Event based charging in a communications system

• US 20040255025A1
• Filed: 06/13/2003
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Ricagni, Giuseppe
• Granted Patent: US 7,721,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8207 Time based data metric aspects, e.g. VoIP or circuit switched packet data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8278 Event based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7813 : Time based data, e.g. VoIP or circuit switched packet data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/782 : Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/788 : Event based

Abstract

A communications system in which event based charging is implemented and in which service flows between end user equipments and application servers are filtered for charging purposes by a traffic plane function (TPF). The TPF identifies a service flow between an end user equipment and an application server and implements event based charging by sending a message to an Event Owner for the service flow requesting notification of Events associated with the service flow. The Event Owner sends a message containing an Event Result to the TPF when an Event associated with the service flow occurs and the TPF correlates the Event Result with the service flow. This correlation may include the matching of the Event Result to the service flow which the TPF then notifies to a billing control function so that the billing control function can bill the end user appropriately based on the Events. This correlation may also include the matching of the Event Result to a data download detected by the TPF on the service flow so that the system operator can confirm that the service flows filtered by the TPF match the Events notified to the TPF by the Event Owner.

Claims

1. A communications system in which event based charging is implemented and in which service flows between end user equipments and application servers are filtered for charging purposes by a traffic plane function (TPF), wherein the TPF identifies an instance of service flow between an end user equipment and an application server and sends a message to an event owner for the instance of service flow requesting notification of events associated with the instance of service flow, the event owner sends a reply message containing an event result when an event associated with the instance of service flow occurs which event result is correlated with the instance of service flow.

2. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the reply message is sent to the TPF and the TPF correlates the event result with the instance of service flow.

3. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein to identify a service flow the TPF matches characteristics of the service flow to a triggering criteria and applies associated triggering actions to the service flow.

4. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein to identify a service flow the TPF matches characteristics of the service flow to a triggering criteria and applies associated triggering actions to the service flow, including at least one of the following:

instructions to the TPF on how to filter a service flow matched to the triggering criteria;

instructions to the TPF on how to identify the specific instance of service flow among those matched to the triggering criteria;

instructions to the TPF on how to dynamically filter the specific instance of service flow;

identification of the event owner for a service flow that matched the triggering criteria;

identification of a set of service flow characteristics to be sent to the event owner for end user and session identification;

indication of whether a time stamp should be recorded and communicated to the event owner;

identification of the set of events to be reported by the event owner;

maximum number of events to be reported for the instance of service flow;

maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow before a new message to the event owner from the TPF is sent; and

maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow.

5. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the event owner is a server operated by the operator of the application server.

6. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the TPF allocates a unique identifier to the instance of service flow and includes the identifier in the message to the event owner.

7. A communications system according to claim 6 wherein the event owner includes the identifier with the event result in the reply message to the TPF.

8. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the TPF includes at least one of the following in the message to the event owner:

a unique identifier allocated by the TPF for the instance of service flow;

a set of flow characteristics for end user and session identification;

information on the set of events to be reported by the event owner;

a timestamp, as recorded by the TPF;

a maximum number of events to be reported;

a maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow before a new message to the event owner from the TPF is sent;

a maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow; and

an address of a device the event owner should send event results, if different from the TPF.

9. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the event result contains information enabling an operator of the communications system to confirm by filtering of the instance of service flow that the event has taken place.

10. A communications system according to claim 1 in which the TPF allocates a unique identifier to the instance of service flow and additionally including a billing system which co-operates with the TPF to implement pre-paid and/or post-paid billing in which the billing system correlates the event result with the instance of service flow by means of the unique identifier.

11. A communication system according to claim 1 additionally including a billing system, wherein the billing system, in response to the occurrence of an event, retrospectively amends charges incurred for the instance of service flow before that event occurred.

12. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the TPF correlates the event result with the instance of service flow by matching the event result to the instance of service flow and notifying a billing system of the match.

13. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the event result is correlated with the instance of service flow by matching the event result to an event detected by the TPF on the instance of service flow.

14. A communications system according to claim 2 in which the TPF notifies the event result and the instance of service flow to a billing system and the billing system implements debiting, crediting and/or discounting to the user of the end user equipment based on the event result.

15. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the event is one of the following:

a purchase of goods or services from the application server;

a download of data from the application server;

access to a specific page on the application server;

access to a particular videoclip streaming service on the application server;

completion of a videoclip streaming from the application server;

or

a predetermined situation of usage of the application on the server, for example, the end user has reached a given score in a gaming application.

16. A communications system according to claim 1 additionally including a billing system in which the TPF allocates a unique identifier to the instance of service flow and notifies it to the event owner, the event owner includes the unique identifier in the event result and sends the reply message to the billing system and the TPF sends results of the filtering of the instance of service flow to the billing system identifying the instance of service flow by the unique identifier wherein the billing system correlates the filtering results and the event result based on the unique identifier.

17. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the TPF includes a gateway node interfacing an access network of the end user equipment with a further network via which the end user equipment communicates with the application server.

18. A traffic plane function (TPF) for implementing event based charging in a communications system by filtering service flows between end user equipments and application servers wherein the TPF identifies an instance of service flow between an end user equipment and an application server and sends a message to an event owner for the instance of service flow requesting notification of events associated with the instance of service flow.

19. A TPF according to claim 18 wherein the TPF receives a reply message from the event owner when an event occurs for the instance of service flow which message contains an event result and the TPF correlates the event result with the instance of service flow.

20. A TPF according to claim 18 wherein to identify a service flow the TPF matches characteristics of the service flow to triggering criteria and applies associated the triggering actions to the service flow.

