Patent ID: 7406446

Claim:
A method of enforcing a sanctioned mode of a pay-per-use computer having a first isolated computing environment that enforces terms of a pay-per-use agreement and a second isolated computing environment in an output controller that is communicatively coupled to the first isolated computing environment, the method comprising: operating the computer in an operating mode with metering active; determining at the first isolated computing environment that a sanctioned operating mode is required and suspending metering; establishing a secure channel between the first isolated communication environment and the second isolated communications environment; examining a signal presented for output via the output controller at the second isolated computing environment to determine if the signals contain data matching approved output for presentation during the sanctioned operating mode; outputting the signal when it contains data matching approved output for presentation during the sanctioned operating mode; and sending a message to the first isolated computing environment when the signal is free of data consistent with presentation during the sanctioned operating mode; evaluating at the first isolated computing environment, responsive to the message, whether the computer should be returned to the operating mode.