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

• US 7,809,646 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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:
  US12/728,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 197 Days
• Field of Search: 726/10
• 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

A system rewards users who offer to share the memory, storage, or bandwidth of their computing resource to third parties within a distributed network. 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 and is weighted.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of allocating compensation or rewards based on resources provided to a first computing device by a second 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, said first trusted entity and said second trusted entity being in data communication with a resource usage verification authority, said method comprising the steps of:

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

(B) said resource usage verification authority conducting a redundancy check for said transaction to determine whether said transaction has previously been performed or requested, in whole or in part, on behalf of said first computing device;

(C) based at least in part on said redundancy check, said resource usage verification authority setting a weighting factor for said transaction, said weighting factor indicating an extent value should be awarded for the transaction, 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) said resource usage verification authority issuing a ticket, the ticket including an indication of said weighting factor for said transaction;

(E) said 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, said modified ticket including details regarding resources shared by the second computing device in connection with said transaction;

(F) said resource usage verification authority 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

(G) 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 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 first computing device is operated by a first user and wherein the second computing device is operated by a second user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the redundancy check comprises determining one or more of:

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

(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.

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

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

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 7 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 adding details of the extent of resources shared by the second computing device for said transaction, said details including at least one 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.

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

a check that the transaction has not been repeated.

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

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

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first computing device further comprises a peer-to-peer client application.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first trusted entity is integrated into the peer-to-peer client application.

16. A computer-implemented method of measuring the extent of resources provided to a first computing device by a second 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, said method comprising the steps of:

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

(B) said server conducting a redundancy check for said transaction to determine whether said transaction has previously been performed or requested, in whole or in part, on behalf of said first computing device;

(C) based at least in part on said redundancy check, said server setting a weighting factor for said transaction, said weighting factor indicating an extent value should be awarded for the transaction, 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) said server issuing a ticket to the first trusted entity, the ticket including an indication of said weighting factor for said transaction;

(E) 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, said modified ticket including details regarding resources shared by the second computing device in connection with said transaction;

(F) said 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

(G) 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.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the ticket is issued by a server distinct from the first computing device and the second computing device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the server is a resource usage verification authority (RUVA) server.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein, in step (A), the information is received at the RUVA from the first trusted entity, and wherein, in step (B), the redundancy check is conducted by the RUVA;

and wherein, in step (C), the weighting factor is set by the RUVA; and

wherein, in step (D), the ticket is provided to the first trusted entity by the RUVA; and

wherein, in step (F) the RUVA determines the extent of resources provided by the second computing device to the first computing device related to said transaction.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the second trusted entity obtains the ticket from the first trusted entity.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the details include at least:

(i) the time taken to transfer the file from the second computing device to the first computing device, and

(ii) the amount of data transferred from the second computing device to the first computing device as part of said transaction.

22. A computer-implemented method of allocating compensation or rewards based on resources provided to a first computing device by a second 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, said first trusted entity and said second trusted entity being in data communication with a resource usage verification authority, said method comprising the steps of:

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

(B) said resource usage verification authority conducting a redundancy check for said transaction to determine whether said transaction has previously been performed or requested, in whole or in part, on behalf of said first computing device;

(C) based at least in part on said redundancy check, said resource usage verification authority setting a weighting factor for said transaction, said weighting factor indicating an extent value should be awarded for the transaction, 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) said resource usage verification authority issuing a ticket, the ticket including an indication of said weighting factor for said transaction;

(E) said 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, wherein the step of modifying (E) comprises adding details of the extent of resources shared by the second computing device for said transaction;

(F) said resource usage verification authority 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

(G) 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.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the details include at least one of:

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