Task Assignment Among Multiple Devices

• US 20070294692A1
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhao, Feng, Liu, Jie, Abrams, Zoe
• Application Number:
  US11/424,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294692A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4875 with migration policy, e.g. auction, contract negotiation

Abstract

A procedure identifies multiple objects or processes to be monitored and identifies multiple devices to monitor the multiple objects or execute the multiple processes. The procedure continues by identifying multiple tasks to be executed by the multiple devices and predicting a trajectory for each of the multiple objects. A determination is made regarding which device should be executing each of the multiple tasks based on the predicted trajectory for each of the multiple objects.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying multiple objects to be monitored;

identifying multiple devices to monitor the multiple objects;

identifying multiple tasks to be executed by the multiple devices;

predicting a trajectory for each object; and

determining which device should be executing each of the multiple tasks based on the predicted trajectory for each object.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising identifying at least one overflow server associated with the multiple devices, the overflow server to process overflow tasks.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising determining a task Processing capability associated with each device.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising determining a coverage area associated with each device.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising moving at least one task to a different device for execution.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising moving at least one task to an overflow server for execution.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising identifying a current location associated with each of the multiple objects.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising determining a number of time steps that the multiple objects will be monitored in the future.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising generating a Markov chain to represent probabilistic information known about movement of the multiple tasks.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising determining an allocation of the multiple tasks among the multiple devices for a next time step.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a memory device to store data; and

a processor coupled to the memory device, the processor to identify multiple processes to be monitored and to identify multiple systems to execute the multiple processes, the processor further to predict future reassignment of a portion of the multiple processes to different systems, and wherein the processor further determines which processes should currently be reassigned to different systems.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, the processor further to determine which processes should be reassigned to an overflow server coupled to the apparatus.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, the processor further to determine a process handling capacity associated with each of the multiple systems.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, the processor further to determine a number of time steps that the multiple processes will be monitored in the future.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, the processor further to store information in the memory device regarding a current allocation of the multiple processes among the multiple systems.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, the processor further to transfer at least one process to a different system for execution.

17. A method comprising:

identifying multiple processes to be monitored;

identifying multiple devices to monitor the multiple processes;

identifying multiple tasks to be executed by the multiple devices;

determining which device should execute each of the multiple tasks; and

assigning each of the multiple tasks to a particular device.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein determining which device should execute each of the multiple tasks includes predicting a future reassignment of the multiple tasks.

19. A method as recited in claim 17, further comprising transferring at least one of the multiple tasks to a different device for execution.

20. A method as recited in claim 17, further comprising determining a task processing capability associated with each device.