Arrangement and method for determining charging in a telecommunications system

• US 7,873,346 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Skog, Robert, Petersson, Justus
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TIMOTHY X
• Application Number:
  US10/595,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,617 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 710/52
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/81 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0112 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and arrangements for determining charging related to a data bit transfer session from a traffic source (209) to a client (213), said bit transfer session involving bit transfer over a wireless communications link (214f) under the control of a radio resource managing unit (204). According to the method of the present invention the radio resource managing unit (204) sends information regarding the bandwidth on the wireless link that the bit transfer session currently is allowed to use to a charging logic (212). This bandwidth information from the radio resource managing unit (204) is used by the charging logic (212) to determine the charging related to the bit transfer session. Thereby a fair charging of the session may be achieved, which is adapted to the quality of service actually obtained by the end-user for the session.

Claims

1. A method for determining a charging rate related to a data bit transfer session for a mobile client communicating with a radio resource managing unit comprising the steps of:

dynamically determining a bandwidth on the wireless communication link available to and allowed to be used by the bit transfer session for said mobile client;

a charging logic receiving information from the radio resource managing unit about the bandwidth on the wireless communication link that the bit transfer session is available to use; and

said charging logic applying a particular charging rate for said mobile client based on said received bandwidth information for said data bit transfer session wherein the charging logic adapting the charging rate related to the bit transfer session such that the session is charged according to a first charging rate associated with a first charging class when the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session is within a first predetermined interval and according to a second charging rate associated with a second charging class when the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session is within a second predetermined interval.

2. The method for determining said charging rate according to claim 1 further comprising The charging logic receiving said information from the radio resource managing unit each time the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session has changed.

3. The method for determining said charging rate according to claim 1 further comprising the charging logic receiving said information from the radio resource managing unit at predetermined intervals.

4. The method for .determining said charging rate according to claim 1 further comprising the charging logic receiving said information from the radio resource managing unit each time the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session has changed and the bandwidth change has been applied to the session for a predetermined period of time.

5. The method for determining said charging rate according to claim 1 further comprising the charging logic receiving said information from the radio resource managing unit at intervals which depend on a service type of the bit transfer session.

6. The method for determining said charging rate according to claim 1 further comprising the charging logic receiving said information from the radio resource managing unit via an application server which relays said information from the radio resource managing unit to the charging logic.

7. The method for determining said charging rate according to claim 1 further comprising the charging logic receiving said information from the radio resource managing unit via a mobile proxy which relays said information from the radio resource managing unit to the charging logic.

8. The method for determining said charging rate according to claim 1 further comprising the charging logic determining that the charging rate related to the bit transfer session should be zero when the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session is below a predetermined threshold level.

9. The method for determining said charging rate according to claim 1 further comprising the charging logic adapting the charging rate related to the bit transfer session based on said received information from the radio resource managing unit such that the impact of said received information from the radio resource managing unit on the charging rate of the bit transfer session depends on a service type of the bit transfer session.

10. A telecommunications charging system associated with a mobile client communicating with a radio resource managing unit over a wireless communication link within a telecommunication network system, comprising:

means for dynamically determining a bandwidth available for and allowed to be used by a particular data bit transfer session established between said mobile client and said radio resource managing unit over said wireless communication link;

reception means for receiving information from the radio resource managing unit about the bandwidth on the wireless link available for the bit transfer session; and

charging server for applying a particular charging rate for said mobile client based on said received bandwidth information for the bit transfer session wherein the charging server is arranged to adapt the charging rate related to the bit transfer session such that the session is charged according to a first charging rate associated with a first charging class when the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session is within a first predetermined interval and according to a second charging rate associated with a second charging class when the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session is within a second predetermined interval.

11. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10, wherein said reception means is arranged to receive said information from the radio resource managing unit each time the bandwidth on the wireless link that the bit transfer session is available to use has changed.

12. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10, wherein said reception means is arranged to receive said information from the radio resource managing unit at predetermined intervals.

13. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10, wherein said reception means is arranged to receive said information from the radio resource managing unit each time the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session has changed and the bandwidth change has been applied to the session for a predetermined period of time.

14. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10, wherein said reception means is arranged to receive said information from the radio resource managing unit at intervals which depend on the service type of the bit transfer session.

15. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10 wherein said reception means is arranged to receive said information from the radio resource managing unit via an application server which relays said information from the radio resource managing unit to the charging logic.

16. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10 wherein said reception means is arranged to receive said information from the radio resource managing unit via a mobile proxy which relays said information from the radio resource managing unit to the charging logic.

17. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10 wherein the charging server is arranged to determine that the charging rate related to the bit transfer session should be zero when the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session is below a predetermined threshold level.

18. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10 is incorporated in a proxy node which further incorporates a mobile proxy.

19. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10 is incorporated in an application/service node which further incorporates an application logic.

20. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10 is incorporated in a charging node, which is a node dedicated to charging functionality.

21. The telecommunication charging system according to claim 10 in that the charging server is arranged to adapt the charging rate related to the bit transfer session based on said received information from the radio resource managing unit such that the impact of said received information from the radio resource managing unit on the charging of the bit transfer session depends on a service type of the bit transfer session.