System, method, and computer program product for byte-based utility computing pricing

• US 8,473,376 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• 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: Hartley, John J., Thomas, J. Darrel
• Primary Examiner(s): OBEID, FAHD A
• Application Number:
  US11/087,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20060218059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,016 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• 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 system, method, and computer program product for byte-based utility computing pricing. A method for accounting for data processing system service usage includes metering network usage and integrating network usage over a billing period to determine a total network usage. The method includes metering storage usage and integrating storage usage over the billing period to determine a total storage usage. The method includes metering processor usage and integrating processor usage over the billing period to determine a total processor usage. The method includes summing the total network usage, total storage usage, and total processor usage to determine a total customer usage, and determining a total customer bill according to the total customer usage and a billing rate.

Claims

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

metering, with a data processing system, network usage in network usage bits per unit time;

integrating, with the data processing system, network usage over a billing period to determine a total number of network usage bits;

metering, with the data processing system, storage usage in storage usage bits per unit time;

integrating, with the data processing system, storage usage over the billing period to determine a total number of storage usage bits;

metering, with the data processing system, processor usage in processor usage bits per unit time;

integrating, with the data processing system, processor usage over the billing period to determine a total number of processor usage bits;

converting, with the data processing system, the total number of network usage bits into a first number of information value units;

converting, with the data processing system, the total number of storage usage bits into a second number of the information value units;

converting, with the data processing system, the total number of processor usage bits into a third number of the information value units;

summing, with the data processing system, the first number and the second number and the third number of the information value units to determine a total number of the information value units;

multiplying, with the data processing system, the total number of the information value units by an amount of money per information value unit to provide a total customer bill, wherein the amount of money per information value unit is adjusted based on customer usage patterns of network usage, storage usage, and processor usage and the relative value of network usage, storage usage, and processor usage; and

storing, with the data processing system, the total customer bill.

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

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

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

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network usage and storage usage are metered in byte-based units.

6. A data processing system comprising:

a processor and accessible memory, wherein the data processing system is configured to perform the steps of

receiving network usage data in network usage bits per unit time;

integrating the network usage data over a billing period to determine a total network usage;

receiving storage usage data in storage usage bits per unit time;

integrating the storage usage data over the billing period to determine a total storage usage;

receiving processor usage data in processor usage bits per unit time;

integrating the processor usage data over the billing period to determine a total processor usage;

converting the total network usage into a first number of information value units;

converting the total storage usage into a second number of the information value units;

converting the total processor usage into a third number of the information value units;

summing the first number and the second number and the third number of the information value units to determine a total number of the information value units;

multiplying the total number of the information value units by an amount of money per information value unit to provide a total customer bill, wherein the amount of money per information value unit is adjusted based on customer usage patterns of network usage, storage usage, and processor usage and the relative value of network usage, storage usage, and processor usage; and

storing the total customer bill.

7. The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the network usage data is metered in megabits per second.

8. The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the storage usage data is metered in gigabytes per day.

9. The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the processor usage data is metered in bytes per second.

10. The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the network usage data and the storage usage data are metered in byte-based units.

11. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising:

instructions for receiving network usage data in network usage bits per unit time;

instructions for integrating the network usage data over a billing period to determine a total number of network usage bits;

instructions for receiving storage usage data in storage usage bits per unit time;

instructions for integrating the storage usage data over the billing period to determine a total number of storage usage bits;

instructions for receiving processor usage data in processor usage bits per unit time;

instructions for integrating the processor usage data over the billing period to determine a total number of processor usage bits;

instructions for converting the total number of network usage bits into a first number of information value units;

instructions for converting the total number of storage usage bits into a second number of the information value units;

instructions for converting the total number of processor usage bits into a third number of the information value units;

instructions for summing the first number and the second number and the third number of the information value units to determine a total number of the information value units;

instructions for multiplying the total number of the information value units by an amount of money per information value unit to provide a total customer bill, wherein the amount of money per information value unit is adjusted based on customer usage patterns of network usage, storage usage, and processor usage and the relative value of network usage, storage usage, and processor usage; and

instructions for storing the total customer bill.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the storage usage data is metered in gigabytes per day.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the processor usage data is metered in bytes per second.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the network usage data and the storage usage data are metered in byte-based units.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the network usage data is metered in megabits per second.