Charging database with class of service (COS)

• US 20070046253A1
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Askerup, Anders, Chilukuri, Srinivas, Kenyon, Bradley, Ayers, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,213,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/106
• 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

Abstract

Systems, methodologies, media, and other embodiments associated with provisioning an internet protocol (IP) multimedia core network subsystem (IMS) are described. One exemplary system embodiment includes logic for provisioning an IMS charging database with charging data and logic for provisioning an IMS user database with user data. The exemplary system embodiment may also include logic for provisioning an IMS call session control function (CSCF) logic with data that relates a user to charging information based, at least in part, on a charging class of service (COS) identifier.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a charging database (CDB) configured to store charging information concerning an internet protocol (IP) multimedia core network subsystem (IMS) user, the charging information being stored in a charging record in the CDB, a charging record including a charging class of service (COS) identifier, the CDB employing the charging COS identifier as a primary key; and

a user database configured to store user information concerning an IMS user, the user information being stored in a user record in the user database, a user record including a charging COS entry;

the CDB and the user database being operably connectable via a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) logic to a call session control function (CSCF) logic, the HSS logic being configured to;

retrieve a user record from the user database;

retrieve charging information concerning the user from the CDB using a charging COS identifier provided in the user record to select a charging record from the charging database; and

configure the CSCF logic for charging the user based, at least in part, on the charging information retrieved from the CDB.

2. The system of claim 1, the HSS logic being configured to update the CSCF logic upon determining that charging information concerning the user has changed in the CDB.

3. The system of claim 1, the HSS logic being configured to update the CSCF logic using a Push Profile Request (PPR) message defined in a Cx protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, the CDB including one or more charging records, a charging record comprising:

a charging COS identifier;

a primary event charging function address; and

a primary charging collection function address.

5. The system of claim 4, a charging record also including:

a secondary event charging function address; and

a secondary charging collection function address.

6. The system of claim 1, the user database including one or more user records, a user record comprising:

a user identifier; and

a charging COS identifier.

7. The system of claim 6, the charging COS identifier in a user record being configured to facilitate linking a user record to a charging record in the CDB.

8. The system of claim 1, the CDB and the user database being organized in an HSS database, the CSCF logic being configured to communicate with the HSS database using a Cx protocol.

9. A method for configuring an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Core Network Subsystem (IMS), comprising:

creating a user record;

creating a charging record;

establishing a relationship between the user record and the charging record using a charging class of service (COS) identifier;

storing the user record; and

storing the charging record.

10. The method of claim 9, including:

providing a user record to a call session control function (CSCF) logic; and

providing a charging record to the CSCF, the charging record being related to the user, the charging record being selected based, at least in part, on a charging COS identifier in the user record.

11. The method of claim 10, including providing an updated user record to the CSCF upon determining that a user record in a user database has changed since being provided to the CSCF.

12. The method of claim 11, including providing an updated charging record to the CSCF upon determining that a charging record in a charging database has changed since being provided to the CSCF.

13. A computer-readable medium storing processor executable instructions operable to perform a method for configuring an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Core Network Subsystem (IMS), the method comprising:

creating a user record;

creating a charging record;

establishing a relationship between the user record and the charging record using a charging class of service (COS) identifier;

storing the user record;

storing the charging record;

providing a user record to a call session control function (CSCF) logic; and

providing a charging record to the CSCF, the charging record being related to the user, the charging record being selected based, at least in part, on a charging COS identifier in the user record.

14. A system, comprising:

means for provisioning an internet protocol (IP) multimedia core network sub-system (IMS) charging database with charging data;

means for provisioning an IMS user database with user data; and

means for provisioning a call session control function (CSCF) with user data, charging data, and data that relates a user to charging data based, at least in part, on a class of service (COS) identifier.

15. The system of claim 14, including:

means for selectively updating the CSCF upon determining that one or more of, the user data has changed since provisioning the CSCF, and the charging data has changed since provisioning the CSCF.

16. A system, comprising:

a server capabilities database (SCDB) configured to store server capabilities information (SCI) relating a user and a serving call session control function (S-CSCF), the SCI being stored in a server capabilities record in the SCDB, a server capabilities record including a server capability class of service (COS) identifier, the SCDB employing the server capability COS identifier as a primary key; and

a user database configured to store user information concerning an internet protocol (IP) multimedia core network subsystem (IMS) user, the user information being stored in a user record in the user database, a user record including a server capability COS entry;

the SCDB and the user database being operably connectable, via a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) logic, to a call session control function (CSCF) logic, the HSS logic being configured to;

retrieve a user record concerning the user from the user database;

retrieve a server capabilities record from the SCDB using a server capability set COS identifier provided in the user record; and

selectively provision the S-CSCF based, at least in part, on the server capabilities record.

