Monitoring of computer-related resources and associated methods and systems for disbursing compensation

• US 7,729,992 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2003
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brilliant Digital Entertainment Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Brilliant Digital Entertainment Incorporated
• Inventors: Rose, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer; Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBEID, MAMON A
• Application Number:
  US10/720,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20040260652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,381 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward methods and systems for monitoring resource usage in an architecture where neither the resource buyer nor the resource seller can be trusted, and for rewarding benefits, compensation, or rewards based upon such monitored resource usage data. The system rewards users who offer to share the memory, storage, or bandwidth of their computing resource to third parties within a distributed network. In an exemplary embodiment, users share processing, storage, bandwidth or memory resources with third parties by permitting such third parties to access files stored in the memory of the users'"'"' computing devices. Users that offer files for upload are encouraged to register with a central authority, and receive value each time a third party accesses a resource from their computing devices. The value awarded to each such user is tracked by the central authority. They can use the value in exchange for products or services.

Claims

1. A method of measuring the extent of resources provided by a second computing device to a first computing device in a distributed network, said first computing device being in data communication with a first trusted entity, and said second computing device being in data communication with a second trusted entity, wherein the first computing device is operated by a first user and wherein the second computing device is operated by a second user, said method comprising the steps of:

(A) receiving at a resource usage verification authority (RUVA) server, from the first trusted entity, information about an intended resource use, wherein said intended resource usage relates to a transaction for downloading a file to said first computing device;

(B) responsive to receiving said information at said RUVA server, the RUVA server conducting a redundancy check for said transaction and determining whether (a) said file has already been downloaded, in whole or in part, to said first computing device, or (b) said file has been previously requested by said first computing device, or (c) a resource usage ticket has already been issued for downloading the same file to the first computing device; and

,

(C) based at least in part on said redundancy check, said RUVA server setting a weighting factor for said transaction, said weighting factor indicating to what extent value should be awarded for the transaction, and wherein, when said transaction is determined by said redundancy check to be redundant, the weighting factor is set to a value that indicates that any compensation or reward associated with the transaction should be given less than full weight;

(D) providing a ticket, from said RUVA server to the first trusted entity, said ticket including at least portion of said information, and said ticket including an indication of said weighting factor for said transaction;

(E) transmitting said ticket from the first trusted entity to the second trusted entity;

(F) the second trusted entity modifying the ticket to produce a modified ticket, said modified ticket being based at least in part upon actual resources provided by said second computing device to said first computing device related to said transaction;

(G) said second trusted entity transmitting said modified ticket to the first trusted entity;

(H) said first trusted entity transmitting the modified ticket to the RUVA server; and

(I) said RUVA server utilizing said ticket and said modified ticket to determine the extent of resources provided by the second computing device to the first computing device related to said transaction; and

(J) allocating compensation or rewards related to the transaction to said second user based at least in part on (a) said indication of said weighting factor for the transaction, and (b) the determined extent of resources provided by the second computing device related to said transaction.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the resources provided by the second computing device related to said transaction include at least one of provision of bandwidth, provision of CPU cycles, and provision of disk or memory storage.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the ticket issued by the RUVA server comprises at least one of a machine identification field, a field for a file name for the file, a field for a hash of the file, a field for a randomly generated number, a weighting field for said indication of said weighting factor, a time field, a value field, and a date field.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the RUVA server stores a copy of said ticket.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second trusted entity validates the ticket by checking that the ticket has been signed by the RUVA server.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising said first trusted entity validating the ticket.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of the RUVA server authenticating the identity of the first trusted entity prior to issuing said ticket.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said first trusted entity is a module incorporating authentication, encryption or data signing capabilities in data communication with a computing device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first trusted entity comprises a receipt request generator, receipt generator module, and receipt validation module.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of modifying the ticket by the second trusted entity comprises at least signing or authenticating the ticket.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of the first trusted entity validating the signed ticket.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of modifying the ticket by the second trusted entity comprises adding details of the extent of resources shared by the second computing device for said transaction, said details including at least one or more of:

