SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSOCIATING AN END USER FOR BILLING IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

• US 20150229483A1
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Batz, Robert M., Dixon, Walter G., Mackie, Robert A., Albert, Mark, Tavares, Humberto M., O'Rourke, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,923,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving one or more packets of a communication session from one or more interfaces, such that the interface is a subscriber interface or a network interface. The method further includes associating the communication session to an end user with a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the packet if the packet is received from the subscriber interface or to an end user with a destination IP address of the packet if the packet is received from the network interface.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a flow manager element operable to;

receive one or more packets of a communication session from one or more interfaces;

determine whether the packet is received from a subscriber interface or a network interface;

associate the communication session to an end user with a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the packet when the packet is received from the subscriber interface and to the end user with a destination IP address of the packet when the packet is received from the network interface;

obtain subscriber information by searching an external database using the associated source IP address or associated destination IP address;

create a session object associated with the subscriber information; and

process billing associated with the session object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flow manager element further operable to determine a routing configuration to forward the received one or more packets based on whether the packet is received from the subscriber interface or the network interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a client services packet gateway operable to communicate with the end user in order to facilitate a communication session, the client services packet gateway comprises a plurality of processors with each processor comprising a separate set of data associated with an IP address of the end user; and

the flow manager element further operable to determine a processor of the client service packet gateway to forward the received one or more packets of the communication session using the determined routing configuration based on the associated source IP address or the associated destination IP address.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein processing billing associated with the session object further comprises:

determining type and quantity of received information associated with the received one or more packets; and

processing billing according to the determined type and quantity of received information associated with the received one or more packets.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein obtaining subscriber information by searching an external database further comprises making a single query to the external database to identify the subscriber information.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the external database is a known user table included in a client services packet gateway, the known user table operable to store an IP address associated with the end user.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the subscriber interface communicates with a first virtual LAN configured as a subscriber virtual LAN and the network interface communicates with a second virtual LAN configured as a network virtual LAN.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving one or more packets of a communication session from one or more interfaces;

determining whether the packet is received from a subscriber interface or a network interface;

associating the communication session to an end user with a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the packet when the packet is received from the subscriber interface and to the end user with a destination IP address of the packet when the packet is received from the network interface;

obtaining subscriber information by searching an external database using the associated source IP address or associated destination IP address;

creating a session object associated with the subscriber information; and

processing billing associated with the session object.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprises determining a routing configuration to forward the received one or more packets based on whether the packet is received from the subscriber interface or the network interface.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprises determining a processor of a client service packet gateway to forward the received one or more packets of the communication session using the determined routing configuration based on the associated source IP address or the associated destination IP address, the client services packet gateway comprises a plurality of processors with each processor comprising a separate set of data associated with an IP address of the end user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein processing billing associated with the session object further comprises:

determining type and quantity of received information associated with the received one or more packets; and

processing billing according to the determined type and quantity of received information associated with the received one or more packets.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein obtaining subscriber information by searching an external database further comprises making a single query to the external database to identify the subscriber information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the external database is a known user table included in a client services packet gateway, the known user table operable to store an IP address associated with the end user.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the subscriber interface communicates with a first virtual LAN configured as a subscriber virtual LAN and the network interface communicates with a second virtual LAN configured as a network virtual LAN.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, operable to cause one or more processors to:

receive one or more packets of a communication session from one or more interfaces;

determine whether the packet is received from a subscriber interface or a network interface;

associate the communication session to an end user with a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the packet when the packet is received from the subscriber interface and to the end user with a destination IP address of the packet when the packet is received from the network interface;

obtain subscriber information by searching an external database using the associated source IP address or associated destination IP address;

create a session object associated with the subscriber information; and

process billing associated with the session object.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions further operable to cause one or more processors to determine a routing configuration to forward the received one or more packets based on whether the packet is received from the subscriber interface or the network interface.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions further operable to cause one or more processors to determine a processor of a client service packet gateway to forward the received one or more packets of the communication session using the determined routing configuration based on the associated source IP address or the associated destination IP address, the client services packet gateway comprises a plurality of processors with each processor comprising a separate set of data associated with an IP address of the end user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein processing billing associated with the session object further comprises:

determining type and quantity of received information associated with the received one or more packets; and

processing billing according to the determined type and quantity of received information associated with the received one or more packets.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein obtaining subscriber information by searching an external database further comprises making a single query to the external database to identify the subscriber information.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the external database is a known user table included in a client services packet gateway, the known user table operable to store an IP address associated with the end user.