METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING POLICY AND CHARGING CONTROL

• US 20090254494A1
• Filed: 06/12/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2007
• 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: Ni, Hui, Li, Yan
• Granted Patent: US 8,208,896 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/64 On-line charging system [OCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method for implementing a policy and charging control (PCC) is provided. The method includes: acquiring user location information; and determining a PCC rule of a user according to the acquired user location information. The PCC rule is for a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) to perform the corresponding PCC. Corresponding PCEF, policy control and charging rules function (PCRF), gateway, and system for implementing a PCC are also provided. Thus, the PCC based on fine-granularity location information is implemented.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a Policy and Charging Control (PCC), comprising:

acquiring user location information; and

determining a PCC rule of a user according to the user location information, in which the PCC rule is for a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) to perform the corresponding PCC.

2. The method for implementing the PCC according to claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring user location information comprises at least one of the following:

acquiring the user location information reported by the PCEF; and

acquiring the user location information reported by the PCEF according to a location report instruction.

3. The method for implementing the PCC according to claim 2, wherein the location report instruction is determined according to special information provided by the PCEF.

4. The method for implementing the PCC according to claim 2, wherein the special information provided by the PCEF comprises at least one of:

use location information and location acquisition ability information.

5. The method for implementing the PCC according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

updating the PCC rule according to location acquisition ability information provided by the PCEF.

6. The method for implementing the PCC according to claim 4, wherein the location acquisition ability information provided by the PCEF is carried by a Credit-Control-Request (CCR) message reported by the PCEF.

7. The method for implementing the PCC according to claim 6, wherein the location acquisition ability information comprises:

a user location information attribute value pair whose attribute values are specific values denoting that the PCEF does not have the ability of acquiring corresponding user location information or are null.

8. The method for implementing the PCC according to claim 2, wherein:

the location report instruction is a trigger event list including a user location information change event; and

the reporting, by the PCEF, the user location information according to the location report instruction comprises;

judging, by the PCEF, whether user location information corresponding to the user location information change event indicated in the trigger event list has been reported to the Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), and if not, reporting the user location information;

or

detecting, by the PCEF, whether the user location information change event indicated in the trigger event list occurs, and if yes, reporting changed user location information.

9. The method for implementing the PCC according to claim 1, wherein the user location information comprises a Cell Global Identity (CGI) or a Service Area Identity (SAI) and/or a Routing Area Identity (RAI).

10. A Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF), comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send information to a Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), wherein the sending unit sends user location information to the PCRF when receiving a location information sending command;

a receiving unit, configured to receive information sent by the PCRF, wherein the receiving unit receives a Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rule determined by the PCRF according to the user location information; and

a policy enforcement unit, configured to perform a corresponding PCC according to the PCC rule received by the receiving unit.

11. The PCEF according to claim 10, wherein:

the information received by the receiving unit further comprises;

a trigger event list comprising a user location information change event; and

the PCEF further comprises;

a judgment unit, configured to judge whether user location information corresponding to the user location information change event indicated in the trigger event list is sent to the PCRF, and if not, to output a location information sending command to the sending unit.

12. The PCEF according to claim 10, wherein:

the information received by the receiving unit further comprises;

a trigger event list comprising a user location information change event;

the PCEF further comprises;

a event detection unit, configured to detect whether the user location information change event indicated in the trigger event list occurs, and if yes, to output a location information sending command to the sending unit; and

the user location information sent by the sending unit to the PCRF comprises the changed user location information.

13. The PCEF according to claim 10, wherein the information sent by the sending unit further comprises location acquisition ability information.

14. The PCEF according to claim 10, wherein the PCEF is implemented in a gateway.

15. A Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), comprising:

an acquisition unit, configured to acquire information comprising user location information reported by a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF);

a decision unit, configured to determine a Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rule of a user, wherein the decision unit determines the PCC rule of the user according to the user location information acquired by the acquisition unit; and

a sending unit, configured to send information to the PCEF, wherein the information comprises the PCC rule determined by the decision unit.

16. The PCRF according to claim 15, wherein

the information acquired by the acquisition unit further comprises:

location acquisition ability information; and

the determining the PCC rule of the user by the decision unit further comprises;

determining the PCC rule of the user according to the location acquisition ability information acquired by the acquisition unit.

17. The PCRF according to claim 15, wherein the information sent by the sending unit further comprises:

a trigger event list comprising a user location information change event.

18. The PCRF according to claim 17, wherein

the information acquired by the acquisition unit further comprises:

location acquisition ability information; and

the user location information change event in the trigger event list sent by the sending unit is determined according to the location acquisition ability information acquired by the acquisition unit.

19. A system for implementing a Policy and Charging Control (PCC), comprising a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) and a Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), wherein

the PCRF is configured to acquire user location information reported by the PCEF, determine a PCC rule of a user according to the user location information, and send the PCC rule;

and

the PCEF is configured to receive the PCC rule and perform the corresponding PCC according to the PCC rule.

20. The system for implementing a PCC according to claim 19, wherein

the PCRF comprises:

a acquisition unit, configured to acquire information reported by the PCEF, the reported information comprising user location information;

a decision unit, configured to determine the PCC rule of the user, wherein the PCC rule of the user is determined according to the user location information acquired by the acquisition unit; and

a sending unit, configured to send information to the PCEF, wherein the information comprises the PCC rule determined by the decision unit;

the information acquired by the acquisition unit further comprises;

location acquisition ability information; and

the determining the PCC rule of the user by the decision unit further comprises;

determining the PCC rule of the user according to the location acquisition ability information acquired by the acquisition unit.