Method and System for Session Modification

• US 20100180319A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2007
• 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: ZHI, Chunxia, HU, Huadong, GUO, Yali
• Granted Patent: US 8,601,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• 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 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/64 On-line charging system [OCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/65 Off-line charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7833 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method and system for session modification are provided. The method includes these steps: A home policy and charging rules function (h-PCRF) sends a policy and charging control (PCC) rule providing message to a first policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) according to a received PCC rule request message, an application layer service message, or an h-PCRF self-trigger event; and the h-PCRF sends a PCC rule providing message to a second PCEF according to a PCC rule response message received from the first PCEF. With this present disclosure, session modification may be implemented when two or more PCEFs are included in the PCC architecture of a system architecture evolution (SAE) system.

Claims

1. A method for session modification, comprising:

sending, by a home policy and charging rules function, h-PCRF, a first policy and charging control, PCC, rule providing message to a first policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) according to a received PCC rule request message, an application layer service message, or an h-PCRF self-trigger event; and

sending, by the h-PCRF, a second PCC rule providing message to a second policy and charging enforcement function, according to a PCC rule response message received from the first PCEF.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the h-PCRF, the first PCC rule providing message; and

sending, by the h-PCRF, a trigger event to the first and second PCEFs before receiving the first PCC rule providing message.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending, by one of the PCEFs the PCC rule request message to the h-PCRF according to the trigger event that occurs on the other PCEF or a PCEF self-trigger event before sending the first PCC rule providing message according to the received PCC rule request message, wherein the PCC rule request message carries information of the trigger event that occurs and information of affected PCC rules;

wherein sending the first PCC rule providing message comprises;

sending the first PCC rule providing message to one of the PCEFs, wherein the first PCC rule providing message carries the trigger event that occurs and the information of affected PCC rules;

the information of the trigger event that occurs is used to match a credit re-authorization event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the first and second PCEFs, their own PCC rules to be enforced from the received PCC rule providing message according to their pre-configured PCC rules to be enforced if the first PCC rule providing message and the second PCC rule providing message carry the same PCC rules;

or

obtaining, by the first and second PCEFs, their own PCC rules to be enforced from the received PCC rule providing message according to instructions for enforcing PCC rules carried in the first PCC rule providing message and the second PCC rule providing message, if the first PCC rule providing message and the second PCC rule providing message carry the instructions for enforcing PCC rules and the same PCC rules;

or

sending, by the h-PCRF, instructions for enforcing PCC rules to the first and second PCEFs, the first and second PCEFs obtaining their own PCC rules to be enforced from the received PCC rule providing message according to the received instructions for enforcing PCC rules if the first PCC rule providing message and the second PCC rule providing message carry the same PCC rules;

or

generating, by the h-PCRF, corresponding PCC rules for the first and second PCEFs according to respective functions of the first and second PCEFs, wherein the first PCC rule providing message and the second PCC rule providing message carry the corresponding PCC rules respectively.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first PCEF, the first PCC rule providing message;

sending, by the first PCEF, a credit request message to a home online charging system, h-OCS;

receiving, by the h-OCS, the credit request message and sending a new online charging credit information or a final report response information to the first PCEF; and

receiving, by the first PCEF, the new online charging credit information or the final report response information and sending the PCC rule response message to the h-PCRF.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the PCC rule response message comprises credit availability information and the method further comprises:

sending, by the h-PCRF, the second PCC rule providing message carrying new PCC rules to the second PCEF if the credit is available;

or

sending, by the h-PCRF, the PCC rule providing message without carrying the new PCC rules corresponding to the unavailable credit to the second PCEF if the credit is unavailable.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, sending, by the first PCEF, the credit request message to the h-OCS comprises:

sending, by the first PCEF, the credit request message carrying a final report to the h-OCS if the first PCEF detects that a credit re-authorization event matching the credit re-authorization event stored on the first PCEF occurs;

or

sending, by the first PCEF, the credit request message including a final report to the h-OCS if a trigger event carried in the first PCC rule providing message received by the first PCEF matches the stored credit re-authorization event on the first PCEF successfully;

or

sending, by the first PCEF b, the credit request message including a final report to the h-OCS if the first PCC rule providing message carries a new charging key or an unavailable charging key;

wherein, sending the new online charging credit information or the final report response message to the first PCEF comprises;

