Using power state to enforce software metering state

• US 20070050297A1
• Filed: 08/25/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hall, Martin, Xu, Zhangwei, Ahdout, Isaac
• Granted Patent: US 7,539,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A pay-per-use or metered-use computer uses directives from an operating system or other software component to determine whether to meter or not. Because such directives may not be trustworthy, a metering system may determine a state of the computer to verify that the metering state complies with a policy. If the metering system determines that the power state is not in keeping with the metering state, the metering system may invoke a sanction, such as restarting metering or placing some or all of the computer in a standby power mode.

Claims

1. A method of enforcing a metering policy defining rules for metering in a pay-per-use computer comprising:

ceasing metering responsive to a signal from a component hosted by the computer;

starting a timer;

determining a power state of the computer; and

initiating an enforcement action when the power state is non-compliant with the metering policy when the timer reaches a predetermined value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the power state of the computer comprises monitoring the power state to be one of an active state, an off state, a standby state, and a transition state.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a metering state of the computer to be one of a metered state and a non-metered state.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating an enforcement action comprises shutting down the computer when determining the metering state is non-metered when the metering policy requires a metered state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the component hosted by the computer is at least one of an operating system, a metering interface application, an interrupt trigger, and an application program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating an enforcement action comprises resuming metering.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating an enforcement action comprises resetting the computer.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising metering when directed to meter by the software component running on the computer.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising metering when the computer is in an active state unless directed to cease metering by the software component running on the computer.

10. A computer adapted for metered use comprising:

a metering circuit;

a power monitoring circuit;

a memory storing at least one metering policy; and

and enforcement circuit coupled to the metering circuit, the memory, and the power monitoring circuit, whereby the enforcement circuit monitors the power monitoring and metering circuits to determine compliance with the at least one metering policy stored in the memory.

11. The computer of claim 10, wherein the enforcement circuit comprises an input from the metering circuit and an output to the metering circuit, the input for sensing the metering state, the output for setting the state of the metering circuit.

12. The computer of claim 10, further comprising a reset circuit coupled to the enforcement circuit whereby the enforcement circuit causes a reset in accordance with the at least one metering policy.

13. The computer of claim 10, wherein the enforcement circuit operates to signal the metering circuit to meter in accordance with the at least one metering policy.

14. The computer of claim 10, wherein the power monitoring circuit monitors at least one of system standby power, monitor power, monitor interface power, and sound card power.

15. A computer adapted to use power monitoring to corroborate metering directives comprising:

an operating system;

an upper provisioning module for receiving metering directives, the upper provisioning module hosted by the operating system;

a lower provisioning module hosted in hardware and independent from the operating system, the lower provisioning module comprising;

a communication interface;

a power monitoring circuit for determining a power state of the computer;

a memory storing machine-readable code implementing a metering function, the memory further storing a metering policy specifying valid combinations of metering state and power state;

a clock used in conjunction with the metering function; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface, the power monitoring circuit, the clock, and the memory whereby the processor meters use of the computer according to signals received via the communication interface when compliant with the metering policy.

16. The computer of claim 15, wherein the power monitoring circuit determines the power state for at least one of a CPU, a monitor, a monitor interface, and a sound interface.

17. The computer of claim 15, wherein the lower provisioning module further comprises an output to a reset circuit for resetting the computer when the power and metering states are not compliant with the metering policy.

18. The computer of claim 15, wherein valid combinations specified by the metering policy comprise power on and metering, power off and not metering, power on and not metering during a timeout period.

19. The computer of claim 18, wherein the clock is tamper-resistant and the clock is used to implement the timeout period

20. The computer of claim 15, wherein the computer further comprises an upper provisioning module and the communication interface receives signals from the operating system via the upper provisioning module.