Distributed computing task costing with a mobile device

• US 9,031,531 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miluzzo, Emiliano, Caceres, Ramon, Chen, Yih-Farn Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hua, Quan M
• Application Number:
  US13/682,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20140141744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• US Class Current: 455/407
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5017 Task decomposition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0826 for reduction of network costs H04L41/0833 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Distributed computing task costing is disclosed. Costing can be employed to determine if a task will be passed to a distributed computing cluster including mobile devices. Costing can include determining a base cost value predicated on a selectable level of utility to a user of a burdened device, a base time value related to completing the task without the use of the cluster, determining a delay cost, and any monetary costs associated with performing the task without the use of the cluster. Costing can further include demining a relief cost that can include the selectable level of utility, a relief time value related to completing the task with the cluster, the delay cost, an incentive cost based on the sum across a set of relief devices and their corresponding parameters for cluster participation, and any remaining monetary costs borne by the burdened device. Where the base cost value and relief cost value satisfies conditions, a task can be divided into subtasks that can be distributed to the cluster to accomplish the task in a distributed computing environment.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the executable instructions to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving first information related to a first device operable to assist accomplishing a subtask of a task, wherein the task is to be accomplished by way of one or more networked mobile devices;

determining, for a second device, a base utility value, wherein the base utility value is associated with accomplishing the task without assistance from the first device;

determining a base monetary cost value based on the base utility value, a utility value relating to priority ranking determined for the accomplishing the task, and a selectable utility to monetary cost factor value;

determining, for the second device, a first utility value based on the first information, the first utility value associated with the accomplishing the subtask with the assistance of the first device;

determining a first monetary cost value based on the first utility value; and

facilitating access to the base monetary cost value and the first monetary cost value to facilitate determining selection of devices comprising the one or more networked mobile devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining the base monetary cost value is further based on a base time determined to accomplish the task without the assistance of the first device, a utility per unit time value associated with a delay determined for the accomplishing the task, and a resource monetary cost value associated with a single device fee for a use of resources determined for the accomplishing the task.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the resource monetary cost value includes a monetary cost for accessing information over an air interface, and wherein the air interface is a cellular radio air interface.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein determining the base monetary cost value includes determining a product of the base time, the utility per unit time value, and the selectable utility to monetary cost factor value, then subtracting the product and the monetary cost value from the utility value.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining the first monetary cost value is further based on a cluster time determined for the accomplishing the task with assistance of a set of devices including the first device, the utility value relating to a priority ranking determined for the accomplishing the task, a utility per unit time value associated with a delay determined for the accomplishing the task, via the set of devices, the selectable utility to monetary cost factor value, a set of monetary cost values associated with a use of resources by devices of the set of devices for the accomplishing the task, and a resource cost value associated with use of the set of devices.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the resource cost value includes a monetary cost value associated with devices incurring a monetary cost for the use of the resources, including cellular radio resources.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein determining the first monetary cost value includes determining a product of the cluster time, the cost per unit time value, and the selectable utility to monetary cost factor value, then determining a summation of monetary cost values of the set of monetary cost values for available devices of the set of devices, and subtracting the product, the summation of monetary cost values, and the resource cost value from the utility value.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

assigning the subtask of the task to the first device of the plurality of network devices, based on the base monetary cost value being determined to satisfy a condition related to the first monetary cost value.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving second information related to a third device operable to assist accomplishing the subtask of the task;

determining a second utility value associated with the accomplishing the task with assistance of the third device, for the second device, based on the second information;

determining a second monetary cost value based on the second utility value; and

facilitating access to the second monetary cost value information to facilitate determining selection of devices comprising the one or more networked mobile devices.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device and the second device are mobile devices.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system including a processor, first information related to a subset of relief devices of a set of relief devices comprising one or more mobile devices configured to facilitate accomplishing a subtask of a task, wherein the task is accomplished by way of a plurality of devices including the subset of relief devices;

determining, by the system, a base utility value, the base utility value associated with accomplishing the task without assistance from the subset of relief devices for a burdened device;

determining, by the system, a first utility value based on the first information, the first utility value associated with the accomplishing the subtask with assistance from the subset of relief devices, for the burdened device;

determining, by the system, a base monetary cost value based on the base utility value and a first monetary cost value based on the first utility value, a determined utility value relating to a selectable priority level for the accomplishing the task, a recieved utility per unit time value associated with a delay in the accomplishing the task, and a received adjustable utility to monetary cost factor vaue; and

facilitating, by the system, access to the base monetary cost value and the first monetary cost value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining the base monetary cost value further comprises determining, by the system, a base time related to the accomplishing the task without the assistance from the subset of relief devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining the first resource monetary cost value includes receiving a cellular data cost rate and determining an amount of data to be accessed by way of a cellular radio.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining the base monetary cost value includes subtracting a product of the base time, the utility per unit time value, and the adjustable utility to monetary cost factor value, from the utility value, and subtracting the first monetary cost value from the utility value.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the first monetary cost value further comprises:

determining, by the system, a cluster time related to the accomplishing the task with the assistance from the subset of relief devices;

determining, by the system, a set of monetary cost values associated with a use of a resource by devices of the set of relief devices for the accomplishing the task;

determining, by the system, a set of selected relief devices of the set of relief devices; and

determining, by the system, a resource cost value associate with uses of the set of relief devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining the resource cost value includes determining a monetary cost value associated with a relief device of the subset of relief devices incurring a monetary cost for the use of the resource, the resource including a cellular radio resource.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining the first monetary cost value includes subtracting a product of the cluster time and the cost per unit time value, subtracting the summation of monetary cost values for the set of selected relief devices from the set of monetary cost values, and subtracting the resource cost value, from the utility value.

18. A device, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

receiving relief device information related to a first device for accomplishing a subtask of a task, wherein the task is accomplished by a set of networkable devices including one or more mobile devices;

determining base monetary cost value information associated with accomplishing the task without assistance from the first device for a second device, wherein the detemining the base monetary cost value information comprises subtracting a product of a base time and a utility per unit time value, multiplying the product by a monetary cost conversion factor value, and subtracting a first monetary cost value from a utility value;

determining relief monetary cost value information associated with the accomplishing the task with the assistance of the relief device, for the second device, based on the relief device information; and

facilitating access to the base cost value information and the relief cost value information.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the determining the relief cost value information includes subtracting a product of a cluster time and the utility per unit time value, multiplying the product by the monetary cost conversion factor value, subtracting a summation of monetary cost values corresponding to available devices of the set of network devices, and subtracting a resource cost value, from the utility value.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

distributing the subtask of the task to the first device based on the base monetary cost value being determined to satisfy a condition related to the relief monetary cost value information, and wherein the first device is a mobile device.