System and method for signaling information in order to enable and disable distributed billing in a network environment

• US 8,315,170 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2004
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Grayson, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alia, Curtis A
• Application Number:
  US10/914,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20060029084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,025 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/231, 370/235, 370/236, 370/310, 455/403, 455/405, 455/406, 455/408
• US Class Current: 370/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/52 for operator independent billing system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]

Abstract

An apparatus for signaling information in a network environment is provided that includes an access gateway operable to establish one or more packet data protocol (PDP) links on behalf of an end user. The access gateway is operable to communicate a message associated with a change in quality of service, locale, or policy enforcement relating to a selected one of the PDP links to a client services packet gateway (CSPG). The CSPG responds to the message by providing an accounting command for the selected PDP link such that synchronization is achieved between accounting information and a state associated with the selected PDP link.

Claims

1. An apparatus for signaling information in a network environment, comprising:

an access gateway operable to;

establish two or more packet data protocol (PDP) links on behalf of a mobile station, each of the PDP links associated with a different gate; and

communicate to a client services packet gateway (CSPG) a message associated with a gate control of a first gate of the access gateway associated with a first PDP link, the gate control of the first gate indicating to the CSPG a change in quality of service level, locale, or policy enforcement relating to the first PDP link, the message allowing the CSPG to control accounting for the first PDP link such that synchronization is achieved between accounting information and a state of the first gate associated with the first PDP link;

wherein;

the state of the first gate comprises whether the first gate is open or closed; and

controlling the accounting for the first PDP link comprises performing, by the CSPG, one of enabling and disabling billing associated with the first PDP link by communicating with a quota server that distributes a quantity of quota to the mobile station via one or more flows.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a policy decision function coupled to the access gateway and operable to generate the message that is received by the access gateway.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is provided in a selected one of a group of protocols that consists of:

a) a RADIUS protocol;

b) a TACACS protocol;

c) a GTP′

protocol; and

d) a DIAMETER protocol.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CSPG is operable to provide one or more services to the mobile station, the services being selected from a group of services consisting of:

a) accounting;

b) firewalling;

c) filtering;

d) wireless application protocol transformations;

e) compression;

f) optimization;

g) billing; and

h) content authorization.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message associated with the gate control of the first gate of the access gateway associated with the first PDP link is specifically communicated to relay the status of the first gate indicating to the CSPG a change in quality of service level, locale, or policy enforcement relating to the first PDP link, wherein the message is sent separately from traffic communicated with the mobile station via the first PDP link.

6. An apparatus for signaling information in a network environment, comprising:

an access gateway operable to;

receive a quota request message from a client services packet gateway (CSPG), the quota request message associated with a first service of a plurality of services associated with a mobile station;

close a gate associated with the first service of the plurality of services associated with the mobile station; and

asynchronously signal to the CSPG to return a portion of quota for a flow associated with the first service associated with the mobile station, wherein the quota request message is operable to communicate an accounting command to indicate that a service level, locale or policy enforcement corresponding to the flow is modified such that synchronization is achieved between accounting information and a state of a gate associated with the first flow;

wherein;

the state of the gate comprises whether the gate is open or closed; and

the accounting command is associated with performing, by the CSPG, one of enabling and disabling billing associated with the mobile station, the accounting command being communicated to a quota server that distributes a quantity of quota to the mobile station via one or more flows.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the access gateway is signaled that a gate corresponding to the flow is to be closed.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the command to indicate that a gate corresponding to the flow is open allows accounting for the flow to be initiated.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a cause segment is included in the signaling that offers a reason for the CSPG for a return of the portion of quota.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the CSPG is operable to provide one or more services to the mobile station, the services being selected from a group of services consisting of:

a) accounting;

b) firewalling;

c) filtering;

d) wireless application protocol transformations;

e) compression;

f) optimization;

g) billing; and

h) content authorization.

11. An apparatus for signaling information in a network environment, comprising:

a client services packet gateway (CSPG) operable to;

read a flow establishment message communicated by an access gateway, the flow establishment message related to a first flow of a plurality of flows associated with a mobile station, each flow associated with a service of a plurality of services;

determine from the flow establishment message that call information associated with the first flow associated with a first service associated with the mobile station has changed; and

act autonomously, in response to reading the message and determining that call information has changed, by controlling accounting for the flow such that synchronization is achieved between call information and a state of a gate associated with the flow associated with the first service;

wherein;

the state of the gate comprises whether the gate is open or closed; and

controlling the accounting for the flow comprises providing, by the CSPG, an accounting command to perform one of enabling and disabling billing associated with the flow, the accounting command provided to a quota server that distributes a quantity of quota to the mobile station via the first flow.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a policy decision function coupled to the access gateway and operable to generate the message that is received by the access gateway.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the message is provided in a selected one of a group of protocols that consists of:

