System and method for generating a unified accounting record for a communication session

• US 20070206515A1
• Filed: 03/06/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Iyer, Jayaraman R., Andreasen, Flemming S., Rosenberg, Jonathan D., Panda, Biswaranjan
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• 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 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• 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: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• 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 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 : Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 : Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 : Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 : with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 : Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 : Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 : using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 : Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 : adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method for creating an accounting record in a policy server in a communication network. The method also includes receiving policy data from one or more application layer elements. The method includes receiving accounting data from one or more lower layer elements, such that the accounting data is associated with the policy data. The method also includes consolidating the accounting data and the policy data received.

Claims

1. A method for creating an accounting record in a communication network, comprising:

receiving, by a policy server, policy data from one or more application layer elements;

receiving, by the policy server, accounting data from one or more lower layer elements, wherein the accounting data is associated with the policy data; and

consolidating the accounting data received and the policy data received.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing the accounting data and the policy data into a unified format, the unified format being compatible with a services data manager.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending the consolidated accounting data and policy data to a services data manager.

4. The method of claim 1, the lower layer elements being a selected element of a group of lower layer elements, the group consisting of:

a) an IP gateway; and

b) a radio access network.

5. The method of claim 1, the application layer elements being a selected element of a group of application layer elements, the group consisting of:

a) an application manager;

b) a SIP application; and

c) a non-SIP application.

6. The method of claim 1, the accounting data being a selected data of a group of accounting data, the group consisting of:

a) duration;

b) total bytes used; and

c) total packets used.

7. The method of claim 1, the policy data being a selected data of a group of policy data, the group consisting of:

a) start time;

b) stop time;

c) application name;

d) user name;

e) parameters associated with application;

f) encoding methods associated with application; and

g) token providing additional details associated with application.

8. A system for creating a data record in a communication network, comprising:

one or more lower layer elements;

one or more application layer elements; and

a policy server operable to;

receive policy data from one or more application layer elements;

receive accounting data from one or more lower layer elements, wherein the accounting data is associated with the policy data; and

consolidate the accounting data received and the policy data received.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the policy server is further operable to process the accounting data and the policy data into a unified format, the unified format being compatible with a services data manager.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the policy server is further operable to send the consolidated accounting data and policy data to a services data manager.

11. The system of claim 8, the lower layer elements being a selected element of a group of lower layer elements, the group consisting of:

a) an IP gateway; and

b) a radio access network.

12. The system of claim 8, the application layer elements being a selected element of a group of application layer elements, the group consisting of:

a) an application manager;

b) a SIP application; and

c) a non-SIP application.

13. The system of claim 8, the accounting data being a selected data of a group of accounting data, the group consisting of:

a) duration;

b) total bytes used; and

c) total packets used.

14. The system of claim 8, the policy data being a selected data of a group of policy data, the group consisting of:

a) start time;

b) stop time;

c) application name;

d) user name;

e) parameters associated with application;

f) encoding methods associated with application; and

g) token providing additional details associated with application.

15. Logic embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium comprising code such that when executed is operable to:

receive policy data from one or more application layer elements;

receive accounting data from one or more lower layer elements, wherein the accounting data is associated with the policy data; and

consolidate the accounting data received and the policy data received.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the medium is further operable to process the accounting data and the policy data into a unified format, the unified format being compatible with a services data manager.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein the medium is further operable to send the consolidated accounting data and policy data to a services data manager.

18. The medium of claim 15, the lower layer elements being a selected element of a group of lower layer elements, the group consisting of:

a) an IP gateway; and

b) a radio access network.

19. The medium of claim 15, the application layer elements being a selected element of a group of application layer elements, the group consisting of:

a) an application manager;

b) a SIP application; and

c) a non-SIP application.

20. The medium of claim 15, the accounting data being a selected data of a group of accounting data, the group consisting of:

a) duration;

b) total bytes used; and

c) total packets used.

21. The medium of claim 15, the policy data being a selected data of a group of policy data, the group consisting of:

a) start time;

b) stop time;

c) application name;

d) user name;

e) parameters associated with application;

f) encoding methods associated with application; and

g) token providing additional details associated with application.

22. The medium of claim 15, wherein the consolidated accounting data is compatible with an Rf interface.

23. A system for creating a data record in a communication network, comprising:

means for receiving policy data from one or more application layer elements;

means for receiving accounting data from one or more lower layer elements, wherein the accounting data is associated with the policy data; and

means for consolidating the accounting data received and the policy data received.