Monitizing Network Connected User Bases Utilizing Distributed Processing Systems

• US 20090171855A1
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Byteweavr, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hubbard, Edward A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,269,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

Various embodiments enable network service providers to receive revenue from their user bases by providing network services to various distributed devices in exchange for the distributed devices agreeing to process workloads for customer paid projects. In at least one embodiment, a method of operating a distributed processing system may include identifying a first party with a first user base with several first distributed devices, and identifying a different party with a different user base with several second distributed devices. Processing workloads for a customer paid project using the first and second distributed devices. Then, sharing revenue from the customer project between the first party and the second party based in part on a size of a user base, a user base'"'"'s processing capability, or a type of project processed by the user base.

Claims

1. A method of operating a distributed processing system comprising:

identifying a first party with a first party user base, the first party user base comprising one or more first distributed devices configured to process workloads for the distributed processing system;

identifying a different party with a different party user base, the different party user base comprising one or more second distributed devices configured to process workloads for the distributed processing system, and having unused processing capability;

causing workloads for a customer paid project to be processed by the one or more first distributed devices and the one or more second distributed devices; and

causing revenue from the customer project to be shared between the first party and the different party, effective to make use of the unused workload processing capability of the second distributed devices.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein revenue is caused to be shared between the first party and the different party based in part on one or more of a size of a user base, a processing capability of a user base, or a type of project processed by a user base.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein revenue is caused to be shared between the first party and the different party in proportion to a portion of the workload processed by the one or more first distributed devices and a portion of the workload processed by the one or more second distributed devices.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the different party user base is configured to provide network services to the one or more second distributed devices in return for agreeing to provide computing resources to the distributed processing system.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the network services comprise one or more of Internet access, an E-mail service, or a file sharing service.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a request to process workloads for a customer paid project.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising sending a client agent to the one or more first distributed devices and the one or more second distributed devices, wherein the client agent is configured to receive workloads, process the workloads, and provide results associated with the processed workloads to a server system.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the client agent comprises a core agent component configured to provide a distributed processing function, a project component configured to provide project specific functionality, and a user interface component configured to provide user viewable information.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the core agent component is associated with an owner of the distributed processing system, the project component is associated with an owner of the customer paid project, and the user interface component is associated with the first party.

10. A distributed processing system comprising:

a server system configured to;

generate an agreement between a first party and a different party to process one or more workloads for a customer paid project, wherein the first party comprises a first party user base comprising one or more first distributed devices, and the different party comprise a different user base comprising one or more second distributed devices;

distribute workloads associated with the customer paid project to the first party and the different party based in part on the agreement; and

share revenue from the customer paid project between the first party and the different party in proportion workloads processed by the one or more first distributed devices and workloads processed by the one or more second distributed devices, effective to monetize unused capabilities of the second distributed devices.

11. A distributed processing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the server system is further configured to receive one or more workloads for a customer paid project.

12. A distributed processing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the different party user base is configured to supply network services to the one or more second distributed devices in return for agreeing to provide computing resources to the distributed processing system.

13. A distributed processing system as recited in claim 12, wherein the network services comprise one or more of Internet access, E-mail service, or a file sharing service.

14. A distributed processing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the server system is further configured to send a client agent to the one or more first distributed devices and the one or more second distributed devices, wherein the client agent is configured to receive customer paid project workloads, process the customer paid project workloads, and supply results to the server system.

15. A distributed processing system as recited in claim 14, wherein the client agent comprises a core agent component to provide a distributed processing function, a project component to provide project specific functionality, and a user interface to provide user viewable information.

16. A distributed processing system as recited in claim 15, wherein the core agent component is associated with an owner of the distributed processing system, the project component is associated with an owner of the customer paid project, and the user interface component is associated with the first party.

17. A distributed processing system comprising:

one or more distributed devices associated with a party user base, the one or more distributed devices configured to;

receive one or more workloads associated with a customer paid project;

make an agreement with the party user base to process one or more workloads for a customer in return for network services;

process the one or more workloads associated with the customer paid project; and

supply results associated with processing the one or more workloads associated with the customer paid project to the distributed processing system.

18. A distributed processing system as recited in claim 17, wherein the network services comprise one or more of Internet access, E-mail service, or a file sharing service.

19. A distributed processing system as recited in claim 17, wherein the one or more distributed devices are further configured to receive a client agent, wherein the client agent is configured to receive the one or more workloads, process the one or more workloads, and supply the results associated with the processing the one or more workloads to the distributed processing system.

20. A distributed processing system as recited in claim 17, wherein the one or more distributed devices are further configured to present a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to display information associated with the network services.