Long term evolution network billing management

• US 9,516,176 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson M., Rahsaz, Gholam-Reza
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Myers, Eric
• Application Number:
  US13/485,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20130322268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/229, 370/230, 370/235, 370/310, 370/329, 370/352, 370/395.21, 370/395.2, 370/395.4, 455/418, 455/452.2, 455/452.1, 455/509, 455/406, 455/405, 455/461, 455/432.2, 709/223, 709/232
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8027 based on network load situation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/81 Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/82 Criteria or parameters used for performing billing operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/851 Determined tariff

Abstract

A device in a network may monitor a communications session (such as a traffic flow) and determine that the session has been affected by an adverse network condition such as equipment failure or heavy congestion. The effect of the network condition may be provided to a billing system that may proactively adjust charging for a customer associated with the traffic flow. Various data may be taken into account in determining the adjustment, including a service type, a subscriber identifier, an emergency identifier, and a traffic condition index.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, at a network device, a traffic flow comprising communications data on a long term evolution network;

determining, at the network device, that a network condition has created an effect on the traffic flow;

determining, at the network device, a characteristic of the effect, the characteristic of the effect comprising a degradation of the traffic flow;

determining, based on a 5-tuple associated with the traffic flow, at the network device, a subscriber associated with the traffic flow and a subscriber identifier, wherein the subscriber identifier changes based on a priority of the traffic flow;

determining a first priority level of the subscriber from a plurality of priority levels;

responsive to determining the subscriber associated with the traffic flow, generating a second amount to credit a bill of the subscriber for the traffic flow, wherein the amount to credit associated with the traffic flow is an increase of a first amount, wherein the increase is based on the number of instances of degradation of traffic flows for the subscriber and a severity of degradation of each instance of degradation of traffic flows; and

adjusting, at the network device, billing for the subscriber based on;

the characteristic of the effect,

the second amount to credit the bill of the subscriber for the traffic flow, and

the first priority level of the subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the characteristic of the effect comprises assigning a ranking for the effect from a spectrum of service degradation categories.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the adjusting of the billing for the subscriber comprises determining a billing adjustment based on the ranking.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a notification of a billing adjustment to the subscriber.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the subscriber associated with the traffic flow comprises obtaining data from a packet within the traffic flow and determining the subscriber based on the data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data comprises a subscriber identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting billing based on an urgency associated with the traffic flow.

8. A network device comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuation operations comprising;

monitoring a traffic flow comprising communications data on a long term evolution network;

determining that a network condition has created an effect on the traffic flow, the characteristic of the effect comprising a degradation of the traffic flow and a subscriber identifier, wherein the subscriber identifier changes based on a priority of the traffic flow;

determining a characteristic of the effect;

determining a subscriber associated with the traffic flow;

determining a first priority level of the subscriber from a plurality of priority levels;

responsive to determining the subscriber associated with the traffic flow, generating a second amount to credit a bill of the subscriber for the traffic flow, wherein the amount to credit associated with the traffic flow is an increase of a first amount, wherein the increase is based on the number of instances of degradation of traffic flows for the subscriber and a severity of degradation of each instance of degradation of traffic flows; and

adjusting billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect, the first priority level of the subscriber, the second amount to credit the bill of the subscriber for the traffic flow, and an emergency status associated with the traffic flow.

9. The network device of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

determine a service identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the service identifier comprises an indication of a type of service being provided by the traffic flow; and

adjust the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the service identifier.

10. The network device of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

determining a subscriber identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the subscriber identifier comprises an indication of the subscriber associated with the traffic flow; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the subscriber identifier.

11. The network device of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

determining an emergency identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the emergency identifier comprises an indication of the emergency status of a service being provided by the traffic flow; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the emergency identifier.

12. The network device of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

determining a traffic condition index for the traffic flow, wherein the traffic condition index comprises an indication of the effect; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the traffic condition index.

13. The network device of claim 12, the operations further comprising assigning a ranking for the traffic condition index from a spectrum of service degradation categories.

14. The network device of claim 8, the operations further comprising transmitting a notification of a billing adjustment to the subscriber.

15. A tangible computer-readable storage medium that is not a propagating signal, the computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising:

monitoring a traffic flow comprising communications data on a long term evolution network;

determining that a network condition has created an effect on the traffic flow;

determining a characteristic of the effect, the characteristic of the effect comprising a degradation of the traffic flow and a subscriber identifier, wherein the subscriber identifier changes based on a priority of the traffic flow;

determining a subscriber associated with the traffic flow;

determining a first priority level of the subscriber from a plurality of priority levels;

responsive to determining the subscriber associated with the traffic flow, generating a second amount to credit a bill of the subscriber for the traffic flow, wherein the amount to credit associated with the traffic flow is an increase of a first amount, wherein the increase is based on the number of instances of degradation of traffic flows for the subscriber and a severity of degradation of each instance of degradation of traffic flows; and

adjusting billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect, the first priority level of the subscriber, the second amount to credit the bill of the subscriber for the traffic flow, and an emergency status associated with the traffic flow.

16. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a service identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the service identifier comprises an indication of a type of service being provided by the traffic flow; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the service identifier.

17. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a subscriber identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the subscriber identifier comprises an indication of the subscriber associated with the traffic flow; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the subscriber identifier.

18. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an emergency identifier for the traffic flow, wherein the emergency identifier comprises an indication of the emergency status of a service being provided by the traffic flow; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the characteristic of the effect and the emergency identifier.

19. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a traffic condition index for the traffic flow, wherein the traffic condition index comprises an indication of the adverse effect; and

adjusting the billing for the subscriber based on the traffic condition index.

20. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a notification of a billing adjustment to the subscriber.