Apparatus and method for performing accounting in wireless communication system

• US 9,165,261 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2009
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Han-Seok, Kim, Ki-Back
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayles, Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US12/321,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20090187498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 705/30
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

An apparatus and method for processing accounting in a wireless communication system are provided. The method includes creating an accounting data base (DB) for a mobile station (MS), determining whether a state transition of the MS occurs, if the state transition of the MS occurs, updating state information in the accounting DB, and transmitting the accounting information including the state information to an accounting server.

Claims

1. A method of processing accounting in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

creating, by an Access Service Network-Gateway (ASN_GW), an accounting data base (DB) for a mobile station (MS), the ASN_GW including a timer for managing recording of times of state transitions;

when a Media Access Control (MAC) state transition of the mobile station occurs, updating, by the ASN_GW, a state information including one or more times managed by the timer in the accounting data base;

when a Service Flow (SF) state transition of the mobile station occurs, updating, by the ASN_GW, the state information including one or more times managed by the timer in the accounting data base; and

transmitting, by the ASN_GW, an accounting information including the state information to an accounting server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the accounting information is performed according to at least one of an interim period, a specific event, and a request of another network entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting of accounting information comprises:

determining whether an interim period is reached;

when the interim period is reached, reading the accounting information from the accounting data base; and

transmitting the accounting information to the accounting server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information comprises at least one of a current state indicator, a transition time of a current state, and a cumulative time of each state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information comprises at least one of a current MAC state indicator, a transition time of a current MAC state, a sleep state cumulative time, an awake state cumulative time, and an idle state cumulative time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information comprises at least one of a current SF state indicator, a transition time of a current SF state, an admitted state cumulative time, an active state cumulative time, and a provisioned state cumulative time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information comprises at least one of a QoS class indicator, a transition time of a current QoS class, and a cumulative time of each QoS class.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein creating the accounting DB comprises:

generating an accounting session for collecting an accounting information related to the MAC state of the mobile station in the accounting data base in a network entry process of the mobile station; and

transmitting an accounting session generation request message to the accounting server and receiving an accounting session generation response message from the accounting server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein creating the accounting data base comprises:

upon generating of a service flow for the mobile station, generating an accounting sub-session for collecting an accounting information related to the service flow of the mobile station in the accounting data base; and

transmitting an accounting sub-session generation request message to the accounting server and receiving an accounting sub-session generation response message from the accounting Server.

10. An apparatus configured to process accounting in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

an accounting data base (DB) for a mobile station (MS);

a timer configured to manage recording of times of state transitions;

an accounting processor configured to update a state information including one or more times managed by the timer in the accounting data base when a Media Access Control (MAC) state transition of the mobile station occurs and to update the state information including one or more times managed by the timer in the accounting DB when a Service Flow (SF) state transition of the mobile station occurs; and

a communicator configured to transmit an accounting information including the state information to an accounting server.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communicator is further configured to transmit the accounting information according to at least one of an interim period, a specific event, and a request of another network entity.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the accounting processor is further configured to determine whether an interim period is reached and read the accounting information from the accounting data base when the interim period is reached for transmission by the communicator.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the state information comprises at least one of a current state indicator, a transition time of a current state, and a cumulative time of each state.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the state information comprises at least one of a current MAC state indicator, a transition time of a current MAC state, a sleep state cumulative time, an awake state cumulative time, and an idle state cumulative time.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the state information comprises at least one of a current SF state indicator, a transition time of a current SF state, an admitted state cumulative time, an active state cumulative time, and a provisioned state cumulative time.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the state information comprises at least one of a QoS class indicator, a transition time of a current QoS class, and a cumulative time of each QoS class.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the accounting processor is further configured to generate an accounting session for collecting an accounting information related to the MAC state of the mobile station in the accounting data base in a network entry process of the mobile station;

and transmit, using the communicator, an accounting session generation request message to the accounting server and receive an accounting session generation response message from the accounting server.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the accounting processor is further configured to generate an accounting sub-session for collecting an accounting information related to the service flow of the mobile station in the accounting data base upon generation of a service flow for the mobile station;

and transmit, using the communicator, an accounting sub-session generation request message to the accounting server and receiving an accounting sub-session generation response message from the accounting server.