Determining chargeable duration at the home agent for a prepaid MIP session

• US 7,366,136 B1
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Ben, Ephraim, Robert, Kalbag, Rohit S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H.
• Application Number:
  US11/138,343
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/328, 370/330, 370/345, 455/450, 455/406
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Duration based accounting for a packet data service, for example offered as a prepaid mobile IP (MIP) service through a public mobile wireless communication network, uses last detected user activity to determine the end of each session for accounting purposes. The accounting policy or algorithm defines user activity so as to include receipt of signaling related to the MIP session, such as signaling related to a termination by the user or the user'"'"'s mobile station, in addition to packet data routed for the mobile station. If a session ends due to a network termination, e.g. binding expires or the network disconnects upon prepaid quota exhaustion, then the last user activity used for accounting purposes is the last data packet communication to/from the mobile station or the last received MIP session-related signaling message. For example, if MIP signaling terminates the session, then the session duration runs until receipt of that signaling.

Claims

1. A method of accounting for use of a packet data communication service provided to a mobile station via a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

in response to a request, for the packet data communication service for the mobile station, establishing a packet data communication session for the mobile station through the wireless communication network;

terminating the packet data communication session for the mobile station upon detecting one of a plurality of events, the plurality of events including receipt of at least one session related signaling message regarding termination and at least one network initiated termination; and

measuring duration of usage by the mobile station for accounting purposes from the establishment of the session until last detected user activity, wherein user activity is defined as;

including packet data communications for the mobile station through the wireless communication network and the receipt of any session related signaling message, and

excluding the at least one network initiated termination.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing a prepaid account balance purchased by a user of the mobile station, based on the measured duration.

3. A product comprising:

executable instructions for causing a programmable network element to implement the method as recited in claim 1, and a machine readable medium bearing the instructions.

4. Equipment programmed for performing the steps of the method of claim 1.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the session is a Mobile Internet Protocol (MIP) session;

the session is established upon MIP assignment of an Internet Protocol (IP) address for use by the mobile station during the session.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one session related signaling message regarding termination comprises any of a MIP signaling message relating to deregistration or revocation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the network initiated termination comprises any of:

a termination upon failure of the mobile station to re-register within a set time interval, exhaustion of funds in a prepaid account as a result of usage by the mobile station and a receipt of a Remote Authentication Dial-User Service (RADIUS) disconnect message from a server managing the prepaid account.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the measuring of duration is performed at a Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) of the wireless communication network serving as a home agent for MIP address assignment and for routing of data to/from the mobile station.

9. A method of providing a prepaid packet data communication service to a mobile station via a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

receiving a mobile internet protocol (MIP) request message, relating to a request for the packet data communication service for use by the mobile station;

establishing a MIP packet data communication session for the mobile station through the wireless communication network, establishment of the MIP session including assigning an Internet Protocol (IP) address for use by the mobile station during the MIP session;

starting a measurement of duration of the session substantially upon the establishment of the MIP session;

routing packets of data containing the assigned IP address to or from the mobile station via the established MIP session;

terminating the MIP session for the mobile as a result of a network initiated termination;

responsive to the session being terminated as a result of the network initiated termination, using time of the later of;

the last packet of data for the mobile station routed prior to termination, and a last MIP signaling message that did not result in termination of the MIP session received prior to termination, as an ending of the measured duration instead of time of the network initiated termination; and

reporting the measured duration, to enable reducing of a prepaid account balance purchased for the mobile station, based on the measured duration.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the network initiated termination comprises any of:

a termination upon failure of the mobile station to re-register within a set time interval, exhaustion of funds in the prepaid account as a result of usage by the mobile station, and receipt of a Remote Authentication Dial-User Service (RADIUS) disconnect message.

11. A product comprising:

executable instructions for causing a programmable network element to implement the method as recited in claim 9, and a machine readable medium bearing the instructions.

12. A packet data serving node programmed for performing the steps of the method of claim 9.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the last MIP signaling message that did not result in termination of the MIP session comprises a MIP registration request message.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network initiated termination comprises any of:

a termination upon failure of the mobile station to re-register within a set time interval, exhaustion of funds in the prepaid account as a result of usage by the mobile station, and receipt of a Remote Authentication Dial-User Service (RADIUS) disconnect message.