Method of time charging to DHCP online users in a broadband access server

• US 8,423,472 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pattington IP LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Sun, Peng
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, STEVEN S
• Application Number:
  US10/563,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20060155994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,220 Days
• Field of Search: 705/52, 709223-225
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]

Abstract

A method of calculating broadband access server DHCP user'"'"'s on-line time, includes these steps: (a) setting the inner time, outer time and traffic threshold for said access server calculating user'"'"'s data traffic, and the inner time is shorter than the outer time; (b) user accesses the said access server, after authenticated successfully, the access server notifies starting to charge the user'"'"'s online time; (c) according to each user, said access server establishes a ring list to record data traffic; (d) said access server sets the number of ring list elements as multiple of said outer time to said inner time; (e) said access server inspects the said user'"'"'s data traffic according to inner time, fills it in content indicated by top element index of ring list, until current data traffic inspected and value recorded by top index are not more than said traffic threshold. The advantage of the invention is that timing is precise and error is small.

Claims

1. A method of recording online DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) usage duration of a user in a broadband access server, the method comprising the steps of:

a) determining, by the broadband access server, an inner time interval, an outer time interval, and a flow threshold, wherein the inner time interval is less than the outer time interval;

b) authenticating, by the broadband access server, the user and transmitting, by the broadband access server, start charging message to a charging server upon the authentication of the user;

c) calculating, by the broadband access server, a number of elements of a circular link list by dividing the outer time interval by the inner time interval and creating, by the broadband access server, the circular link list with the calculated number of elements;

e) monitoring, by the broadband access server, a data flow of the user and recording the monitored data flow in a current element of the circular link list at the inner time interval until all the elements in the circular link list are filled with the monitored data flow, wherein the circular link list is shifted at each intervals of the inner time interval such that last element of the circular link list is in position of the current element of the circular link list;

f) at the inner time interval, detecting, by the broadband access server, a data flow of the user, shifting the circular link list such that the last element of the circular link list is in position of the current element of the circular link list, and obtaining the lastly recorded data flow from the current element of the circular link list;

g) determining, by the broadband access server, whether the user is in the IDLE state by comparing the difference of the detected data flow and the obtained data flow from the current element of the circular link list with the flow threshold; and

h) sending, by the broadband access server, stop charging message to the charging server and logging off the user based on the determination of IDLE state.

2. A method of claim 1 further comprising:

recording, by the broadband access server, the detected data flow of the user in step f) in the current element of the circular link list upon determining that the user is not in the IDLE state.

3. A method of claim 1 wherein the inner time interval is 30 seconds and the outer time interval is 5 minutes.