Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY PROVIDING A SECOND
RESOURCE TYPE TO REPLACE OR OFFSET A FIRST RESOURCE TYPE
l'ECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to systems and methods for
automatically providing
a second resource type to replace or offset a first resource type.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Resources may be provided to resource requesters. For example,
computing
resources may be provided to one or more software applications executing on a
computer.
[0003] Resources may be limited and as such resource management may be
difficult.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Embodiments are described in detail below, with reference to the
following
drawings:
[0005] FIG. 1 is a schematic operation diagram illustrating an operating
environment of an
example embodiment;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram showing components of a
computing
device;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a high-level schematic diagram of an example computer
device;
[0008] FIG. 4 shows a simplified organization of software components
stored in a memory
of the example computer device of FIG. 3;
[0009] FIG. 5 is a table showing example resource consumption data
according to an
embodiment;
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
[0010] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing operations performed in automatically
providing a
second resource type to replace or offset a first resource type according to
an embodiment; and
[0011] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing operations performed in providing a
recommendation
for providing a second resource type to replace or offset a first resource
type according to an
embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 8 is an example interface displayed on a display screen of a
computing device
according to an embodiment; and
[0013] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing operations performed in providing a
recommendation
for cancelling a service provided by the resource requester.
[0014] Like reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote like
elements and
features.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
[0015] Accordingly, in one aspect there is provided a computer server
system comprising
a communications module; a processor coupled with the communications module;
and a memory
coupled to the processor and storing processor-executable instructions which,
when executed by
the processor, configure the processor to monitor resource consumption data to
identify a first
resource type being provided to a resource requester at a periodic rate;
identify a second resource
type to replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate; and
perform operations to
automatically provide the second resource type to replace or offset the first
resource type at the
periodic rate.
[0016] In one or more embodiments, the processor-executable instructions,
when executed
by the processor, further configure the processor to determine an amount of
the first resource type
provided to the resource requester at the periodic rate; and provide an amount
of the second
resource type to replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic
rate based on the amount of
the first resource type provided to the resource requester at the periodic
rate.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
[0017] In one or more embodiments, the amount of the second resource type
provided to
replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate is determined
based on a modifier
between the first resource type and the second resource type.
[0018] In one or more embodiments, the second resource type is provided to
replace the
first resource type at the periodic rate and the processor-executable
instructions, when executed by
the processor, further configure the processor to automatically provide the
second resource type to
the resource requester to replace the first resource type at the periodic
rate.
[0019] In one or more embodiments, the second resource type is provided to
offset the first
resource type at the periodic rate and the processor-executable instructions,
when executed by the
processor, further configure the processor to automatically provide the second
resource type to a
resource account associated with the first resource type at the periodic rate
to offset the first
resource type.
[0020] In one or more embodiments, the processor-executable instructions,
when executed
by the processor, further configure the processor to obtain, via the
communications module, usage
data; analyze the usage data to determine that a service provided by the
resource requester is not
being used; and responsive to determining that the service provided by the
resource requester is
not being used, send, via the communications module and to a computing device,
a signal causing
the computing device to display a user interface that includes a
recommendation for cancelling the
service provided by the resource requester and a selectable interface element
for accepting the
recommendation.
[0021] In one or more embodiments, the processor-executable instructions,
when executed
by the processor, further configure the processor to receive, via the
communications module and
from the computing device, a signal indicating selection of the selectable
interface element for
accepting the recommendation; and send, via the communications module and to a
third party
server associated with the resource requester, a signal requesting
cancellation of the service
provided by the resource requester.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
[0022] In one or more embodiments, the usage data includes at least one of
network data
obtained from a third party server associated with the resource requester or
location data obtained
from the computing device.
[0023] In one or more embodiments, the processor-executable instructions,
when executed
by the processor, further configure the processor to send, via the
communications module and to a
computing device, a signal causing the computing device to display a user
interface that includes
a recommendation for providing the second resource type to replace or offset
the first resource
type at the periodic rate and a selectable interface element for accepting the
recommendation; and
receive, via the communications module and from the computing device, a signal
indicating
selection of the selectable interface element for accepting the
recommendation.
[0024] In one or more embodiments, the first resource type is provided
from a first resource
account and the second resource type is provided from a second resource
account.
[0025] According to another aspect there is provided a computer-
implemented method
comprising monitoring resource consumption data to identify a first resource
type being provided
to a resource requester at a periodic rate; identifying a second resource type
to replace or offset the
first resource type at the periodic rate; and performing operations to
automatically provide the
second resource type to replace or offset the first resource type at the
periodic rate.
