Method and system for controlling access to a resource

Claim 1

A method for scheduling the use of a resource, comprising: establishing a plurality of service queues, each respective service queue being operative to accept a requestor requesting a predetermined percentage of a resource; establishing a plurality of time slots, the slots being operative to maintain a reference to the requestor of the resource; assigning a predetermined number of slots to each respective service queue; receiving a request for the resource from the requestor, the request including the predetermined percentage of the resource; assigning the requestor to one of the service queues based on the predetermined percentage of the resource needed and the predetermined number of slots associated with the assigned service queue; allocating the reference to the requestor in a number of slots equal to the number of slots assigned to the service queue to which the requestor was assigned; offering access to the resource to the requestor by traversing the slots from a first slot to a last slot and offering access to the resource to the requestor according to the order of the requestor's reference in the traversed slots wherein each slot receives service based on a predetermined slot interval; and establishing a quota increment for each requestor based on the requested amount of the resource, and wherein the offering access to the resource step further comprises determining if the use of the resource will surpass a respective cumulative quota established for the respective requestor, and if so, denying the requestor the use of the resource, and if not, servicing the requestor, and decrementing the respective cumulative quota associated with the requestor by an amount corresponding to the use of the resource.

Claim 2

A method for scheduling the use of a resource, comprising: establishing a plurality of service queues, each respective service queue being operative to accept a requestor requesting a predetermined percentage of a resource; establishing a plurality of time slots, the slots being operative to maintain a reference to the requestor of the resource; assigning a predetermined number of slots to each respective service queue; receiving a request for the resource from the requestor, the request including the predetermined percentage of the resource; assigning the requestor to one of the service queues based on the predetermined percentage of the resource needed and the predetermined number of slots associated with the assigned service queue; allocating the reference to the requestor in a number of slots equal to the number of slots assigned to the service queue to which the requestor was assigned; offering access to the resource to the requestor by traversing the slots from a first slot to a last slot and offering access to the resource to the requestor according to the order of the requestor's reference in the traversed slots wherein each slot receives service based on a predetermined slot interval; and establishing a quota increment for each requestor based on the requested amount of the resource, and wherein the offering access to the resource step further comprises determining if the use of the resource will surpass a respective cumulative quota established for the respective requestor, and if so, denying the requestor the use of the resource, and if not, servicing the requestor, and decrementing the respective cumulative quota associated with the requestor by an amount corresponding to the use of the resource.

Claim 8

A method for scheduling the use of a resource, comprising: establishing a plurality of service queues q i , where i is an integer and ranges from 1 to a finite integer number n corresponding to a last service queue, a second and all subsequent service queues being serviced by a finite integer number of N times as often as service queue q (i−1) ; establishing a plurality of time slots, the total number of slots being a multiple of N (n−1) . assigning each respective service queue a number of the plurality of slots, the ratio of the number of slots assigned to each respective service queue to the total number of slots being the same ratio as the number of times the respective service queue will be serviced to the number of times service queue q n will be serviced; receiving a request for a resource from a requestor, the request including a requested predetermined percentage of the resource; appointing the requestor to one of the plurality of service queues based on the requested predetermined percentage of the resource needed by the requestor; allocating a reference to the requestor in any slots assigned to the queue to which the requestor was appointed; offering access to the resource to the requestor by sequentially traversing the slots of the appointed service queue from a first slot to a last slot and offering access to the resource to the requestor according to the order of the requestor's reference within the traversed slots of the appointed service queue wherein each slot receives service based on a predetermined slot interval; and establishing a quota increment for each requestor based on the requested amount of the resource, and wherein the offering access to the resource step further comprises determining if the use of the resource will surpass a respective cumulative quota established for the respective requestor, and if so, denying the requestor the use of the resource, and if not, servicing the requestor, and decrementing the respective cumulative quota associated with the requestor by an amount corresponding to the use of the resource.

Claim 9

A method for scheduling the use of a resource, comprising: establishing a plurality of service queues q i , where i is an integer and ranges from 1 to a finite integer number n corresponding to a last service queue, a second and all subsequent service queues being serviced by a finite integer number of N times as often as service queue q (i−1) ; establishing a plurality of time slots, the total number of slots being a multiple of N (n−1) . assigning each respective service queue a number of the plurality of slots, the ratio of the number of slots assigned to each respective service queue to the total number of slots being the same ratio as the number of times the respective service queue will be serviced to the number of times service queue q n will be serviced; receiving a request for a resource from a requestor, the request including a requested predetermined percentage of the resource; appointing the requestor to one of the plurality of service queues based on the requested predetermined percentage of the resource needed by the requestor; allocating a reference to the requestor in any slots assigned to the queue to which the requestor was appointed; offering access to the resource to the requestor by sequentially traversing the slots of the appointed service queue from a first slot to a last slot and offering access to the resource to the requestor according to the order of the requestor's reference within the traversed slots of the appointed service queue wherein each slot receives service based on a predetermined slot interval; and establishing a quota increment for each requestor based on the requested amount of the resource, and wherein the offering access to the resource step further comprises determining if the use of the resource will surpass a respective cumulative quota established for the respective requestor, and if so, denying the requestor the use of the resource, and if not, servicing the requestor, and decrementing the respective cumulative quota associated with the requestor by an amount corresponding to the use of the resource.

Claim 15

A system for scheduling access to a resource, comprising: a plurality of service queues each respective service queue being operative to accept a requestor requesting a predetermined percentage of a resource; a plurality of time slots, the slots being operative to maintain a reference to the requestor of the resource, and a predetermined number of slots being assigned to each respective service queue wherein each slot is serviced based upon a predetermined slot interval; the requestor being operative to issue a request for the resource, the request including the predetermined percentage of the resource; the system being operative to appoint the requestor to one service queue based on the predetermined percentage of the resource needed and the slots assigned to the service queue; and the system being operative to allocate the reference to the requestor in a number of slots equal to the number of slots assigned to the service queue to which the requestor was appointed, access is given to the requestor of the resource by sequentially traversing the slots from a first slot to a last slot and according to the order of the requestor's reference within each slot.

Claim 16

A system for scheduling access to a resource, comprising: a plurality of service queues each respective service queue being operative to accept a requestor requesting a predetermined percentage of a resource; a plurality of time slots, the slots being operative to maintain a reference to the requestor of the resource, and a predetermined number of slots being assigned to each respective service queue wherein each slot is serviced based upon a predetermined slot interval; the requestor being operative to issue a request for the resource, the request including the predetermined percentage of the resource; the system being operative to appoint the requestor to one service queue based on the predetermined percentage of the resource needed and the slots assigned to the service queue; and the system being operative to allocate the reference to the requestor in a number of slots equal to the number of slots assigned to the service queue to which the requestor was appointed, access is given to the requestor of the resource by sequentially traversing the slots from a first slot to a last slot and according to the order of the requestor's reference within each slot.