# US 2014/0156477 A1 · Platform-as-a-service billing

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- Number: US 2014/0156477 A1
- Document ID: US20140156477A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/693,985
- Filed: 2012-12-04
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-04
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Timothy J. Thompson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140156477A1

## CPC

- G06Q 20/145: {Payments according to the detected use or quantity}
- G06Q 10/10: Office automation; Time management
- G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

An illustrative embodiment of a process for reconciling billing measures to cost factors, comprising receiving, by one or more processors, a set of billing measures from one or more applications and a set of cost factors from infrastructure feeds. Analyzing the set of billing measures and cost factors received, using a set of defined relationships to create analyzed information and generates, by the one or more processors, a set of reports using the analyzed information. Responsive to a determination to update the set of definitions, update the sets of definitions using information from the generated reports.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

-7. (canceled)

### Claim 8

A computer program product for reconciling billing measures to cost factors, the computer program product comprising:
one or more computer-readable data storage devices and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable data storage devices, the program instructions comprising:
computer executable program code for receiving, by one or more processors, a set of billing measures from one or more applications;
computer executable program code for receiving, by the one or more processors, a set of cost factors from infrastructure feeds;
computer executable program code for analyzing the set of billing measures and cost factors received, by the one or more processors, using a set of defined relationships to create analyzed information;
computer executable program code for generating, by the one or more processors, a set of reports using the analyzed information;
computer executable program code for determining, by the one or more processors, whether to update the set of definitions; and
computer executable program code for the one or more processors responsive to a determination to update the set of definitions, updating the sets of definitions using information from the generated reports.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer executable program code for receiving a set of billing measures from one or more applications further comprises:
computer executable program code for receiving, by the one or more processors, a set of definitions representative of billing measures associated with one or more clients or tenants, wherein the one or more applications are software as a service applications, wherein the computer executable program code is stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, wherein computer executable program code for receiving a set of cost factors from infrastructure feeds further comprises:
computer executable program code for receiving, by the one or more processors, a set of definitions representative of cost factors, wherein the infrastructure feeds are derived from platform as a service components and infrastructure as a service components, wherein the infrastructure as a service components further comprise component supply elements comprising hardware and software elements, wherein the computer executable program code is stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:
computer executable program code for identifying, by the one or more processors, one or more relationships among the billing measures and the cost factors received to define a set of definitions for a set of relationships, wherein the computer executable program code is stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable data storage devices.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, wherein computer executable program code for analyzing the set of billing measures and cost factors received, by the one or more processors, using a set of defined relationships to create analyzed information further comprises:
computer executable program code for performing one or more statistical analysis including least-squares (linear, or non-linear), least-squares mth degree polynomials, and multiple regression least-squares methods wherein cost analysis is decoupled from billing, wherein the computer executable program code is stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, wherein computer executable program code for generating, by the one or more processors, a set of reports using the analyzed information further comprises:
computer executable program code for at least one of providing or interfacing with one or more accounts-receivable applications to create client statements and billing reports in the set of reports;
computer executable program code for creating reports for service providers, in the set of reports, indicating at least utilization of defined resources according to respective tenants; and
computer executable program code for sending to a respective client and a respective service provider one or more respective generated reports from the set of reports, wherein the computer executable program code is stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, wherein computer executable program code for the updating the sets of definitions using information from the generated reports further comprises:
computer executable program code for iteratively adjusting definitions in the sets of definitions, wherein the set of definitions representative of the billing measures and the set of definitions representative of the set of cost factors further include rules to identify inputs and the set of definitions for the set of relationships, wherein the adjusting occurs continually and incrementally on particular information comprising the sets of definitions for multiple applications, having one or more respective billing models, with one or more respective tenants.

### Claim 15

An apparatus for reconciling billing measures to cost factors, the apparatus comprising:
a communications fabric;
one or more computer-readable data storage devices connected to the communications fabric;
a memory connected to the communications fabric, wherein the memory contains computer executable program code;
a communications unit connected to the communications fabric;
an input/output unit connected to the communications fabric; and
one or more processors connected to the communications fabric, wherein the one or more processors executes the computer executable program code to direct the apparatus to:
receive, by the one or more processors, a set of billing measures from one or more applications;
receive, by the one or more processors, a set of cost factors from infrastructure feeds;
analyze the set of billing measures and cost factors received, by the one or more processors, using a set of defined relationships to create analyzed information;
generate, by the one or more processors, a set of reports using the analyzed information;
determining, by the one or more processors, whether to update the set of definitions; and
the one or more processors responsive to a determination to update the set of definitions, update the sets of definitions using information from the generated reports.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors executes the computer executable program code to receive a set of billing measures from one or more applications further directs the apparatus to:
receive, by the one or more processors, a set of definitions representative of billing measures associated with one or more clients or tenants, wherein the one or more applications are software as a service applications.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors executes the computer executable program code to receive a set of cost factors from infrastructure feeds further directs the apparatus to:
receive, by the one or more processors, a set of definitions representative of cost factors, wherein the infrastructure feeds are derived from platform as a service components and infrastructure as a service components, wherein the infrastructure as a service components further comprise component supply elements comprising hardware and software elements.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors executes the computer executable program code to further direct the apparatus to:
identify, by the one or more processors, one or more relationships among the billing measures and the cost factors received to define a set of definitions for a set of relationships.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors executes the computer executable program code to analyze the set of billing measures and cost factors received, by the one or more processors, using a set of defined relationships to create analyzed information further directs the apparatus to:
perform one or more statistical analysis including least-squares (linear, or non-linear), least-squares mth degree polynomials, and multiple regression least-squares methods wherein cost analysis is decoupled from billing.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors executes the computer executable program code to generate, by the one or more processors, a set of reports using the analyzed information further directs the apparatus to:
at least one of provide or interface with one or more accounts-receivable applications to create client statements and billing reports in the set of reports;
create reports for service providers, in the set of reports, indicating at least utilization of defined resources according to respective tenants; and
send to a respective client and a respective service provider one or more respective generated reports from the set of reports.