a) a RADIUS protocol;

b) a TACACS protocol;

c) a GTP′

protocol;

d) a DIAMETER protocol; and

e) a COPS protocol.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the CSPG is operable to provide one or more services to the mobile station, the services being selected from a group of services consisting of:

a) accounting;

b) firewalling;

c) filtering;

d) wireless application protocol transformations;

e) compression;

f) optimization;

g) billing; and

h) content authorization.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the CSPG is operable to respond to the message by analyzing accounting rules for down-link packets, and wherein if there is correspondence between a down-link rule and a packet classification corresponding to a closed gate then the CSPG disables an accounting functionality for the flow.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the CSPG is operable to respond to the message by analyzing the accounting rules for the down-link packets such that if the accounting rules indicate a previously disabled charging rule corresponding to an open gate, then the CSPG can enable the accounting functionality for the flow.

17. A method for signaling information in a network environment, comprising:

establishing, via an access gateway, two or more packet data protocol (PDP) links on behalf of a mobile station, each of the PDP links associated with a different gate; and

communicating, by the access gateway to a client services packet gateway (CSPG), a message associated with a gate control of a first gate of the access gateway associated with a first PDP link, the gate control of the first gate indicating to the CSPG a change in quality of service level, locale, or policy enforcement relating to the first PDP link, the message allowing the CSPG to control accounting for the first PDP link such that synchronization is achieved between accounting information and a state of the first gate associated with the first PDP link;

wherein;

the state of the first gate comprises whether the first gate is open or closed; and

controlling the accounting for the first PDP link comprises performing, by the CSPG, one of enabling and disabling billing associated with the first PDP link by communicating with a quota server that distributes a quantity of quota to the mobile station via one or more flows.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating the message that is received by the CSPG.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the message is provided in a selected one of a group of protocols that consists of:

a) a RADIUS protocol;

b) a TACACS protocol;

c) a GTP′

protocol; and

d) a DIAMETER protocol.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

distributing a quantity of quota to the mobile station via one or more flows.

21. A method for signaling information in a network environment, comprising:

receiving at an access gateway a quota request message from a client services packet gateway (CSPG), the quota request message associated with a first service of a plurality of services associated with a mobile station;

responding to the quota request message by signaling to the CSPG to return a portion of quota for a flow associated with the first service associated with the mobile station; and

transmitting a second quota message from the access gateway to the CSPG, the quota request messages communicating an accounting command to indicate that a state of a gate corresponding to the flow is changed such that synchronization is achieved between accounting information and the state of the gate associated with the flow;

wherein;

the state of the gate comprises whether the gate is open or closed; and

the accounting command is associated with performing one of enabling and disabling billing associated with the mobile station, the accounting command being communicated to a quota server that distributes a quantity of quota to the mobile station via the flow.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

signaling that the gate corresponding to the flow is to be closed.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the command to indicate that the gate corresponding to the flow is open allows accounting for the flow to be initiated.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing a cause segment that is included in the signaling, the cause segment offering a reason for the CSPG for a return of the portion of quota.

25. A method for signaling information in a network environment, comprising:

reading, at a client services packet gateway (CSPG), a flow establishment message communicated by an access gateway, the flow establishment message related to a first flow of a plurality of flows associated with a mobile station, each flow associated with a service of a plurality of services;

determining by the CSPG from the flow establishment message that call information associated with the flow associated with the first service associated with the mobile station has changed; and

acting autonomously, by the CSPG in response to reading the message and determining that call information has changed, by providing from the CSPG an accounting command to control accounting for the flow such that synchronization is achieved between call information and a state of a gate associated with the flow associated with the first service;

wherein;

the state of the gate comprises whether the gate is open or closed; and

the accounting command is associated with performing, by the CSPG, one of enabling and disabling billing associated with the flow, the accounting command being communicated to a quota server that distributes a quantity of quota to the mobile station via the flow.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

generating the message that is received by the access gateway.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the message is provided in a selected one of a group of protocols that consists of:

a) a RADIUS protocol;

b) a TACACS protocol;

c) a GTP′

protocol;

d) a DIAMETER protocol; and

e) a COPS protocol.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

providing one or more services to the mobile station, the services being selected from a group of services consisting of;

a) accounting;

b) firewalling;

c) filtering;

d) wireless application protocol transformations;

e) compression;

f) optimization;

g) billing; and

h) content authorization.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

responding to the message by analyzing accounting rules for down-link packets, wherein if there is correspondence between a down-link rule and a packet classification corresponding to a closed gate then an accounting functionality is disabled for the flow.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

responding to the message by analyzing the accounting rules for the down-link packets such that if the accounting rules indicate a previously disabled charging rule corresponding to an open gate, then the accounting functionality is enabled for the flow.