Metering in a data processing system

• US 20040068447A1
• Filed: 10/24/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Mao, Wenbo, Chen, Liqun
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Λ data processing system is described wherein use of resources in the system is metered. Metering evidence is generated which is difficult to forge and is, thus, relavely resitant to tampering. Such a system finds application, for example, in the field of metering the amount of time a person spends reading advertisement that are published on the World Wide Web. If reliable, such metering evidence may be used by the owner of the web server that contains the adverstisement to bill the originator of the advertissement.

Claims

1. A method of metering activity of a data processing system resulting in the generation of respective tamper-resistant metering evidence, the tamper-resistance of the metering evidence being attributable to the difficulty of factorising a large integer which has only two prime factors of roughly equal size.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising iteratively evaluating the result of a mathematical function using the large integer as an input to the function, and using a result of one iteraton of the function as an input to a next iteration of the function.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the metering evidence comprises a result of the mathematical function taken at or near the end of the activity.

4. A method according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the mathematical function has the form:

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the activity comprises executing a process.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the activity further comprises user interaction with the process.

7. A method according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the process is first downloaded from a remote source.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the large integer accompanies the process.

9. A method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the activity comprises displaying an advertisement.

10. A method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the activity comprises a user using a software application process.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the metering evidence relates to time associated with the activity.

12. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the metering evidence relates to processing cycles of the data processing system associated with the activity.

15. A method according to any one of the preceding claims in which the metering evidence is used to bill a user for the associated activity.

16. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the metering evidence, is used by a service provider that is associated with facilitating the activity to bill an originator of a commodity delivered by the service provider and associated with the activity.

17. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the metering evidence is used to credit a user who is associated with the activity with means to acquire products or services under relatively better terms.

18. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein verification of the metering evidence requires knowledge of the two prime factors.

19. A method according to any one of claims 2 to 17, wherein verification of the metering evidence is evaluated using a final iterative result and a previous iterative result.

20. A method for verifying metering evidence generated according to any one of the preceding claims substantially based on the steps in formulae (2) and (3) as hereinbefore described.

13. A method of metering the amount of time a user spends reading an advertisement comprising the steps:

displaying the advertisement; and

during display of the advertisement, iteratively evaluating the result of a mathematical function using a large integer which has only two prime factors of roughly equal size as an input to the function, and using a result of one iteration of the function as an input to a next iteration of the function.

14. A method of metering use of a process executing on a data processing system comprising the steps:

executing the process; and

during execution of the process, iteratively evaluating the result of a mathematical function using a large integer which has only two prime factors of roughly equal size as an input to the function, and using a result of one iteration of the function as an input to a next iteration of the function.