System, method, and network elements for providing a service such as an advice of charge supplementary service in a communication network

• US 20060212511A1
• Filed: 05/05/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Garcia-Martin, Miguel
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

The invention provides a system, method, and network elements for providing a service, preferably an advice of charge, AoC, service requested by a user equipment at a session set-up or during a session. An application server provides information for the requested service to the user equipment. In an embodiment, authorisation information and the information for the requested service may be sent to the user equipment. Depending on an input by the user or other type of confirmation such as expiration of a timer, the user equipment may initiate continuation of the session, for example by generating an authorisation response based on the received authorisation information, and sending the generated authorisation response to the application server for verification.

Claims

1. A system for providing a supplementary service for a communication service, the system comprising:

an application server providing information for a requested supplementary service to a user equipment, wherein the application server is configured to generate authorisation information and to send the generated authorisation information and the information for the requested supplementary service to the user equipment,

wherein the user equipment is configured to provide information for the requested supplementary service to a user of the user equipment, to generate an authorisation response based on the received authorisation information, and to send the generated authorisation response to the application server for verification, and

wherein the application server is configured to verify the authorisation response and to decide on further proceeding with the communication service.

2. The system according to claims 1, wherein the application server is configured to receive at least part of the information for the requested supplementary service from at least one further entity.

3. A system for providing a supplementary service for a communication service, the system comprising:

an application server providing information for the requested supplementary service to a user equipment, wherein the application server is configured to send, or initiate the sending of, the information for the requested supplementary service to the user equipment, and wherein the user equipment is configured to provide information for the requested supplementary service to a user of the user equipment and to further proceed with the communication service either automatically or after receipt of a confirmation by the user.

4. A method for providing a supplementary service for a communication service, the method comprises:

providing, by an application server, information for the supplementary service to a user equipment, the application server generating authorisation information and sending the generated authorisation information and the information for the supplementary service to the user equipment;

providing, by the user equipment, information for the supplementary service to a user of the user equipment, generating an authorisation response based on the received authorisation information, and sending the generated authorisation response to the application server for verification; and

verifying, by the application server, the response and deciding on further proceeding with the communication service.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the supplementary service is an advice of charge service.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising generating, by the user equipment, the authorisation response depending on an input by the user or automatically.

7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising generating, by the user equipment, the authorisation response automatically after expiry of a defined time interval when an input by the user is not received.

8. The method according to claim 4, further comprising receiving, by the application server, at least part of the information for the requested supplementary service from at least one further entity.

9. The method according to claim 4, further comprising including at least one of a username, a password and a challenge in the authorisation information generated by the application server.

10. The method according to claim 4, further comprising sending, by the application server, parts of the authorisation information to the user equipment in different messages generated by the application server.

11. The method according to claim 4, further comprising sending, by the application server to the user equipment, a first message including charging information, a password, and correlation information, and a second message which is an authentication request with a challenge to be used in case the user equipment is configured, or the user instructs the user equipment, to proceed with the requested session set-up or session.

12. The method according to claim 4, further comprising requesting, by the user equipment, the communication service for which the supplementary service is provided.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising:

requesting for the supplementary service to hold processing of the communication service until a confirmation is received to proceed with the communication service.

14. The method according to claim 4, further comprising sending, by the user equipment, said authorisation response in a communication service session set-up message.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising constructing said communication service session set-up message based on an original request for said communication service session.

16. The method according to claim 4, wherein further proceeding with a session setup comprises forwarding of the session setup of the communication service en route to a destination.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the step of proceeding with the session setup comprises:

acting as a terminating endpoint from a signalling for the session setup of a communication service;

acting as an originating endpoint for signalling for a new session setup of the communication service, including generating a new session setup of the communication service addressed to the destination of the communication service; and

correlating the information between the terminating and originating endpoints of the session setup of the communication service.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising by the user equipment:

informing or displaying, in response to the first message, the charging information to the user;

generating, in case the user has previously configured the user equipment to automatically proceed, or the user instructs the user equipment to proceed with the requested session set-up or session of a communication service, the authorisation response to the second message based on the password; and

sending the generated authorisation response to the application server.

