Methods, systems, and computer readable media for modifying a diameter signaling message directed to a charging function node

• US 8,644,355 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Agarwal, Devesh, Marslco, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MARCELO, MELVIN C
• Application Number:
  US13/336,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20120163297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 370/522
• US Class Current: 370/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1425 involving dedicated fields in the data packet for billing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/64 On-line charging system [OCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for modifying a Diameter signaling message directed to a charging function node are disclosed. In one example, the method comprises receiving, at a Diameter routing node, a Diameter signaling message that is associated with a mobile subscriber and is directed to a destination charging function node. The method further includes accessing mobile subscriber related information that is associated with the Diameter signaling message. The method also includes modifying the Diameter signaling message to include the mobile subscriber related information and routing the modified Diameter message to the destination charging function node.

Claims

1. A method for modifying a Diameter signaling message directed to a charging function node, the method comprising:

receiving, at a Diameter routing node, a Diameter signaling message that is associated with a mobile subscriber and is directed to a destination charging function node;

accessing mobile subscriber related information that is associated with the Diameter signaling message;

modifying the Diameter signaling message to include the mobile subscriber related information; and

routing the modified Diameter message to the destination charging function node.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the Diameter routing node includes at least one of:

a Diameter signaling router (DSR), a Diameter routing agent (DRA), a Diameter proxy agent (DPA), and a Diameter relay agent.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile subscriber related information includes at least one of:

an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), a mobile subscriber directory number (DN), a globally unique temporary identifier (GUTI), a serving MSC address information, visitor location register (VLR) number information, serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) support node (SGSN) address information, SGSN number information, visited mobile country code (MCC) information, mobile network code (MNC) information, a user-name attribute value pair (AVP), a decorated network access identifier (NAI), serving location area code information, serving cell identification information, mobile subscriber geo-location coordinate information, and tracking area information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing mobile subscriber related information comprises obtaining the mobile subscriber related information from a local cache at the Diameter routing node.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing mobile subscriber related information comprising querying a database storage node external to the Diameter routing node to obtain the mobile subscriber related information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a Diameter signaling message includes receiving a credit control request (CCR) message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a Diameter signaling message includes receiving the Diameter signaling message from at least one of:

a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) node, a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN), and a public data network (PDN) gateway.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing mobile subscriber related information includes receiving, from a Diameter based node, a Diameter based update location request (ULR) signaling message that contains the mobile subscriber related information.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the mobile subscriber related information includes receiving, from a Signaling System 7 (SS7) based routing node, an update notification signaling message that contains the mobile subscriber related information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the SS7 based routing node initially obtains the mobile subscriber related information from either a received SS7 mobile application part (MAP) update location request message or a received SS7 MAP update General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) location request message.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing mobile subscriber related information includes translating, at the Diameter routing node, the mobile subscriber related information into visited mobile country code (MCC) information and mobile network code (MNC) information associated with the mobile subscriber.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing mobile subscriber related information includes intercepting, from either a home subscriber server (HSS) or home location register (HLR), a signaling message that contains the mobile subscriber related information.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing mobile subscriber related information includes receiving the mobile subscriber related information in response to sending a query signaling message requesting the mobile subscriber related information from either a Signaling System 7 (SS7) based routing node or an external database storage node.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the destination charging function node includes either an online charging system (OCS) node or an offline charging system (OFCS) node.

15. A system for modifying Diameter signaling messages directed to a destination charging function node, the system comprising:

a destination charging function node configured to receive Diameter signaling messages; and

a Diameter routing node configured for receiving a Diameter signaling message that is associated with a mobile subscriber and is directed to the destination charging function node, accessing mobile subscriber related information that is associated with the Diameter signaling message, for modifying the Diameter signaling message to include the mobile subscriber related information, and routing the modified Diameter message to the destination charging function node.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the Diameter routing node includes at least one of:

a Diameter signaling router (DSR), a Diameter routing agent (DRA), a Diameter proxy agent (DPA), and a Diameter relay agent.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the mobile subscriber related information includes at least one of:

an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), a mobile subscriber directory number (DN), a globally unique temporary identifier (GUTI), a serving MSC address information, visitor location register (VLR) number information, serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) support node (SGSN) address information, SGSN number information, visited mobile country code (MCC) information, mobile network code (MNC) information, a user-name attribute value pair (AVP), a decorated network access identifier (NAI), serving location area code information, serving cell identification information, mobile subscriber geo-location coordinate information, and tracking area information.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the Diameter routing node is further configured for obtaining the mobile subscriber related information from a local cache at the Diameter routing node.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the Diameter routing node is further configured for querying a database storage node external to the Diameter routing node to obtain the mobile subscriber related information.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the Diameter signaling message includes a credit control request (CCR) message.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein the Diameter routing node is further configured for receiving the Diameter signaling message from at least one of:

a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) node, a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN), and a public data network (PDN) gateway.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein the Diameter routing node is further configured for receiving, from a Diameter based node, a Diameter based update location request (ULR) signaling message that contains the mobile subscriber related information.

23. The system of claim 15 wherein the Diameter routing node is further configured for receiving, from a Signaling System 7 (SS7) based routing node, an update notification signaling message that contains the mobile subscriber related information.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the SS7 based routing node initially obtains the mobile subscriber related information from either a received SS7 mobile application part (MAP) update location request message or a received SS7 MAP update GPRS location request message.

25. The system of claim 15 wherein the Diameter routing node is further configured for translating the mobile subscriber related information into visited mobile country code (MCC) information and mobile network code (MNC) information associated with the mobile subscriber.

26. The system of claim 15 wherein the Diameter routing node is further configured for intercepting, from either a home subscriber server (HSS) or home location register (HLR), a signaling message that contains the mobile subscriber related information.

27. The system of claim 15 wherein the Diameter routing node is further configured for receiving the mobile subscriber related information in response to sending a query signaling message requesting the mobile subscriber related information from either a Signaling System 7 (SS7) based routing node or an external database storage node.

28. The system of claim 15 wherein the destination charging function node includes either an online charging system (OCS) node or an offline charging system (OFCS) node.

29. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium that when executed by a processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising:

receiving, at a Diameter routing node, a Diameter signaling message that is associated with a mobile subscriber and is directed to a destination charging function node;

accessing mobile subscriber related information that is associated with the Diameter signaling message;

modifying the Diameter signaling message to include the mobile subscriber related information; and

routing the modified Diameter message to the destination charging function node.