Mechanism for charging and session handling supporting forking
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- initializing a communication connection between at least two parties;
executing forking of the communication connection at a network node to a plurality of branches in a forward direction of the network node;
receiving, at the network node, response messages from destination nodes of at least one branch of the plurality of branches;
forwarding a first successful response message from one of the destination nodes in a backward direction side of the network node;
generating a connection terminating message in response to a receipt of further successful response messages from at least one other destination node differing to the first successful response; and
forwarding the connection terminating message to the at least one other destination node for terminating a dialog with the at least one other destination node.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A network node, such as a network control node like a CSCF or an application server, executing forking forward only the first successful response message arriving from a forking branch, which enables the charging function in the forking node and in nodes in the backward direction from this point to apply charges only for the “winning” branch. By including a special Reason header sent in a BYE request of “unused” successfully contacted branches, charging function in nodes in the forward direction from the forking point are allowed to suppress charges for such unused branches. This is applicable both for online and offline charging methods as defined, for example, by 3GPP.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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initializing a communication connection between at least two parties;
executing forking of the communication connection at a network node to a plurality of branches in a forward direction of the network node;
receiving, at the network node, response messages from destination nodes of at least one branch of the plurality of branches;
forwarding a first successful response message from one of the destination nodes in a backward direction side of the network node;
generating a connection terminating message in response to a receipt of further successful response messages from at least one other destination node differing to the first successful response; and
forwarding the connection terminating message to the at least one other destination node for terminating a dialog with the at least one other destination node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An apparatus, configured to:
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participate on the initialization of a communication connection between at least two parties;
execute forking of the communication connection to a plurality of branches in the forward direction of the network node;
receive response messages from destination nodes of at least one branch of the plurality of branches;
forward a first successful response message from one of the destination nodes to an backward direction side of the apparatus;
generate a connection terminating message in response to a receipt of further successful response messages from at least one other destination node differing to the first successful response; and
forward the connection terminating message to the at least one other destination node for terminating a dialog with the at least one other destination node. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An apparatus, comprising:
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participating means for participating on the initialization of a communication connection between at least two parties;
executing means for executing forking of the communication connection to a plurality of branches in the forward direction of the network node;
receiving means for receiving response messages from destination nodes of one branch of the plurality of branches;
forwarding means for forwarding a first successful response message from one of the destination nodes to an backward direction side of the apparatus;
generating means for generating a connection terminating message in response to a receipt of further successful response messages from at least one other destination node differing to the first successful response; and
connection forwarding means for forwarding the connection terminating message to the at least one other destination node for terminating a dialog with the at least one other destination node.
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20. An apparatus, configured to:
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receive a connection terminating message in response to a successful response messages in reply to an communication connection initialization;
process a predetermined parameter which is included in the connection terminating message and indicates that the communication connection is completed with another destination; and
suppress a charging in response to the receipt of the connection terminating message including the predetermined parameter. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. An apparatus, comprising:
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receiver means for receiving a connection terminating message in response to a successful response messages in reply to an communication connection initialization;
processor means for processing a predetermined parameter which is included in the connection terminating message and indicates that the communication connection is completed with another destination; and
suppressor means for suppressing a charging in response to the receipt of the connection terminating message including the predetermined parameter.
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23. A method, comprising:
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initializing a communication connection between at least two parties;
executing forking of the communication connection at a network node to a plurality of branches in a forward direction of the network node; and
setting up a separate credit control sessions for each branch.
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24. An apparatus, configured to:
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participate on the initialization of a communication connection between at least two parties;
execute forking of the communication connection to a plurality of branches in the forward direction of the network node; and
set up a separate credit control sessions for at least one branch of the plurality of branches.
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25. An apparatus, comprising:
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participating means for participating on the initialization of a communication connection between at least two parties;
executing means for executing forking of the communication connection to a plurality of branches in the forward direction of the network node; and
setting means for setting up a separate credit control sessions for at least one branch of the plurality of branches.
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26. An apparatus, comprising:
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a participating unit configured to participate on the initialization of a communication connection between at least two parties;
an executing unit configured to execute forking of the communication connection to a plurality of branches in the forward direction of the network node;
a receiver configured to receive response messages from destination nodes of at least one branch of the plurality of branches;
a forwarding unit configured to forward a first successful response message from one of the destination nodes to an backward direction side of the apparatus;
a generating unit configured to generate a connection terminating message in response to a receipt of further successful response messages from at least one other destination node differing to the first successful response; and
a connection forwarding unit configured to forward the connection terminating message to the at least one other destination node for terminating a dialog with the at least one other destination node.
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27. An apparatus, comprising:
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a receiver configured to receive a connection terminating message in response to a successful response messages in reply to an communication connection initialization;
a processor configured to process a predetermined parameter which is included in the connection terminating message and indicates that the communication connection is completed with another destination; and
a suppressor configured to suppress a charging in response to the receipt of the connection terminating message including the predetermined parameter.
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28. An apparatus, comprising:
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a participating unit configured to participate on the initialization of a communication connection between at least two parties;
an executing unit configured to execute forking of the communication connection to a plurality of branches in the forward direction of the network node; and
a setting unit configured to set up a separate credit control sessions for at least one branch of the plurality of branches.
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29. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program being configured to control a processor to perform:
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initializing a communication connection between at least two parties;
executing forking of the communication connection at a network node to a plurality of branches in a forward direction of the network node;
receiving at the network node response messages from destination nodes of at least one branch of the plurality of branches;
forwarding a first successful response message from one of the destination nodes in a backward direction side of the network node;
generating a connection terminating message in response to a receipt of further successful response messages from at least one other destination node differing to the first successful response; and
forwarding the connection terminating message to the at least one other destination node for terminating a dialog with the at least one other destination node.
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30. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program being configured to control a processor to perform:
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initializing a communication connection between at least two parties;
executing forking of the communication connection at a network node to a plurality of branches in a forward direction of the network node; and
setting up a separate credit control sessions for at least one branch of the plurality of branches.
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Specification