Mechanism for tracking traffic statistics on a per packet basis to enable variable price billing

• US 8,301,521 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2002
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Millard, Thomas Alan, Noel, Francis Edward Jr., Slager, Rosemary Venema, Strole, Norman Clark
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUCHANAN, CHRISTOPHER R
• Application Number:
  US10/218,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20030093341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,732 Days
• Field of Search: 705/34, 705/35, 705/40
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/146 using digital cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for generating variable price billing whereby a customer may balance its data traffic in response to such billing. A subsystem in an edge gateway may extract the packet header from a copy of a received packet of data associated with a session between a customer and a server and generate a key based on the extracted packet header. The key may be used to index into a table that may store pointers to particular statistics records associated with particular sessions. Once the subsystem identifies the statistics record associated with the current session, the subsystem may execute a per packet statistics update for the statistics record associated with the session. A per packet statistics update may include one or more of the following: time stamping arrival of the packet, updating packet count, updating byte count, determining transfer rate, determining distance packet traveled.

Claims

1. A method for generating variable price billing comprising the steps of:

receiving a packet of data associated with a session;

extracting a packet header from said received packet of data;

generating a key based on said extracted packet header to identify a statistics record associated with said session; and

executing a per packet statistics update for said statistics record associated with said session by a network processor subsystem in a gateway.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein if said received packet of data is not a packet indicating a start of said session then the method further comprises the steps of:

indexing into a table using said generated key; and

determining if an entry in said table is associated with said generated key.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein if said received packet of data is a packet indicating a start of said session then the method further comprises the step of:

determining if said received packet of data is part of a non-billable flow.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein if said received packet of data is part of said non-billable flow then the method further comprises the step of:

determining whether to collect statistics on said non-billable flow.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

indexing into a table using said generated key; and

determining if an entry in said table is associated with said generated key.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein if said generated key is not associated with an entry in said table, then the method further comprises the steps of

creating an entry in said table;

and

creating a pointer to said statistics record associated with said session.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein if said generated key is not associated with an entry in said table, then the method further comprises the step of:

creating said statistics record to be stored in a created entry in said table.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein if said generated key is associated with said entry in said table, then the method further comprises the step of:

identifying said statistics record associated with said session using a pointer in said indexed entry.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

transmitting said statistics record for said session to a billing system configured to compute billing rates for a plurality of pricing options in a billing record for said customer upon completion of said session.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said per packet statistics update comprises one or more of the following:

time stamping arrival of packet, updating packet count, updating byte count, determining transfer rate, determining distance packet traveled, determining quality of service, determining type of carrier service, determining size of packet.

11. A computer program product embodied in a machine readable medium for generating variable price billing comprising the programming steps of

receiving a packet of data associated with a session;

extracting a packet header from said received packet of data;

generating a key based on said extracted packet header to identify a statistics record associated with said session; and

executing a per packet statistics update for said statistics record associated with said session.

12. The computer program product as recited in claim 11, wherein if said received packet of data is not a packet indicating a start of said session then the computer program product further comprises the programming steps of:

indexing into a table using said generated key; and

determining if an entry in said table is associated with said generated key.

13. The computer program product as recited in claim 11, wherein if said received packet of data is a packet indicating a start of said session then the computer program product further comprises the programming step of:

determining if said received packet of data is part of a non-billable flow.

14. The computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein if said received packet of data is part of said non-billable flow then the computer program product further comprises the programming step of:

determining whether to collect statistics on said non-billable flow.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 11 further comprising the programming steps of:

indexing into a table using said generated key; and

determining if an entry in said table is associated with said generated key.

16. The computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein if said generated key is not associated with an entry in said table, then the computer program product further comprises the programming steps of:

creating an entry in said table; and

creating a pointer to said statistics record associated with said session.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein if said generated key is not associated with an entry in said table, then the computer program product further comprises the programming step of:

creating said statistics record to be stored in a created entry in said table.

18. The computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein if said generated key is associated with said entry in said table, then the computer program product further comprises the programming step of:

identifying said statistics record associated with said session using a pointer in said indexed entry.

19. The computer program product as recited in claim 11 further comprising the programming step of:

transmitting said statistics record for said session to a billing system configured to compute billing rates for a plurality of pricing options in a billing record for said customer upon completion of said session.

20. The computer program product as recited in claim 11, wherein said per packet statistics update comprises one or more of the following:

time stamping arrival of packet, updating packet count, updating byte count, determining transfer rate, determining distance packet traveled, determining quality of service, determining type of carrier service, determining size of packet.

21. A system, comprising:

a gateway configured to provide access to the Internet for a customer, wherein said gateway comprises;

a subsystem, wherein said subsystem comprises;

a memory unit operable for storing a computer program operable for generating variable price billing; and

a processor coupled to said memory unit, wherein said processor, responsive to said computer program, comprises;

circuitry operable for receiving a packet of data associated with a session;

circuitry operable for extracting a packet header from said received packet of data;

circuitry operable for generating a key based on said extracted packet header to identify a statistics record associated with said session; and

circuitry operable for executing a per packet statistics update for said statistics record associated with said session.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein if said received packet of data is not a packet indicating a start of said session then said processor further comprises:

circuitry operable for indexing into a table using said generated key; and

circuitry operable for determining if an entry in said table is associated with said generated key.

23. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein if said received packet of data is a packet indicating a start of said session then said processor further comprises:

circuitry operable for determining if said received packet of data is part of a non-billable flow.

24. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein if said received packet of data is part of said non-billable flow then said processor further comprises:

circuitry operable for determining whether to collect statistics on said non-billable flow.

25. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein said processor further comprises:

circuitry operable for indexing into a table using said generated key; and

circuitry operable for determining if an entry in said table is associated with said generated key.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein if said generated key is not associated with an entry in said table, then said processor further comprises:

circuitry operable for creating an entry in said table; and

circuitry operable for creating a pointer to said statistics record associated with said session.

27. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein if said generated key is not associated with an entry in said table, then said processor further comprises:

circuitry operable for creating said statistics record to be stored in a created entry in said table.

28. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein if said generated key is associated with said entry in said table, then said processor further comprises:

circuitry operable for identifying said statistics record associated with said session using a pointer in said indexed entry.

29. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein said processor further comprises:

circuitry operable for transmitting said statistics record for said session upon completion of said session to a billing system coupled to said gateway, wherein said billing system is configured to compute billing rates for a plurality of pricing options in a billing record for said customer.

30. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein said per packet statistics update comprises one or more of the following:

time stamping arrival of packet, updating packet count, updating byte count, determining transfer rate, determining distance packet traveled, determining quality of service, determining type of carrier service, determining size of packet.

31. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein said processor is a network processor.