Method, means and a computer program product for managing online charging in a communications network

• US 7,684,551 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Comptel Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comptel Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Romppanen, Antti, Salonen, Matti
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US12/153,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.01, 379/114.03, 379/114.05, 379/114.06, 379/114.08, 379/114.1, 379/114.12, 379/114.17, 379/114.2, 379/115.01, 379/121.01, 705/7, 705/26, 705/34, 705/37, 705/40, 705/52, 705/80, 705/412
• US Class Current: 379/114.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment

Abstract

A method of online charging in a communication network. The method includes receiving a service request from a user, determining whether the service request is an access network session, a media network session or a service network session, determining if a type of charging model the user wants to use to provide the service request is an event based model, a volume based model, a time based model, an event based model or a combination of the models, determining which network element corresponding to the access network session, the media network session and the service network session in the communication network is responsible for providing the service request from the user, and provisioning identification rules for providing the service request to the network element that is determined to be responsible for providing the service request from the user. Further, the step of provisioning the identification rules comprises updating the rules when the access network session, the media network session and the service network session interact with each other in a charging transaction requested in the service request from the user.

Claims

1. A method of online charging in a communication network, the method comprising:

receiving a service or identification request from a user;

determining whether the service request relates to an access session, a media session or a service session;

determining if a type of charging model the operator wants to use in connection with the service request is an event based model, a volume based model, a time based model, a subscription based model or a combination of the models;

determining which network element corresponding to the access session, the media session or the service session in the communication network is responsible for charging the service relating to the service request from the user; and

provisioning identification rules to the network element that is determined to be responsible for providing the service relating to the service request from the user,

wherein the step of provisioning the identification rules comprises updating the rules when the access session, the media session and the service session interact with each other in a charging transaction relating to the service request from the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network includes an online mediation layer, a control logic layer below the online mediation layer, and a proxy layer below the control logic layer, and

wherein the provisioning step is made from the online mediation layer to the control logic layer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging model includes at least one of a price source location, price types, a tariff class, and calculation rules.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the user requesting the service,

determining if the identified user has preset charging rules; and

determining if the preset charging rules of the user matches the provisioned identification rules.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

using the preset charging rules when the preset charging rules match the provisioned rules.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

updating the provisioned rules when the preset charging rules do not match the provisioned rules.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the provisioned identification rules correspond to a particular user or to a specific service or service group.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling a user session for providing the service requested by the user using one of a RADIUS, a Diameter or a CAMEL3 protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing charging transactions from one or more of the access session, the media session and the service session.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining the type of charging model further comprises determining the type of charging model based on the service request and based on whether the identified user is determined to have the preset charging rule cache.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of determining the type of charging model determines the charging model based on the service request and the user'"'"'s preset charging rule cache when the identified user is determined to have the preset charging rule cache.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of determining the type of charging model determines charging model based on the service request without using a preset charging rule cache when the identified user is determined not to have the preset charging rule cache.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking if the particular charging model contains some request identification rules.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein in response of the charging model including service request activation rules, the system is triggered to provision them to correct locations.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the request identification rules include one or several entities or any type of combination of them.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising using dynamic request identification rules, which are not provisioned straight to the proxy applications but they are activated upon a service request.

17. A system for online charging in a communication network, the system comprising:

a receiving unit configured to received a service or identification request from a user;

a determining unit configured to determine whether the service request relates to an access session, a media session or a service session, to determine if a type of charging model the operator wants to use in connection with the service request is an event based model, a volume based model, a time based model, a subscription based model or a combination of the models, and to determine which network element corresponding to the access session, the media session or the service session in the communication network is responsible for charging the service relating to the service request from the user, and

a provisioning unit configured to provision identification rules to the network element that is determined to be responsible for providing the service relating to the service request from the user,

wherein provisioning unit is further configured to update the rules when the access session, the media session and the service session interact with each other in a charging transaction relating to the service request from the user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the communication network includes an online mediation layer, a control logic layer below the online mediation layer, and a proxy layer below the control logic layer, and

wherein the provisioning unit provision the identification rules from the online mediation layer to the control logic layer.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the charging model includes at least one of a price source location, price types, a tariff class, and calculation rules.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

an identifying unit configured to identify the user requesting the service,

wherein the determining unit is further configured to determine if the identified user has preset charging rules, and to determine if the preset charging rules of the user matches the provisioned identification rules.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the preset charging rules are used when the preset charging rules match the provisioned rules.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

an updating unit configured to update the provisioned rules when the preset charging rules do not match the provisioned rules.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the provisioned identification rules correspond to a particular user or to a specific service or service group.

24. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a controlling unit configured to control a user session for providing the service requested by the user using one of a RADIUS, a Diameter or a CAMEL3 protocol.

25. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a synchronizing unit configured to synchronize charging transactions from one or more of the access network session, the media session and the service session.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the determining unit determines the type of charging model based on the service request and based on whether the identified user is determined to have the preset charging rule cache.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the determining unit determines the type of charging model based on the service request and the user'"'"'s preset charging rule cache when the identified user is determined to have the preset charging rule cache.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the determining unit determines the type of charging model based on the service request without using a preset charging rule cache when the identified user is determined not to have the preset charging rule cache.

29. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for checking if the particular charging model contains some request identification rules.

30. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for in response of charging model including service request activation rules, triggering the system to provision to correct locations.

31. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for including one or several entities or any type of combination of them to the request identification rules.

32. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for using dynamic request identification rules, which are not provisioned straight to the proxy applications but they are activated upon a service request.

33. A method for setting identification criteria for online charging in communications networks, the method comprising:

receiving charging rule management request from an operator, and

provisioning the identification rules according to a charging model including at least one of the following aspects;

which of the charging sessions including access/bearer, media and/or service sessions, the operator want to use for charging;

what kind of charging model the operator want to use within each session, subscription based, volume based, time based, event based and/or combination of previous models; and

which network element is responsible for charging of which services;

wherein editing rules and taking into account if the charging of the service in one network element affect to the charging in at least one other network element.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the provisioning is made from online mediation layer to control logic layer.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein in response of charging model including service request activation rules, the system is triggered to provision them to correct locations.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the charging model contains at least one of the following items:

Price source location, Price types, Tariff class, Calculation rules.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the provisioning is made for a specific end user or user group.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the provisioning is made for a specific service or service group.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein user sessions are controlled by RADIUS or Diameter or CAMEL3 protocol.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein charging transactions in a session are synchronized.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein request identification rules include one or several entities or any type of combination of them.

42. The method of claim 33, wherein the charging rule management request is one of the following operations:

add, search, remove, modify, display.