Method and system for session modification

• US 8,601,533 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hu, Huadong, Zhi, Chunxia, Guo, Yali
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): JHAVERI, JAYESH M
• Application Number:
  US12/728,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20100180319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 379/114.2, 37911415-11422
• US Class Current: 726/1
• 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 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/64 On-line charging system [OCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/65 Off-line charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7833 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method and system for session modification are provided. The method includes these steps: A home policy and charging rules function (h-PCRF) sends a policy and charging control (PCC) rule providing message to a first policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) according to a received PCC rule request message, an application layer service message, or an h-PCRF self-trigger event; and the h-PCRF sends a PCC rule providing message to a second PCEF according to a PCC rule response message received from the first PCEF. With this present disclosure, session modification may be implemented when two or more PCEFs are included in the PCC architecture of a system architecture evolution (SAE) system.

Claims

1. A method for session modification comprising:

sending, by a network entity configured with a home policy and charging rules function (the h-PCRF network entity), a first policy and charging control (PCC) rule providing message to a packet data network gateway configured with a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF b) according to a PCC rule request message received from an access gateway configured with an additional policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF a);

receiving, by the h-PCRF network entity, a PCC rule response message from the packet data network gateway; and

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, a second PCC rule providing message to the access gateway according to the PCC rule response message received from the packet data network gateway.

2. The method of claim 1, before the step of sending the first PCC rule providing message, further comprising:

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, a trigger event to the access gateway and the packet data network gateway.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the PCC rule request message is sent by the access gateway and includes information of an occurred trigger event, and information of PCC rules affected by the occurred trigger event;

the first PCC rule providing message includes the information of the occurred trigger event, and information of PCC rules generated by the h-PCRF network entity;

wherein the step of sending the first PCC rule providing message to the packet data network gateway comprises;

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, the first PCC rule providing message to the packet data network gateway for matching a credit re-authorization event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the access gateway and the packet data network gateway, their own PCC rules to be enforced from the received PCC rule providing message according to their pre-configured PCC rules to be enforced if the first PCC rule providing message and the second PCC rule providing message carry the same PCC rules.

5. The method of claim 1, before the step of receiving the PCC rule response message from the packet data network gateway, further comprising:

receiving, by the packet data network gateway, the first PCC rule providing message;

sending, by the packet data network gateway, a credit request message to a home online charging system (the h-OCS);

receiving, by the h-OCS, the credit request message;

sending, by the h-OCS, a new online charging credit information or a final report response information to the packet data network gateway;

receiving, by the packet data network gateway, the new online charging credit information or the final report response information; and

sending, by the packet data network gateway, the PCC rule response message to the h-PCRF network entity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the PCC rule response message comprises credit availability information and the step of sending the second PCC rule providing message to the access gateway comprises:

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, the second PCC rule providing message carrying new PCC rules to the access gateway if the credit is available;

or

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, the PCC rule providing message without carrying the new PCC rules corresponding to the unavailable credit to the access gateway if the credit is unavailable.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, the credit request message to the h-OCS carries a final report to the h-OCS when the packet data network gateway detects that a credit re-authorization event matches the credit re-authorization event stored on the packet data network gateway.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving, by the packet data network gateway, the first PCC rule providing message occurs before the sending, by the packet data network gateway, the credit request message to the h-OCS;

the first PCC rule providing message is received from the h-PCRF network entity, and carries information of a trigger event that occurs on the access gateway and information of affected PCC rules;

wherein the information of the trigger event that occurs is used to match a credit re-authorization event.

9. The method of claim 1, before the step of receiving the PCC rule request message, further comprising:

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, a trigger event to the access gateway through a visit policy and charging rules function network entity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the PCC rule request message includes information of an occurred trigger event, and information of PCC rules affected by the occurred trigger event, and wherein the first PCC rule providing message includes information of the occurred trigger event, and information of the PCC rules affected by the occurred trigger event;

wherein the step of receiving the PCC rule request message comprises;

receiving, by a network entity configured with a visit policy and charging rules function (the v-PCRF network entity), the PCC rule request message; and

receiving, by the h-PCRF network entity, the PCC rule request message from the v-PCRF network entity;

wherein, the step of sending the first PCC rule providing message to the packet data network gateway comprises;

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, the first PCC rule providing message to the packet data network gateway for matching a credit re-authorization event.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first PCC rule providing message further carries a trigger event type that is used to match a credit re-authorization event.

