Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Your Ref: 17063-DCX-CA-PAT
Our Ref: 337-0018CAP1
METHODS AND DEVICES FOR MANAGING RESOURCE REALLOCATION
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to resource allocation and, in
particular, to
methods and device for managing resource reallocation.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The concept of optimal resource allocation finds application in
a number of fields.
For example, in the case of computer science, resource allocation may be the
allocation of
processor time or processor cycles among two or more active processes or
threads. In some
cases, it may involve allocating bandwidth among two or more users, processes,
devices or
systems. Some applications involve allocating non-computing resources.
[0003] The dynamic reallocation of resource among active processes may
be a
straightforward rebalancing of resource allocation based on live real-time
consumption; however,
this is not the case when resources are assigned to one or more data records
(or users or
applications, etc.) from which the resources may be consumed in the future.
Moreover, in many
cases it may not be possible to automate the reallocation due to the
requirement of first receiving
administrator approval for the reallocation. This may be due to regulations,
policies, security,
network stability, or for other purposes.
[0004] It would be advantageous to provide for a system and method that
facilitates
proactive reallocation of resources.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] Embodiments are described in detail below, with reference to
the following
drawings:
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[0006] FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows an example computing system for
proactively
reallocated resources;
[0007] FIG. 2 shows, in flowchart form, one example method for
reallocating resources;
[0008] FIG. 3 shows another example method for reallocating resources;
[0009] FIG. 4 shows a first example method of identifying surplus
resources;
[0010] FIG. 5 shows a second example method of identifying surplus
resources;
[0011] FIG. 6 shows a third example method of identifying surplus
resources;
[0012] FIG. 7 shows an example user interface of a manager
application;
[0013] FIG. 8 shows an example notification of proposed reallocation
on a lockscreen;
[0014] FIG. 9 shows a simplified block diagram of an example server; and
[0015] FIG. 10 shows a simplified block diagram of an example remote
device.
[0016] Like reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote like
elements and
features.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
[0017] In one aspect, the present application describes a system for
proactively enabling
reallocation of resources among two or more data records. The system includes
a processor;
memory coupled to the processor and storing the two or more data records,
wherein the data
records include a first data record to which resources are allocated; and a
resource allocation
system. The resource allocation system includes processor executable
instructions stored in the
.. memory that, when executed, cause the processor to determine that the
resources allocated to the
first data record include surplus resources, send a notification to a manager
application on a
remote device, the manager application being associated with the first data
record, the
notification including a proposed reallocation of at least a portion of the
surplus resources to a
second data record associated with the manager application, and receive a
response confirming
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the proposed reallocation and, in response, reallocate the at least a portion
of the surplus
resources from the first data record to the second data record.
[0018] In another aspect, the present application describes a computer-
implemented
method of proactively enabling reallocation of resources among two or more
data records, the
data records include a first data record to which resources are allocated. The
method includes
determining that the resources allocated to the first data record include
surplus resources;
sending a notification to a manager application on a remote device, the
manager application
being associated with the first data record, the notification including a
proposed reallocation of at
least a portion of the surplus resources to a second data record associated
with the manager
application; and receiving a response confirming the proposed reallocation
and, in response,
reallocating the at least a portion of the surplus resources from the first
data record to the second
data record.
[0019] In another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium
storing processor-
executable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to carry out
the operations of one
or more methods described herein.
[0020] Other aspects and features of the present application will be
understood by those
of ordinary skill in the art from a review of the following description of
examples in conjunction
with the accompanying figures.
[0021] In the present application, the term "and/or" is intended to
cover all possible
combinations and sub-combinations of the listed elements, including any one of
the listed
elements alone, any sub-combination, or all of the elements, and without
necessarily excluding
additional elements.
[0022] In the present application, the phrase "at least one of
...or..." is intended to cover
any one or more of the listed elements, including any one of the listed
elements alone, any sub-
combination, or all of the elements, without necessarily excluding any
additional elements, and
without necessarily requiring all of the elements.