[0026] In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises
determining an amount
of the first resource type provided to the resource requester at the periodic
rate; and providing an
amount of the second resource type to replace or offset the first resource
type at the periodic rate
based on the amount of the first resource type provided to the resource
requester at the periodic
rate.
[0027] In one or more embodiments, the amount of the second resource type
provided to
replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate is determined
based on a modifier
between the first resource type and the second resource type.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
[0028] In one or more embodiments, the second resource type is provided to
replace the
first resource type at the periodic rate and the method further comprises
automatically providing
the second resource type to the resource requester to replace the first
resource type at the periodic
rate.
[0029] In one or more embodiments, the second resource type is provided to
offset the first
resource type at the periodic rate and the method further comprises
automatically providing the
second resource type to a resource account associated with the first resource
type at the periodic
rate to offset the first resource type.
[0030] In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises obtaining,
via a
communications module, usage data; analyzing the usage data to determine that
a service provided
by the resource requester is not being used; and responsive to determining
that the service provided
by the resource requester is not being used, sending, via the communications
module and to a
computing device, a signal causing the computing device to display a user
interface that includes
a recommendation for cancelling the service provided by the resource requester
and a selectable
interface element for accepting the recommendation.
[0031] In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises receiving,
via the
communications module and from the computing device, a signal indicating
selection of the
selectable interface element for accepting the recommendation; and sending,
via the
communications module and to a third party server associated with the resource
requester, a signal
requesting cancellation of the service provided by the resource requester.
[0032] In one or more embodiments, the usage data includes at least one of
network data
obtained from a third party server associated with the resource requester or
location data obtained
from the computing device.
[0033] In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises sending,
via a
communications module and to a computing device, a signal causing the
computing device to
display a user interface that includes a recommendation for providing the
second resource type to
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate and a
selectable interface element for
accepting the recommendation; and receiving, via the communications module and
from the
computing device, a signal indicating selection of the selectable interface
element for accepting
the recommendation.
[0034] According to another aspect there is provided a non-transitory
computer readable
storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions which, when
executed, configure a
processor to monitor resource consumption data to identify a first resource
type being provided to
a resource requester at a periodic rate; identify a second resource type to
replace or offset the first
resource type at the periodic rate; and perform operations to automatically
provide the second
resource type to replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic
rate.
[0035] In manners described herein, a second resource type is identified
and automatically
provided to replace or offset a first resource type being provided at a
periodic rate. Conveniently,
and in this way, resource consumption data may be utilized to manage or
schedule the consumption
of computing resources. For example, a particular application may request the
use of physical
memory at a periodic rate. Once identified, a secondary or external type of
memory may be used
to replace or offset the use of the physical memory at the periodic rate and
this may free up physical
memory for applications that unexpectedly or randomly require the use of
physical memory.
[0036] 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.
[0037] 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.
[0038] 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-
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
combination, or all of the elements, without necessarily excluding any
additional elements, and
without necessarily requiring all of the elements.
[0039] In the present application, examples involving a general-purpose
computer, aspects
of the disclosure transform the general-purpose computer into a special-
purpose computing device
when configured to execute the instructions described herein.
[0040] FIG. 1 is a schematic operation diagram illustrating an operating
environment of an
example embodiment. As shown, the system 100 includes a computing device 110
and a server
computer system 120 coupled to one another through a network 130, which may
include a public
network such as the Internet and/or a private network. The computing device
110 and the server
computer system 120 may be in geographically disparate locations. Put
differently, the computing
device 110 and the server computer system 120 may be located remote from one
another.
[0041] The computing device 110 may be a smartphone as shown in FIG. 1.
However, the
computing device 110 may be a computing device of another type such as for
example a personal
computer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a hand-held computer, a
personal digital
assistant, a portable navigation device, a mobile phone, a wearable computing
device (e.g., a smart
watch, a wearable activity monitor, wearable smart jewelry, and glasses and
other optical devices
that include optical head-mounted displays), an embedded computing device
(e.g., in
communication with a smart textile or electronic fabric), 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.
[0042] The server computer system 120 is a computer server system. A
computer server
system may, for example, be a mainframe computer, a minicomputer, or the like.
In some
implementations thereof, a computer server system may be formed of or may
include one or more
computing devices. A computer server system may include and/or may communicate
with
multiple computing devices such as, for example, database servers, computer
servers, and the like.
