Method and System for Making Statistics of Media Flow Information in a Next Generation Network

• US 20070156921A1
• Filed: 02/13/2007
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• 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: Liu, Enhui
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1313 Metering, billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway

Abstract

A method for making statistics of media flow information may include: sending a request for making statistics of media flow information to a BGF; and receiving statistic information of the media flow from the BGF, wherein the statistic information of the media flow is metered by the BGF after receiving the request for making statistics of media flow information A system and a BGF are also disclosed in embodiments of the present invention. In the present invention, the accurate metering ability of the BGF is employed to acquire accurate statistic information of the media flow, thereby accurate service charging may be implemented and service charging based on used network resources amount and QoS may be supported. Furthermore, the statistic information of the media flow, such as start time, end time, flow count information and statistic information of actual QoS, may help operation and maintenance of the network.

Claims

1. A method for making statistics of media flow information in a Next Generation Network (NGN), comprising:

sending a request for making statistics of media flow information to a Border Gateway Function (BGF); and

receiving statistic information of the media flow from the BGF, wherein the statistic information of the media flow is metered by the BGF after receiving the request for making statistics of media flow information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending a request for making statistics of the media flow information to the BGF comprises:

sending a message carrying an identifier of the media flow, a resource reservation request and the request for making statistics of the media flow information to a Policy Decision Function (PDF); and

processing the message and sending the identifier of the media flow, the resource reservation request and the request for making statistics of the media flow information to the BGF by the PDF.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising;

authenticating, by the PDF, the resource reservation request, and sending the identifier of the media flow, the resource reservation request and the request for making statistics of media flow information to the BGF if the authentication succeeds.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the statistic information of the media flow from the BGF comprises:

receiving the statistic information of the media flow from the BGF when a session corresponding to the media flow is over; and

the statistic information of the media flow is metered by the BGF by detecting a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) packet, or a Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) packet, or an RTP packet and an RTCP packet after receiving the request for making statistics of media flow information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the statistic information of the media flow comprises at least one of a start time of the media flow, an end time of the media flow, number of packets of the media flow, and quality of service (QoS) information of the media flow.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the QoS information of the media flow comprises at least one of jitter, delay, and packet loss rate of the media flow.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein metering the statistic information of the media flow by the BGF by detecting the RTP packet, or the RTCP packet, or the RTP packet and the RTCP packet by the BGF comprises:

upon receiving the resource reservation request, allowing the media flow to pass through and metering the statistic information of the media flow by detecting the RTP packet, or the RTCP packet, or the RTP packet and the RTCP packet by the BGF; and

upon receiving a resource release request, blocking the media flow by the BGF.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the statistic information of the media flow from the BGF when the session corresponding to the media flow is over comprises;

sending resource release confirmation information and the statistic information of the media flow to the PDF by the BGF upon receiving the resource release request; and

receiving the resource release confirmation information and the statistic information of the media flow from the PDF.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the RTP packet comprises Time Stamp information.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the RTCP packet comprises at least one of packet loss rate, accumulative sent packets, and delay.

11. A system for making statistics of media flow information in a Next Generation Network (NGN), comprising;

an Application Function (AF), for sending a request for making statistics of media flow information for a media flow and receiving statistic information of the media flow; and

a Border Gateway Function (BGF), for making statistics of the media flow information according to the request for making statistics of the media flow information and sending the statistic information of the media flow.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a Policy Decision Function (PDF), for receiving a message carrying an identifier of the media flow, a resource reservation request and the request for making statistics of the media flow information from the AF, and sending the identifier of the media flow, the resource reservation request and the request for making statistics of the media flow information to the BGF.

13. A Border Gateway Function (BGF), comprising a means for receiving a request for making statistics of media flow information for a media flow, and making statistics of the media flow information according to the request for making statistics of the media flow information and sending the statistic information of the media flow.