Policy based accounting and billing for network services

• US 7,002,977 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADTRAN Incorporated (ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Luminous Networks, Inc (ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jogalekar, Prasad P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fox, Jamal A.
• Application Number:
  US09/895,766
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 370/410, 370/400, 370/426, 370/351, 370/236, 370/236.1, 370/377, 370/371, 370/368, 370/381, 370/395.51, 370/901, 370/908, 370/401, 370/463, 370/389, 370/395.1, 370/522, 370/419, 705/34, 705/40, 708/110, 364/464.01, 37911415-11426, 37911501-11502, 379/120, 379/127.01, 379/127.03, 379133-134, 379/114.27, 379/114.28, 379/114.03, 709/238, 709/224, 709/235, 709/200, 709/241, 709/227, 709/239, 709/226, 709/243, 709/225, 709/105, 709/232, 709/229, 709/203, 709/242, 709/245
• US Class Current: 370/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• 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 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/782 Data or packet based

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for policy based accounting and billing for network services. In one embodiment, a packet forwarding device receives a packet to be forwarded over the network, accesses a policy table to identify a billing party associated with the packet, obtains billing information, and stores a record of the forwarded packet and the associated billing party.

Claims

1. A method for policy based accounting in an Multi-Protocol Label Switched network, the method comprising:

receiving a label switched path (LSP) signaling message at a first packet forwarding device;

accessing a policy table to identify a billing party associated with the signaling message;

forwarding the signaling message to a second downstream packet forwarding device only subsequent to identifying the associated billing party in the policy table.

2. The method for policy based accounting of claim 1, further comprising returning a message to a source of the packet to be forwarded indicating a failed transmission if the policy table does not identify a billing party associated with the packet.

3. The method for policy based accounting of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an authorization request message associated with the packet and only forwarding the packet subsequent to receiving an authorization approval message associated with the packet.

4. The method for policy based accounting of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining whether the billing party requires authorization before forwarding the packet;

transmitting an authorization request message associated with the packet;

forwarding the packet only subsequent to receiving an authorization approval message associated with the packet.

5. The method for policy based accounting of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the recorded data to a network management computer.

6. The method for policy based accounting of claim 1, wherein the policy table comprises a table identifying a billing party for a particular set of circumstances associated with the packet.

7. A packet forwarding device, comprising:

a port interface for receiving a label switched path (LSP) signaling message; and

a policy engine including a policy table for determining a billing party associated with the signaling message, wherein the signaling message is forwarded to a second downstream packet forwarding device only subsequent to identifying the associated billing party in the policy table.

8. The packet forwarding device of claim 7, wherein the policy table includes rules identifying a billing party and a payment mechanism for different data packets.

9. The packet forwarding device of claim 7, further comprising:

a memory;

a classifier engine for recording statistics associated with data packets forwarded by the packet forwarding device to the memory, each statistic identifying the associated billing party.

10. The packet forwarding device of claim 9, further comprising a billing engine for transmitting information including at least a portion of the recorded statistics to a remote computer.

11. The packet forwarding device of claim 7 further comprising a user interface to permit the policy table to be modified from a remote computer.

12. The packet forwarding device of claim 7, wherein the table identifies a first payment mechanism for a first set of data packets and a second payment mechanism for the second set of data packets, the first payment mechanism being different from the second payment mechanism.

13. The packet forwarding device of claim 7, wherein the table identifies the destination of the data packet as the billing party for at least one set of data packets.

14. The packet forwarding device of claim 7, wherein the table identifies a source from which authorization must be received before forwarding an associated data packet.

15. The packet forwarding device of claim 7, wherein the table identifies the billing party based at least in part on a current time of day.

16. A packet forwarding device, comprising:

means for receiving a label switch path (LSP) signaling message at a first packet forwarding device;

means for accessing a policy table to identify a billing party associated with the signaling message;

means for forwarding the signaling message to a second downstream packet forwarding device only subsequent to identifying the associated billing party in the policy table.

17. A system for policy based accounting in an Multi-Protocol Label Switched network, the system comprising:

means for receiving a label switched path (LSP) signaling message at a first packet forwarding device;

means for accessing a policy table to identify a billing party associated with the signaling message;

means for forwarding the signaling message to a second downstream packet forwarding device only subsequent to identifying the associated billing party in the policy table.

18. A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a data processor to execute a method comprising:

receiving a label switched path (LSP) signaling message at a first packet forwarding device;

accessing a policy table to identify a billing party associated with the signaling message;

forwarding the signaling message to a second downstream packet forwarding device only subsequent to identifying the associated billing party in the policy table.