Charging network, charging agent apparatus and charging method

• US 20070018786A1
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• 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: Shan, Mingjun
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,128 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• 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 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/57 for integrated multimedia messaging subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/208 IMS, i.e. Integrated Multimedia messaging Subsystem

Abstract

The present invention discloses a charging network, including: a service unit, a charging system and a charging agent apparatus; the charging agent apparatus is responsible for connecting the service unit and the charging system, receiving a charging event sent from a service unit, determining a corresponding charging system and generating a charging request according to the information carried in the charging event, and sending the generated charging request to the corresponding charging system. Also, a charging agent apparatus and a charging method are provided by this invention. The charging agent apparatus is added into the charging network, responsible for interacting with service units and charging systems, thus reducing the complexity of the service units as well as the charging network.

Claims

1. A charging network, comprising:

a service unit, generating charging events while services are processed;

a charging system, receiving charging requests and debiting accounts according to the charging requests;

a charging agent apparatus connected to the service unit and the charging system, receiving a charging event generated by the service unit, determining a corresponding charging system and generating a charging request according to the charging event, and sending the charging request to the corresponding charging system.

2. The charging network according to claim 1, further comprising:

an authentication information database, interacting with the charging agent apparatus to authenticate a user.

3. The charging network according to claim 2, wherein the authentication information database may be a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), a Home Location Register (HLR), or a customer service center.

4. The charging network according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rating engine, storing tariff information and interacting with the charging agent apparatus to provide tariff information to the charging agent apparatus;

wherein the charging agent apparatus generates a charging request according to the tariff information sent from the rating engine.

5. The charging network according to claim 1, wherein the charging agent apparatus comprises:

an interface module configured to receive charging events from other devices located in a communication network;

a management module configured to assign a corresponding charging system to every said charging events received by the interface module;

a charging module configured to generate a charging request based on one of the charging events, and send the charging request to the corresponding charging system via the interface module.

6. The charging network according to claim 5, wherein the charging module acquires tariff information and generates a charging request according to said tariff information.

7. The charging network according to claim 6, wherein the charging agent apparatus further comprises:

an authentication module, authenticating the user according to the charging event received by the interface module, and sending the authentication result information to the charging module; and

the charging module further generates a charging request according to the authentication result information.

8. The charging network according to claim 6, wherein the charging agent apparatus further comprises:

a credit control module, authorizing the credit of the user according to the charging event received by the interface module, and the tariff information acquired by the charging module, and sending the credit authorization result to the charging module; and

the charging module further generates a charging request according to the credit authorization result.

9. The charging network according to claim 5, wherein the charging module performs correlation for charging events received by the interface module, conducts aggregation for the tariff information corresponding to the different charging events to generate one charging request, and sends the charging request via the interface module to the corresponding charging system determined by the management module.

10. A charging agent apparatus in a communication network, comprising:

an interface module configured to receive charging events from other devices located in the communication network;

a management module configured to assign a corresponding charging system to every said charging events received by the interface module;

a charging module configured to generate a charging request based on one of the charging events, and send the charging request to the corresponding charging system via the interface module.

11. The charging agent apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the charging module is further used for acquiring tariff information and generating a charging request according to the tariff information.

12. The charging agent apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the charging agent apparatus further comprises:

an authentication module, authenticating the user according to the charging event received by the interface module, and sending the authentication result information to the charging module; and

the charging module further generates a charging request according to the authentication result information.

13. The charging agent apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the charging agent apparatus further comprises:

a credit control module, authorizing the credit of the user according to the charging event received by the interface module, and the tariff information acquired by the charging module, and sending the credit authorization result to the charging module; and

the charging module further generates a charging request according to the credit authorization result.

14. The charging agent apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the charging module is further used for performing correlation for charging events received by the interface module, conducting aggregation for the tariff information corresponding to the different charging events to generate one charging request, and sending the charging request via the interface module to the corresponding charging system determined by the management module.

15. A charging method, comprising:

generating a charging event by a service unit, and sending the charging event to a charging agent apparatus;

determining a corresponding charging system according to the charging event received by the charging agent apparatus, generating a corresponding charging request, and sending the charging request to the determined charging system;

debiting an account according to the charging request.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the charging agent apparatus generates the charging request according to the tariff information pre-stored in the apparatus itself, or according to the tariff information obtained from other devices.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein after the charging agent apparatus receives the charging event, the method further comprises:

determining a corresponding charging mode by the charging agent apparatus according to the charging event, and deciding whether the charging mode is an online charging mode, if it isn'"'"'t, proceeding to the step of determining a corresponding charging system according to the charging event; and

if it is, proceeding to the step of authorizing the credit of the user corresponding to the charging event by the charging agent apparatus, and choosing a corresponding charging system from the charging systems connected to the charging agent apparatus after the credit of the user is authorized, generating a corresponding reservation request, and sending the reservation request as a charging request to the chosen charging system.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of debiting an account comprises:

receiving the charging request by the charging system, deducting a prescribed amount of money from the corresponding account according to the charging request, and returning a reservation confirmation message to the charging agent apparatus; and

the method further comprises;

after receiving the reservation confirmation message, sending by the charging agent apparatus a message to a service unit from which the charging event is sent to notify the service unit that the service may be continued;

continuing with the service by the service unit, and after the service processing is finished, sending a message to the charging agent apparatus to inform the ending of the service;

after receiving the message informing that the service is completed, sending the information of the amount of money unconsumed by the service to the charging system by the charging agent apparatus;

processing the corresponding service account by the charging system according to the received unconsumed amount of money, and ending the charging procedure after the processing is completed.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein after the charging system receives the reservation request, the step further comprises:

checking whether the remainder of the corresponding account is sufficient for the debit request, if it is, performing the step of deducting a prescribed amount of money from the corresponding account according to the charging request;

otherwise, performing the step of returning a reservation failure message to the charging agent apparatus, and after receiving the reservation failure message, returning a message by the charging agent apparatus to the service unit to inform failure of the service.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein after the charging agent apparatus receives the charging event, the step further comprises:

authenticating the user corresponding to the charging event, and after the authentication succeeds, proceeding to the step of choosing a corresponding charging system from the charging systems connected to the charging agent apparatus according to the charging event.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein before the charging request is generated, the method further comprises:

determining by the charging agent apparatus whether there are charging events among the received charging events that contain the same service ID, if there are, aggregating the tariff information of the charging events with the same service ID, and sending one charging request to the corresponding charging system after aggregation.