Michelle B Maislen

US Patent:

20080184283, Jul 31, 2008

Filed:

Apr 6, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/697354

Inventors:

Michelle Maislen - Woodinville WA, US
Garrett R. Vargas - Sammamish WA, US
Curt Andrew Steeb - Redmond WA, US
Jeffrey Alan Herold - Bellevue WA, US
Martin H. Hall - Sammamish WA, US
Isaac P. Ahdout - Bellevue WA, US

Assignee:

MICROSOFT CORPORATION - Redmond WA

International Classification:

H04N 7/16

US Classification:

725 1

Abstract:

A management console may be used to monitor available usage on a pay-per-use electronic device, such as a pay-per-use computer. When the management console determines that any of tie monitored electronic devices has reached a trigger level the management console may re-charge the electronic device with value. The value may be taken from a local pool of value stored at the management console or the an add-value transaction may be generated at the management console on behalf of the pay-per-use electronic device. In an Internet cafe or similar environment, the use of the management console shields individual users from usage purchase transactions for individual pay-per-use electronic devices.