for each priority level;

distributing the tokens to users according to user needs and user command of the resources of the network; and

auctioning the time slots to prospective users using the tokens.

13. A system, comprising:

network resource having time slots; and

a system allocating the resource responsive to bidding on the time slots.

14. A method for managing a network resource, comprising:

assigning a priority to each utilizer of the resource; and

selectively disabling a utilizer having a priority less than a predetermined priority upon selected conditions.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising allowing a user to upgrade the priority before being disabled.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the user is notified of the selective disabling via a communication system different from the network resource.

17. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the priority is assigned on the basis of a status of the user of the resource, a location on the network of the resource, a dependence of other resources on the resource, and an importance of the application.

18. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the selectively disabling of the utilizer having a priority less than a predetermined priority occurs when a response of the network falls below a predetermined value.

19. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the selective disabling comprises comparing disabling constraints to a user profile containing priority information regarding applications being run by the user via the resource.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, further comprising issuing local application termination commands responsive to the comparing.

21. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein a portable storage media stores the priority for the resource.

22. A method for managing a multimedia network resource, comprising:

assigning a priority equivalent to a token value to each utilizer of the resource;

selectively disabling a utilizer having a priority less than a predetermined priority by comparing disabling constraints to a user profile containing priority information regarding applications being run by the user via the resource;

notifying the utilizer of the selective disabling via a communication system different from the network resource; and

allowing a user to upgrade the priority before being disabled using tokens for upgrading the priority.

23. A system, comprising:

a multimedia network resource having time slots and users with priority for use; and

a system disabling a user having a priority less than a predetermined priority upon selected conditions using a profile updated by user access of the resource.

24. A method of scheduling and managing utilization of a multimedia conferencing network system, comprising:

allowing users to bid on time slots of the multimedia conferencing network system;

allocating the time slots to the highest bidder using tokens;

assigning a priority to each user of the system based on the token based purchase price of the allocated time slots;

allowing the user to use the system;

selectively disabling a user from using the system when the user has a priority in tokens less than a predetermined priority in tokens upon selected conditions as set by a system administrator; and

allowing the user to increase the priority before disabling the user by bidding a higher price in tokens.

25. A method of resource allocation, comprising:

negotiating an allocation of a limited resource using tokens; and

negotiating continued use of the resource using the tokens when the resource is further limited.

26. A method as recited in claim 25, wherein the negotiating an allocation comprises negotiating allocation of a prior allocation of the resource.

27. A method as recited in claim 25, wherein the negotiating an allocation comprises negotiating an initial allocation of the resource.

28. A method of resource allocation, comprising:

allocating, by a resource administrator, resources to users according to a resource allocation system;

allocating resource tokens to users according to a token allocation system;

allowing users to negotiate the allocation of the resources with the administrator using the tokens;

allowing the users exchange tokens among each other for reallocation for the resources;

auctioning the resources to the users using the tokens; and

allowing the users to negotiate extended use of the resources using the tokens.

29. A method of using a resource, comprising:

negotiating resource use using tokens representing priority; and

managing continued use of the resource by comparing tokens of current uses.

30. A system, comprising:

a network resource having time slots;

a system allocating the resource responsive to bidding on the time slots with tokens; and

a system for disabling a user and allowing the user to upgrade access priority for the resource using the tokens.