Multiple computing devices such as these may be in communication using a
computer network
and may communicate to act in cooperation as a computer server system. For
example, such
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
computing devices may communicate using a local-area network (LAN). In some
embodiments,
a computer server system may include multiple computing devices organized in a
tiered
arrangement. For example, a computer server system may include middle tier and
back-end
computing devices. In some embodiments, a computer server system may be a
cluster formed of
a plurality of interoperating computing devices.
[0043] The network 130 is a computer network. In some embodiments, the
network 130
may be an internetwork such as may be formed of one or more interconnected
computer networks.
For example, the network 130 may be or may include an Ethernet network, an
asynchronous
transfer mode (ATM) network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network,
or the like.
[0044] The computing device 110 may be adapted to receive, from the server
computer
system 120, a signal that causes the computing device 110 to display an
interface that allows for
communication with the server computer system 120.
[0045] The server computer system 120 may be associated with or may
communicate with
a database 140 that stores data records. The data records may store resource
consumption data that
includes a list of resource requesters and an amount of resources provided to
the resource
requesters. The data records may be updated or maintained by the server
computer system 120
and this may be done each time resources are provided to a resource requester.
The resource
consumption data may be stored in the database 140 in association with a
resource account.
[0046] The resources provided to the resource requesters may be of
different types. For
example, a resource requester may request a first resource type and/or a
second resource type. As
another example, a resource requester may request a first resource type but
may accept a first
resource type or a second resource type. As another example, a resource
requester may only accept
a first resource type. In this example, responsive to the first resource type
being provided to the
resource requester from a resource account, a second resource type may be
provided to the resource
account. As will be described in more detail below, the second resource type
may be automatically
provided to replace or offset the first resource type.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
[0047] The server computer system 120 may communicate with the database
140 directly
or through the network 130. The server computer system 120 may communicate
with one or more
third party servers through the network 130 and the one or more third party
servers may be
associated with resource requesters and/or resource collectors.
[0048] FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram showing components of an
exemplary
computing device 200. The computing device 110 may be of the same type as
computing device
200. The computing device 200 may include modules including, as illustrated,
for example, one
or more displays 210, an image capture module 220, a sensor module 230, and a
computer
device 240.
[0049] The one or more displays 210 are a display module. The one or more
displays
210 are used to display screens of a graphical user interface that may be
used, for example, to
communicate with the server computer system 120 (FIG. 1). The one or more
displays 210 may
be internal displays of the computing device 200 (e.g., disposed within a body
of the computing
device).
[0050] The image capture module 220 may be or may include a camera. The
image
capture module 220 may be used to obtain image data, such as images. The image
capture
module 220 may be or may include a digital image sensor system as, for
example, a charge
coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal¨oxide¨semiconductor (CMOS) image
sensor.
[0051] The sensor module 230 may be a sensor that generates sensor data
based on a
sensed condition. By way of example, the sensor module 230 may be or include a
location
subsystem which generates location data indicating a location of the computing
device 200. The
location may be the current geographic location of the computing device 200.
The location
subsystem may be or include any one or more of a global positioning system
(GPS), an inertial
navigation system (INS), a wireless (e.g., cellular) triangulation system, a
beacon-based location
system (such as a Bluetooth low energy beacon system), or a location subsystem
of another type.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
[0052] The computer device 240 is in communication with the one or more
displays 210,
the image capture module 220, and the sensor module 230. The computer device
240 may be or
may include a processor which is coupled to the one or more displays 210, the
image capture
module 220, and/or the sensor module 230.
[0053] Referring now to FIG. 3, a high-level operation diagram of an
example computer
device 300 is shown. In some embodiments, the computer device 300 may be
exemplary of the
computer device 240 (FIG. 2) and/or server computer system 120.
[0054] The example computer device 300 includes a variety of modules. For
example, as
illustrated, the example computer device 300 may include a processor 310, a
memory 320, a
communications module 330, and/or a storage module 340. As illustrated, the
foregoing
example modules of the example computer device 300 are in communication over a
bus 350.
[0055] The processor 310 is a hardware processor. The processor 310 may,
for example,
be one or more ARM, Intel x86, PowerPC processors or the like.
[0056] The memory 320 allows data to be stored and retrieved. The memory
320 may
include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, and persistent
storage.
Persistent storage may be, for example, flash memory, a solid-state drive or
the like. Read-only
memory and persistent storage are non-transitory computer-readable storage
mediums. A
computer-readable medium may be organized using a file system such as may be
administered
by an operating system governing overall operation of the example computer
device 300.
