Long Term Evolution Network Billing Management

• US 20130322268A1
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson M., Rahsaz, Gholam-Reza
• Granted Patent: US 9,516,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8027 based on network load situation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/81 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/82 Criteria or parameters used for performing billing operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/851 Determined tariff

Abstract

A device in a network may monitor a communications session (such as a traffic flow) and determine that the session has been affected by an adverse network condition such as equipment failure or heavy congestion. The effect of the network condition may be provided to a billing system that may proactively adjust charging for a customer associated with the traffic flow. Various data may be taken into account in determining the adjustment, including a service type, a subscriber identifier, an emergency identifier, and a traffic condition index.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, at a network device, a traffic flow comprising communications data on a long term evolution network;

determining, at the network device, that a network condition has created an effect on the traffic flow;

determining, at the network device, a characteristic of the effect;

determining, at the network device, a subscriber associated with the traffic flow; and

adjusting, at the network device, billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the characteristic of the effect comprises assigning a ranking for the effect from a spectrum of service degradation categories.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the adjusting of the billing for the subscriber comprises determining a billing adjustment based on the ranking.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a notification of a billing adjustment to the subscriber.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the subscriber associated with the traffic flow comprises obtaining data from a packet within the traffic flow and determining the subscriber based on the data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data comprises a source IP address of a mobile device associated with the subscriber.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the data comprises a subscriber identifier.

8. A network device comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

monitor a traffic flow comprising communications data on a long term evolution network; and

a processor configured to;

determine that a network condition has created an effect on the traffic flow;

determine a characteristic of the effect;

determine a subscriber associated with the traffic flow; and

adjust billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect.

9. The network device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a service identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the service identifier comprises an indication of a type of service being provided by the traffic flow; and

adjust the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the service identifier.

10. The network device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a subscriber identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the subscriber identifier comprises an indication of the subscriber associated with the traffic flow; and

adjust the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the subscriber identifier.

11. The network device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine an emergency identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the emergency identifier comprises an indication of an urgency of a service being provided by the traffic flow; and

adjust the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the emergency identifier.

12. The network device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a traffic condition index for the traffic flow, wherein the traffic condition index comprises an indication of the effect; and

adjust the billing for the subscriber based on the traffic condition index.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to assign a ranking for the traffic condition index from a spectrum of service degradation categories.

14. The network device of claim 8, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a notification of a billing adjustment to the subscriber.

15. A tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

monitoring a traffic flow comprising communications data on a long term evolution network;

determining that a network condition has created an effect on the traffic flow;

determining a characteristic of the effect;

determining a subscriber associated with the traffic flow; and

adjusting billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect.

16. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a service identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the service identifier comprises an indication of a type of service being provided by the traffic flow; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the service identifier.

17. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a subscriber identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the subscriber identifier comprises an indication of the subscriber associated with the traffic flow; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the subscriber identifier.

18. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an emergency identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the emergency identifier comprises an indication of an urgency of a service being provided by the traffic flow; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the emergency identifier.

19. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a traffic condition index for the traffic flow, wherein the traffic condition index comprises an indication of the adverse effect; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the traffic condition index.

20. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a notification of a billing adjustment to the subscriber.