The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 09, 2009
Filed:
Aug. 13, 2003
Craig Frederick Schultz, Tucson, AZ (US);
Craig Frederick Schultz, Tucson, AZ (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for selectively activating a component on a computing device includes an authorization server that authorizes activation of a component on a computing device in response to an activation request, a component management module that activates the component in response to receiving authorization from the authorization server, and a tracking system that receives transaction data corresponding to the component in response to activating the component. The apparatus may also include a billing system that charges a customer account in response to activation of the component. In certain embodiments, the component management module includes a detection module that requests component activation in response to detecting an increased computing load on the computing device. The detection module may also request component deactivation in response to detecting a decreased computing load on the computing device. Thus the present invention integrates dynamic adjustment of computing power with secure transactions and automatic billing.