Method and System for Dynamically Creating Tunnels suitable for Metering and Managing Usage Data for Applications and Services

• US 20150109967A1
• Filed: 10/15/2014
• Published: 04/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Openet Telecom Limited (Amdocs Ltd.), Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Openet Telecom Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hogan, Joe, Chowdry, Mamoon
• Granted Patent: US 9,609,492 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/259
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/503 using an authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] protocol, e.g. remote authentication dial-in user service [RADIUS] or Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/60 based on actual use of network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels

Abstract

A server computing device may be deployed in telecommunication signaling network and configured to communicate with a subscriber profile repository, policy management component, a charging component, and/or other components in the network to intelligently determine whether a user equipment device should receive/use a service via a communication tunnel, to authorize and/or create a communication tunnel between a user equipment device and a tunnel termination function component, and to implement policy charging rules for the use of the service via the communication tunnel. The communication tunnel may carry a portion or a segment of a data flow for a specific service (or a portion of the communication link) between the user equipment device and a destination component. The server computing device may be configured to authorize/create different communication tunnels for different services and to implement different policy charging rules for different tunnels.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically creating communication tunnels in a telecommunication network, the method comprising:

receiving in a processor of a server computing device a service request message that includes information identifying a service to be used by a user equipment device;

determining by the processor whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via a communication tunnel;

sending a communication message to a policy management component to cause the policy management component to generate policy charging rules for the use of the requested service via the communication tunnel in response to determining that the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel;

selecting and assigning an available Internet protocol (IP) address from a plurality of IP address for using the requested service via the communication tunnel; and

sending a service response message to the user equipment device to begin using the requested service via the communication tunnel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel comprises:

querying a subscriber profile repository to receive subscription information; and

using the received subscription information to determine whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel comprises:

authenticating credentials included in the received service request message; and

validating a data usage entitlement of the user equipment device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein authenticating the credentials included in the received service request message comprises using one of subscription identifier information, user equipment device identification information, and framed IP address information included in the received service request message to authenticate the credentials.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein validating the data usage entitlement of the user equipment device comprises evaluating an entitlement decision criterion based on one of:

content information;

service information;

traffic parameter information;

subscription information;

sponsor information;

partner information;

enterprise information;

application information;

location information;

access network type information;

contextual information; and

signalling requirement information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting and assigning an available IP address from the plurality of IP address for using the requested service via the communication tunnel comprises:

selecting the available IP address from a stateful repository of available and previously assigned IP addresses.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the processor a usage report for usage of the service via the communication tunnel from a tunnel termination function component; and

using the received usage report to meter the usage of the requested service by the user equipment device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

communicating with a charging system to update account balance information based on the received usage report.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor of a service computing device deployed in a telecommunication network to perform operations comprising:

receiving a service request message that includes information identifying a service to be used by a user equipment device;

determining whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via a communication tunnel;

sending a communication message to a policy management component to cause the policy management component to generate policy charging rules for the use of the requested service via the communication tunnel in response to determining that the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel;

selecting and assigning an available Internet protocol (IP) address from a plurality of IP address for using the requested service via the communication tunnel; and

sending a service response message to the user equipment device to begin using the requested service via the communication tunnel.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel comprises:

querying a subscriber profile repository to receive subscription information; and

using the received subscription information to determine whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel comprises:

authenticating credentials included in the received service request message; and

validating a data usage entitlement of the user equipment device.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that authenticating the credentials included in the received service request message comprises using one of subscription identifier information, user equipment device identification information, and framed IP address information included in the received service request message to authenticate the credentials.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that validating the data usage entitlement of the user equipment device comprises evaluating an entitlement decision criterion based on one of:

content information;

service information;

traffic parameter information;

subscription information;

sponsor information;

partner information;

enterprise information;

application information;

location information;

access network type information;

contextual information; and

signalling requirement information.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that selecting and assigning an available IP address from the plurality of IP address for using the requested service via the communication tunnel comprises:

selecting the available IP address from a stateful repository of available and previously assigned IP addresses.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

receiving by the processor a usage report for usage of the service via the communication tunnel from a tunnel termination function component; and

using the received usage report to meter the usage of the requested service by the user equipment device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

communicating with a charging system to update account balance information based on the received usage report.

17. A server computing device, comprising:

a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving a service request message that includes information identifying a service to be used by a user equipment device;

determining whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via a communication tunnel;

sending a communication message to a policy management component to cause the policy management component to generate policy charging rules for the use of the requested service via the communication tunnel in response to determining that the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel;

selecting and assigning an available Internet protocol (IP) address from a plurality of IP address for using the requested service via the communication tunnel; and

sending a service response message to the user equipment device to begin using the requested service via the communication tunnel.

18. The server computing device of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that determining whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel comprises:

querying a subscriber profile repository to receive subscription information; and

using the received subscription information to determine whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel.

19. The server computing device of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that determining whether the requested service should be used by the user equipment device via the communication tunnel comprises:

authenticating credentials included in the received service request message; and

validating a data usage entitlement of the user equipment device by evaluating an entitlement decision criterion based on one of;

content information;

service information;

traffic parameter information;

subscription information;

sponsor information;

partner information;

enterprise information;

application information;

location information;

access network type information;

contextual information; and

signalling requirement information.

20. The server computing device of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

receiving by the processor a usage report for usage of the service via the communication tunnel from a tunnel termination function component;

using the received usage report to meter the usage of the requested service by the user equipment device; and

communicating with a charging system to update account balance information based on the received usage report.