[0057] The communications module 330 allows the example computer device
300 to
communicate with other computer or computing devices and/or various
communications
networks. For example, the communications module 330 may allow the example
computer
device 300 to send or receive communications signals. Communications signals
may be sent or
received according to one or more protocols or according to one or more
standards. For
example, the communications module 330 may allow the example computer device
300 to
communicate via a cellular data network, such as for example, according to one
or more
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
standards such as, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM),
Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO), Long-term
Evolution
(LTE) or the like. Additionally or alternatively, the communications module
330 may allow the
example computer device 300 to communicate using near-field communication
(NFC), via Wi-Fi
(TM), using Bluetooth (TM) or via some combination of one or more networks or
protocols. In
some embodiments, all or a portion of the communications module 330 may be
integrated into a
component of the example computer device 300. For example, the communications
module may
be integrated into a communications chipset. In some embodiments, the
communications
module 330 may be omitted such as, for example, if sending and receiving
communications is
not required in a particular application.
[0058] The storage module 340 allows the example computer device 300 to
store and
retrieve data. In some embodiments, the storage module 340 may be formed as a
part of the
memory 320 and/or may be used to access all or a portion of the memory 320.
Additionally or
alternatively, the storage module 340 may be used to store and retrieve data
from persisted
storage other than the persisted storage (if any) accessible via the memory
320. In some
embodiments, the storage module 340 may be used to store and retrieve data in
a database. A
database may be stored in persisted storage. Additionally or alternatively,
the storage module
340 may access data stored remotely such as, for example, as may be accessed
using a local area
network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), personal area network (PAN), and/or a
storage area
network (SAN). In some embodiments, the storage module 340 may access data
stored remotely
using the communications module 330. In some embodiments, the storage module
340 may be
omitted and its function may be performed by the memory 320 and/or by the
processor 310 in
concert with the communications module 330 such as, for example, if data is
stored remotely.
The storage module may also be referred to as a data store.
[0059] Software comprising instructions is executed by the processor 310
from a
computer-readable medium. For example, software may be loaded into random-
access memory
from persistent storage of the memory 320. Additionally or alternatively,
instructions may be
executed by the processor 310 directly from read-only memory of the memory
320.
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[0060] FIG. 4 depicts a simplified organization of software components
stored in the
memory 320 of the example computer device 300 (FIG. 3). As illustrated, these
software
components include an operating system 400 and an application 410.
[0061] The operating system 400 is software. The operating system 400
allows the
application 410 to access the processor 310 (FIG. 3), the memory 320, and the
communications
module 330 of the example computer device 300 (FIG. 3). The operating system
400 may be,
for example, Google (TM) Android (TM), Apple (TM) iOS (TM), UNIX (TM), Linux
(TM),
Microsoft (TM) Windows (TM), Apple OSX (TM) or the like.
[0062] The application 410 adapts the example computer device 300, in
combination
with the operating system 400, to operate as a device performing a particular
function. For
example, the application 410 may cooperate with the operating system 400 to
adapt a suitable
embodiment of the example computer device 300 to operate as the computer
device 240 (FIG. 2)
and/or the server computer system 120.
[0063] While a single application 410 is illustrated in FIG. 3, in
operation the memory
320 may include more than one application 410 and different applications 410
may perform
different operations. For example, in at least some embodiments in which the
computer device
300 is functioning as the computing device 110, the applications 410 may
include a resource
management application.
[0064] The resource management application may be configured to present
one or more
graphical user interfaces on a display of the computing device 110 and may
provide various
resource management functions. The resource management functions may include
monitoring
resource consumption data. For example, the resource management application
may monitor
resource consumption data to identify a first resource type being provided to
a resource requester
at a periodic rate. As will be described in more detail below, a second
resource type may be
identified and may be automatically provided to replace or offset the first
resource type at the
periodic rate.
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[0065] It will be appreciated that the resource management application may
require
authentication credentials such as for example a username and a password prior
to providing access
thereto. In one or more embodiments, within the resource management
application, one or more
resource accounts may be linked to the resource management application. For
example, the
resource management application may provide a user interface that include one
or more selectable
interface elements for linking one or more resource accounts thereto.
[0066] The computing device 110 and/or the server computer system 120 may
monitor
resource consumption data that includes a list of resource requesters and an
amount of resources
provided to the resource requesters. For example, the computing device 110 may
identify a list of
applications executing thereon and may determine the amount of computing
resources being
consumed by the applications. In this example, the computing resources may
include a number of
different resource types such as for example total processor utilization, disk
utilization, network
utilization, power usage, random access memory (RAM) utilization, and virtual
memory
utilization. In one or more embodiments, the resource consumption data may be
obtained from a
computing resource application executing on the computing device 110.