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[0023] Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which shows, in block
diagram form an
example system 10 for managing resource allocation. The system 10 includes a
server 12 that
implements a resource allocation system 18. The server 12 may be a single
server, multiple
servers, a server farm, or any other such arrangement of computing devices to
implemented
server-like functionality. It will be appreciated that the server 12 includes
one or more processors
and memory.
[0024] The server 12 is configured to communicate over a network 20
with remote
devices, such as example remote device 14. The network 20 may include a
plurality of
interconnected wired and wireless networks, including the Internet, wireless
local area networks,
wireless area networks, and the like. The remote device 14 is a computing
device having one or
more processors, memory and communication capabilities. In some examples, the
remote device
14 is a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet, a personal computer, a
desktop computer,
a smartwatch, or any similar computing device.
[0025] The server 12 includes a plurality of data records 30 (shown
individually as 30a,
30b, 30c, etc.). The data records 30 may be characterized as data structures
having unique
identifiers in some cases. In some examples, each data record 30 may be a
separate process or
application. In some examples, each data record 30 may be a "bucket" or
storage area in memory
on the server 12. In some examples, each data record 30 may be an account or
record associated
with a specific user (or manager, as will be explained below).
[0026] The server 12 includes resources 40 (shown as a single item in FIG.
1 for ease of
illustration). Resources 40 may be added to or removed from the server 12.
More particularly, the
resources 40 may be allocated among the plurality of data records 30. That is,
each data record
may have a particularly quantity of resources 40 allocated to it. Resources 40
may be added to
or removed from a data record 30, with the authorization of a manager of that
data record 30.
25 Associations 32 between managers and data records may be stored on the
server 12.
[0027] Resources 40 may include, for example, computing resources
such as processor
cycles, processor time, memory, bandwidth, or the like. The resources 40 may
be stored in
association with the various data records 30 for consumption by that data
record 30 or for
reallocation from that data record 30 to other data records 30 on the server
12 or to applications
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or processes external to the server 12. In some examples, the resources 40 may
include other
consumables, such as, generically, tokens or digital assets. Tokens may
represent any
quantifiable thing, including money, credits, shares, cryptocurrency, time,
precious metals, etc.
[0028] The resource allocation system 18 on the server 12 manages the
allocation and
reallocation of resources 40 among the data records 30 and, in particular,
ensures the security and
integrity of the ledger of resources 40 and data records 30. The resource
allocation system 18
may provide a number of functions including communicating with external
systems that query
resource availability, request transfers of resources into or out of the data
records 30, or
otherwise deal with the resources 40 and data records 30. It will be
appreciated that a significant
.. function of the resource allocation system 18 is to ensure that only an
authorized manager of a
data record 30 is permitted to obtain information regarding the data record 30
or the resources 40
allocated to the data record 30 and to perform actions with respect to those
resources 40. To do
so, the server 12 and the resource allocation system 18 implement various
security,
authentication and verification protocols to ensure that communications from a
remote system
are validated and authenticated before granting any access or action
privileges.
[0029] The remote device 14 stores and executes a manager application
16 for
connecting with the server 12 and interacting with the resource allocation
system 18. The
manager application 16 permits an authenticated manager to take actions with
respect to the data
records 30 with which the authenticated manager is associated. This may
include transferring
resources 40 from one associated data record 30 to another associated data
record 30. This may
include injecting additional resources 40 from an external source to one of
the associated data
records 30. This may include transferring resources 40 from a data record 30
to an external entity
or location. It will be appreciated that a manager may have more than one
manager application
16 on more than one remote device 14, so that the manager may access data
records 30 through
multiple devices.
[0030] In some implementations, the resource allocation system 18 may
rely on each
individual manager to determine and implement the resource allocation
considered suitable for
that manager's data records via that manager's manager application 16. A given
manager would
log into the server 12 via the manager application 16 over the network 20 to
access information
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regarding that manager's associated data records 30 and their respective
allocations. The
manager may then, using the manager application 16, move resources from one
data record 30 to
another.
