METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING ON CONSUMER DEVICES

• US 20130046808A1
• Filed: 07/16/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CSC Holdings LLC (Altice USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CSC Holdings, Inc. (Expedia Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Neill, Richard W., Rivkin, Leon
• Granted Patent: US 8,638,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5017 Task decomposition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• 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: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

Systems and methods are used to provide distributed processing on a service provider network that includes a plurality of remotely located consumer devices. Each of the remotely located consumer devices includes a processing device. A service is provided from the service provider network to the remotely located consumer devices. Distributed processing of a task on the processing devices of the remotely located consumer devices occurs, the distributed processing being unrelated to the service provided to the consumers. The distributed processing occurs even when the processing devices are in use by corresponding remotely located consumer devices.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method of facilitating distributed processing of tasks over a service provider network comprising a plurality of remotely-located consumer devices, the method comprising:

providing a service from the service provider network to the consumer devices;

identifying a task for processing, the task unrelated to the provided service;

dividing the task into a plurality of subtasks;

distributing the subtasks to the consumer devices; and

causing distributed processing of the subtasks at the consumer devices.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the service provider network comprises at least one of a cable television network, a satellite television network, an Internet service provider, a cellular phone service provider, and a portable computer service provider.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the consumer devices are selected from the group consisting of cellular phones, computers, portable computing devices, set-top boxes, televisions, and cameras.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the consumer devices are wirelessly connected to the service provider network.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving processing results from a subplurality of the consumer devices.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising aggregating the processing results.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the identified task is received from a source outside the service provider network.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising sending the aggregated results to the source of the task.

30. The method of claim 22, further comprising selecting the consumer devices for processing the subtasks based on device availability.

31. The method of claim 22, further comprising selecting the consumer devices for processing the subtasks based on fault tolerance targets.

32. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving resource data for each of the consumer devices.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising distributing one or more additional subtasks to one or more of the consumer devices based on the received resource data.

34. A system that facilitates distributed processing of tasks over a service provider network, the system comprising:

a plurality of consumer devices;

a service provider that performs the following operations;

provides a service from a service provider network to the consumer devices;

identifies a task for processing, the task unrelated to the provided service;

divides the task into a plurality of subtasks;

distributes the subtasks to the consumer devices; and

causes distributed processing of the subtasks at the consumer devices.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the service provider network comprises at least one of a cable television network, a satellite television network, an Internet service provider, a cellular phone service provider, and a portable computer service provider.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the consumer devices are selected from the group consisting of cellular phones, computers, portable computing devices, set-top boxes, televisions, and cameras.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the consumer devices are wirelessly connected to the service provider network.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the service provider receives processing results from a subplurality of the consumer devices.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the service provider aggregates the processing results.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the identified task is received from a source outside the service provider network.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the service provider sends the aggregated results to the source of the task.

42. The system of claim 34, wherein the service provider selects the consumer devices for processing the subtasks based on device availability.

43. The system of claim 34, wherein the service provider selects the consumer devices for processing the subtasks based on fault tolerance targets.

44. The system of claim 34, wherein the service provider receives resource data for each of the consumer devices.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the service provider distributes one or more additional subtasks to one or more of the consumer devices based on the received resource data.

46. A process management device, the device comprising:

a process partitioning module that partitions a task into a plurality of subtasks;

a resource management module that determines optimization data based on device parametrics of a plurality of consumer devices connected to a service provider network;

a process management module that maps the subtasks onto the consumer devices for processing based on the optimization data;

an interface layer for providing the mapped subtasks to the service provider network for distribution of the subtasks among the consumer devices, the mapped subtasks unrelated to services provided by the service provider network to the consumer devices.