[0067] An example table 500 that includes resource consumption data is
shown in FIG. 5.
In this example, the resource requesters include applications executing on the
computing device
110. As such, the table 500 includes a list of applications ("App A", "App B",
"App C") and
resource consumption data identifying an amount of computing resources being
consumed by or
provided to each application.
[0068] The resource consumption data may be obtained in real-time and as
such the
amount of computing resources being consumed by each application may include a
current amount
of computing resources being consumed. The computing device 110 may store the
resource
consumption data in memory and/or may communicate the resource consumption
data to the server
computer system 120 where it may be stored in the database 140. The resource
consumption data
may be monitored or analyzed by the computing device 110 and/or the server
computer system
120. For example, the computing device 110 and/or the server computer system
120 may calculate
or determine an average amount of resources being consumed by application and
the resource
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
consumption data may include the average amount of resources being consumed by
each
application.
[0069] In one or more embodiments, the resource consumption data may be
associated
with a particular resource type. For example, the particular resource type may
include network
bandwidth. As such, the computing device 110 and/or the server computer system
120 may
generate the resource consumption data to include a list of resource
requesters and an amount of
network bandwidth consumed by or provided to each application.
[0070] In one or more embodiments, the resource consumption data may be
associated
with two resource types that may be related. For example, a first resource
type may include
random access memory (RAM) and a second resource type may include virtual
memory. In this
example, the second resource type may be used as a substitute or replacement
for the first resource
type and this may be done in an effort to replace or offset the amount of the
first resource type
being used.
[0071] As another example of two resource types that may be related, an
amount of a first
resource type may be provided from a first resource account to a resource
requester. The amount
of the first resource type provided to the resource requester may be based on,
for example, a
transaction conducted between the resource requester and a user associated
with the resource
account. An amount of a second resource type may be provided to replace or
offset the first
resource type. The second resource type may be provided from a second resource
account. For
example, an amount of the second resource type from the second resource
account may be used to
replace or offset an amount of the first resource type provided from the first
resource account to
the resource requester. In this example, the first resource type may be
related to the second
resource type in that a modifier may be used to determine the amount of the
second resource type
to be provided based on the amount of the first resource type provided.
[0072] The server computer system 120 and/or the computing device 110 may
monitor
resource consumption data and may perform operations to automatically provide
a second resource
type to replace or offset a first resource type.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
[0073] Reference is made to FIG. 6, which illustrates, in flowchart form,
a method 600 for
automatically providing a second resource to replace or offset a first
resource type. The method
600 may be implemented by a computing device having suitable processor-
executable instructions
for causing the computing device to carry out the described operations. The
method 600 may be
implemented, in whole or in part, by the server computer system 120 and/or the
computing device
110.
[0074] The method 600 includes monitoring resource consumption data to
identify a first
resource type being provided to a resource requester at a periodic rate (step
610).
[0075] The resource consumption data is monitored to identify a first
resource type being
provided to a resource requester at a periodic rate. In this embodiment, the
resource consumption
data includes historical resource consumption data that may be retrieved from
the database 140.
[0076] Specifically, the server computer system 120 may analyze the
resource
consumption data to identify a first resource type that is provided to a
particular resource requester
at a periodic rate. The rate may be based on processor cycles, time, date,
etc. For example, a first
resource type may be identified as being provided to a particular resource
requester at a periodic
rate when it is determined that the first resource type is provided every
processor cycle to the
particular resource requester. As another example, a first resource type may
be identified as being
provided to a particular resource requester at a periodic rate when it is
determined that the first
resource type is provided every hour or every month to the particular resource
requester.
[0077] In one or more embodiments, the first resource type may only be
identified as being
provided to the particular resource requester at the periodic rate in the
event that that the first
resource type is provided at the periodic rate for a threshold number of
periods. For example, the
threshold number of periods may include six (6) processor cycles and as such
the first resource
type may be identified as being provided to the particular resource requester
at the periodic rate
only when it is determined that the first resource type has been provided to
the particular resource
requester over the past six (6) processor cycles. As another example, the
threshold number of
periods may include three (3) months and as such the first resource type may
be identified as being
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
provided to the particular resource requester at the periodic rate when it is
determined that the first
resource type has been provided to the particular resource requester once a
month for the past three
(3) months.
