Method, system and network server for recording use of network service capability by applications

• US 8,612,568 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2006
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• 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: Tian, Linyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOROBOV, VITALI A
• Application Number:
  US11/449,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20060282515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,748 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/223, 709/224, 709/226, 370/252, 370/352, 370/353, 370/356, 370/389, 370/392, 370/400, 370/401, 379/88.17, 379/93.01, 379/201.01, 379/221.08
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

The present invention discloses method, system and network server for recording use of network service capability by applications (APPs), and the key points of the methods comprise: a network server acquires an identity of the APP and type information of the network service capability providing services for the APP, conducts service logic processing, and writes a message of use of network service capability, which comprises at least the identity of the APP and the type information of the network service capability providing services for the APP. With the methods of this invention, the purpose of making effective records of use of network service capability by APPs provided by service providers is implemented. Furthermore, management of APPs, such as charging, may be conducted by utilizing the records.

Claims

1. In a network server which provides an interface to a service provider so that an application (APP) of the service provider can use network service of the network server through invocating the interface, a method for producing a charging account for the APP, which uses the network service of the network server, of the service provider, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the network server via an Application Programming Interface (API), an invocation request carrying both an identity of the APP of the service provider and invocation parameters from the APP of the service provider;

obtaining, by the network server, both the identity of the APP and invocation parameters from the invocation request, determining, by the network server, type information of the network service capability requested by the APP according to the invocation request received from the APP of the service provider;

based on the invocation request received from the APP of the service provider, recording, by the network server, an item of network service capability used by the APP of the service provider, which at least comprises both the identity of the APP of the service provider and the type information of the network service capability used by the APP of the service provider;

based on the recorded item of network service capability, and pricing, by the network server, the item of network service capability used by the APP of the service provider according to a charging matrix of network service capability configured in the network server, and producing a charging account for the APP of the service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

said invocation request comprises a synchronous invocation request based on the API interface;

and

after recording by the network server the item of network service capability used by the APP of the service provider, the method further comprises;

performing, by the network server, a network operation according to invocation request, and returning, by the network server, a response of a performed result to the APP of the service provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

said invocation request comprises an asynchronous invocation request based on the API interface;

and

after recording by the network server the item of network service capability used by the APP of the service provider, the method further comprises;

performing, by the network server, a network operation according to invocation request, and performing, by the network server, call-back on the APP for notifying the APP of a performed result.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

said invocation request comprises a notifying invocation request based on the API interface, which further comprises information for subscribing a network event;

and

after recording by the network server the item of network service capability used by the APP of the service provider, the method further comprises;

deciding, by the network server, whether a triggering condition required by the subscription of a network event in the notifying invocation request is met, if not, conducting no processing;

if yes, invoking a notifying interface of the APP, notifying the APP of the network event subscribed thereof, and recording another item of network service capability.

5. The method of claim 2, 3 or 4,

said invocation request based on the API interface is a local invocation or a remote invocation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting triggering conditions, which are determined in accordance with functions of the network server, for the network server to initiatively send a notifying message to the APP of the service provider; and

when a triggering condition of the APP is currently met, based on a preset corresponding relation between a network event and the identity of the APP, obtaining the identity of the APP corresponding to the received network event and the type information of the network service capability providing services for the APP, implementing service logic processing, invoking a notifying interface of the APP to send a notifying message to the APP, and recording, by the network server, a message of network service capability used by the APP of the service provider.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said message of network service capability further comprises:

a serial number of the message, an end mark of the message, an APP priority identifier, an identifier of QoS level of the APP, one or more subscriber numbers, starting time of the request and ending time of the request, an initiator ID and state information on whether the APP has successfully used the network service capability.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein

said serial number of the message is constituted jointly by submitting time of the message, a property code of network service capability, and a serial number;

said type information of the network service capability providing services for the APP comprises;

a number of the capability type and a type of the interface used by the APP;

said capability type comprises network service capability for voice services, network service capability for data services, or network service capability for management;

said type information of the network service capability providing services for the APP further comprises a serial number of a capability server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said list of network service capability is in a form of a file or a database.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein,

when used for charging, said item of network service capability further comprises an identity of charging mode and a current session identity assigned for the current session by an object providing capability services;

said identity of charging mode is an identity of free charge, an identity of charging per message, or an identity of charging by monthly payment.

11. In a network server which provides interface to a service provider so that an application (APP) of the service provider can use network service of the network server through invocating the interface, a method for producing a charging account for the APP, comprising the steps of:

configuring, by the network server, triggering conditions, which are determined according to functions of a network side, for the network side to initiatively send a notifying message to the APP of the service provider; and

when a triggering condition of the APP is currently met, obtaining, by the network server, the identity of the APP corresponding to a received network event as well as type information of a network service capability providing services for the APP based on a pre-configured corresponding relation between a network event and an identity of the APP, performing service logic processing, invoking a notifying interface of the APP, sending a notifying message to the APP, and recording based on the invocation request received from the APP of the service provider, by the network server, a item of network service capability used by the APP of the service provider;

said the item of network service capability at least comprises both the identity of the APP of the service provider and the type information of the network service capability used by the APP of the service provider;

pricing based on the recorded item of network service capability, by the network server, the item of network service capability according to the charging matrix of network service capability configured in the network server, and producing a charging account for the APP of the service provider.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said message of network service capability used by the APP of the service provider further comprises:

a serial number of the message, an end mark of the message, an APP priority identifier, an identifier of QoS level of the APP, one or more subscriber numbers, starting time of the request and ending time of the request, an initiator ID and state information on whether this service logic processing has successfully used the network service capability; and

said method for recording said state information on whether this service logic processing has successfully used the network service capability comprises;

after sending a notifying message to the APP, deciding by the network server whether the returned message from the APP indicates normal, if yes, recording the state information as this service logic processing has succeeded in using the network service capability, otherwise, recording the state information as this service logic processing has failed to use the network service capability;

or directly recording the state information as this service logic processing has succeeded in using the network service capability after the network server sends the notifying message to the APP;

wherein said state information on whether this service logic processing has successfully used the network service capability is identified by a state code.

13. A computer program product for use in a network server, which produces a charging account for an application (APP) of a service provider, wherein the network server provides an interface to the service provider so that the APP of the service provide can use network service of the network server through invocating the interface, the computer program product comprising computer executable instructions stored on a non-transitory storage medium and that when executed by a processor of the mobile terminal cause it to perform the following:

receiving, by the network server via an Application Programming Interface (API), an invocation request carrying both an identity of the APP of the service provider and invocation parameters from the APP of the service provider;

obtaining, by the network server, both the identity of the APP and invocation parameters from the invocation request, determining, by the network server, type information of the network service capability requested by the APP according to the invocation request received from the APP of the service provider;

based on the invocation request received from the APP of the service provider, recording, by the network server, an item of network service capability used by the APP of the service provider, which at least comprises both the identity of the APP of the service provider and the type information of the network service capability used by the APP of the service provider;

based on the recorded item of network service capability, and pricing, by the network server, the item of network service capability used by the APP of the service provider according to a charging matrix of network service capability configured in the network server, and producing a charging account for the APP of the service provider.