Patent attributes
A pay-per-use (PPU) software system uses reads metrics data from one or more PPU products and transmits the metrics data to a remote location for processing. The PPU system uses a utility metering appliance that monitors PPU software products on a given internal network through the use of software metering agents that reside on different computers. Metric gathering tools are supplied with the PPU software products and are registered with an agent. The utility metering appliance polls all of the software metering agents, which collect software metrics data from the registered tools. Each agent transmits the data back to the utility metering appliance, where it is stored for periodic transmission to a usage collection and billing system. The usage collection and billing system then forwards the metrics data to a billing computer so that a bill can be issued to the software product user. The software metrics data may also be forwarded to a portal for customer tracking of PPU product usage.