[0078] In one or more embodiments, the first resource type may only be
identified as being
provided to the particular resource requester at the periodic rate in the
event that a threshold amount
of the first resource type is provided at the periodic rate for a threshold
number of periods. For
example, a first resource type may include RAM and may include a threshold
amount of one (1)
GB. As such, the first resource type may only be identified as being provided
to the particular
resource requester at the periodic rate when more than one (1) GB has been
provided to the
particular resource requester over the last six (6) processor cycles.
[0079] In one or more embodiments, the first resource type may only be
identified as being
provided to the particular resource requester at the periodic rate in the
event that a particular or
same amount of the first resource type is provided at the periodic rate for a
threshold number of
periods. For example, a first resource type may include an amount of the first
resource type
provided to the particular resource requester at a periodic rate of once per
month for the last three
(3) months. The amount may be, for example, a dollar amount such as for
example ten dollars
($10). As such, the first resource type may only be identified as being
provided to the particular
resource requester at the periodic rate when the same amount of the first
resource type has been
provided to the particular resource requester over the last three (3) months.
[0080] The method 600 includes identifying a second resource type to
replace or offset the
first resource type at the periodic rate (step 620).
[0081] In one or more embodiments, the second resource type that is
identified to replace
or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate may be identified as a
resource type that is
related to the first resource type.
[0082] As an example, the first resource type may include memory and as
such the server
computer system 120 and/or the computing device 110 may identify a second
resource type that is
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
related to the first resource type in that the second resource type also
includes memory. For
example, the first resource type may include RAM and the second resource type
may include
virtual memory.
[0083] As another example, the first resource type may include an amount
of a first
resource type provided to the resource requester and as such the server
computer system 120 and/or
the computing device 110 may identify a second resource type to replace or
offset the first resource
type as being an amount of a second resource type. The first resource type may
be provided from
a first resource account and the second resource type may be provided from a
second resource
account.
[0084] An amount of the first resource type may be determined and an
amount of the
second resource type to replace or offset the first resource type at the
periodic rate may be based
on the amount of the first resource type provided to the resource requester at
the periodic rate.
[0085] As an example, the first resource type and the second resource type
may be directly
related in that no modifier is required to replace or offset the first
resource type at the periodic rate.
For example, in embodiments where the first resource type and the second
resource type include
memory, an amount of the first resource type (RAM) provided to the resource
requester at the
periodic rate may be equal to an amount of the second resource type (virtual
memory) to be
provided to the resource requester to replace or offset the RAM provided to
the resource requester
at the periodic rate. As a specific example, the amount of RAM provided to the
resource requester
at the periodic rate may include 1 GB and as such the amount of virtual memory
to be provided to
the resource requester to replace or offset the RAM at the periodic rate is 1
GB.
[0086] As another example, a modifier may be required to replace or offset
the first
resource type at the periodic rate. For example, a modifier may be used to
convert the second
resource type to the first resource type. As a specific example, an amount of
the first resource type
provided to the resource requester at the periodic rate may be ten dollars
($10). A modifier of ten
(10) loyalty points to dollars may be required to convert a second resource
type (loyalty points) to
the first resource type (dollar amount). As such, an amount of the second
resource type required
17
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
to replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate may be one
hundred (100) loyalty
points.
[0087] In one or more embodiments, the second resource type may only be
identified to
replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate when it is
determined that a threshold
amount of the second resource type is available to replace or offset the first
resource type at the
periodic rate. The threshold may be dependent on whether or not the second
resource type is to
replace or offset the first resource type.
[0088] As an example, one (1) GB of RAM may be provided to the resource
requester at
the periodic rate and as such to replace the first resource type using the
second resource type it is
required that a threshold amount of one (1) GB of virtual memory is available
at the periodic rate.
As another example, one (1) GB of RAM may be provided to the resource
requester at the periodic
rate and as such to offset the first resource type using the second resource
type it may be required
that a threshold amount of zero point five (0.5) GB of virtual memory is
available at the periodic
rate. In this example, zero point five (0.5) GB of RAM and zero point five
(0.5) GB of virtual
memory may be provided to the resource requester at the periodic rate and in
this manner the
virtual memory is used to offset the amount of the first resource type
provided at the periodic rate.
[0089] As another example, an amount of the first resource type provided
to the resource
requester at the periodic rate may include ten dollars ($10), a modifier may
include ten (10) loyalty
points to dollars, and as such the threshold amount of loyalty points required
to replace the ten
dollars ($10) may be one hundred (100) loyalty points. In this example, one
hundred (100) loyalty
points are required from the second resource account to replace the ten
dollars ($10) provided from
the first resource account to replace the first resource type provided at the
periodic rate. As another
example, the threshold amount of loyalty points required to offset the ten
($10) dollars may be
fifty (50) loyalty points. In this example, five dollars ($5) may be provided
to the resource
requester from the first resource account and fifty (50) loyalty points may be
provided to the
resource requester from the second resource account to offset the amount of
dollars provided to
the resource requester at the periodic rate.
