Byte-based method, process and algorithm for service-oriented and utility infrastructure usage measurement, metering, and pricing

• US 8,065,206 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Thomas, Jeffery Darrel
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart; Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Goyea; Olusegun
• Application Number:
  US12/180,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20080281736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/8, 713/340, 713/320, 700/291, 702/60, 702/186, 702/61, 702/176, 718/104
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

A method for accounting for data processing system service usage is provided. The method comprises monitoring a total environmental consumption related to an information technology resource, determining a percentage of the information technology resource used by a customer, and determining an environmental factor corresponding to a product of the percentage of the information technology resource used by the customer with the total environmental consumption related to the information technology resource and integrating the product over a billing period. The method further comprises determining an information technology factor corresponding to a sum of a total network usage, a total storage usage, and a total processor usage for the customer over the billing period, determining a total bill for the customer according to the environmental factor and the information technology factor, and storing the total bill for the customer in a computer-readable medium.

Claims

1. A method for accounting for data processing system service usage, comprising:

with a computerized billing system, monitoring a total environmental consumption within an information technology resource;

with a processor, determining a percentage of the information technology resource used by a customer;

with a processor, determining an environmental factor corresponding to a product of the percentage of the information technology resource used by the customer with the total environmental consumption within the information technology resource and integrating the product over a billing period;

with a processor, determining a unified pricing structure based on an information technology factor corresponding to a sum of a total network usage, a total storage usage, and a total processor usage for the customer over the billing period, using byte-based utility computing pricing;

with a processor, determining a total bill for the customer according to the environmental factor and the information technology factor; and

storing the total bill for the customer in a computer-readable medium.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an efficiency ratio by dividing the information technology factor by the environmental factor.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining a work-to-environmental efficiency using the efficiency ratio.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network usage is metered in megabits per second.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage usage is metered in gigabytes per day.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor usage is measured in bytes per second.

19. The method of claim 1, in which the total environmental consumption is the amount of energy required to power and cool the environment housing the hardware within the information technology resource.

7. A data processing system having at least a processor and an accessible memory, comprising:

a billing system that;

monitors a total environmental consumption within an information technology resource;

determines a percentage of the information technology resource used by a customer;

determines an environmental factor by multiplying the percentage of the information technology resource used by the customer with the total environmental consumption within the information technology resource and integrates the product over a billing period;

determines a unified pricing structure based on an information technology factor by summing a total network usage, a total storage usage, and a total processor usage for the customer over the billing period, using byte-based utility computing pricing; and

determines a total bill for the customer according to the environmental factor and the information technology factor.

8. The data processing system of claim 7, in which the billing system further determines an efficiency ratio by dividing the information technology factor by the environmental factor.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, in which the billing system further determines a work-to-environmental efficiency using the efficiency ratio.

10. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the network usage data is metered in megabits per second.

11. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the storage usage data is metered in gigabytes per day.

12. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the processor usage data is measured in bytes per second.

13. A computer program product for accounting for data processing system service usage, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code that monitors a total environmental consumption within an information technology resource;

computer usable program code that determines a percentage of the information technology resource used by a customer;

computer usable program code that determines an environmental factor by multiplying the percentage of the information technology resource used by the customer with the total environmental consumption within the information technology resource and integrates the product over a billing period;

computer usable program code that determines a unified pricing structure based on an information technology factor by summing a total network usage, a total storage usage, and a total processor usage for the customer over the billing period, using byte-based utility computing; and

computer usable program code that determines a total bill for the customer according to the environmental factor and the information technology factor.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer usable program code that determines an efficiency ratio by dividing the information technology factor by the environmental factor.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising computer useable program code that determines a work-to-environmental efficiency using the efficiency ratio.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the network usage is metered in megabits per second.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the storage usage data is metered in gigabytes per day.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the processor usage data is measured in bytes per second.