[0031] However, in one aspect of the present application, the
resource allocation system
18 identifies potential reallocation opportunities and proactively notifies
the associated manager
application 16. In doing so, the resource allocation system 18 may, in concert
with the manager
application 16, facilitate quick authentication and approval of the proposed
reallocation of
resources 40 so as to implement the change on a timely basis with a reduced
number of
operations required of the remote device 14.
[0032] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which shows, in flowchart form, one
example
method 200 of proactively reallocating resources. The method 200 begins in
operation 202 with
the resource allocation system 18 (FIG. 1) identifying surplus resources
allocated to a first data
record. The identification of surplus resource may include various analyses,
some of which are
described in examples below. In operation 204, the resource allocation system
18 notifies an
associated manager application on a remote device that surplus resources are
allocated to the first
data record and proposes a reallocation of at least a portion of the surplus
resources. The
notification may include transmitting a secure message to the remote device,
and the manager
application in particular, specifying the surplus resources, the data record
to which they are
allocated, and the data record to which the portion is proposed to be
reallocated. The reallocation
may be presented at the remote device in the form of a pre-configured transfer
operation.
[0033] In operation 206, the resource allocation system 18 determines
whether the
proposed reallocation is approved based on a response from the remote device.
If the reallocation
is declined, the method 200 ends. If the reallocation is approved, then in
operation 208 the
resource allocation system 18 reallocates the portion of the surplus resources
to a second data
record.
[0034] The second data record may be a data record pre-designated for
surplus resources
in some cases. In some cases, no second data record may be associated with the
manager of the
first data record, or at least not one designated for surplus resources. In
this case, the resource
allocation system may include in its notification the option of generating
such a data record on
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the server. An example is shown in FIG. 3, which shows, in flowchart form,
another example
method 300 for proactively reallocating resources.
[0035] In this method 300, as before, the resource allocation system
identifies surplus
resources allocated to a first data record in operation 302. The system then
determines whether
.. the manager associated with the first data record has a second data record
designated for surplus
resources, as indicated by operation 304. If so, then it may proceed as
described before by
sending a notification to the remote device proposing reallocation of at least
a portion of the
surplus resources to the second data record, as shown in operation 306.
[0036] If there is not a designated second data record for surplus
funds, then the system
may, in operation 312, send a notification proposing creation of such a data
record (or
designation of an existing data record) as the data record for surplus
resources. The notification
may provide details of the proposed reallocation or may simply indicate that
surplus resources
have been identifies and propose designation of a data record for surplus
resources. The
notification is sent to the remote device(s) having a manager application
associated with the first
.. data record. In response, a message is received either approving or
canceling the proposal to
create a second data record. In some cases, further exchange of information
may take place in the
course of setting up and confirming the creation of the second data record. As
indicated by
operation 314, if creation of the second data record (or designation of an
existing data record as
the second data record) is confirmed and approved, then the method 300
proceeds to operation
306 to send the proposed reallocation notification.
[0037] As before, if an approval response is received in operation
308, then the method
300 proceeds to operation 310 to implement the proposed reallocation.
Otherwise, the method
300 ends.
[0038] As indicated above, the resource allocation system monitors the
data records and
identifies if a data record has an allocation of resources that includes
surplus resources. The
identification of surplus resources may be made using a range of possible
analyses. In one
example embodiment, the identification of a surplus is based on a predefined
threshold level of
resources, above which the excess is identified as surplus resources.
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[0039] FIG. 4 shows, in flowchart form, one example method 400 of
identifying surplus
resources. In this example, in operation 402 a threshold resource level is
set. The threshold
resource level may be set by default in establishing the first data record. In
one example, it may
be set by administrative policy at the server. In another example, it may be
set based on data
analysis of past resource consumption patterns. In yet a further example, it
may be set by the
manager via the manager application.
[0040] In operation 404, the resources allocated to the first data
record are compared to
the threshold resource level to see if the allocated resources exceed the
threshold. If so, then in
operation 406 a surplus is identified. If not, then the system continues to
monitor. In this example
method, the threshold may be changed, so the method 400 may include
determining whether a
change has been requested and, if so, returning to operation 402 to set a new
threshold resources
level.