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[0090] The method 600 includes performing operations to automatically
provide the
second resource type to replace or offset the first resource type at the
periodic rate (step 630).
[0091] The server computer system 120 and/or the computing device 110
perform
operations to automatically provide the second resource type to replace or
offset the first resource
type at the periodic rate. The operations may include sending one or more
signals that cause a
processor of the computing device or a processor of a third party server to
perform operations to
automatically provide the second resource type to replace or offset the first
resource type at the
periodic rate.
[0092] In one or more embodiments, the second resource type may be
provided to the
resource requester at the periodic rate to replace or offset the first
resource type. For example, one
(1) GB of virtual memory may be provided to the resource requester to replace
one (1) GB of
RAM and this may be done at the periodic rate, such as for example every six
(6) processor cycles.
As another example, one hundred (100) loyalty points may be provided to the
resource requester
to replace ten dollars ($10) and this may be done at the periodic rate, such
as for example every
one (1) month.
[0093] In one or more embodiments, the second resource type may be
provided to a first
resource account providing the first resource type at the periodic rate to
replace or offset the first
resource type. For example, ten dollars ($10) may be provided from the first
resource account to
the resource requester at the periodic rate and as such one hundred (100)
loyalty points may be
provided from the second resource account to the first resource account at the
periodic rate to
replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate. In this
example, the second resource
type may be converted to the first resource type using the modifier and this
may be done when
providing the second resource type to the first resource account.
[0094] In one or more embodiments, prior to automatically providing the
second resource
type to replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate, the
server computer system 120
and/or computing device 110 may perform operations to provide a recommendation
for providing
the second resource type to replace or offset the first resource type at the
periodic rate.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
[0095] Reference is made to FIG. 7, which illustrates, in flowchart form,
a method 700 for
providing a recommendation for providing the second resource type to replace
or offset the first
resource type at the periodic rate. The method 700 may be implemented by a
computing device
having suitable processor-executable instructions for causing the computing
device to carry out
the described operations. The method 700 may be implemented, in whole or in
part, by the server
computer system 120 and/or the computing device 110. The method 700 may be
performed
responsive to identifying the second resource type to replace or offset the
first resource type at the
periodic rate as described herein with reference to step 620 of method 600.
[0096] The method 700 includes sending, to a computing device, a signal
causing the
computing device to display a user interface that includes a recommendation
for providing the
second resource type to replace or offset the first resource type at the
periodic rate and a selectable
interface element for accepting the recommendation (step 710).
[0097] An example user interface 800 is shown in FIG. 8. As can be seen,
the user interface
includes a recommendation 810 for providing the second resource type to
replace or offset the first
resource type at the periodic rate. The user interface 800 includes a
selectable interface element
820 for accepting the recommendation and a selectable interface element 830
for rejecting the
recommendation.
[0098] The method 700 includes receiving, from the computing device, a
signal indicating
selection of the selectable interface element for accepting the recommendation
(step 720).
[0099] The recommendation may be accepted by performing, for example, a
tap gesture
on a display screen of the computing device 110 at a location corresponding to
the location of the
selectable interface element 820. Responsive to selection of the selectable
interface element 820,
the computing device 110 sends the signal indicating selection of the
selectable interface element
for accepting the recommendation. In response, the server computer system 120
and/or the
computing device 110 may perform operations to automatically provide the
second resource type
to replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate in manners
similar to step 630
described herein with reference to the method 600.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
[0100] It will be appreciated that the second resource type may be
automatically provided
to replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate for a
threshold number of periods. In
one or more embodiments, the threshold number of periods may be the next one
thousand (1000)
periods. For example, the periodic rate may be every six (6) processor cycles
and as such the
second resource type may be automatically provided to replace or offset the
first resource type
every six (6) processor cycles for the next six thousand (6000) processor
cycles. As another
example, the threshold number of periods may be the next twelve (12) periods.
For example, the
periodic rate may be every month and as such the second resource type may be
automatically
provided to replace or offset the first resource type every month for the next
twelve (12) months.