21. A TPF according to claim 18 wherein to identify a service flow the TPF matches characteristics of the service flow to triggering criteria and applies associated the triggering actions to the service flow, including at least one of the following:

instructions to the TPF on how to filter a service flow matched to the triggering criteria;

instructions to the TPF on how to identify the specific instance of service flow among those matched to the triggering criteria;

instructions to the TPF on how to dynamically filter the specific instance of service flow;

identification of the event owner for a service flow that matched the triggering criteria;

identification of a set of service flow characteristics to be sent to the event owner for end user and session identification;

indication of whether a time stamp should be recorded and communicated to the event owner;

identification of the set of events to be reported by the event owner;

maximum number of events to be reported for the instance of service flow;

maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow before a new message to the event owner from the TPF is sent; and

maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow.

22. A TPF according to claim 18 which includes at least one of the following in the message to the event owner:

a unique identifier allocated by the TPF for the instance of service flow;

a set of flow characteristics for end user and session identification;

information on the set of events to be reported by the event owner;

a timestamp, as recorded by the TPF;

a maximum number of events to be reported;

a maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow before a new message to the event owner from the TPF is sent;

a maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow; and

an address of a device the event owner should send event reports, if different from the TPF.

23. A TPF according to claim 18 which allocates a unique identifier to the instance of service flow and includes the identifier in the message to the event owner.

24. A TPF according to claim 18 which correlates the event result with the instance of service flow by matching the event result to the instance of service flow and notifying a billing system of the match.

25. A TPF according to claim 18 which correlates the event result with the instance of service flow by matching the event result to an event detected by the TPF on the instance of service flow.

26. A TPF according to claim 18 which includes a gateway node interfacing an access network for end user equipments with a further network via which end user equipments communicate with the application servers.

27. A event owner of an application server for which event based charging is implemented for service flows between end user equipments and the application server by a traffic plane function (TPF) filtering the service flows for charging purposes, wherein the event owner receives a message from such a TPF requesting notification of events associated with an instance of service flow and in response sends a message to such a TPF containing an event result when an event occurs.

28. An event owner according to claim 27 wherein the event owner generates an event result containing information enabling an operator of the TPF to confirm by filtering of the instance of service flow that the event has taken place.

29. An event owner according to claim 27 wherein the event is one of the following:

a purchase of goods or services from the application server;

a download of data from the application server;

access to a specific page on the application server;

access to a particular videoclip streaming service on the application server;

completion of a videoclip streaming from the application server;

or

a predetermined situation of usage of the application on the server, for example, the end user has reached a given score in a gaming application.

30. An event owner according to claim 27 wherein the message received from such a TPF contains at least one of the following:

a unique identifier of the instance of service flow allocated by such a TPF;

a set of flow characteristics for end user and session identification;

information on the set of events to be reported by the event owner;

a timestamp, as recorded by such a TPF;

a maximum number of events to be reported;

a maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow before a new message to the event owner from such a TPF is sent;

a maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow and

an address of the device the event owner should send event results, if different from the TPF.

31. A method of event based charging in a communications system wherein service flows between end user equipments and application servers are filtered for charging purposes by a traffic plane function (TPF), the method comprising the steps of:

the TPF identifying an instance of service flow between an end user equipment and an application server;

the TPF sending a message to an event owner for the instance of service flow requesting notification of events associated with the instance of service flow;

the event owner sending a reply message in response containing an event result when an event associated with the instance of service flow occurs; and

the method additionally comprising the step of correlating the event result with the instance of service flow.

32. A method according to claim 31 comprising the steps of the event owner sending the reply message to the TPF and the TPF correlating the event result with the instance of service flow.

33. A method according to claim 31 wherein the step of the TPF identifying a service flow includes the step of the TPF matching characteristics of the service flow to triggering criteria and applying the associated triggering actions to the service flow.

34. A method according to claim 31 wherein the step of the TPF identifying a service flow includes the step of the TPF matching characteristics of the service flow to triggering criteria and applying the associated triggering actions to the service flow, including at least one of the following:

instructions to the TPF on how to filter a service flow matched to the triggering criteria;

instructions to the TPF on how to identify the specific instance of service flow among those matched to the triggering criteria;

instructions to the TPF on how to dynamically filter the specific instance of service flow;

identification of the event owner for a service flow that matched the triggering criteria;

identification of a set of service flow characteristics to be sent to the event owner for end user and session identification;

indication of whether a time stamp should be recorded and communicated to the event owner;

identification of the set of events to be reported by the event owner;

maximum number of events to be reported for the instance of service flow;

maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow before a new message to the event owner from the TPF is sent; and

maximum number of events allowed for the instance of service flow.

35. A method according to claim 31 wherein the step of the TPF sending a message to an event owner comprises the step of the TPF allocating a unique identifier to the instance of service flow and including the identifier in the message.

36. A method according to claim 31 wherein event owner carries out the step of generating an event result which contains information enabling an operator of the communications system to confirm by filtering of the instance of service flow that the event has taken place.

37. A method according to claim 32 wherein the step of the TPF correlating the event result with the instance of service flow is achieved by matching the event result to the instance of service flow and notifying a billing system of the match.

38. A method according to claim 31 wherein the step of correlating the event result with the instance of service flow is achieved by matching the event result to an event detected by the TPF on the instance of service flow.

39. A method according to claim 32 wherein the communication system includes a billing system, comprising the additional steps of the billing system, in response to the occurrence of an event, retrospectively amending charges incurred for the instance of service flow before that event occurred.

40. A method according to claim 31 wherein the event is one of the following:

a purchase of goods or services from the application server;

a download of data from the application server;

access to a specific page on the application server;

access to a particular videoclip streaming service on the application server;

completion of a videoclip streaming from the application server;

or

a predetermined situation of usage of the application on the server, for example, the end user has reached a given score in a gaming application.