Providing Service Information For Charging A Subscriber For A Service

• US 20080273523A1
• Filed: 05/01/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Menditto, Louis F., Donovan, Steven R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,923,275 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1453 Methods or systems for payment or settlement of the charges for data transmission involving significant interaction with the data transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/63 based on the content carried by the session initiation protocol [SIP] messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8292 Charging for signaling or unsuccessful connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7833 Session based

Abstract

Providing service information includes receiving session initiation protocol (SIP) packets from a SIP proxy. Service information is extracted from the SIP packets. The service information describes a service provided to an access terminal associated with a subscriber. The service information is sent to a charging/enforcement point operable to charge the subscriber for the service.

Claims

1. A method for providing service information, comprising:

receiving a plurality of session initiation protocol (SIP) packets from a SIP proxy;

extracting service information from the SIP packets, the service information describing a service provided to an access terminal associated with a subscriber; and

sending the service information to a charging/enforcement point, the charging/enforcement point operable to charge the subscriber for the service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the service information from the SIP packets further comprises:

decrypting the SIP packets to extract the service information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the service information from the SIP packets further comprises:

decompressing the SIP packets to extract the service information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service information identifies the service provided to the access terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the service information describes usage of the service provided to the access terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an instruction from the charging/enforcement point, the instruction instructing the SIP proxy to inspect one or more additional SIP packets; and

forwarding the instruction to the SIP proxy.

7. An interface for providing service information, comprising:

a memory operable to store service information describing a service provided to an access terminal associated with a subscriber; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory and operable to;

receive a plurality of session initiation protocol (SIP) packets from a SIP proxy;

extract the service information from the SIP packets; and

send the service information to a charging/enforcement point, the charging/enforcement point operable to charge the subscriber for the service.

8. The interface of claim 7, the processors further operable to extract the service information from the SIP packets by:

decrypting the SIP packets to extract the service information.

9. The interface of claim 7, the processors further operable to extract the service information from the SIP packets by:

decompressing the SIP packets to extract the service information.

10. The interface of claim 7, wherein the service information identifies the service provided to the access terminal.

11. The interface of claim 7, wherein the service information describes usage of the service provided to the access terminal.

12. The interface of claim 7, the processors further operable to:

receive an instruction from the charging/enforcement point, the instruction instructing the SIP proxy to inspect one or more additional SIP packets; and

forward the instruction to the SIP proxy.

13. The interface of claim 7, the processors integrated with the SIP proxy.

14. Logic for providing service information, the logic embodied in a computer-readable storage medium and operable to:

receive a plurality of session initiation protocol (SIP) packets from a SIP proxy;

extract service information from the SIP packets, the service information describing a service provided to an access terminal associated with a subscriber; and

send the service information to a charging/enforcement point, the charging/enforcement point operable to charge the subscriber for the service.

15. The logic of claim 14, further operable to extract the service information from the SIP packets by:

decrypting the SIP packets to extract the service information.

16. The logic of claim 14, further operable to extract the service information from the SIP packets by:

decompressing the SIP packets to extract the service information.

17. The logic of claim 14, wherein the service information identifies the service provided to the access terminal.

18. The logic of claim 14, wherein the service information describes usage of the service provided to the access terminal.

19. The logic of claim 14, further operable to:

receive an instruction from the charging/enforcement point, the instruction instructing the SIP proxy to inspect one or more additional SIP packets; and

forward the instruction to the SIP proxy.

20. A system for providing service information, comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of session initiation protocol (SIP) packets from a SIP proxy;

means for extracting service information from the SIP packets, the service information describing a service provided to an access terminal associated with a subscriber; and

means for sending the service information to a charging/enforcement point, the charging/enforcement point operable to charge the subscriber for the service.