Method and apparatus for providing a reward for the use of a processor in a parallel processing environment

• US 20050273448A1
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Exponential Solutions LLC
• Inventors: Ratcliff, Raymond F. III
• Granted Patent: US 7,127,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A parallel data processing system in which a plurality of data processing devices are coupled to a data network. Each of the data processing devices has a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. A reward is provided for use of the processors. A job includes a plurality of tasks. Responsive to a request signal from one of the data processing devices, one of the tasks is sent to the one data processing device over the data network. The one task is stored in the memory of the one data processing device. The processor of the one data processing device retrieves the one task from the memory. The processor of the one data processing device performs the one task to define a result. After defining the result, the reward is provided to a recipient associated with the one data processing device.

Claims

1. In a parallel data processing system including a plurality of data processing devices coupled to a data network, each of the data processing devices having a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, a method for providing a reward for use of the processors of the data processing devices, the method comprising:

providing an algorithm including a plurality of algorithm portions;

providing data including a plurality of data portions;

defining a task including one of the algorithm portions and one of the data portions;

sending, responsive to a request signal from one of the data processing devices, the task to the one data processing device over the data network;

storing the task in the memory of the one data processing device;

extracting the one algorithm portion and the one data portion from the task;

retrieving, by the processor of the one data processing device, the one algorithm portion and the one data portion from the memory of the one data processing device;

performing, by the processor of the one data processing device, the one algorithm portion on the one data portion; and

providing, when the processor of the one data processing device has performed the one algorithm portion on the one data portion, the reward to a recipient associated with the one data processing device.

2. The method of claim 1, the reward being a payment.

3. The method of claim 2, the payment being a flat fee.

4. The method of claim 2, the payment being a recurring flat fee.

5. The method of claim 2, the payment being a one-time fee.

6. The method of claim 2, the payment being a CPU-relative fee.

7. The method of claim 2, the payment being a re venue-sharing fee.

8. The method of claim 2, the payment being a recurring service-sharing fee.

9. In a parallel data processing system including a plurality of data processing devices coupled to a data network, each of the data processing devices having a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, each data processing device associated with a respective recipient, a method for providing a reward for use of the data processing devices, the method comprising:

providing instructions representing a portion of an algorithm, the instructions executable by one of the processors of the data processing devices;

storing the instructions in the memory of one of the data processing devices;

sending a portion of data to the one data processing device;

storing the portion of data in the memory of the one data processing device;

retrieving, by the processor of the one data processing device, the data and the instructions from the memory;

executing the instructions, by the processor of the one data processing device, to perform the portion of the algorithm on the data;

providing the reward to the recipient associated with the one data processing device.

10. The method of claim 9, the reward being a payment.

11. The method of claim 10, the payment being a flat fee.

12. The method of claim 10, the payment being a recurring flat fee.

13. The method of claim 10, the payment being a one-time fee.

14. The method of claim 10, the payment being a CPU-relative fee.

15. The method of claim 10, the payment being a revenue-sharing fee.

16. The method of claim 10, the payment being a recurring service-sharing fee.

17. A parallel data processing system for providing a reward for use of one of a plurality of processing devices to process data using an algorithm, the data including a plurality of data portions, the algorithm including a plurality of algorithm portions, the processing devices coupled to a data network, the parallel data processing system comprising:

an originating module coupled to the data network, the originating module capable of;

i) receiving the algorithm and the data,

ii) extracting the algorithm portions from the algorithm and the data portions from the data,

iii) sending one of the algorithm portions to one of the processing devices over the data network, and

iv) sending one of the data portions to the one processing device over the data network;

a result collation module in communication with the originating module and the processors, the result collation module capable of;

i) receiving a result signal from the one processor, the result signal indicating the one processor has completed performing the one algorithm portion on the one data portion, and

ii) providing a reward signal after receiving the result signal; and

a reward module in communication with the result collation module to receive the reward signal, the reward module capable of;

i) identifying a recipient associated with the one processor after receiving the reward signal, and

ii) providing the reward to the identified recipient.

18. The system of claim 17, the reward being a payment.

19. The system of claim 18, the payment being a flat fee.

20. The system of claim 18, the payment being a recurring flat fee.

21. The system of claim 18, the payment being a one-time fee.

22. The system of claim 18, the payment being a CPU-relative fee.

23. The system of claim 18, the payment being a revenue-sharing fee.

24. The system of claim 18, the payment being a recurring service-sharing fee.