[0041] In another example, the system may identify surplus resources
by determining
that the resource consumption over a fixed period of time is lower than a
determined resource
consumption level for that period of time. FIG. 5 shows, in flowchart form,
one example method
500 for identifying surplus resources based on consumption drops.
[0042] In operation 502, the system determines the resource usage or
consumption
associated with the first data record. The consumption is over a certain
period of time, such as a
day, a week, a month, etc. The consumption may be an average or a weighted
average of the
actual consumption over past time periods. The weighting may be used to more
heavily weight
recent time periods. In some cases, the average is over a window of a certain
number of recent
time periods. In some embodiments, the resource consumption level may be a pre-
set or selected
consumption level, rather than an empirically determined level.
[0043] Resource usage or consumption may be determined dependent upon
the nature of
the resources in question. In the case where the data record and resources are
such that the
resources allocated to the data record are consumed by the data record, such
as in the case of
processing resources being allocated to an application/thread/process
requiring computing
resources, then the consumption may be a measurement of the actual processor
time or cycles or
capacity required over the relevant time period. In certain cases, a more
relevant measurement is
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peak usage, such as peak processor or memory requirements. However, in the
case where the
data record is a holder of resources for consumption in the sense for
distributing the resources to
external entities or locations for consumption, then the measurement of
resource consumption
may be a calculation of resources transferred or distributed out of the data
record over that time
period. Such may be the case where the resources are tokens representative of
a quantifiable
asset that may be transferred or distributed to other entities or nodes.
[0044] In operation 504, having determined the "usual" resource
consumption rate per
time period, the system may assess whether the consumption over the most
recent time period is
lower than the usual consumption level. That is, having determined a "normal"
or "usual" or
"average" resource consumption level, if the most recently completed time
period featured
resource consumption lower than the determined level, then surplus resources
are identified. The
quantity of the surplus may be, in some cases, based on the difference between
the normal
consumption level and the resources actually consumed over that time period.
[0045] In some example embodiments, resource replenishment, i.e.
resource allocation to
the data record, may be factored into the analysis of whether surplus
resources are presently
allocated to the data record. For example, in the case of tokens, credits, or
the like, the allocation
of resources to the data record may occur at regular or semi-regular
intervals. For example, the
data record may be allocated a particular quantity of resources every day,
every week, every two
weeks, every month, etc. Consumption of those resources may be less regular or
fixed, meaning
that at times the consumption may be less than the expected or actual
allocation, leaving a
surplus available. In some cases, the allocation may vary and extra resources
may be allocated in
certain time periods without a corresponding increase in consumption, leaving
surplus resources
available. These patterns of input and consumption may be evaluated to
determine whether a
surplus exists.
[0046] FIG. 6 shows, in flowchart form, one example method 600 of
identifying surplus
resources based on input and consumption. In this example method 600, a
pattern of resource
input and consumption is determined in operation 602. The pattern may be based
on data
analysis of the input and consumption associated with the first data record
over a series of time
periods, which may be days, weeks, months, etc. The time periods over which
consumption is
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assessed may be based, in some instances, on the frequency with which
resources are input. For
example, if resources are regularly allocated to the first data record every
week, then the
corresponding consumption of resources between allocations may be assessed.
Conversely, in
some instances there may be a more fixed pattern of consumption, in which
resources are
consumed or output at fixed intervals in regular quantities, i.e. at a
predictable rate. In such as
case, variation in the resource input quantity or frequency may result in
identification of surplus
funds.
[0047] As one example, consider a cases in which resource
replenishment (input) occurs
in regular quantities in predictable increments. As an illustration, X tokens
are input once every
week. In this example, X/7 tokens are available for consumption per day in
each week. At the
end of a given week, if the average consumption is less than X/7 then surplus
resources may be
identified. In addition, part way through a week, the consumption per day may
be determined to
be lower than X/7 and, on that basis, it may be determined that surplus
resources are available.
That is, the system may not necessarily wait to the end of an increment to
identify if surplus
resources are available and may do so part way through an increment. In some
cases, the system
may project usage over a time period based on a drop in the rate of resource
consumption during
an earlier portion of the period and extrapolate the surplus resources
available if that reduced
consumption were continued over the remainder of the period.