17. The system of claim 16, the HSS logic being configured to update the CSCF logic upon determining that server capabilities information has changed since the server capabilities record was retrieved.

18. The system of claim 17, the HSS logic being configured to update the CSCF logic using a Push Profile Request (PPR) message defined in a Cx protocol.

19. The system of claim 18, including a mandatory capabilities database configured to store information concerning a CSCF capability required by a user.

20. The system of claim 19, including an optional capabilities database configured to store information concerning a CSCF capability desired by a user.

21. The system of claim 20, including a server name capabilities database configured to store information concerning the name of a CSCF preferred by a user to provide a set of capabilities.

22. The system of claim 21, the SCDB including one or more server capabilities records, a server capabilities record comprising:

a mandatory capabilities COS identifier configured to link a server capabilities record to a mandatory capabilities record in a mandatory capabilities database;

an optional capabilities COS identifier configured to link a server capabilities record to an optional capabilities record in an optional capabilities database; and

a server name capabilities COS identifier configured to link a server capabilities record to a server name capabilities record in a server name capabilities database.

23. The system of claim 22, the user database including one or more user records that include:

a user identifier; and

a server capabilities COS identifier.

24. The system of claim 23, the server capabilities COS identifier in a user record being configured to facilitate linking a user record to a server capabilities record in the SCDB.

25. The system of claim 24, the SCDB and the user database being organized in an HSS database, the CSCF logic being configured to communicate with the HSS database using a Cx protocol.

26. A method for configuring an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Core Network Subsystem (IMS), comprising:

creating a user record;

creating a server capabilities record;

establishing a relationship between the user record and the server capabilities record using a server capabilities class of service (COS) identifier;

storing the user record; and

storing the server capabilities record.

27. The method of claim 26, including:

creating a mandatory capabilities record;

establishing a relationship between a server capabilities record and the mandatory capabilities record using a mandatory capabilities COS identifier in the server capabilities record;

creating an optional capabilities record;

establishing a relationship between the server capabilities record and the optional capabilities record using an optional capabilities COS identifier in the server capabilities record;

creating a server name record;

establishing a relationship between the server capabilities record and the server name record using a server name COS identifier in the server capabilities record;

storing the mandatory capabilities record;

storing the optional capabilities record; and

storing the server name record.

28. The method of claim 27, including:

providing a user record to a call session control function (CSCF) logic; and

providing a server capabilities record to the CSCF, the server capabilities information record being related to the user record by a COS identifier.

29. The method of claim 28, including providing an updated user record to the CSCF upon determining that a user record has changed since being provided to the CSCF.

30. The method of claim 29, including providing an updated server capabilities record to the CSCF upon determining that a server capabilities record has changed since being provided to the CSCF.

31. A computer-readable medium storing processor executable instructions operable to perform a method for configuring an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Core Network Subsystem (IMS), the method comprising:

creating a user record;

creating a server capabilities record;

establishing a relationship between the user record and the server capabilities record using a server capabilities class of service (COS) identifier;

storing the user record;

storing the server capabilities record;

creating a mandatory capabilities record;

establishing a relationship between the server capabilities record and the mandatory capabilities record using a mandatory capabilities COS identifier in the server capabilities record;

creating an optional capabilities record;

establishing a relationship between the server capabilities record and the optional capabilities record using an optional capabilities COS identifier in the server capabilities record;

creating a server name record;

establishing a relationship between the server capabilities record and the server name record using a server name COS identifier in the server capabilities record;

storing the mandatory capabilities record;

storing the optional capabilities record; and

storing the server name record.

32. A system, comprising:

means for provisioning an internet protocol (IP) multimedia core network subsystem (IMS) capabilities database with capabilities data;

means for provisioning an IMS user database with user data; and

means for provisioning a Call Session Control Function (CSCF) with data that relates a user to a capabilities data based, at least in part, on a class of service (COS) identifier.

33. The system of claim 32, including:

means for selectively updating the CSCF upon determining that one or more of, the user data has changed since provisioning the CSCF, and the capabilities data has changed since provisioning the CSCF.

34. A system, comprising:

means for provisioning an internet protocol (IP) multimedia core network subsystem (IMS) charging database with charging data;

means for provisioning an IMS user database with user data;

means for provisioning an IMS server capabilities database with server capability information;

means for provisioning a Call Session Control Function (CSCF) with a first data that relates a user to charging data based, at least in part, on a charging class of service (COS) identifier; and

means for provisioning the CSCF with a second data that relates the user to server capabilities data based, at least in part, on a capabilities COS identifier.