Unique session ID sharing

• US 8,213,423 B1
• Filed: 04/24/2008
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Breau, Jeremy, Belser, John E., Rieschick, Gary, Doerr, Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Minh-Trang
• Application Number:
  US12/108,989
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/389
• 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: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/62 based on trigger specification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A method, system, and medium are provided for accounting for data transfer across a packet-switched network. A unique session identifier is generated at an accounting service node and provided to accounting nodes. Accounting nodes collect data transfer information corresponding to a session and associate the data transfer information with the unique session identifier. The data transfer information is provided to the accounting service node, which generates accounting records based on that information.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of accounting for data transfer across a packet-switched network, the method comprising:

initiating a data session for a user on a packet-switched mobile communications network, wherein the network comprises one or more accounting nodes that report data transfer information to an accounting service node;

generating a unique session identifier associated with the data session;

providing the unique session identifier to each of the one or more accounting nodes;

simultaneously receiving data transfer information from each of the one or more accounting nodes, the data transfer information being associated with the unique session identifier;

correlating the data transfer information from each of the one or more accounting nodes using the unique session identifier, and

generating an accounting record for the data session based on the correlated data transfer information.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the data session comprises a session during which a user transmits and receives data packets over the network.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the packet-switched mobile communications network comprises a CDMA mobile network.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein the CDMA mobile network utilizes a remote authentication dial in user service (RADIUS) protocol.

5. The media of claim 3, wherein at least one of the one or more accounting nodes comprises a packet data serving node (PDSN).

6. The media of claim 5, wherein the data transfer information reported by at least one accounting node comprises a subset of data transfer information reported by the PDSN.

7. The media of claim 6, wherein the at least one accounting node comprises an application server.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the unique session identifier is generated by an accounting node.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the accounting node comprises an Authorization, Authentication, and Accounting (AAA) server.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of accounting for data transfer across a packet-switched network, the method comprising:

a first accounting node;

(A) receiving a request to grant a mobile node access to at least one second accounting node on a packet-switched mobile network;

(B) communicating an access request to an Authorization, Authentication, and Accounting (AAA) server, wherein the access request comprises a request for authentication of the mobile node;

(C) receiving authorization from the AAA server to grant the mobile node access to the at least one second accounting node associated with the network, wherein the authorization comprises a unique session identifier;

(D) receiving data transfer information associated with communications between the mobile node and the at least one second accounting node;

associating the data transfer information received from the at least one second accounting node with the unique session identifier; and

providing the collected data transfer information with the unique session identifier to the AAA server.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the request is received from an accounting node that receives communications from the mobile node.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the accounting node comprises a PDSN.

13. The media of claim 10, wherein the unique session identifier comprises a randomly generated alpha-numeric string.

14. The media of claim 10, further comprising performing filtered deep packet capturing to capture packets corresponding to one or more sets of recordable transfer types.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein collecting data transfer information comprises performing deep packet inspection on the captured packets to identify one or more recordable data transfers.

16. The media of claim 10, wherein the network comprises a CDMA network utilizing a RADIUS protocol.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of accounting for data transfer across a packet-switched network, the method comprising:

receiving a request to authorize a first accounting node to grant a user access to one or more network resources available from said first accounting node, wherein said request comprises a request to initiate a session;

generating a unique session identifier associated with the session;

storing the unique session identifier in a database;

authorizing the first accounting node to grant the user access, wherein said authorizing comprises providing the unique session identifier to the first accounting node;

receiving a request to authorize at least one second accounting node to grant the user access to one or more network resources available from said at least one second accounting node;

authorizing the at least one second accounting node to grant the user access, wherein said authorizing comprises providing the unique session identifier to the at least one second accounting node;

simultaneously receiving data transfer information corresponding to the unique session identifier from the first accounting node and the at least one second accounting node;

correlating the data transfer information from the first accounting node and the at least one second accounting node using the unique session identifier; and

generating an accounting record corresponding to the session based on the correlated data transfer information.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the accounting record comprises a billing record.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein generating an accounting record comprises:

compiling all received data transfer information associated with the unique session identifier;

performing subtractive accounting to identify a net recordable data transfer quantity; and

identifying a payable amount that corresponds to the net recordable data transfer quantity.

20. The media of claim 17, wherein the accounting record includes information indicating one or more attributes associated with the session.