12. The method of claim 10, after the step of sending the first PCC rule providing message to the packet data network gateway, further comprising:

determining, by the packet data network gateway, whether the stored credit re-authorization event information matches with trigger event information in the first PCC rule providing message; and

initiating, by the packet data network gateway, a credit re-authorization process if the matching is successful.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the PCC rule response message comprises credit availability information, the step of sending the second PCC rule providing message to the access gateway comprises one of:

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, the second PCC rule providing message carrying new PCC rules to the access gateway through a v-PCRF network entity if the credit is available; and

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, the second PCC rule providing message without carrying the new PCC rules corresponding to the unavailable credit to the access gateway through a v-PCRF network entity if the credit is unavailable.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the PCEF b comprises PCEF b1 and PCEF b2, and the PCC rule response message comprises credit availability information;

and the method further comprises one of;

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, the first PCC rule providing message carrying new PCC rules to the PCEF b1 through a v-PCRF network entity if the credit is available; and

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, the first PCC rule providing message without carrying the new PCC rules generated for the unavailable credit to the PCEF b2 through a v-PCRF network entity if the credit is unavailable.

18. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of sending, by the h-OCS, the new online charging credit information or the final report response message to the packet data network gateway comprises:

sending, by the h-OCS, a credit response message which carries the new online charging credit information or the final report response information to the packet data network gateway.

19. The method of claim 5, wherein the credit request message to the h-OCS carries a final report to the h-OCS when a trigger event carried in the first PCC rule providing message received by the packet data network gateway matches the stored credit re-authorization event on the packet data network gateway.

20. The method of claim 5, wherein the credit request message to the h-OCS carries a final report to the h-OCS when the first PCC rule providing message carries a new charging key or an unavailable charging key.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the access gateway is a serving gateway.

22. The method of claim 10, wherein the occurred trigger event information is used to match a credit re-authorization event, comprises:

the information of the occurred trigger event of the first PCC rule providing message further includes a mark to the occurred trigger event to identify that the occurred trigger event is used to update the trigger event stored on the packet data network gateway.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the occurred trigger event information is used to match a credit re-authorization event, comprises:

the information of the occurred trigger event of the first PCC rule providing message further includes a mark to the occurred trigger event to identify that the occurred trigger event is used to match the credit re-authorization event.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the first PCC rule providing message and the second PCC rule providing message carry the instructions for enforcing PCC rules and the same PCC rules, the method further comprising:

obtaining, by the access gateway and the packet data network gateway, their own PCC rules to be enforced from the received PCC rule providing message according to instructions for enforcing PCC rules carried in the first PCC rule providing message and the second PCC rule providing message.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the h-PCRF network entity, instructions for enforcing PCC rules to the access gateway and the packet data network gateway beforehand, obtaining, by the access gateway and the packet data network gateway, their own PCC rules to be enforced from the received PCC rule providing message according to the received instructions for enforcing PCC rules beforehand if the first PCC rule providing message and the second PCC rule providing message carry the same PCC rules.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the h-PCRF network entity, corresponding PCC rules for the access gateway and the packet data network gateway according to functions of the access gateway and the packet data network gateway respectively;

wherein the first PCC rule providing message and the second PCC rule providing message carry the corresponding PCC rules respectively.

15. A system for session modification, comprising:

a network entity configured with a home policy and charging rules function (the h-PCRF network entity), wherein the h-PCRF network entity is configured to be communicatively connected to an access gateway and a packet data network gateway, the access gateway being configured with a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF a) and the packet data network gateway being configured with an additional policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF b);

wherein;

the h-PCRF network entity is further configured to send a first policy and charging control (PCC) rule providing message to the packet data network gateway according to a PCC rule request message received from the access gateway, to receive a PCC rule response message from the packet data network gateway; and

to send a second PCC rule providing message to the access gateway according to the PCC rule response message received from the packet data network gateway.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a network entity configured with a visit policy and charging rules function (the v-PCRF network entity), configured to receive a trigger event information and the PCC rule providing message from the h-PCRF network entity and send the trigger event information and the PCC rule providing message to the access gateway.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the PCEF b comprises PCEF b1 and PCEF b2;

the h-PCRF network entity is configured to receive the PCC rule request message, generate PCC rules and send the PCC rule providing message to the PCEF b2;

the PCEF b2 is configured to receive the PCC rule providing message, send a PCC rule response message to the h-PCRF network entity; and

the h-PCRF network entity is further configured to send the PCC rule providing message to the access gateway and PCEF b1 through a v-PCRF network entity.