Statistically cost-following accounting model for dedicated resources

• US 8,639,595 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2011
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brooker, Marc J., Agrawal, Abhinav, Brown, David, Brandwine, Eric Jason, Theimer, Marvin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): YU, ARIEL J
• Application Number:
  US13/045,200
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 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 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring

Abstract

Techniques, including systems and methods, for virtual resource cost tracking account for unused capacity of implementation resources that is dedicated to particular customers and, as a result, is unusable for maintaining virtual resources for other customers. Customers requesting dedicated use of implementation resources are charged in a manner that compensates the virtual resource provider for the lost ability to use unused capacity of implementation resources to serve other customers. Customer charges may be determined by a pricing function that is calculated such that, for a base of customers, expected revenue from the base of customers approximates a revenue goal. The revenue goal may be determined based on revenue that would have been expected had the unused capacity of the dedicated implementation resources been available for serving other customers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for virtual resource cost tracking, comprising:

under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

recording, for a plurality of customers of a virtual resource provider, usage of dedicated virtual resources, the dedicated virtual resources implemented by a set of implementation resources that each implement one or more virtual resources exclusively for a corresponding customer;

determining, based at least in part on the recorded usage, an expected utilization rate for customer usage of dedicated virtual resources;

determining, based at least in part on the expected utilization rate, a revenue goal calculated to compensate for an amount of unused capacity of the implementation resources expected to be dedicated to exclusive customer use;

determining, based at least in part on the recorded usage and the revenue goal, a pricing function, the pricing function configured to be used to charge customers for use of dedicated virtual resources such that, based at least in part on the expected utilization rate, expected revenue from the future customer usage of dedicated virtual resources approximates the revenue goal;

determining, based at least in part on the determined pricing function, a pricing scheme that includes one or more price values for use of dedicated virtual resources, the one or more price values calculated based at least in part on the pricing function; and

making available to at least the plurality of customers a presentation that is based at least in part on the pricing scheme.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dedicated virtual resources are virtual computer systems;

wherein the implementation resources are hardware servers that each implement one or more virtual computer systems exclusively for a corresponding customer.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the implementation resources, on average, are capable of implementing a number of resource allocation units, wherein the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of resource allocation units, and wherein the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of input values, the pricing function deviates non-uniformly from an input-dependent multiple of the number of resource allocation units.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the pricing scheme includes a plurality of pricing tiers, each pricing tier being based at least in part on a number of dedicated resources.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the implementation resources, on average, are capable of implementing a number of resource allocation units, wherein the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of resource allocation units, and wherein the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of consecutive possible inputs to the pricing function, the pricing function decreases.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the implementation resources are determined to be capable of implementing a number of resource allocation units;

the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of resource allocation units; and

the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of consecutive possible inputs to the pricing function, the pricing function is non-linear.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the implementation resources are hardware devices.

8. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein making available the presentation includes storing information for the presentation in one or more storage devices from which the information can be publicly accessed.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dedicated virtual resources are remotely and programmatically configured by corresponding customers.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

for a set of customers of the virtual resource provider, recording additional use of dedicated virtual resources; and

generating, based at least in part on the recorded additional use and the pricing scheme, one or more accounting records.

11. A computer system for virtual resource cost tracking, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to at least;

determine, based at least in part on a recorded usage of dedicated virtual resources that are implemented by a set of implementation resources that each implement one or more virtual resources exclusively for a corresponding entity, an expected utilization rate for customer usage of dedicated virtual resources;

determine, based at least in part on the expected utilization rate, a revenue goal calculated to compensate for an amount of unused capacity of the implementation resources expected to be dedicated to exclusive entity use;

determine, based at least in part on the recorded usage and the revenue goal, a pricing function, the pricing function configured to be used to charge entities for use of dedicated virtual resources such that, based at least in part on the expected utilization rate, expected revenue from future entity usage of dedicated virtual resources approximates the revenue goal;

determine, based at least in part on the determined pricing function, a pricing scheme that includes one or more price values for use of dedicated virtual resources, the one or more price values calculated based at least in part on the pricing function; and

make available a presentation that is based at least in part on the pricing scheme.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the dedicated virtual resources are virtual computer systems; and

the implementation resources are hardware servers that each implement one or more virtual computer systems exclusively for a corresponding entity.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the implementation resources are determined to be capable of implementing a number of resource allocation units;

the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of resource allocation units;

the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of input values, the pricing function deviates non-uniformly from an input-dependent multiple of the number of resource allocation units.

14. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the pricing scheme includes a plurality of pricing tiers, each pricing tier being based at least in part on a number of dedicated resources.

15. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the implementation resources are determined to be capable of implementing a number of resource allocation units;

the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of resource allocation units; and

the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of consecutive possible inputs to the pricing function, the pricing function decreases.

16. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the implementation resources are managed by a virtual resource provider and the entity is a customer of the virtual resource provider that remotely and programmatically configures the corresponding virtual resources.

17. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the implementation resources are determined to be capable of implementing a number of resource allocation units;

the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of resource allocation units; and

the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of consecutive possible inputs to the pricing function, the pricing function is non-linear.

18. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

wherein the implementation resources are grouped according to a plurality of groups, and wherein the pricing scheme is configured such that charges for a set of dedicated virtual resources depend at least in part on customer requirements for allocating of members of the set among one or more of the groups.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the groups are geographically separated from one another.

20. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the implementation resources are hardware devices and wherein the dedicated virtual resources are virtual devices.

21. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having collectively stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to at least:

determining, based at least in part on a recorded usage of dedicated virtual resources that are implemented by a set of implementation resources that each implement one or more virtual resources exclusively for a corresponding entity, an expected utilization rate for customer usage of dedicated virtual resources;

determining, based at least in part on the expected utilization rate, a revenue goal calculated to compensate for an amount of unused capacity of the implementation resources expected to be dedicated to exclusive entity use;

determining, based at least in part on the recorded usage and the revenue goal, a pricing function, the pricing function configured to be used to charge entities for use of dedicated virtual resources such that, based at least in part on the expected utilization rate, expected revenue from future entity usage of dedicated virtual resources approximates the revenue goal;

determining, based at least in part on the determined pricing function, a pricing scheme that includes one or more price values for use of dedicated virtual resources, the one or more price values calculated based at least in part on the pricing function; and

making available a presentation that is based at least in part on the pricing scheme.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein:

the dedicated virtual resources are virtual computer systems; and

the implementation resources are hardware servers that each implement one or more virtual computer systems exclusively for a corresponding entity.

23. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein:

the implementation resources are determined to be capable of implementing a number of resource allocation units;

the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of resource allocation units;

the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of input values, the pricing function deviates non-uniformly from an input-dependent multiple of the number of resource allocation units.

24. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein the pricing scheme includes a plurality of pricing tiers, each pricing tier being based at least in part on a number of dedicated resources.

25. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein:

the implementation resources are determined to be capable of implementing a number of resource allocation units;

the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of resource allocation units; and

the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of consecutive possible inputs to the pricing function, the pricing function decreases.

26. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 25, further comprising generating and storing accounting records that are based at least in part on the pricing scheme.

27. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 25, wherein the implementation resources are grouped according to a plurality of groups, and wherein the pricing scheme is configured such that charges for a set of dedicated virtual resources depend at least in part on customer requirements for allocating of members of the set among one or more of the groups.

28. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein:

the implementation resources are determined to be capable of implementing a number of resource allocation units;

the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of resource allocation units; and

the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of consecutive possible inputs to the pricing function, the pricing function is non-linear.