Apparatus for collecting charging information of a data service and charging method thereof

• US 20060193344A1
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nie, Ynabo, Huan, Xuanyi, Wang, Li, Shan, Mingjun
• Granted Patent: US 8,488,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/466
• 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 12/141 Indication of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/96 Distributed calculation of charges, e.g. in different nodes like for mobiles between HLR and VLR, or between the terminal and the billing function

Abstract

The present invention discloses an apparatus for collecting charging information of data service and charging method thereof. The apparatus comprises: a protocol distribution processing module, for classifying service data received from a gateway service node in the wireless network by the protocol type, and sending the classified service data to a protocol processing module of the corresponding protocol type; receiving service data from said one or more than one protocol processing module and sending the service data to the gateway service node; at least one protocol processing module, for receiving the classified service data from the protocol distribution processing module, obtaining charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to a charging system, and transparently transmitting the service data to a packet switched domain network; receiving the service data from a packet switched domain network, obtaining the charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to the charging system, and transparently transmitting the service data to the protocol distribution processing module. This invention can accurately collect the charging information of service data of various classes.

Claims

1. An apparatus applied in a wireless network for collecting charging information of a data service, comprising:

a protocol distribution processing module for classifying service data received from a gateway service node in the wireless network by protocol type of service data, and sending the classified service data to a protocol processing module of corresponding protocol type;

receiving service data from one or more than one protocol processing module and sending the service data to a gateway service node; and

said one or more than one protocol processing module for receiving the classified service data from the protocol distribution processing module corresponding to the protocol type, obtaining charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to a charging system, and transmitting the service data transparently to a packet switched domain network;

receiving the service data from a packet switched domain network, obtaining the charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to the charging system, and transmitting the service data transparently to the protocol distribution processing module.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is situated on a Gi interface between the gateway service node of the wireless network and the packet switched domain network.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is integrated into the gateway service node of the wireless network or a Wireless Application Protocol gateway of the wireless network.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said protocol processing module comprises at least one of following modules:

a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTFP) processing module, for receiving HTTP service data from the protocol distribution processing module, obtaining charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to the charging system, and transparently transmitting the service data to the packet switched domain network;

receiving HTFP service data from the packet switched domain network, obtaining charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to the charging system, and transparently transmitting the service data to the protocol distribution processing module;

a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) processing module, for receiving WAP service data from the protocol distribution processing module, obtaining charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to the charging system, and transparently transmitting the service data to the packet switched domain network;

receiving WAP service data from the packet switched domain network, obtaining charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to the charging system, and transparently transmitting the service data to the protocol distribution processing module;

a Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) processing module, for receiving TCP/IP service data from the protocol distribution processing module, obtaining charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to the charging system, and transparently transmitting the service data to the packet switched domain network;

receiving TCP/IP service data from the packet switched domain network, obtaining the charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to the charging system, and transparently transmitting the service data to the protocol distribution processing module;

a Real Time Protocol/ Real Time Session Protocol (RTP/RTSP) processing module, for receiving RTP/RTSP service data from the protocol distribution processing module, obtaining charging information of the service data and sending the charging information to the charging system, and transparently transmitting the service data to the packet switched domain network;

receiving RTP/RTSP service data from the packet switched domain network and obtaining charging information of the service data, sending the charging information to the charging system, and transparently transmitting the service data to the protocol distribution processing module.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging information comprises at least:

time and date for receiving the service data, number and password of a Mobile Station (MS) for receiving the service data, protocol type adopted by the service data, Internet Protocol (IP) port number of the service data, Access Point Name (APN), Quality of Service (QoS), and transmitted bytes of uplink or downlink service data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the protocol processing module is an HTTP processing module, said charging information further comprises:

a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said classifying the service data by protocol type comprises:

performing the classification according to the IP port number of the service data.

8. A charging method for data service in a wireless network, comprising:

A. deciding protocol type of received service data, and classifying the received service data in terms of the protocol type of the service data;

B. obtaining charging information of the received service data having been classified according to protocol type, respectively, and sending the obtained charging information to a charging system for charging.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said protocol type of the service data is HTTP, or/and WAP, or/and TCP/IP, or/and RTP/RTSP.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the charging information comprises:

time and date for receiving the service data, number and password of a MS for receiving the service data, protocol type adopted by the service data, IP port number of the service data, APN, QoS, and transmitted bytes of uplink or downlink service data; and

when the protocol processing module is an HTFP processing module, said charging information further comprises;

a URL.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein said procedure of sending the charging information of the service data to a charging system in step B comprises:

deciding whether the MS desiring to access the service data is a prepaid user, if yes, transferring the charging information of the service data to a prepaid charging system for charging;

otherwise, transferring the charging information of the service data to a real-time charging system for charging.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said procedure of charging in step B comprises:

deciding whether the service data has been charged according to the charging information, if yes, no more processing being carried out on this charging information;

otherwise, performing charging for the service data according to the charging information.