Charging in LAN for only packets used by subscribers

• US 5,406,555 A
• Filed: 07/01/1993
• Issued: 04/11/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshida, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLUM, RUSSELL
• Application Number:
  US08/084,606
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 370/85.13, 370/85.14, 370/60, 370/94.1, 370/110.1, 379/111-114, 379/133, 379/121, 379/134, 379/137, 379/139
• US Class Current: 370/252
• 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 12/1425 involving dedicated fields in the data packet for billing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5639 Tariffs or charging
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

In order to individually charge subscribers of a local area network (LAN) or LAN'"'"'s, a charging apparatus is used in the LAN or in bridge apparatus interconnecting the LAN'"'"'s to accumulate charges by counting subscriber packets transmitted therethrough as transmission packets additionally including particular packets for use regardless of intentions of the subscribers and includes a memory section in which type field values are preliminarily stored to indicate the particular packets. For one of the transmission packets, an address memory area is loaded with source and destination addresses included in the packet under consideration. A field value memory area is loaded with a type field value included in the packet in question. When the type field value coincides in the memory area and in the memory section, address combinations of such source and destination addresses are accumulated in an address accumulating memory as those included in the subscriber packets with the particular packets excluded from the transmission packets. Counts are accumulated in correspondence to the address combinations as the charges. Each time when an address combination coincides in the memory area and in the memory, one is added to the counts in correspondence to the address combination in question. If not yet included, an address combination in the memory area is additionally accumulated in the memory as a new entry.

Claims

1. A charging apparatus which is for use in a local area network used by a plurality of subscribers and through which transmission packets are transmitted, said transmission packets including address data, said subscribers being identified by subscriber addresses, and said charging apparatus comprising:

locating means for locating particular packets in said transmission packets,

wherein said locating means comprises a memory section in which particular field values are preliminarily stored, extracting means for extracting a type field value from each of said transmission packets as an extracted field value, and finding means connected to said memory section and to said extracting means for finding each of said particular packets in said transmission packets when said extracted field value coincides with one of said particular field values,

wherein said extracting means comprises a field value memory area in which said extracted field value is stored as a stored field value,

wherein said finding means comprises comparing means connected to said memory section and to said field value memory area for comparing said stored field value with said particular field values to identify said stored field value as a coincident field value when said stored field value coincides with one of said particular field values and comprises excluding means connected to said comparing means for excluding particular transmission packets from said transmission packets,

wherein each of said particular transmission packets includes said coincident field value, and

wherein said excluding means thereby finds said particular transmission packets as said particular packets;

specifying means connected to said locating means for specifying subscriber packets in said transmission packets which are not said particular packets,

wherein said specifying means comprises an address memory area in which a header address datum of each of said transmission packets is stored as a stored address datum and comprises an address accumulating memory connected to said comparing means and to said address memory area for accumulating, when said stored field value is not said coincident field value, said stored address datum as one of accumulated address data that includes one of said subscriber addresses, whereby said address accumulating memory specifies, as said particular packets, said transmission packets that do not include said accumulated address data; and

charge accumulating means connected to said specifying means for accumulating charges by counting said subscriber packets individually in connection with said subscribers.

2. A charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said charge accumulating means comprises:

additional comparing means connected to said address memory area and to said address accumulating memory for comparing, when said stored field value is not said coincident field value, said stored address datum with said accumulated address data to identify said stored address datum as a specific one of said accumulated address data that coincides with said stored address datum; and

a charge accumulating memory which is related to said address accumulating memory and is connected to said additional comparing means, wherein accumulated counts of said subscriber packets are accumulated in said charge accumulating memory as said charges in correspondence to said accumulated address data and wherein each time said additional comparing means identifies said stored address datum as said specific one of said accumulated address data, an additional count of one is added to a corresponding accumulated count that corresponds to said specific one of said accumulated address data.

3. A charging apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said address accumulating memory is additionally loaded with an additional address datum in addition to said accumulated address data when said additional comparing means finds that said additional address datum is stored in said address memory area as said stored address datum and coincides with none of said accumulated address data; and

said charge accumulating memory is additionally loaded with an additional count of zero in addition to said accumulated counts in correspondence to said additional address datum.

4. A charging apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said address accumulating memory is additionally loaded with an additional address datum in addition to said accumulated address data when said additional comparing means finds that said additional address datum is stored in said address memory area as said stored address datum and coincides with none of said accumulated address data; and

said charge accumulating memory is additionally loaded with an additional count of one in addition to said accumulated counts in correspondence to said additional address datum.

5. A charging apparatus which is for use in a local area network used by a plurality of subscribers and through which transmission packets are transmitted, said charging apparatus comprising:

locating means for locating particular packets in said transmission packets;

an address accumulating memory connected to said locating means and to an address memory area for accumulating, when said transmission packets are not said particular packets, stored address datum as one of accumulated address data, wherein said one of accumulated address data includes one of a plurality of subscriber addresses which are contained in said transmission packets and identify said subscribers, whereby said address accumulating memory specifies, as said particular packets, said transmission packets that do not include said accumulated address data; and

charge accumulating means connected to said address memory area and said address accumulating memory for accumulating charges by counting subscriber packets individually in connection with said subscribers, wherein said subscriber packets are said transmission packets which include said accumulated address data.

6. A charging apparatus as claimed in claim 5, each of said transmission packets including a type field value, wherein said locating means comprises:

a memory section in which particular field values are preliminarily stored;

extracting means for extracting said type field value from each of said transmission packets as an extracted field value; and

finding means connected to said memory section and to said extracting means for finding each of said particular packets in said transmission packets when said extracted field value coincides with one of said particular field values.

7. A charging apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

said extracting means comprises a field value memory area in which said extracted field value is stored as a stored field value;

said finding means comprising;

comparing means connected to said memory section and to said field value memory area for comparing said stored field value with said particular field values in order to identify said stored field value as a coincident field value when said stored field value coincides with one of said particular field values; and

excluding means connected to said comparing means for excluding particular transmission packets from said transmission packets, wherein each of said particular transmission packets includes said coincident field value and wherein said excluding means thereby finds said particular transmission packets as said particular packets.

8. A charging apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said charge accumulating means comprises:

additional comparing means connected to said address memory area and to said address accumulating memory for comparing, when said stored field value is not said coincident field value, said stored address datum with said accumulated address data to identify said stored address datum as a specific one of said accumulated address data that coincides with said stored address datum; and

a charge accumulating memory which is related to said address accumulating memory and is connected to said additional comparing means, wherein accumulated counts of said subscriber packets are accumulated in said charge accumulating memory as said charges in correspondence to said accumulated address data and wherein each time said additional comparing means identifies said stored address datum as said specific one of said accumulated address data, an additional count of one is added to a corresponding accumulated count that corresponds to said specific one of said accumulated address data.

9. A charging apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

said address accumulating memory is additionally loaded with an additional address datum in addition to said accumulated address data when said additional comparing means finds that said additional address datum is stored in said address memory area as said stored address datum and coincides with none of said accumulated address data; and

said charge accumulating memory is additionally loaded with an additional count of zero in addition to said accumulated counts in correspondence to said additional address datum.

10. A charging apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

said address accumulating memory is additionally loaded with an additional address datum in addition to said accumulated address data when said additional comparing means finds that said additional address datum is stored in said address memory area as said stored address datum and coincides with none of said accumulated address data; and

said charge accumulating memory is additionally loaded with an additional count of one in addition to said accumulated counts in correspondence to said additional address datum.