the time taken to transfer the file from the second computing device to the first computing device, and the amount of data transferred from the second computing device to the first computing device as part of said transaction.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of said first trusted entity organizing a plurality of tickets into a record and communicating said record to the RUVA server.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of determining, from said record, the extent of resources provided by a plurality of second computing devices to a plurality of first computing devices and modifying a database to record the extent of resources provided by said plurality of second computing devices to said plurality of first computing devices.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said RUVA server signs said ticket prior to providing the ticket to the first trusted entity, the method further comprising the first trusted entity validating said ticket prior to transmitting the ticket to the second trusted entity.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the second trusted entity validates the ticket prior step (F).

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the second trusted entity validates the ticket by checking for a signature from the RUVA server.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

said RUVA server authenticating the first trusted entity.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said redundancy check comprises

a check that the transaction has not been repeated.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the redundancy check is performed prior to providing said ticket.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the network comprises a peer-to-peer network.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the first computing device further comprises a peer-to-peer client application.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the first trusted entity is integrated into the peer-to-peer client application.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the weighting factor is set to a value to minimize or negate any compensation or rewards associated with the transaction.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein, when said transaction is determined by said redundancy check not to be redundant, said weighting factor is set to a value to provide full compensation or reward associated with the transaction.

24. A method of measuring the extent of resources provided by a second computing device to a first computing device in a distributed network that comprises a peer to peer network, said first computing device having a first resource usage verification module (“

RUVM”

), and said second computing device having a second RUVM, said first RUVM and said second RUVM being trusted entities, wherein the first computing device is operated by a first user and wherein the second computing device is operated by a second user, said method comprising the steps of;

(A) receiving at a resource usage verification authority (RUVA) server, from the first RUVM, information about an intended resource use, wherein said intended resource usage relates to a transaction for provision of a file to said first computing device;

(B) responsive to receiving said information at said RUVA server, the RUVA server conducting a redundancy check for said transaction, the redundancy check determining one or more of;

(a) whether said file has already been provided, in whole or in part, to said first computing device; and

(b) whether said file has been previously requested by said first computing device; and

(c) whether a resource usage ticket has already been issued for downloading the same file to the first computing device; and

,

(C) based at least in part on said redundancy check, said RUVA server setting a weighting factor for said transaction, said weighting factor indicating an extent to which value should be awarded for the transaction, and wherein, when said transaction is determined by said redundancy check to be redundant, said weighting factor is set to a value that indicates that any compensation or reward associated with the transaction should not be given full weight;

(D) providing a ticket, from said RUVA server to the first RUVM, said ticket including at least portion of said information, and said ticket including an indication of said weighting factor for said transaction;

(E) transmitting said ticket from the first RUVM to the second RUVM;

(F) the second RUVM modifying the ticket to produce a modified ticket, said modified ticket being based at least in part upon actual resources provided by said second computing device to said first computing device related to said transaction;

(G) said second RUVM transmitting said modified ticket to the first RUVM;

(H) said first RUVM transmitting the modified ticket to the RUVA server; and

(I) said RUVA server utilizing said ticket and said modified ticket to determine the extent of resources provided by the second computing device to the first computing device related to said transaction; and

(J) allocating compensation or rewards related to the transaction to said second user based at least in part on (a) said indication of said weighting factor for the transaction, and (b) the determined extent of resources provided by the second computing device related to the transaction.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the resources provided by the second computing device related to said transaction include at least one of:

bandwidth, CPU cycles, and disk or memory storage.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the ticket issued by the RUVA server comprises at least one of:

a machine identification field, a field for a file name for the file, a field for a hash of the file, a field for a randomly generated number, a weighting field for said indication of said weighting factor, a time field, a value field, and a date field.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the weighting factor is set to a value to minimize or negate any compensation or rewards associated with the transaction.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein, when said transaction is determined by said redundancy check not to be redundant, said weighting factor is set to a value to provide full compensation or reward associated with the transaction.