System and Method for Billing for Hosted Services

• US 20090182605A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: GoGrid LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Keagy, John Martin, Peterson, Nicholas F., Lappas, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,280,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1224 Client or server resources management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a system and method for projecting billing of a specified server configuration. In some embodiments, the projected billing is determined by identifying a set of allocated resources for the server configuration. In some embodiments, the set of resources include an amount of allocated RAM, network bandwidth, disk storage, processing power, etc. The set of resources are then projected over a billing period. Some embodiments determine a projection for the configuration as each component of the configuration is specified within a graphical user interface. Additionally, some embodiments determine a projection for the configuration after the entire configuration is specified within the graphical user interface.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method comprising:

a) receiving from a user a parameter for a specification of a server configuration;

b) receiving from the user a selected billing plan;

c) computing a projection based on said parameter and said billing plan;

d) providing a notification to the user if the projection exceeds a particular threshold.

2. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein the billing plan specifies an allotted amount of at least one computer hosting resource to be allocated to components of the server configuration.

3. The machine implemented method of claim 2, wherein the particular threshold identifies a particular computer hosting resource of the server configuration.

4. The machine implemented method of claim 3, wherein the particular computer hosting resource specifies an amount of memory allocated to at least one component of the server configuration.

5. The machine implemented method of claim 3, wherein the particular computer hosting resource specifies an amount of data allocated to at least one component of the server configuration.

6. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein computing the projection occurs prior to operation of the server configuration.

7. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein computing the projection occurs while the configuration operates.

8. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selected billing plan provides a first set of computer hosting resources to be allocated to the server configuration over an interval the method further comprising receiving a modified billing plan comprising a second set of computer hosting resources and recomputing the projection based on said parameter and said modified billing plan, wherein the modified billing plan allocates more computer hosting resources to the server configuration than the selected billing plan.

9. The machine implemented method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a modified parameter for the configuration and recomputing the projection based on said modified parameter and said billing plan.

10. The machine implemented method of claim 9, wherein the modified parameter comprises removing a previously specified component of the server configuration to reduce the usage of computer hosting resources of the server configuration to satisfy the particular threshold.

11. The machine implemented method of claim 9, wherein the modified parameter comprises allocating fewer computing hosting resources to a particular component of the server configuration to reduce the usage of computer hosting resources of the server configuration to satisfy the particular threshold.

25. The machine implemented method of claim 1,

wherein receiving the parameter comprises identifying an amount of computer hosting resources allocated to the server configuration in at least one period of a billing interval comprising a plurality of periods,

wherein computing the projection comprises determining an amount of computer hosting resources allocated to the server configuration over the plurality of periods of the billing interval, and

wherein said threshold specifies an amount of computer hosting resources available to the server configuration over the interval based on the selected billing plan.

26. The machine implemented method of claim 25 further comprising providing a modified billing plan to the user with a greater allocation of computer hosting resources than the selected billing plan when the projection exceeds the particular threshold.

27. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein providing the notification to the user comprises passing an email notification to the user.

12. A computer readable medium storing a set of instructions for execution by at least one processor, the computer readable medium comprising sets of instructions for:

a) receiving from a user a parameter for a specification of a server configuration;

b) receiving from the user a selected billing plan;

c) computing a projection based on said parameter and said billing plan;

d) providing a notification to the user if the projection exceeds a particular threshold.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the set of instructions for computing the projection occurs prior to operation of the server configuration.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the set of instructions for computing the projection occurs while the configuration operates.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12 further comprising a set of instructions for receiving a modified billing plan and a set of instructions for recomputing the projection based on said parameter and said modified billing plan.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 12 further comprising a set of instructions for receiving a modified parameter for the configuration and a set of instructions for recomputing the projection based on said modified parameter and said billing plan.

17-24. -24. (canceled)