[0048] In the example method 600 of FIG. 6, at operation 604, it may
be determined
whether the resource input is lower than would be predicted by the pattern
determined in
operation 602. If so, then a surplus is unlikely. In operation 606, it may be
determined whether
the resources consumed are lower than predicted by the pattern. If they are,
then surplus
resources are likely present and, in operation 608, the surplus resources are
identified. It will be
appreciated that, in various embodiments, operations 604 and 606 may be over a
previous fixed
time period or increment, or over a first portion of a time period or
increment, as discussed
above.
[0049] It will be appreciated that the resource allocation system may
use a range of
possible data analysis techniques taking into account resources consumed or
present in a first
data record and, in some cases, resource replenishment and resource usage
patterns, to identify
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surplus resources. Variations in mechanisms for identifying surplus resources
will be understood
by those of ordinary skill in the art and are intended to be included and
encompassed by the
present description.
[0050] Reference is now made to FIG. 7, which diagrammatically
illustrates an example
remote device user interface 700. The user interface 700 is for the manager
application executing
on the remote device. In this example, the manager application has been
launched or instantiated
and presents the user interface 700 for display on the display screen of the
remote device. The
remote device display screen may be a touchscreen in some embodiments, such as
the one
illustrated, but is not necessarily a touchscreen in all embodiments.
[0051] As noted above, the server sends a notification to the remote device
when surplus
resources are identified in connection with a first data record with which the
first device (or,
more particularly, its manager application) is associated. The notification
provides the remote
device with information regarding the surplus resources and the proposed
reallocation to a
second data record. The proposed reallocation may be for the entire identified
surplus resources
or some portion of the surplus resources. As shown in FIG. 7, the user
interface rendered by the
manager application on the remote device presents the notification regarding
surplus resources as
a message 702. The notification may, in some implementations, be presented
when received if
the manager application is open. In some cases, the notification may be
presented using a
notification facility on the remote device when the manager application is
closed. The
presentation of the notification may depend on the operating system governing
operation of the
remote device. In some cases, if the notification is received without the
manager application
being opened such that authentication has occurred, then selecting the
notification may prompt
an authentication routine, such as user-password entry, biometric
identification, or other such
security measures.
[0052] The message 702 rendered on the remote device details the surplus
resources
identified, the first data record to which they are allocated, and the
proposed reallocation details.
The user interface 700 further includes selectable options to either approve
the proposed
reallocation, which in this example is an "OK" button 704, or to refuse the
proposed reallocation,
which in this example is a "CANCEL" button 706. In some cases, selection of
the "OK" button
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704 may lead to a further verification step that may or may not include
further security measures
for ensuring the user is authenticated, or may simply include an additional
opportunity to
confirm or cancel the proposed reallocation. In some implementations, a
selectable option to
alter the proposed reallocation may also be presented, which in this case is
an "EDIT" button
708. Selection of the "EDIT" button 708 may provide an interface through which
the details of
the proposed reallocation are presented in editable form, enabling the user to
modify the quantity
of resources or the data record to which the surplus resources are to be
reallocated.
[0053] FIG. 8 shows another example user interface 800 for a remote
device, which in
this case is in a locked state when the notification is received. In this
example, a notification
message 802 is rendered atop the lockscreen displayed on the device when in
locked mode. It
will be appreciated that the precise details of the lockscreen behaviour and
notification message
802 will partly depend on the operating system of the remoted device. In this
example, the
notification message 802 presents information regarding the identified surplus
funds allocated to
the first data record and may, space permitting, provide details regarding the
proposed
reallocation. In some cases, the user may be invited by the notification
message 802 to take an
action (e.g. tap, slide, keypress, etc.) to view additional information
regarding the proposed
reallocation.
[0054] FIG. 8 further shows a subsequent example user interface 810 to
which the user
interface 800 transitions after a user action in relation to the notification
message 802. For
example, if the notification message 802 invites the user to swipe or slide
the notification
message 802 to pursue the proposed reallocation, then detection by the remote
device of that
swipe or slide leads to generation of the subsequent example user interface
810. The subsequent
example user interface 810, in this implementation, is also rendered on the
lockscreen. In some
cases, depending on the operation system of the remote device, this may
involves launching the
manager application in the background to process communications with the
server, but leaving
the remote device is a locked state. In some cases, the remote device may need
to be unlocked to
pursue the reallocation by presenting the manager application user interface.
