System and Method for Associating an End User for Billing in a Network Environment

• US 20090109982A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Albert, Mark, Mackie, Robert A., O'Rourke, Chris, Dixon, Walter G., Batz, Robert M., Tavares, Humberto M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,054,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving one or more packets of a communication session from one or more interfaces, such that the interface is a subscriber interface or a network interface. The method further includes associating the communication session to an end user with a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the packet if the packet is received from the subscriber interface or to an end user with a destination IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the network interface.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a client services packet gateway operable to communicate with the end user in order to facilitate a communication session; and

a flow manager element operable to;

receive one or more packets of the communication session from one or more interfaces, wherein the interface is a subscriber interface or a network interface; and

associate the communication session to an end user with a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the packet if the packet is received from the subscriber interface or to an end user with a destination IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the network interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flow manager is further operable to search an end user database using the source IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the subscriber interface or the destination IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the network interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a single query is made to an external database to properly identify the end user.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a single query is made to a known user table included in Client Services Packet Gateway to properly identify the end user, the known user table operable to store an IP address associated with the end user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication session relates to a request by the end user for content or for a service.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface is configured by an operator to be the subscriber interface or the network interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the subscriber interface communicates with a first virtual LAN configured as a subscriber virtual LAN and the network interface communicates with a second virtual LAN configured as a network virtual LAN.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the client services packet gateway is operable to provide one or more services being selected from a group of services consisting of:

a) accounting;

b) firewalling;

c) filtering;

d) wireless application protocol transformations;

e) compression;

f) optimization;

g) billing;

h) content authorization;

i) intrusion detection; and

j) intrusion prevention.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving one or more packets of a communication session from one or more interfaces, wherein the interface is a subscriber interface or a network interface; and

associating the communication session to an end user with a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the packet if the packet is received from the subscriber interface or to an end user with a destination IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the network interface.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising searching an end user database using the source IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the subscriber interface or the destination IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the network interface.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising making a single query to an external database to properly identify the end user.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising making a single query to a known user table included in a client services packet gateway to properly identify the end user, the known user table operable to store an IP address associated with the end user.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication session relates to a request by the end user for content or for a service.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the interface is configured by an operator to be the subscriber interface or the network interface.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the subscriber interface communicates with a first virtual LAN configured as a subscriber virtual LAN and the network interface communicates with a second virtual LAN configured as a network virtual LAN.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing one or more services being selected from a group of services consisting of:

a) accounting;

b) firewalling;

c) filtering;

d) wireless application protocol transformations;

e) compression;

f) optimization;

g) billing;

h) content authorization;

i) intrusion detection; and

j) intrusion prevention.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving one or more packets of a communication session from one or more interfaces, wherein the interface is a subscriber interface or a network interface; and

means for associating the communication session to an end user with a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the packet if the packet is received from the subscriber interface or to an end user with a destination IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the network interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for searching an end user database using the source IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the subscriber interface or the destination IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the network interface.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for making a single query to an external database to properly identify the end user.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for making a single query to a known user table included in a client services packet gateway to properly identify the end user, the known user table operable to store an IP address associated with the end user.