Patent ID: 8638937
Filing Date: 2014-01-28
Classification: G06F,H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of facilitating distributed processing of tasks via a service provider network, the network comprising a device management system, a service management system, at least one processing device, at least one memory, and a plurality of remotely-located consumer devices, each of the remotely-located consumer devices having at least one processor, the method comprising: providing, using the service management system, a service from the service provider network to the consumer devices; identifying, using the device management system, a task for processing, the task unrelated to the provided service; dividing, using the device management system, the task into a plurality of subtasks; distributing the plurality of subtasks, using the device management system, to the consumer devices; utilizing unused power in the at least one processor of the plurality of consumer devices to perform the distributed processing of the plurality of subtasks, wherein unused power is defined as that portion of total, available power that is not being used in providing the service, wherein the service provider network comprises at least one of a cable television network, a satellite television network, an Internet service provider, a cellular phone service provider, and a portable computer service provider, and wherein the consumer devices are selected from the group consisting of cellular phones, computers, portable computing devices, set-top boxes, televisions, and cameras.