US 8,914,837 B2Granted

Distributed infrastructure

AssigneeBiscotti Inc.

InventorsSyed Nadeem Ahmed, Matthew B. Shoemake

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Abstract

Novel tools and techniques for implementing distributed infrastructure are provided. In some techniques, a plurality of user devices, each at a customer premises, can provide video calling services over a network. In some embodiments, each of one or more user devices might be established as a distributed infrastructure element for cloud computing, cloud-based application hosting, and/or cloud-based data storage. One or more software applications, customer data, and/or media content (collectively, “hosted content”) might be provided to the one or more user devices for hosting thereon. Resource usage information and/or network connectivity information might be collected for each user device, and suitability of a user device to host the hosted content might be determined based at least in part on the collected resource usage information and/or network connectivity information. One or more courses of action may be determined, and invoked, based on performance metrics of the user devices.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

communicatively coupling a plurality of user devices together in a network, each of the plurality of user devices being located in one of a plurality of customer premises, and each user device comprising:
a video input interface to receive video input from a local content source;
an audio input interface to receive audio input from the local content source;
a video output interface to provide video output to a video display device;
an audio output interface to provide audio output to an audio receiver;
a video capture device to capture at least one of image data or video data;
an audio capture device to capture audio data;
a network interface;
at least one processor;
and
a storage medium in communication with the at least one processor;
establishing, with a computer, one or more user devices of the plurality of user devices as distributed infrastructure elements of a distributed infrastructure of a cloud computing system to share resources of the one or more user devices with the cloud computing system as part of the distributed infrastructure and host content associated with users separate from users associated with the one or more user devices, the one or more user devices being of a type of user device including one of a gaming console or a dedicated video communication device, and the shared resources including one or more of at least a portion of random access memory of the one or more user devices, at least a portion of nonvolatile storage of the one or more user devices, or at least a portion of processing capacity of the one or more user devices;
providing, with the computer, at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content to the one or more user devices for hosting on the one or more user devices within the distributed infrastructure of the cloud computing system, the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content being associated with the users separate from the users associated with the one or more user devices, on which the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content are being hosted;
monitoring, with the computer, usage of a user device, among the one or more user devices, as a distributed infrastructure element over a first period of time;
and
determining, with the computer, compensation to an owner of the user device for usage of the user device as a distributed infrastructure element over the first period of time.

13 more elements

A user device among a plurality of user devices, comprising:

a video input interface to receive video input from a local content source;
an audio input interface to receive audio input from the local content source;
a video output interface to provide video output to a video display device;
an audio output interface to provide audio output to an audio receiver;
a video capture device to capture at least one of image data or video data;
an audio capture device to capture audio data;
a network interface;
at least one processor;
and
a storage medium in communication with the at least one processor, the storage medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by the at least one processor to control operation of the user device, the set of instructions comprising:
instructions to establish one or more other user devices of the plurality of user devices as distributed infrastructure elements of a distributed infrastructure of a cloud computing system to share resources of the one or more user devices with the cloud computing system as part of the distributed infrastructure and host content associated with users separate from users associated with the one or more other user devices the one or more other user devices being of a type of user device including one of a gaming console or a dedicated video communication device, and the shared resources including one or more of at least a portion of random access memory of the one or more of at least a portion of random access memory of the one or more user devices, at least a portion of nonvolatile storage of the one or more user devices, or at least a portion of processing capacity of the one or more user devices;
instructions to provide at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content to the one or more other user devices for hosting on the one or more other user devices within the distributed infrastructure of the cloud computing system, the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content being associated with the users separate from the users associated with the one or more other user devices, on which the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content are being hosted;
instructions to monitor usage of a user device, among the one or more user devices, as a distributed infrastructure element, over a first period of time;
and
instructions to determine compensation to an owner of the user device for usage of the user device as a distributed infrastructure element over the first period of time.

