Method and device for providing more accurate subscriber device billing

• US 20040107241A1
• Filed: 11/29/2002
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jayapalan, Jay, Ramanna, Shreesha
• Granted Patent: US 6,934,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges

Abstract

A PDSN (18) includes a usage recording agent (19) for distinguishing between nonbillable and billable activity of a subscriber device 12. The usage recording agent (19) creates a record of a total number of bytes transmitted from the PDSN (18) to the RAN (14), counts bytes that are retransmitted from the PDSN (18) for providing a retransmitted byte total, and forwards the retransmitted byte total and the record to an AAA (28) so that the record can be adjusted in accordance with the retransmitted byte total.

Claims

1. A method for more accurately recording subscriber device activity comprising:

creating a record that comprises a total number of bytes transmitted from a packet data serving node;

counting bytes that are retransmitted from the packet data serving node for providing a retransmitted byte total; and

forwarding the retransmitted byte total to an accounting node so that the record can be adjusted in accordance with the retransmitted byte total.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a retransmission of bytes, wherein the counting bytes that are retransmitted from a packet data serving node is performed after detecting a retransmission of bytes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the detecting a retransmission of bytes is done by monitoring for one of a duplicate transmission control protocol acknowledgement from a subscriber device and a retransmitted transmission control protocol packet from a connection to Internet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the counting bytes that are retransmitted from the packet data serving node further comprises counting bytes that are transmitted with compressed headers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the counting bytes that are retransmitted from the packet data serving node for providing a retransmitted byte total further comprises counting application layer bytes that are retransmitted; and

the forwarding the retransmitted byte total to an accounting node so that the record can be adjusted in accordance with the retransmitted byte total further comprises forwarding the retransmitted byte total as a 3GPP2 attribute to the accounting node.

6. A method for more accurately recording subscriber device activity comprising:

creating a record that comprises a total number of bytes transmitted from a packet data serving node;

counting bytes that are retransmitted from the packet data serving node for providing a retransmitted byte total;

adjusting the record in accordance with the retransmitted byte total by subtracting the retransmitted byte total from the total number of bytes for providing an adjusted record.

7. A method for more accurately recording subscriber device activity comprising:

determining if bearer data was sent during an airtime period in which a subscriber device is on a traffic channel; and

forwarding an airtime record of data activity during the airtime period to an authentication authorization and accounting node only if the determining if bearer data was sent during an airtime period determines that bearer data was sent, thereby preventing signaling data from distorting a total record of total data activity during all airtime periods.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining if bearer data was sent during an airtime period further comprises monitoring protocol identifications of data sent over the traffic channel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining if bearer data was sent during an airtime period further comprises determining if a point to point protocol initiation and handshake was performed during the airtime record.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining if bearer data was sent during an airtime period further comprises determining if a subscriber device protocol registration was performed during the airtime record.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining if bearer data was sent during an airtime period further comprises determining if an inter packet control function handoff was performed and no data was sent or received during the airtime record.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining if bearer data was sent during an airtime period further comprises determining if a link control protocol echo or response was sent or received during the airtime record.

13. A method for more accurately recording subscriber device activity comprising:

determining if a subscriber device has responded to a notification of data arrival sent from a radio access network; and

accumulating a byte count only if the determining if a subscriber device has responded to a notification of data arrival sent from a radio access network determines that the subscriber device has responded to the notification of data arrival.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining if a subscriber device has responded to a notification of data arrival sent from a radio access network further comprises determining if an active start indication has been received from a packet control function.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the accumulating a byte count only if the determining if a subscriber device has responded to a notification of data arrival sent from a radio access network determines that the subscriber device has responded to the notification of data arrival further comprises accumulating the byte count in a usage data record only if the determining if an active start indication has been received from a packet control function determines that the packet control function has sent the active start indication.

16. A usage recording agent arranged to provide accurate billing of a subscriber device, the usage recording agent when installed and executing at a serving node resulting in the serving node:

determining if predetermined nonbillable activity was performed during a time period;

creating a record corresponding to the nonbillable activity; and

forwarding the record to an accounting node so that a transmitted byte total can be adjusted in accordance with the record.

17. The usage recording agent of claim 16, wherein:

the predetermined nonbillable activity comprises a retransmission of bytes by the serving node;

the creating a record corresponding to the nonbillable activity further comprises counting bytes that are retransmitted from a serving node for providing the record to comprise a retransmitted byte total; and

the forwarding the record to an accounting node so that a transmitted byte total can be adjusted in accordance with the record further comprises forwarding the record to the accounting node so that the retransmitted byte total can be subtracted from the transmitted byte total.

18. The usage recording agent of claim 16, wherein:

the predetermined nonbillable activity comprises a retransmission of bytes by the serving node;

the creating a record corresponding to the nonbillable activity further comprises counting bytes that are retransmitted from a packet data serving node for providing a retransmitted byte total and subtracting the retransmitted byte total from the transmitted byte total for providing an adjusted record; and

the forwarding the record to an accounting node so that a transmitted byte total can be adjusted in accordance with the record further comprises forwarding the adjusted record to the accounting node.

19. The usage recording agent of claim 16, wherein the predetermined nonbillable activity comprises sending signaling data.

20. The usage recording agent of claim 19, wherein the signaling data comprises one of a point to point protocol initiation and handshake, a subscriber device internet protocol registration, an inter packet control function handoff and a link control protocol echo or response.

21. The usage recording agent of claim 16, wherein the predetermined nonbillable activity comprises the sending of data while the subscriber device has not responded to a notification of data arrival during the time period.