sending, by h-OCS, a credit response message which carries the new online charging credit information or the final report response information to the first PCEF.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the first PCEF, the first PCC rule providing message from the h-PCRF, wherein the first PCC rule providing message carries information of a trigger event that occurs on the second PCEF and information of affected PCC rules;

wherein the information of the trigger event that occurs is used to match a credit re-authorization event.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the h-PCRF, a trigger event to the PCEF a through a visit policy and charging rules function, v-PCRF, before sending the first PCC rule providing message to the first PCEF.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the second PCEF, the PCC rule request message to the v-PCRF according to the occurrence of the trigger event or a PCEF a self-trigger event, wherein, the PCC rule request message carries update information required for the h-PCRF to make PCC decisions, information of a occurring trigger event, and information of affected PCC rules;

receiving, by the v-PCRF, the PCC rule request message and sending the PCC rule request message to the h-PCRF;

wherein, sending the first PCC rule providing message to the first PCEF comprises;

sending, by the h-PCRF, the first PCC rule providing message to the first PCEF;

wherein the first PCC rule providing message carries information of the trigger event that occurs and information of affected PCC rules;

wherein the information of the trigger event that occurs is used to match a credit re-authorization event.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, that the occurred trigger event information is used to match a credit re-authorization event, comprises:

adding a trigger event type that is used to match a credit re-authorization event in the first PCC rule providing message; and

adding a mark to the occurred trigger event to identify that the occurred trigger event is used to update the trigger event stored on the second PCEF or match the credit re-authorization event.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

matching, by the first PCEF, the stored credit re-authorization event information with trigger event information in the first PCC rule providing message; and

initiating, by the first PCEF, a credit re-authorization process if the matching is successful.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the PCC rule response message comprises credit availability information, further comprising:

sending, by the h-PCRF, the second PCC rule providing message carrying new PCC rules to the second PCEF through a v-PCRF if the credit is available;

or

sending, by the h-PCRF, the second PCC rule providing message without carrying the new PCC rules corresponding to the unavailable credit to the second PCEF through a v-PCRF if the credit is unavailable.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first PCEF comprises first and second PCEF sub-elements, and the PCC rule response message comprises credit availability information;

and the method further comprises;

sending, by the h-PCRF, the first PCC rule providing message carrying new PCC rules to the first PCEF sub-element through a v-PCRF if the credit is available;

or

sending, by the h-PCRF, the first PCC rule providing message without carrying the new PCC rules generated for the unavailable credit to the second PCEF sub-element through a v-PCRF if the credit is unavailable.

15. A method for transferring information, comprising:

receiving, by a home policy and charging rules function, h-PCRF, a policy and charging control, PCC rule request message from a first policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF);

obtaining, by the h-PCRF, information of a trigger event that occurs on the first PCEF and information of affected PCC rules from the received PCC rule request message; and

sending, by the h-PCRF, a PCC rule providing message to a second PCEF, where the PCC rule providing message comprises the information of the trigger event that occurs on the first PCEF.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sending, by the h-PCRF, the trigger event to the first PCEF before receiving the PCC rule request message.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the PCC rule providing message further comprises the information of affected PCC rules.

18. A system for session modification, comprising:

first and second policy and charging enforcement functions (PCEFs), an application function, AF, a home online charging system, h-OCS, and a home policy and charging rules function, h-PCRF, wherein;

the second PCEF is connected to the AF, h-PCRF, h-OCS, and first PCEF through an SGi interface, an S7b interface, a Gyb interface, and a CMIP/PMIP (Client Mobility IP/Proxy Mobility IP) interface respectively;

the first PCEF is connected to the h-PCRF through an S7a interface;

the h-PCRF is connected to the AF through an RX+ interface;

the h-PCRF is configured to send a PCC rule providing message to the second PCEF according to a received PCC rule request message, an application layer service message, or a self-trigger message; and

the h-PCRF is configured to send a PCC rule providing message to the first PCEF according to a PCC rule response message sent from the second PCEF.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a visit policy and charging rules function, v-PCRF, configured to receive a trigger event information and the PCC rule providing message from the h-PCRF and send the trigger event information and the PCC rule providing message to the first PCEF.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the second PCEF comprises first and second PCEF sub-elements;

the h-PCRF is configured to receive the PCC rule request message, generate PCC rules and send the PCC rule providing message to the second PCEF sub-element;

the second PCEF sub-element is configured to receive the PCC rule providing message, send a PCC rule response message to the h-PCRF; and

the h-PCRF is further configured to send the PCC rule providing message to the first PCEF and second PCEF through a v-PCRF.