Methods and systems for distributed processing on consumer devices

• US 9,727,389 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CSC Holdings LLC (Altice USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CSC Holdings LLC (Altice USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rivkin, Leon, Neill, Richard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Armouche, Hadi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLMES, ANGELA R
• Application Number:
  US14/737,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20150277992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 380270
• 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. A system for providing a plurality of consumer device users with a consumer service from a consumer service provider and for facilitating, via at least one network distribution system adapted to provide communication between the consumer service provider and a plurality of consumer devices, performing distributed processing of an application process unrelated to the consumer service provided on at least one consumer device, each consumer device user having a consumer device comprising a processor configured to receive the consumer service and to perform distributed processing even when the processor is receiving and processing the consumer service, the system comprising:

a process partitioning system, communicating with the plurality of consumer devices via the at least one network distribution system, for partitioning and mapping each application process to optimally dispatch some portion of each partitioned application process to a best consumer device for completing the respective dispatched portion of the partitioned application process, wherein the best consumer device for each partitioned application process is determined by service criteria metrics; and

a resource management system that is structured and arranged to provide the process partitioning system with real-time distributed processing performance data on each of the plurality of consumer devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein service criteria metrics are based on the mapping satisfying a performance target.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the performance target includes optimization of time of execution.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the performance target includes optimization of execution concurrency.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein service criteria metrics are based on the mapping satisfying a fault tolerance target.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the fault tolerance target includes optimization for execution redundancy.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a first consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices communicates via a first consumer service provider network and a second consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices communicates via a second consumer service provider network that differs from the first consumer service provider network.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a device management system that is adapted to:

receive the application process;

assign some portion of each received application process to at least one best consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices for completing the assigned portion of the received application process;

receive completed portions of the received application process from each consumer device; and

aggregate the completed portions of the received application process to complete the application process.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the device management system includes a network aggregation system that is adapted to aggregate a plurality of network distribution systems.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein assigning some portion of each received application process to at least one best consumer device includes assigning a first portion of each received application process to a first group of best consumer devices and assigning a second portion of each received application process to a second group of best consumer devices.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the consumer device is selected from the group consisting of a cellular phone, a computer, a portable computing device, a set tot box, a camera, and any combination thereof and adapted to receive the consumer service from the service provider and to perform distributed processing.

12. A method for providing consumer device users with a consumer service from a consumer service provider and for facilitating, via at least one network distribution system adapted to provide communication between the consumer service provider and a plurality of consumer devices, distributed processing of an application process on a plurality of consumer devices, the application process being unrelated to the consumer service, the method comprising:

receiving at least one application process for distributed processing;

partitioning each received application process; and

mapping the partitioned application process to optimally dispatch some portion of each partitioned application process to a best consumer device for completing the respective dispatched portion of the partitioned application process, wherein the best consumer device for each partitioned application process is determined by service criteria metrics.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising concurrently providing consumer device users with the consumer service from the consumer service provider and for facilitating distributed processing of the application process.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising providing a device management system that is configured to:

receive the application process;

assign some portion of each received application process to at least one best consumer device for completing the assigned portion of the received application process;

receive completed portions of the received application process from each consumer device; and

aggregate the completed portions of the received application process to complete the application process.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein assigning some portion of each received application process to at least one best consumer device includes assigning a first portion of each received application process to a first group of best consumer devices and assigning a second portion of each received application process to a second group of best consumer devices.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein service criteria metrics are based on the mapping satisfying a performance target.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the performance target includes optimization of time of execution.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the performance target includes optimization of execution concurrency.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein service criteria metrics are based on the mapping satisfying a fault tolerance target.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the fault tolerance target includes optimization for execution redundancy.