Patent ID: 7370013
Filing Date: 2008-05-06
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for determining an amount to be billed to a customer for using and reserving computing resources, the method comprising: determining usage data that indicates usage, by the customer during a specified period of time, of a set of one or more computing resources assigned exclusively to the customer, wherein over time, computing resources may be de-allocated from the set of one or more computing resources assigned exclusively to the customer and additional computing resources may be allocated to the set of one or more computing resources assigned exclusively to the customer from a plurality of computing resources; and in a computer system determining the amount to be billed to the customer based upon the usage data, value data that specifies a number of service units that each computing resource from the set of one or more computing resources is capable of providing per unit time, and a reservation fee for reserving for the customer other computing resources from the plurality of computing resources that are not included in the set of one or more computing resources assigned exclusively to the customer.