US 11,238,423 B2Granted

Method and system for device micropayment aggregation based on tangle network

AssigneeMastercard International Incorporated

InventorsHui Fang, Bensam Joyson, Donghao Huang

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Abstract

A method for billing device usage through a data storage system and aggregation includes: receiving, in a device controller, user credentials for one of a plurality of users; detecting, by the device controller, usage parameters of a hardware device; submitting, by the device controller, a new usage transaction for usage of the hardware device to a data storage system including the user credentials and a usage fee based on the usage parameters; receiving, by an aggregator node, a plurality of usage transactions from the data storage system including the new usage transaction where each usage transaction includes user data and a fee amount; generating, by the aggregator node, an aggregated bill for each of the users including based on the fee amount included in each usage transaction associated with the respective user; and transmitting, by the aggregator node, each aggregated bill to a computing device associated with the respective user.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for billing hardware device usage in a network system including a hardware device, a device controller, a transparent data storage system, and an aggregator node, the method comprising:

receiving, by an input device of the device controller of the network system, user credentials associated with a user of a plurality of users, wherein the device controller is a first computing system that is interfaced with the hardware device and is in electronic communication with both the transparent data storage system and the aggregator node;
in response to receiving the user credentials, providing, by the device controller of the network system, access to the hardware device that is interfaced with the device controller;
detecting, by the device controller of the network system, one or more usage parameters for the user's use of the hardware device interfaced with the device controller;
calculating, by the device controller of the network system, a usage fee for usage of the hardware device on a basis of the detected one or more usage parameters and a rate schedule for the hardware device;
submitting, by a transmitter of the device controller, to the transparent data storage system of the network system, a new usage transaction that includes at least the user credentials and the calculated usage fee, said new user transaction being associated with usage of the hardware device;
receiving, by a receiver of the aggregator node of the network system, from the transparent data storage system, a plurality of usage transactions including the new usage transaction, each of the plurality of usage transactions including user data and a fee amount, wherein said aggregator node is a second computing system that is in electronic communication with both the transparent data storage system and the device controller;
generating, by the aggregator node of the network system, an aggregated bill for each of the plurality of users including at least a billing amount based on the fee amount included in each of the plurality of usage transactions received from the transparent data storage system, where the user data is associated with the respective user;
and
transmitting, by a transmitter of the aggregator node, each generated aggregated bill to a computing device associated with the respective user.

6 more elements

A network system for billing hardware device usage, the network system comprising:

a hardware device;
an aggregator node;
a transparent data storage system;
and
a device controller interfaced with the hardware device, wherein said device controller is a first computing system that is interfaced with the hardware device and is in electronic communication with both the transparent data storage system and the aggregator node,
wherein the aggregator node is a second computing system that is in electronic communication with both the transparent data storage system and the device controller,
wherein
the device controller of the network system is configured to
receive, via an input device of the device controller, user credentials associated with a user of a plurality of users;
provide access to the hardware device that is interfaced therewith in response to the input device receiving the user credentials;
detect one or more usage parameters of a hardware device interfaced with the device controller;
calculate a usage fee for usage of the hardware device on a basis of the detected one or more usage parameters and a rate schedule for the hardware device;
submit, via a transmitter of the device controller, to the transparent data storage system of the network system a new usage transaction that includes at least the user credentials and the calculated usage fee, said new user transaction being associated with usage of the hardware device, and
wherein the aggregator node of the network system is further configured to
receive, via a receiver of the aggregator node, from the transparent data storage system, a plurality of usage transactions including the new usage transaction, each of the plurality of usage transactions including user data and a fee amount;
generate an aggregated bill for each of the plurality of users including at least a billing amount based on the fee amount included in each of the plurality of usage transactions received from the transparent data storage system, where the user data is associated with the respective user;
and
transmit each generated aggregated bill to a computing device associated with the respective user.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/278,364Filed 18 Feb 2019
Published: US 2020/0265395 A120 Aug 2020
Granted: 1 Feb 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

G06Q 20/145
Specially adapted for billing systems: payments according to the detected use or quantity
H04L 9/3239
Using cryptographic hash functions: involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
G06Q 20/02
Payment architectures, schemes or protocols: involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
G06Q 20/29
Payment schemes or models: characterised by micropayments