12 more elements

A user device, comprising:

a video input interface to receive video input from a local content source;
an audio input interface to receive audio input from the local content source;
a video output interface to provide video output to a video display device;
an audio output interface to provide audio output to an audio receiver;
a video capture device to capture at least one of image data or video data;
an audio capture device to capture audio data;
a network interface;
at least one processor;
and
a storage medium in communication with the at least one processor, the storage medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by the at least one processor to control operation of the user device, the set of instructions comprising:
instructions to receive, from a computer, instructions to reconfigure to become a distributed infrastructure element of a distributed infrastructure of a cloud computing system;
instructions to reconfigure into a distributed infrastructure element of the distributed infrastructure of the cloud computing and share resources of the user device with the cloud computing system as part of the distributed infrastructure, the shared resources including one or more of at least a portion of random access memory of the user device, at least a portion on nonvolatile storage of the user device, or at least a portion of processing capacity of the user device;
instructions to receive at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content provided from the computer to host content associated with users to separate from a user associated with the user device, the user device being among one or more user devices that are of a type of user device including one of a gaming console or a dedicated video communication device;
and
instructions to host the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content within the distributed infrastructure of the cloud computing system, the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content being associated with the users separate from the user associated with the user device, on which the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content are being hosted, wherein the usage of the user device as a distributed infrastructure element is monitored over a first period of time, and compensation to an owner of the user device is determined based on the usage of the user device as a distributed infrastructure element over the first period of time.

12 more elements

A system, comprising:

a computer, comprising:
at least one first processor;
and
a first storage medium in communication with the at least one first processor, the first storage medium having encoded thereon a first set of instructions executable by the at least one first processor to control operation of one or more user devices of a plurality of user devices, the first set of instructions comprising:
instructions to establish the one or more user devices as distributed infrastructure elements of a distributed infrastructure of a cloud computing system;
and
instructions to provide at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content to the one or more user devices for hosting on the one or more user devices;
and
the one or more user devices, each comprising:
a video input interface to receive video input from a local content source;
an audio input interface to receive audio input from the local content source;
a video output interface to provide video output to a video display device;
an audio output interface to provide audio output to an audio receiver;
a video capture device to capture at least one of image data or video data;
an audio capture device to capture audio data;
a network interface;
at least one second processor;
and
a second storage medium in communication with the at least one second processor, the second storage medium having encoded thereon a second set of instructions executable by the at least one second processor to control operation of the user device, the second set of instructions comprising:
instructions to receive, from the computer, instructions to reconfigure to become a distributed infrastructure element of the distributed infrastructure of the cloud computing system;
instructions to reconfigure into a distributed infrastructure element of the distributed infrastructure of the cloud computing system and share resources of the user device with the cloud computing system as part of the distributed infrastructure, based on the instructions received from the computer, the shared resources including one or more of at least a portion of random access memory of the user device at least a portion of nonvolatile storage of the user device, or at least a portion of processing capacity of the user device;
instructions to receive the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content provided from the computer to host content associated with users separate from users associated with the one or more user devices, the one or more user devices being of a type of user device including one of a gaming console or a dedicated video communication device;
and
instructions to host the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content within the distributed infrastructure of the cloud computing system, the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content being associated with the users separate from the users associated with the one or more user devices, on which the at least one of one or more software applications, customer data, or media content are being hosted;
wherein the first set of instructions further comprises:
instructions to monitor usage of a user device owned by a user, among the one or more user devices, as a distributed infrastructure element, over a first period of time;
and
instructions to determine compensation to an owner of the user device for usage of the user device as a distributed infrastructure element over the first period of time.

25 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/106,360Filed 13 Dec 2013 · us provisional application
Priority: 14 Dec 2012
Published: US 2014/0173675 A119 Jun 2014
Granted: 16 Dec 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

H04N 21/42203
Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]: sound input…
G06F 3/0484
Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]: for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or…
H04L 43/04
Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks: processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
H04L 67/02
Protocols: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Family

Application61/737,506Us provisional application · filed 14 Dec 2012
Application61/759,621Us provisional application · filed 1 Feb 2013
Application61/858,518Us provisional application · filed 25 Jul 2013
Application61/874,903Us provisional application · filed 6 Sep 2013
Application61/877,928Us provisional application · filed 13 Sep 2013
US 2014/0173675 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Jun 2014
Application61/872,603Us provisional application · filed 30 Aug 3013
US 8,914,837 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.