Call control with converged application server logic and gateway logic in IMS networks

• US 20060114913A1
• Filed: 11/30/2004
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Peng, Cai, Yigang, Li, Xiang Yang, Zhao, Jay Z.
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.520
• 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: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/57 for integrated multimedia messaging subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/59 based on real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/62 based on trigger specification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/63 based on the content carried by the session initiation protocol [SIP] messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/785 Reserving amount on the account
• 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 15/8292 Charging for signaling or unsuccessful connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2013 : Fixed data network, e.g. PDN, ATM, B-ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 : UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/208 : IMS, i.e. Integrated Multimedia messaging Subsystem
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7295 : Reserve amount, e.g. according to estimated costs for a typical communication duration or according to the estimated volume to be transferred
• 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

Abstract

IMS call control nodes and methods are disclosed for providing online charging in an IMS network. An IMS call control node receives a call message from a CSCF through a first interface for a call session, and determines whether to execute Application Server (AS) logic or gateway logic responsive to the call message. If the processing system determines that the call message should be processed with the AS logic, then the processing system executes the AS logic to perform a service and to contact the OCS for online charging for the service. If the processing system determines that the call message should be processed with the gateway logic, then the processing system executes the gateway logic to perform call session control and to contact the OCS for online charging for the call session.

Claims

1. An IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) call control node for providing online charging in an IMS network, the IMS call control node comprising:

a first interface for communicating with a call session control function (CSCF) according to a first protocol;

a second interface for communicating with an online charging server (OCS) according to a second protocol;

a processing system coupled to the first interface and the second interface;

application server (AS) logic executable by the processing system to provide a plurality of services; and

gateway logic executable by the processing system;

the processing system;

receives a call message from the CSCF through the first interface according to the first protocol,

determines whether to execute the AS logic or the gateway logic responsive to the call message,

executes the AS logic to perform a service responsive to a determination to execute the AS logic, and

executes the AS logic to contact the OCS for online charging for the service through the second interface according to the second protocol.

2. The IMS call control node of claim 1 wherein the AS logic contacts the OCS by transmitting a Diameter Credit Control Application request message to the OCS.

3. The IMS call control node of claim 2 wherein the AS logic inserts charging information for the service into a new field of the Diameter Credit Control Application request message to report the charging information for the service to the OCS.

4. The IMS call control node of claim 1 wherein the call message comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message.

5. The IMS call control node of claim 1 wherein the processing system:

executes the gateway logic to perform call session control responsive to a determination to execute the gateway logic, and

executes the gateway logic to contact the OCS for online charging for the call session through the second interface according to the second protocol.

6. The IMS call control node of claim 5 wherein the processing system contacts the-OCS for online charging for the call session by executing the gateway logic to:

process the call message in the first protocol to determine whether to contact the OCS for online charging for the call session;

generate a request message in the second protocol that comprises a charging request for the call session responsive to a determination to contact the OCS, wherein generating the request message includes mapping fields of the call message in the first protocol to fields in the request message in the second protocol; and

transmit the request message to the OCS through the second interface.

7. The IMS call control node of claim 6 wherein the request message comprises a Diameter Credit Control Application request message.

8. The IMS call control node of claim 1 further comprising:

an application server (AS) manager that processes the call message and generates a sequence list for executing the AS logic to perform the service.

9. A method of operating an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) call control node for providing online charging in an IMS network, wherein the IMS call control node comprises a first interface for communicating with a call session control function (CSCF) according to a first protocol, a second interface for communicating with an online charging server (OCS) according to a second protocol, a processing system coupled to the first interface and the second interface, Application Server (AS) logic, and gateway logic, the method comprising:

receiving a call message in the processing system from the CSCF through the first interface according to the first protocol,

determining whether to execute the AS logic or the gateway logic responsive to the call message,

executing the AS logic in the processing system to perform a service responsive to a determination to execute the AS logic, and

executing the AS logic in the processing system to contact the OCS for online charging for the service through the second interface according to the second protocol.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of executing the AS logic in the processing system to contact the OCS comprises:

executing the AS logic to transmit a Diameter Credit Control Application request message to the OCS.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of executing the AS logic to transmit a Diameter Credit Control Application request message to the OCS comprises:

executing the AS logic to insert charging information for the service into a new field of the Diameter Credit Control Application request message to report the charging information for the service to the OCS.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the call message comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

executing the gateway logic in the processing system to perform call session control responsive to a determination to execute the gateway logic, and

executing the gateway logic in the processing system to contact the OCS for online charging for the call session through the second interface according to the second protocol.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of executing the gateway logic in the processing system to contact the OCS for online charging comprises:

processing the call message in the first protocol to determine whether to contact the OCS for online charging for the call session;

generating a request message in the second protocol that comprises a charging request for the call session responsive to a determination to contact the OCS, wherein generating the request message includes mapping fields of the call message in the first protocol to fields in the request message in the second protocol; and

transmitting the request message to the OCS through the second interface.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the request message comprises a Diameter Credit Control Application request message.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of executing the AS logic in the processing system to perform a service comprises:

processing the call message in an application server (AS) manager; and

generating a sequence list for executing the AS logic to perform the service.

17. An IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) call control node for providing online charging in an IMS network, the IMS call control node comprising:

an IMS service control (ISC) interface for communicating with a call session control function (CSCF) according to ISC protocol;

an Ro interface for communicating with an online charging server (OCS) according to Ro protocol;

a processing system coupled to the ISC interface and the Ro interface;

application server (AS) logic executable by the processing system to provide a plurality of services; and

gateway logic executable by the processing system;

the processing system;

receives a call message from the CSCF through the ISC interface according to the ISC protocol,

determines whether to execute the AS logic or the gateway logic responsive to the call message,

executes the AS logic to perform a service responsive to a determination to execute the AS logic, and executes the AS logic to contact the OCS for online charging for the service through the Ro interface according to the Ro protocol, and

executes the gateway logic to perform call session control responsive to a determination to execute the gateway logic, and executes the gateway logic to contact the OCS for online charging for the call session through the Ro interface according to the Ro protocol.

18. The IMS call control node of claim 17 wherein the AS logic contacts the OCS by transmitting a Diameter Credit Control Application request message to the OCS, wherein the Diameter Credit Control Application request message includes an extension field.

19. The IMS call control node of claim 18 wherein the AS logic inserts charging information for the service into the extension field of the Diameter Credit Control Application request message to report the charging information for the service to the OCS.

20. The IMS call control node of claim 19 wherein the gateway logic contacts the OCS by transmitting a Diameter Credit Control Application request message to the OCS.