Credit Control Method, Policy and Charging Enforcement Function Entity, and Online Charging System

• US 20160117658A1
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Qing, Hua, Zhang, Chong
• Granted Patent: US 10,846,671 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/64 On-line charging system [OCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/78 Redistributing amount between accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/781 dynamically
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/852 Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/882 for continuing the call beyond the limit using an alternative, e.g. alternative account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/204 on-line recharging, e.g. cashless

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a credit control method, a policy and charging enforcement function entity, and an online charging system. The method includes: if an OCS determines that a service borne by a second bearer may share a credit pool with a service borne by a first bearer, sending a second quota allocated to the second bearer and a credit pool identifier corresponding to the first bearer to the PCEF, so that the PCEF stores the second quota and a first quota in a same credit pool, so that the second bearer and the first bearer use the same credit pool, thereby implementing sharing of the credit pool between IP-CAN bearers and even between IP-CAN sessions, and ensuring smoothness of a service

Claims

1. A credit control method comprising:

receiving a second request sent by a policy and charging enforcement function entity (PCEF), wherein the second request instructs to perform credit control on a second bearer;

determining, according to the second request, whether a service borne by the second bearer shares a credit pool with a service borne by a first bearer, wherein the second bearer is established after the first bearer is established; and

when the service borne by the second bearer shares the credit pool with the service borne by the first bearer, sending a second answer to the PCEF, wherein the second answer carries a credit pool identifier corresponding to the first bearer, so that the service borne by the first bearer shares the credit pool with the service borne by the second bearer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending the second answer to the PCEF comprises:

allocating a second quota to the second bearer, wherein the second answer further carries the second quota so that the PCEF stores the second quota in a credit pool corresponding to the credit pool identifier corresponding to the first bearer, so that the service borne by the first bearer shares the credit pool with the service borne by the second bearer.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a capability negotiation request sent by the PCEF, wherein the capability negotiation request carries a capability negotiation information element (IE) indicates a credit pool application manner; and

sending a capability negotiation field answer to the PCEF.

4. A credit control method comprising:

sending a second request to an online charging system (OCS), wherein the second request instructs to perform credit control on a second bearer;

receiving a second answer sent by the OCS, wherein the second answer carries a credit pool identifier corresponding to a first bearer, and the second bearer is established after the first bearer is established; and

wherein according to the credit pool identifier, a credit pool is shared by a service borne by the first bearer and a service borne by the second bearer.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second answer further carries a second quota.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

sending a capability negotiation request to the OCS, wherein the capability negotiation request carries a capability negotiation information element (IE) indicating a credit pool application manner; and

receiving a capability negotiation field answer sent by the OCS.

7. An online charging system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a second request sent by a policy and charging enforcement function entity (PCEF), wherein the second request instructs to perform credit control on a second bearer;

a processor;

a memory for storing a program to be executed in the processor, the program comprising instructions for determining, according to the second request, whether a service borne by the second bearer shares a credit pool with a service borne by a first bearer, wherein the second bearer is established after the first bearer is established; and

a transmitter configured to send a second answer to the PCEF when the program further comprises instructions for determining that the service borne by the second bearer shares the credit pool with the service borne by the first bearer, wherein the second answer carries a credit pool identifier corresponding to the first bearer, so that the service borne by the first bearer shares the credit pool with the service borne by the second bearer.

8. The online charging system according to claim 7, wherein the program further includes instructions for allocating a second quota to the second bearer, wherein the second answer further carries the second quota so that the PCEF stores the second quota in a credit pool corresponding to the credit pool identifier corresponding to the first bearer.

9. The online charging system according to claim 7, wherein the first bearer and the second bearer belong to a same Internet Protocol connectivity access network session (IP-CAN) session.

10. The online charging system according to claim 7, wherein the first bearer belongs to a first Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session, and the second bearer belongs to a second IP-CAN session, wherein the first IP-CAN session and the second IP-CAN session are different sessions.

11. The online charging system according to claim 7,

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a capability negotiation request sent by the PCEF, wherein the capability negotiation request carries a capability negotiation information element (IE) indicating a credit pool application manner;

and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send a capability negotiation field answer to the PCEF.

12. A policy and charging enforcement function entity (PCEF) comprising:

a transmitter configured to send a second request to an online charging system OCS, wherein the second request instructs to perform credit control on a second bearer;

a receiver configured to receive a second answer sent by the OCS, wherein the second answer carries a credit pool identifier corresponding to a first bearer, and the second bearer is established after the first bearer is established; and

wherein according to the credit pool identifier, a credit pool is shared by a service borne by the first bearer and a service borne by the second bearer.

13. The PCEF according to claim 12,

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send a first request to the OCS, wherein the first request instructs to perform credit control on the first bearer;

and

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a first answer sent by the OCS, wherein the first answer carries a first quota and the credit pool identifier corresponding to the first quota of the first bearer.

14. The PCEF according to claim 13,

wherein the transmitter is specifically configured to send the second request to the OCS by using a second Gy session;

wherein the receiver is specifically configured to receive the second answer sent by the OCS by using the second Gy session;

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the first request to the OCS by using a first Gy session; and

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the first answer sent by the OCS by using the first Gy session.

15. The PCEF according to claim 14, wherein the first Gy session and the second Gy session are different Gy sessions;

or wherein the first Gy session and the second Gy session are a same shared Gy session.

16. The PCEF according to claim 15, wherein if the first Gy session and the second Gy session are different Gy sessions,

the transmitter is further configured to:

send a first update credit control request to the OCS by using the first Gy session, wherein the first update credit control request carries a quota consumed by the first bearer; and

send a second update credit control request to the OCS by using the second Gy session, wherein the second update credit control request carries a quota consumed by the second bearer; and

the receiver is further configured to

receive a first update credit control answer sent by the OCS by using the first Gy session, wherein the first update credit control answer carries a quota newly allocated to the first bearer; and

receive a second update credit control answer sent by the OCS by using the second Gy session, wherein the second update credit control answer carries a quota newly allocated to the second bearer.

17. The PCEF according to claim 16, wherein

if the first Gy session and the second Gy session are a same shared Gy session,

the transmitter is further configured to:

send a third update credit control request to the OCS by using the shared Gy session, wherein the third update credit control request carries quotas consumed by the first bearer and the second bearer; and

the receiver is further configured to receive a third update credit control answer sent by the OCS by using the shared Gy session, wherein the third update credit control answer carries quotas newly allocated to the first bearer and the second bearer.

18. The PCEF according to claim 12, wherein the first bearer belongs to a first Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session, and the second bearer belongs to a second IP-CAN session, wherein the first IP-CAN session and the second IP-CAN session are different sessions.

19. The PCEF according to claim 12, wherein the first bearer and the second bearer belong to a same Internet Protocol connectivity access network session IP-CAN session.

20. The PCEF according to claim 19, wherein:

the transmitter is further configured to send a capability negotiation request to the OCS, wherein the capability negotiation request carries a capability negotiation information element (IE) indicating a credit pool application manner; and

the receiver is further configured to receive a capability negotiation field answer sent by the OCS.