Device and method for distributing WLAN user policy

• US 9,674,844 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2013
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Pan, Yunbo, Wei, Yuan, Yan, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): MEW, KEVIN D
• Application Number:
  US14/395,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20150085701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/53 based on regulatory allocation policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A Wireless Local Access Network (WLAN) user policy distribution device and method are described. One embodiment of such a device comprises: a first receiving module, configured to receive a WLAN user policy actively sent by an upstream policy decision distribution device; and a first forwarding module, configured to forward the WLAN user policy to a WLAN user policy execution device. Through the technical solution provided in one embodiment of such a device, the absence of a necessary policy control management mechanism in the existing WLAN is solved, thereby implementing the WLAN user policy control effectively.

Claims

1. A device for distributing a Wireless Local Access Network (WLAN) user policy, comprising a hardware processor, configured to execute modules on a memory, the modules comprising:

a first receiving module, configured to receive a WLAN user policy actively sent by an upstream policy decision distribution device; and

a first forwarding module, configured to forward the WLAN user policy to a WLAN user policy execution device;

wherein the device for distributing the WLAN user policy is a WLAN Mobility Server (WMS) and the WLAN user policy execution device is an Access Control (AC);

the modules further comprising;

a second receiving module, configured to receive a WLAN user policy request from the WLAN user policy execution device;

a second forwarding module, configured to forward the WLAN user policy request to the upstream policy decision distribution device;

a third receiving module, configured to receive a WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request from the upstream policy decision distribution device; and

a third forwarding module, configured to forward the WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request to the WLAN user policy execution device.

2. The device according to claim 1, the modules further comprising:

a first sending module, configured to actively send a WLAN user policy request to the upstream policy decision distribution device;

a fourth receiving module, configured to receive the WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request actively sent by the first sending module from the upstream policy decision distribution device; and

a fourth forwarding module, configured to forward the WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request actively sent by the first sending module to the WLAN user policy execution device.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein

the WLAN user policy actively sent by the upstream policy decision distribution device comprises:

a WLAN user policy sent by the upstream policy decision distribution device which knows the access of a WLAN user terminal according to the WLAN user identifier of the WLAN user terminal and corresponding to the WLAN user terminal; and

/or

the WLAN user policy request sent by the WLAN user policy execution device comprises;

a WLAN user policy request sent from the WLAN user policy execution device which knows the access of a WLAN user terminal or establishes a bearer path for the WLAN user terminal to the second receiving module, the WLAN user policy request comprising the WLAN user identifier of the WLAN user terminal; and

/or

the first sending module is configured to actively send a WLAN user policy request to the upstream policy decision distributing device after knowing the access of a WLAN user terminal, the WLAN user policy request comprising the WLAN user identifier of the WLAN user terminal.

4. The device according to claim 3, the modules further comprising:

a first judgment module, which is configured to, after the second receiving module receives the WLAN user policy request from the WLAN user policy execution device, judge whether a WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request is saved locally, if the WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request is saved locally, directly send the WLAN user policy to the WLAN user policy execution device, otherwise, trigger the second forwarding module; and

/or

a second judgment module, which is configured to, after knowing the access of a WLAN user terminal, judge whether the WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user terminal is saved locally, if the WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user terminal is saved locally, directly send the WLAN user policy to the WLAN user policy execution device, otherwise, trigger the first sending module.

5. A method for distributing a WLAN user policy, comprising:

receiving, by a WLAN user policy distribution device, a WLAN user policy actively sent by an upstream policy decision distribution device; and

forwarding, by the WLAN user policy distribution device, the WLAN user policy to a WLAN user policy execution device;

wherein a WLAN user policy distribution device is a WLAN Mobility Server (WMS) and the WLAN user policy execution device is an Access Control (AC);

the method further comprising;

by the WLAN user policy distribution device, receiving a WLAN user policy request from the WLAN user policy execution device and forwarding the WLAN user policy request to the upstream policy decision distribution device; and

by the WLAN user policy distribution device, receiving a WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request from the upstream policy decision distribution device and forwarding the WLAN user policy to the WLAN user policy execution device.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

actively sending, by the WLAN user policy distribution device, a WLAN user policy request to the upstream policy decision distribution device; and

by the WLAN user policy distribution device, receiving the WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request actively sent by the WLAN user policy distribution device from the upstream policy decision distribution device and forwarding the WLAN user policy to the WLAN user policy execution device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein

the WLAN user policy actively sent by the upstream policy decision distribution device comprises:

a WLAN user policy sent by the upstream policy decision distribution device which knows the access of a WLAN user terminal according to the WLAN user identifier of the WLAN user terminal and corresponding to the WLAN user terminal; and

/or

the WLAN user policy request sent by the WLAN user policy execution device comprises;

a WLAN user policy request sent from the WLAN user policy execution device which knows the access of a WLAN user terminal or establishes a bearer path for the WLAN user terminal to the WLAN user policy execution device, the WLAN user policy request comprising the WLAN user identifier of the WLAN user terminal; and

/or

the WLAN user policy request actively sent from the WLAN user policy distribution device to the upstream policy decision distribution device comprises;

a WLAN user policy request actively sent from the WLAN user policy distribution device which knows the access of a WLAN user terminal to the upstream policy decision distribution device, the WLAN user policy request comprising the WLAN user identifier of the WLAN user terminal.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein

after the WLAN user policy distribution device receives the WLAN user policy request from the WLAN user policy execution device, the method may further comprise the following steps of:

judging, by the WLAN user policy distribution device, whether a WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request is locally saved;

if the WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request is locally saved, directly sending the WLAN user policy to the WLAN user policy execution device;

otherwise, forwarding the WLAN user policy request to the upstream policy decision distribution device; and

/or

after the WLAN user policy distribution device knows the access of a WLAN user terminal, the method may further comprise the following steps of;

judging, by the WLAN user policy distribution device, whether a WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user terminal is locally saved;

if the WLAN user policy corresponding to the WLAN user policy request is locally saved, directly sending the WLAN user policy to the WLAN user policy execution device;

otherwise, actively sending the WLAN user policy request to the upstream policy decision distribution device.