19. The method according to claim 4, further comprising informing, by the user equipment, the user of the user equipment on the received information for the requested supplementary service, waiting for confirmation from the user of the user equipment for continuing with the session or session set-up of the communication service and generating or sending the authorisation response only after receiving the requested confirmation.

20. The method according to claim 4, further comprising informing, by the user equipment, the user of the user equipment about the received information for the requested supplementary service, and waiting for a configured period of time in which the user is able to cancel the requested communication service, wherein in absence of such cancellation at the end of the period of time the user equipment automatically generates the confirmation.

21. The method according to claim 4, wherein the information for the requested supplementary service is charge information, the method further comprising comparing, by the user equipment, the charge information with a predetermined limit, and generating or sending the authorisation response automatically if the charge is under, or does not exceed, the predetermined limit.

22. The method according to claim 4, further comprising using filter criteria stored for a user of the user equipment for deciding on providing the supplementary service.

23. A method for providing a supplementary service for a session of a communication service, comprising:

receiving a request for providing a session of a communication service to a user equipment;

sending information for the supplementary service to the user equipment in a first message;

including in the request in indication that said supplementary service is to be provided; and

forwarding the request towards the user equipment.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising including in the first message correlation information to correlate the information for the supplementary service with said request.

25. A user equipment for use with a system for providing a supplementary service, wherein the user equipment is configured to

receive information for the supplementary service and authorisation information,

to provide information for the supplementary service to a user of the user equipment,

to generate, preferably depending on preconditions met, an authorisation response based on the received authorisation information, and

to send the generated authorisation response for verification.

26. The user equipment according to claim 25, wherein the service is an advice of charge service.

27. The user equipment according to claim 25, wherein said precondition is one of an input by the user and expiry of a timer together with absence of cancellation by the user.

28. The user equipment according to claim 25, wherein the user equipment is configured to send said authorisation response in a communication service session set-up message.

29. The user equipment according to claim 28, wherein said communication service session set-up message is constructed based on an original request for said communication service session.

30. The user equipment according to claim 25, wherein the user equipment is configured to generate a session setup of a communication service wherein the session setup further comprises a request for a supplementary service.

31. The user equipment according to claim 25, wherein the user equipment is configured to generate an indication of whether the request for the supplementary service must interrupt the setup of the communication service or not.

32. The user equipment according to 25, wherein the user equipment is configured to inform the user of the user equipment about the received information for the requested service, and to wait for confirmation from the user of the user equipment for continuing with the session or session set-up of the communication service.

33. The user equipment according to claim 32, wherein the user equipment is configured to generate or send the authorisation response only after at least one of receiving the requested confirmation from the user of the user equipment for continuing with the session or session set-up or expiring a timer controlling a period of time enabling user cancellation of the communication service, for continuing with the session or session set-up.

34. A user equipment for providing a supplementary service for a session of a communication service, wherein the user equipment is configured to receive in a first message instructions that information for the supplementary service is to be provided, to obtain the information for the supplementary service according to the instructions, and to display or inform the information to a user of the user equipment.

35. The user equipment according to claim 34, wherein the user equipment is configured to receive a second message including charging information and the instructions in the first message inform the user equipment that charging information has been provided.

36. The user equipment according to claim 34, wherein the user equipment is configured to receive a second message including an address at which charging information is available, and when the user equipment requests charging information, to receive the charging information stored at the address, and to inform the user on the charging information.

37. A application server for use with a system for providing a supplementary service for a communication service, the application server being configured to provide information for the requested supplementary service to a user equipment in relation with the communication service,

wherein the application server is configured to generate authorisation information and to send the generated authorisation information and the information for the requested service to the user equipment, and to receive an authorisation response for verification, and

wherein the application server is configured to verify a authorisation response received from the user equipment and to decide on further proceeding with the session set-up or the session of the communication service.

38. The application server according to claim 37, wherein the service is an advice of charge service.

39. The application server according to claim 37, wherein the application server is configured to receive at least part of the information for the requested supplementary service from at least one further entity.

40. The application server according to claim 37, wherein the application server is configured to send parts of the authorisation information to the user equipment in different messages.

41. The application server according to claim 37, wherein the application server is configured to send, to the user equipment, a first message including charging information and a password, and a second message which is an authentication request with a challenge to be used in case the user instructs the user equipment to proceed with the requested session set-up or session.