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:
Aug. 04, 2009
Filed:
Jan. 15, 2002
Edgar Circenis, Loveland, CO (US);
Glenn Miller, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Robert C. Lehr, Mountain View, CA (US);
Edgar Circenis, Loveland, CO (US);
Glenn Miller, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Robert C. Lehr, Mountain View, CA (US);
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A pay-per-use (PPU) software system uses reads metrics data from one or more PPU products and transmits the metrics data to a remote location for processing. The PPU system uses a utility metering appliance that monitors PPU software products on a given internal network through the use of software metering agents that reside on different computers. Metric gathering tools are supplied with the PPU software products and are registered with an agent. The utility metering appliance polls all of the software metering agents, which collect software metrics data from the registered tools. Each agent transmits the data back to the utility metering appliance, where it is stored for periodic transmission to a usage collection and billing system. The usage collection and billing system then forwards the metrics data to a billing computer so that a bill can be issued to the software product user. The software metrics data may also be forwarded to a portal for customer tracking of PPU product usage.