DECISION-MAKING METHOD, DECISION-MAKING SYSTEM, AND POLICY DECISION FUNCTION

• US 20100223222A1
• Filed: 05/10/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: ZHOU, Qing, HU, Ying
• Granted Patent: US 8,099,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/47
• 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: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A decision-making method, a decision-making system, and a PDF are disclosed herein. The decision-making method comprises: receiving application session data that carries access network data and access user data; and making policy and charging decisions according to the application session data. Through the decision-making method, decision-making system, and PDF, the application session data comprises access network data and access user data of the UE so that the PCRF can uniquely determine a user according to the access network data or the access user data and the IP address allocated by the network to the UE, and make policy and charging decisions.

Claims

1. A decision-making method, comprising:

receiving, in a mobile network, application session data that comprises access network data and access user data; and

making, in a Policy Decision Function (PDF) in the mobile network, policy and charging decisions according to the application session data.

2. The decision-making method of claim 1, wherein the making policy and charging decisions according to the application session data comprises:

determining, by a Policy Decision Function (PDF), a User Equipment (UE) identifier or an Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session according to the application session data, and generating policy and charging rules; and

delivering the policy and charging rules to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) to enforce policy and charging decisions.

3. The decision-making method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by an Application Function (AF), the application session data that comprises the access network data and the access user data from the UE; and

sending, by the AF, the access network data and the access user data to the PDF.

4. The decision-making method of claim 3, further comprising:

sending, by a network, the access network data and the access user data to the UE in the process of setting up an IP-CAN, wherein;

the application network data comprises at least one of an identifier of a mobile packet network and a Packet Data Network (PDN) identifier, and the access user data comprises at least one of an IP address and a user identifier.

5. The decision-making method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by an access gateway, an Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session creation indication to a Policy Decision Function (PDF), wherein;

the IP-CAN session creation indication comprises a user identifier of User Equipment (UE), an IP address, and at least one of these identifiers;

an identifier of a mobile packet network and a Packet Data Network (PDN) identifier;

recording, by the PDF, a mapping relationship between the user identifier of the UE, the IP address, and the identifier of the mobile packet network;

or

recording, by the PDF, a mapping relationship between the user identifier of the UE, the IP address, and the PDN identifier;

or

recording, by the PDF, a mapping relationship between the user identifier of the UE, the IP address, the identifier of the mobile packet network, and the PDN identifier.

6. The decision-making method of claim 5, wherein:

the making policy and charging decisions according to the application session data comprises;

searching, by the PDF, a subscription database of a user according to the mapping relationship and the user identifier of the UE,

obtaining, by the PDF, subscription data of the user, and

generating, by the PDF, policy and charging rules.

7. The decision-making method of claim 2, wherein:

the PCEF is the PCEF corresponding to the IP-CAN session.

8. A Policy Decision Function (PDF), comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive application session data that comprises access network data and access user data; and

a decision-making module, configured to make policy and charging decisions according to the application session data.

9. The PDF of claim 8, wherein:

the access user data comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address of User Equipment (UE), and the access network data comprises at least one of an identifier of a mobile packet network and a Packet Data Network (PDN) identifier.

10. The PDF of claim 9, wherein:

the identifier of the mobile packet network comprises the identifier of the mobile packet network that allocates the IP address to the UE.

11. The PDF of claim 9, wherein:

the PDN identifier comprises at least one of these items;

an Access Point Name (APN) network identifier and an access gateway address.

12. The PDF of claim 11, wherein:

the access user data comprises a user identifier of the UE, and the access network data comprises the identifier of the mobile packet network.

13. The PDF of claim 12, wherein:

the identifier of the mobile packet network is the identifier of the mobile packet network in a home area of the UE.

14. The PDF according to claim 8, wherein:

the PDF is one of a Policy Control and charging Rules Function (PCRF) and a policy decision function.

15. The PDF of claim 8, wherein the decision-making module comprises:

a policy and charging rule generating sub-module, configured to determine one of a User Equipment (UE) identifier and an Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session according to the application session data, and generate policy and charging rules; and

a delivering sub-module, configured to deliver the policy and charging rules to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) to enforce policy and charging decisions.

16. A decision-making system, comprising:

an Application Function (AF), configured to provide application session data that comprises access network data and access user data; and

a Policy Decision Function (PDF), configured to receive the application session data and make policy and charging decisions according to the application session data.

17. The decision-making system of claim 16, wherein the AF comprises:

an obtaining module, configured to interact with User Equipment (UE) to obtain one of the access network data and the access user data of the UE.

18. The decision-making system of claim 16, further comprising:

an data providing unit, configured to provide one of the access network data and the access user data for the UE.

19. The decision-making system of claim 18, wherein the PDF comprises:

a policy and charging rule generating sub-unit, configured to determine one of a UE identifier and an Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session according to the application session data, and generate policy and charging rules; and

a delivering sub-unit, configured to deliver the policy and charging rules to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) to enforce policy and charging decisions.