Method for the interception of GTP-C messages

• US 8,270,942 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2005
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redknee Inc.
• Original Assignee: Redknee Inc.
• Inventors: Zabawskyj, Bohdan, Rahim, Rubens, Ramakrishnan, Karthik
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Obayanju, Omoniyi
• Application Number:
  US12/066,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20090168697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,569 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

Disclosed is a species of control-message intercept method which includes a passive monitoring approach whereby the relevant control packets are inspected for the purpose of providing additional information for the purpose of facilitating the operation of some primary or ‘master’ Internet Protocol (IP) charging/rating middleware platform/gateway system (intended to equip network operators with the ability to rate and bill IP traffic), and secondly, an invasive technique whereby control (GTP-C) messages are injected for the purpose of altering the state of a given data session in an more aggressive fashion (e.g. to drop a data session when the subscriber runs out of money in his/her prepaid account).

Claims

1. A method for the interception of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) control (GTP-C) messages, comprising:

intercepting a GTP-C message at a control module, said control module configured to intercept GTP-C messages with one or more specified fields, states, addresses, or contexts and to ignore GTP-C messages with one or more of other specified fields, states, addresses, or contexts;

said control module residing between a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) and a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN);

performing a balance query to determine if a wireless subscriber device has a sufficient balance;

forwarding said message from said control module to said GGSN if said wireless subscriber device has a sufficient balance; and

,

causing modification of said GTP-C message if said subscriber device has insufficient balance, wherein said modification comprises sending delete requests from said control module in the form of spoofed packets to each of the SGSN and the GGSN.

2. The method of claim 1, where the modification of said GTP-C message can include the deletion of the GTP-C message or replacement of the GTP-C message with at least one GTP-C message.

3. The method of claim 1, where said balance query is performed by at least one additional network component configured to provide packet/data rating and classification in addition to said balance query.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said additional network component is a charging and rating middleware platform and gateway system.

5. A system for the interception of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) control (GTP-C) messages, comprising:

a control module for intercepting a GTP-C message received from a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) connected to said control module, said control module configured to intercept GTP-C messages with one or more specified fields, states, addresses, or contexts and to ignore GTP-C messages with one or more of other specified fields, states, addresses, or contexts;

said control module further connected to a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN);

said message originating from a wireless subscriber device and carried to said control module via said SGSN;

said control module further configured to initiate a balance query to determine if said wireless subscriber device has a sufficient balance;

said control module further configured to forward said message from said control module to said GGSN if said wireless subscriber device has a sufficient balance; and

,

said control module further configured to cause deletion of said GTP-C message if said subscriber device has insufficient balance, by sending delete requests in the form of spoofed packets to each of the SGSN and the GGSN.

6. The control module of claim 5 wherein said balance query is performed by at least one additional network component configured to provide packet/data rating and classification in addition to said balance query.

7. The control module of claim 6 wherein said additional network component is a charging and rating middleware platform and gateway system.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of programming instructions;

said programming instructions executable on a control module;

said programming instructions for configuring said control module to perform a method for the interception of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) control (GTP-C) messages;

said method comprising;

intercepting a GTP-C message at said control module, said control module configured to intercept GTP-C messages with one or more specified fields, states, addresses, or contexts and to ignore GTP-C messages with one or more of other specified fields, states, addresses, or contexts;

said control module residing between a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) and a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN);

performing a balance query to determine if said wireless subscriber device has a sufficient balance;

forwarding said message from said control module to said GGSN if said wireless subscriber device has a sufficient balance; and

,

causing deletion of said GTP-C message if said subscriber device has insufficient balance, wherein said deletion comprises sending delete requests from said control module in the form of spoofed packets to each of the SGSN and the GGSN.