PRICE OFFERINGS FOR BANDWIDTH-SHARING AD HOC NETWORKS

• US 20080300890A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Finn, Peter G., Dawson, Christopher J., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Li, Jenny S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,623,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/145 trading network capacity or selecting route based on tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Methods and systems to establish and execute price offerings among the lenders and borrowers in a bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage. The method comprises establishing a price offering among a lender and borrower in a bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage. The method further includes executing the price offering upon acceptance of a lender to the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing a price offering among a lender and borrower in a bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage; and

executing the price offering upon acceptance of a lender to the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage is one of a peer-to-peer environment and a multiplexed environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the borrower of bandwidth solicits a price from the lender.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the price offering is a fixed price offering irrelevant of a number of potential lenders or borrowers in a given ad hoc network area.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the price offering goes into effect once the lender has decided to become a lending device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the price offering is based on a price per data volume pricing scheme

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the price offering is based on a price per unit of time pricing scheme.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the price offering is based on a combination of a price per data volume pricing scheme and a price per unit of time pricing scheme.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the price offering is based on a price for a unit time with a data volume cap pricing scheme.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the price offering is based on a one-time charge pricing scheme.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising using predetermined factors in setting the price offering.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined factors include at least one of:

a given location;

a time of the day or day of week;

detection, or lack of detection, of other present networks or other potential lenders'"'"' bandwidth-sharing capacity;

a predefined stipulation of availability duration;

specified quality of service (QoS) stipulations;

common provider connections; and

a borrower'"'"'s historical borrowing and lending.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the price offering is higher for expected peak hours, expected periods of high bandwidth-sharing demand, or expected periods of lender bandwidth needs.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the QoS stipulations are dictated by a borrower or service provider.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the predefined stipulation of availability duration is dictated by a borrower, service provider or a lender.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a usage threshold in determining the price offering for lending bandwidth to the borrower.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the usage threshold is one of a data volume cap, a data rate cap, a time cap, a percentage of a lender'"'"'s available bandwidth, and a percentage of the lender'"'"'s available and unused bandwidth.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the usage threshold is a predefined limit of usage.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the usage threshold is a n-tier, system wherein a price exists up to a predefined usage limit and differing price options are-provided past the predefined usage limit.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider charges fees for providing bandwidth sharing features and/or handling of billing.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the service provider is a wireless service provider or a multiplexing service provider.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising calculating a selling price of shared bandwidth S_total by:

S_total=(c₁+m₁)*(unit of time of bandwidth used below a usage threshold)+(c₂+m₁)*(unit of time of bandwidth used above the usage threshold),

where;

c₁ is a price per unit time for bandwidth usage that is below the usage threshold,

c₂ is a price per unit time for bandwidth usage that is above the usage threshold, as set by the lender,

m₁ is a price per unit time for service provider fees.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports a computer infrastructure that performs the steps of claim 1.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein pricing offering options in accordance with different pricing schemes are provided by a service provider to at least one lender for selection.

25. A method for managing price offerings in an ad hoc network, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

select one or more lenders in the ad hoc network;

establish a price offering for a lender of bandwidth in the ad hoc network to charge to a borrower; and

accept the price offering for borrowing the bandwidth in the ad hoc network.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein price offering options in accordance with different pricing schemes are provider by a service provider to at least one lender for selection.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the price offering is based on at least one of:

a fixed price offering irrelevant of a number of potential lenders or borrowers in a given ad hoc network area;

a price per data volume pricing scheme;

a price per unit of time pricing scheme;

a combination of the price per data volume pricing scheme and the price per unit of time pricing scheme;

a price for a unit time with a data volume cap pricing scheme; and

a one-time charge pricing scheme.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising using predetermined factors in setting the price offering.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the predetermined factors include at least one of:

a given location;

a time of the day or day of week;

detection, or lack of detection, of other present networks, or other potential lenders'"'"' bandwidth-sharing capacity;

a predefined stipulation of availability duration;

specified quality of service (QoS) stipulations;

common provider connections; and

a borrower'"'"'s historical borrowing and lending.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising using a usage threshold in determining the price offering for lending bandwidth to the borrower.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the usage threshold is one of a data volume cap, a data rate cap, a time cap, a percentage of a lender'"'"'s available bandwidth, and a percentage of the lender'"'"'s available and unused bandwidth.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the usage threshold is a n-tier, system wherein a price exists up to a predefined usage limit and differing price options are provided past the predefined usage limit.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein a service provider charges for providing bandwidth sharing features and/or handling of billing in the ad hoc network.

34. The method of claim 25, further comprising calculating a selling price of shared bandwidth S_total by:

S_total=(c₁+m₁)*(unit of time of bandwidth used below a usage threshold)+(c₂+m₁)*(unit of time of bandwidth used above the usage threshold),

where;

c₁ is a price per unit time for bandwidth usage that is below the usage threshold,

c₂ is a price per unit time for bandwidth usage that is above the usage threshold, as set by the lender,

m₁ is a price per unit time for service provider fees.

35. The method of claim 25, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports a computer infrastructure that performs the steps of claim 25.

36. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer program product includes at least one component to:

establish a price offering among a lender and borrower in a bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage; and

execute the price offering upon acceptance of a lender to the bandwidth-sharing ad hoc network for shared bandwidth usage.