Method and system for real-time allocation of a resource among several entities

• US 20040024687A1
• Filed: 04/14/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chartoleaux KG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Delenda, Arnaud
• Granted Patent: US 7,788,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A technique for the allocation and pricing of a resource among n buying agents during an auction bid. A bid sent by each buying agent in the form of a resource demand function s_i(p) is received, and a datum corresponding to the equilibrium price p* is calculated from the sum S of the n demand functions s_i(p), by means of the relation: S(p*)=Q. All of the bids received during a predetermined period corresponding to a round of bidding are processed in order to determine the quantity of a resource to be allocated to each buying agent. This is followed by the calculation of the data corresponding to the quantity a_i to be allocated for this equilibrium price p* to each buying agent i based on its demand function s_i such that a_i=s_i(p*). The management system utilizes the calculated data to allocate the corresponding quantities of the resource, and this data is stored in order to calculate the price to be billed to each buying agent.

Claims

1. Method for the allocation of a resource among n buying agents during an auction bid, by a system for managing said resource, comprising:

receiving a bid sent by each buying agent in the form of a resource demand function s_i(p), in which p is the variable price, these demand functions being predefined positive decreasing and continuous functions,

processing all of the bids received during a predetermined period corresponding to a round of bidding, in order to determine the quantity of a resource to be allocated to each buying agent, wherein said processing includes;

calculating a datum corresponding to the equilibrium price p* from the sum S of the n demand functions s_i(p), by means of the relation;

S(p*)=Q,

Q being the available quantity datum, and

S(p) being the total demand corresponding to the sum of the demands s_i(p) from each buying agent for each price value p, as defined by

S(p)=s₁(p)+s₂(p)+ . . . +s_i(p)+ . . . +s_n(p),

calculating the data corresponding to the quantity a_i to be allocated for this equilibrium price p* to each buying agent i based on its demand function s_i such that a_i=s_i(p*), and

utilizing with the managing system the calculated data to allocate the corresponding quantities of resources to each buying agent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising programming the demand function s_i(p) into each buying agent.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

programming a function U′

_i(q) into the buying agent i,

each buying agent i participating in an auction thus being characterized by its interest in obtaining a quantity q of the global resource Q, through its utility function U_i(q) or through a marginal utility function U′

_i(q) provided for the acquisition of an additional unit, U′

_i(q) being the derivative of U_i(q),

and in each auction;

calculating the demand function s_i(p) by calculating the inverse of the function U′

_i(q), the buying agent sending its bid by sending this function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the demand function includes supplying the management system with data corresponding to m parameters characterizing this demand function.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the utility function is a polynomial function with the form:

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the utility function is a function with the form:

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the buying agent sends its bid, supplying only two parameters (m=2) characterizing its demand function, these parameters being the coefficient α

indicating the buyer'"'"'s predisposition to pay and q_max indicating the maximum quantity he wishes to acquire;

this bid may be the same for several successive auctions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculation of the price to be billed to each buying agent comprises:

a calculation of the total price C_i(s) of the quantity a_i allocated to a buying agent i for the obtainment of the quantity ai when the latter has bid the function s_i, based on the exclusion compensation principle, this calculation being based on the following relation;

$C_i<br><br>\left(s\right)=\underset{j\ne <br><br>i}{\sum <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\int <br><br>}_{a_j^s}^{a_j^0}<br><br>S_j^{-1}<br><br>\left(p\right)<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br><br><br>p$

in which, for the buying agent j, aj^s represents its allocation in the presence of the buying agent i and aj₀ represents its allocation in its absence, the competing buyers j in this case being allocated the quantity aj⁰, whereas they have only aj^s in the current situation due to its presence, sj<sup>−

1</sup> being the inverses of the demand functions of the buying agents j competing with the buying agent i.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the management system is a telecommunication resource management system and in that the resource is bandwidth.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

pricing the resource among the n buying agents during the auction bid; and

storing of the calculated data in order to calculate the price to be billed to each buying agent.

10. A system for managing a resource having means for allocating the resource among n buying agents during an auction bid, through a telecommunication network, wherein the allocating means comprises:

means for receiving a bid sent by each buying agent in the form of a resource demand function s_i(p), in which p is the variable price, these demand functions being predefined positive decreasing and continuous functions,

means for processing all of the bids received during a predetermined period corresponding to a round of bidding, in order to determine the quantity of a resource to be allocated to each buying agent, wherein said processing means include;

means for calculating a datum corresponding to the equilibrium price p* from the sum S of the n demand functions s_i(p), based on the relation;

S(p*)=Q,

Q being the available quantity datum, and

S(p) being the total demand corresponding to the sum of the demands s_i(p) from each buying agent for each price value p, as defined by

S(p)=s_i(p)+s₂(p)+ . . . +s_i(p)+ . . . +s_n(p),

means for calculating the data corresponding to the quantity a_i to be allocated for this equilibrium price p* to each buying agent i based on its demand function s_i such that a_i=si(p*), and

means for allocating the corresponding quantities of resources to each buying agent.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for allocating the resource are comprised of a server type computer programmed for this purpose, said server being linked to the equipment of the telecommunication network in charge of controlling the resource to be shared.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the buying agents include means for storing at least one demand function and means for bidding with this function in each auction.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein, in the case where the demand function is characterized by only two parameters, the buying agents include means for choosing a pair of values for the parameters in each auction and for providing it to the server.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the buying agents are comprised of automata programmed to make the bids in accordance with the buyer and to dialog with the server.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said automata are comprised of software agents that can be placed in the server.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the resource is a telecommunication resource.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

means for pricing the resource among the n buying agents during the auction bid; and

means for storing the calculated data in order to calculate the price to be billed to each buying agent.