[0101] It will be appreciated that the second resource type may be
automatically provided
to replace or offset the first resource type at the periodic rate until a
request to cancel has been
received. For example, the periodic rate may be every six (6) processor cycles
and as such the
second resource type may be automatically provided to replace or offset the
first resource type
every six (6) processor cycles until a request to cancel has been received. As
another example, the
periodic rate may be every month and as such the second resource type may be
automatically
provided to replace or offset the first resource type every month until a
request to cancel has been
received.
[0102] In one or more embodiments, the resource requester may provide a
service and as
such usage data may be monitored to generate a recommendation to cancel the
service provided
by the resource requester. The service may include a computer resource
management service or
membership or subscription based services such as for example streaming
services, food delivery
services, ride sharing services, music services, gym services, grocery
delivery services, etc.
[0103] Reference is made to FIG. 9, which illustrates, in flowchart form,
a method 700 for
providing a recommendation for cancelling a service provided by the resource
requester. The
method 900 may be implemented by a computing device having suitable processor-
executable
instructions for causing the computing device to carry out the described
operations. The method
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
900 may be implemented, in whole or in part, by the server computer system 120
and/or the
computing device 110.
[0104] The method 900 includes obtaining usage data (step 910).
[0105] In one or more embodiments, the usage data may be obtained from a
third party
server associated with the resource requester. For example, the usage data may
include, for
example, network data, login attempts, etc.
[0106] In one or more embodiments, the usage data may be obtained from the
computing
device 110. For example, the usage data may include location data that
indicates a location of the
computing device 110.
[0107] The method 900 includes analyzing the usage data to determine that
a service
provided by the resource requester is not being used (step 920).
[0108] The usage data may be analyzed to determine that the service
provided by the
resource requester is not being used. For example, the network data may be
analyzed to determine
that the service has not been used within the last period and as such it may
be determined that the
service is not being used. As another example, the location data may be
analyzed to determine
that the computing device 110 and thus the use has not been within proximity
of a physical location
of the service within the last period and as such it may be determined that
the service is not being
used.
[0109] The method 900 includes responsive to determining that the service
provided by
the resource requester is not being used, send, to a computing device, a
signal causing the
computing device to display a user interface that includes a recommendation
for cancelling the
service provided by the resource requester and a selectable interface element
for accepting the
recommendation (step 930).
[0110] The user interface may be similar to the user interface 800
described herein, with
the exception that the recommendation is the recommendation for cancelling the
service provided
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-18
by the resource requester and the selectable interface elements are for
accepting or rejecting the
recommendation.
101111 The method 900 includes receiving, from the computing device, a
signal indicating
selection of the selectable interface element for accepting the recommendation
(step 940).
[0112] The recommendation may be accepted by performing, for example, a
tap gesture
on a display screen of the computing device 110 at a location corresponding to
the location of the
selectable interface element for accepting the recommendation. Responsive to
selection of the
selectable interface element, the computing device 110 sends the signal
indicating selection of the
selectable interface element for accepting the recommendation.
[0113] The method 900 includes sending, to a third party server associated
with the
resource requester, a signal requesting cancellation of the service provided
by the resource
requester (step 950).
[0114] Responsive to receiving the signal indicating selection of the
selectable interface
element for accepting the recommendation, the server computer system 120
and/or the computing
device 110 may perform operations to cancel the service provided by the
resource requester. The
operations may include sending a signal to a third party server associated
with the resource
requester requesting cancellation of the service. The request may include, for
example, an
identifier associated with an account maintained by the third party server for
the service.
[0115] As mentioned, the resource management application may be configured
to present
one or more graphical user interfaces on a display of the computing device 110
and may provide
various resource management functions. Other example resource management
functions may
include reviewing a list of resource requesters that are currently receiving
the second resource type
at the periodic rate.
[0116] In manners described herein, the server computer system 120 and/or
the computing
device 110 may utilize the resource consumption data to manage or schedule the
consumption of
computing resources. For example, the server computer system 120 and/or
computing device 110
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may replace physical memory (such as RAM) being used periodically by a
particular application
with a secondary or external type of memory (such virtual memory) and this may
free up physical
memory for applications that unexpectedly or randomly require memory. Put
another way, by
identifying applications or other computer processes that periodically require
the use of memory,
the server computer system 120 and/or computing device 110 may schedule the
use of external
memory and this may free up the physical memory for the applications or
computer processes that
randomly or unexpectedly require memory.
[0117] The methods described herein may be modified and/or operations of
such methods
combined to provide other methods.
[0118] 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.
[0119] 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.
[0120] As noted, certain adaptations and modifications of the described
embodiments can
be made. Therefore, the herein discussed embodiments are considered to be
illustrative and not
restrictive.
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