[0055] In this example, the subsequent example user interface 810
displays reallocation
information 812 that may, for example, provide details regarding the proposed
reallocation of
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resources. The interface 810 further provides an approval prompt 814, which
may provide
instructions on how to approve the reallocation. In this example, the approval
prompt 814
indicates that a valid thumbprint must be input through a fingerprint sensor
818 in order to
authenticate the user and approve the proposed reallocation. The user
interface 810 may further
include a selectable cancel option 816. In this example, an "edit" option (not
illustrated) may be
also be provides, although in the case of a lockscreen-layered message the
option of editing the
proposed reallocation may require the unlocking of the device to perform edits
to the proposed
reallocation from within the manager application interface.
[0056] In the case of these example user interfaces 700, 800, 810, if
the device receives
authorization (that is validated) to proceed with the proposed reallocation,
then the remote device
prepares and sends messages to the server approving the proposed reallocation.
The messages
may include the details of the proposed reallocation, particularly if the
reallocation has been
modified. The messages are, in most implementations, protected using
encryption and other
security measures to guard against malicious manipulation of resource
allocation. The server
and, in particular, the resource allocation manager then implements the
approved reallocation of
resources.
[0057] Reference is now made to FIG. 9, which shows, in block diagram
form, one
example server 900. The server 900 may include one or more processors 902 and
memory 904.
The memory 904 may store processor-executable software, such as resource
allocation
management software 906, that contains instructions implementing the
operations and functions
of the resource allocation system described above.
[0058] FIG. 10 illustrates, in block diagram form, one example of a
remote device. The
remote device is a computing device 1000. The computing device 1000 is
equipped with a
display 1010. In some embodiments, the computing device 1000 may be a portable
electronic
device. For example, the computing device 1000 may, as illustrated, be a
smartphone. However,
the computing device 1000 may be a computing device of another type such as a
personal
computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a hand-
held computer, a
personal digital assistant, a portable navigation device, a mobile phone, a
smart phone, a
wearable computing device (e.g., a smart watch, a wearable activity monitor,
wearable smart
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jewelry, and glasses and other optical devices that include optical head-
mounted displays), and
any other type of computing device that may be configured to store data and
software
instructions, and execute software instructions to perform operations
consistent with disclosed
embodiments. The computing device 1000 may be associated with one or more
users which may
interact with the computing device 1000. For instance, a user may operate the
computing device
1000 such as by way of a provided graphical user interface whereby the
computing device 1000
may perform one or more operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments.
[0059] The display 1010 may be any suitable manner of display such as,
for example, a
liquid crystal display (LCD), an e-ink/e-paper display, or the like. In some
embodiments, the
display 1010 may be a touchscreen display.
[0060] The computing device 1000 includes a processor 1002 and memory
1004. The
memory 1004 may store processor-executable instructions in the form of
software. The software
may include an operating system to provide basic device functions, and may
include application
software. As an example, the memory 1004 may store a manager application 1006
that, when
executed, performs the manager application operations and functions described
above.
[0061] Example embodiments of the present application are not limited
to any particular
operating system, system architecture, mobile device architecture, server
architecture, or
computer programming language.
[0062] It will be understood that the applications, modules, routines,
processes, threads,
or other software components implementing the described method/process may be
realized using
standard computer programming techniques and languages. The present
application is not limited
to particular processors, computer languages, computer programming
conventions, data
structures, or other such implementation details. Those skilled in the art
will recognize that the
described processes may be implemented as a part of computer-executable code
stored in volatile
or non-volatile memory, as part of an application-specific integrated chip
(ASIC), etc.
[0063] Certain adaptations and modifications of the described
embodiments can be made.
Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are considered to be illustrative
and not restrictive.
14
CA 2981428 2017-10-04
