Method and system of providing differentiated services

• US 9,577,933 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Donovan, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): DECKER, CASSANDRA L
• Application Number:
  US12/391,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20090154468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,919 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/782 Hierarchical allocation of resources, e.g. involving a hierarchy of local and centralised entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13348 Channel/line reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling

Abstract

A method for combining Internet protocols in a Differentiated Services model environment is described. The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Common Open Policy Service (COPS) are combined together to provide methods of setting up a session and tearing down a session, while maintaining Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) policies. The Open Settlement Policy (OSP) is also combined with SIP and COPS. This combination provides for an interchange of parameters between session setup, teardown, authorization, policy, Quality of Service (QoS), and usage reporting

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a message, according to a policy protocol, for authentication, authorization, and accounting corresponding to a call to be established over a data network, wherein the call is to be established in accordance with a signaling protocol for connection setup and teardown; and

generating, in response to the received message, an authentication request according to a settlement protocol for transmission to a clearinghouse server configured to authorize the call for a particular quality of service (QoS) policy,

wherein the settlement protocol includes Open Settlement Policy (OSP), the policy protocol includes Common Open Policy Service (COPS), and the signaling protocol includes Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the QoS policy; and

establishing a communication session with a router to provide the QoS policy to the router.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the router is configured to operate according to a differentiated services (DS) environment, and to set a DS field according to the QoS policy.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

initiating the transmission of the authentication request according to the settlement protocol to the clearinghouse server; and

receiving an authorization token from the clearinghouse server.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a decision message, according to the COPS, for transmission to a proxy server configured to generate the received message, wherein the decision message instructs the proxy server to install the QoS policy.

6. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code, with the at least one processor, configuring the apparatus to perform at least the following,

receive a message, according to a policy protocol, for authentication, authorization, and accounting corresponding to a call to be established over a data network, wherein the call is to be established in accordance with a signaling protocol for connection setup and teardown, and

generate, in response to the received message, an authentication request according to a settlement protocol for transmission to a clearinghouse server configured to authorize the call for a particular quality of service (QoS) policy,

wherein the settlement protocol includes Open Settlement Policy (OSP), the policy protocol includes Common Open Policy Service (COPS), and the signaling protocol includes Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further configured to:

retrieve the QoS policy; and

establish a communication session with a router to provide the QoS policy to the router.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the router is configured to operate according to a differentiated services (DS) environment and to set a DS field according to the QoS policy.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further configured to:

initiate the transmission of the authentication request according to the settlement protocol to the clearinghouse server; and

receive an authorization token from the clearinghouse server.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further configured to:

generate a decision message, according to the COPS, for transmission to a proxy server configured to generate the received message, wherein the decision message instructs the proxy server to install the QoS policy.

11. A system comprising:

a processor;

a policy server configured to receive a message, according to a policy protocol, for authentication, authorization, and accounting corresponding to a call to be established over a data network, wherein the call is to be established in accordance with a signaling protocol for connection setup and teardown; and

a clearinghouse server configured to authorize, by the processor, the call for a particular quality of service (QoS) policy,

wherein the policy server is further configured to generate, in response to the received message, an authentication request according to a settlement protocol for transmission to the clearinghouse server, and

wherein the settlement protocol includes Open Settlement Policy (OSP), the policy protocol includes Common Open Policy Service (COPS), and the signaling protocol includes Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the policy server is further configured to retrieve the QoS policy, the system further comprising:

a router configured to establish a communication session with the policy server to acquire the QoS policy.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the router is configured to operate according to a differentiated services (DS) environment, and to set a DS field according to the QoS policy.

14. A system according to claim 11, wherein the policy server is further configured to initiate the transmission of the authentication request according to the settlement protocol to the clearinghouse server, and to receive an authorization token from the clearinghouse server.

15. A system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a proxy server configured to generate the received message,

wherein the policy server is further configured to generate a decision message, according to the COPS, for transmission to the proxy server, wherein the decision message instructs the proxy server to install the QoS policy.

16. A system according to claim 15, further comprising:

another proxy server configured to communicate with the proxy server to establish the call using the signaling protocol.

17. A system according to claim 16, further comprising:

another policy server configured to communicate, according to the policy protocol, with the clearinghouse server to obtain the authentication, authorization, and accounting for the call.