Accounting method and apparatus for communications network

• US 7,092,696 B1
• Filed: 10/04/1999
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Akhtar, Haseeb, Barnes, Mary, Qaddoura, Emad, Hosain, Akram M.
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Doris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pan, Yuwen
• Application Number:
  US09/412,099
• Time in Patent Office: 2,507 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/422, 455/432
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1425 involving dedicated fields in the data packet for billing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/50 for cross-charging network operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0172 Mediation, i.e. device or program to reformat CDRS from one or more switches in order to adapt to one or more billing programs formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/52 Interconnection, inter-exchange, reseller billing, billing agreements between different operators, e.g. billing identifier added on the CDR in order to cross charge the other operator, inter-operator accounting, reconciliation, bill directly resellers customers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

An accounting framework is provided for a communications system having a plurality of service providers, including cellular service providers and/or data network service providers, e.g., Internet service providers. Accounting units containing accounting information are exchanged between service providers to allow the service providers to charge for usage of services. The accounting units have a predetermined format to allow them to be exchanged between different service providers. Each accounting unit includes a plurality of fields, including a service type field, a usage of radio interface field, a usage of a visited or external network field, a usage of mobility management field, a quality of service field, a usage of a packet data protocol field, and other fields. Users may be charged for services based on these fields.

Claims

1. A method of accounting for services provided over a packet-based network, comprising:

determining a type of service used over the network;

monitoring usage of the service; and

collecting accounting information based on the type of service and usage of the service, wherein collecting the accounting information includes compiling the accounting information into an accounting unit,

wherein the accounting unit has a first entry to indicate a quality of service provided over the packet-based network, and a second entry to indicate mobility management.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, monitoring, and collecting are performed in a first entity, the method further comprising transmitting, from the first entity, the accounting unit to at least another entity.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning an identifier with the collected accounting information that is common between the first entity and the at least one other entity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using an accounting unit having a common format for convenient exchange between entities.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising using an accounting unit including a traffic matrix segment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the type of service includes determining one of a plurality of service types, wherein collecting the accounting information comprises collecting an additional entry assigned a value to indicate a type of service.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining one of the plurality of service types include determining one of real-time communications and at least another type of service.

8. A method of accounting for services provided over a packet-based network, comprising:

communicating a unit of accounting information carrying information regarding usage of the packet-based network by a terminal, the unit of accounting information having a predetermined format capable of being exchanged between a plurality of entities; and

assigning values to entries in the unit of accounting information based on usage, the unit including a first entry indicating a quality of service provided over the packet-based network and a second entry containing a network access identifier of the terminal to uniquely identify the terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning a value to an additional entry indicating a type of service.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning values to additional entries including entries indicating usage of a radio interface, indicating usage of a visited network, indicating usage of mobility management, and indicating an amount of data transferred.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning a value to an additional entry indicating erroneous termination of communications.

25. The method of claim 9, wherein assigning a value to the additional entry comprises assigning one of plural values corresponding to plural types of service.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the plural types of service comprise real-time communications and at least another type of service.

27. The method of claim 8, wherein communicating the unit of accounting information comprises communicating a traffic matrix segment having a header and plural rows, each row containing accounting information associated with a session having a given time duration.

28. The method of claim 8, wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning values to additional entries containing source and destination network addresses.

29. The method of claim 8, further comprising monitoring usage of services on the packet-based network with an accounting meter, wherein assigning values to the entries is performed by the accounting meter.

12. A method of accounting for services provided over a packet-based network, comprising:

communicating a unit of accounting information carrying information regarding usage of the packet-based network by a terminal, the unit of accounting information having a predetermined format capable of being exchanged between a plurality of entities; and

assigning values to entries in the unit of accounting information based on usage, the unit including a first entry indicating a quality of service provided over the packet-based network and a second entry containing a network access identifier of the terminal to uniquely identify the terminal,

wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning a value to an additional entry indicating a type of service,

wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning values to additional entries including entries indicating usage of a radio interface, indicating usage of a visited network, indicating usage of mobility management, and indicating an amount of data transferred,

wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning a value to an additional entry indicating erroneous termination of communications,

wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning a value to an additional entry indicating an amount of discarded data.

13. A system capable of being coupled to a packet-based network, comprising:

a controller to collect usage information based on a service used by a node on the packet-based network; and

a storage device containing an accounting unit in which the usage information is collected, the accounting unit including a plurality of entries to identify usage elements from which accounting may be derived, the entries comprising a first entry to indicate a quality of service used by the node and a second entry to indicate usage of mobility management.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the entries of the accounting unit include an entry identifying a type of service used.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the entries of the accounting unit further comprise entries indicating elements used by a mobile node, including mobility management, usage of a radio interface, and usage of a visited network.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the accounting unit includes a traffic matrix segment.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the accounting unit is according to a predetermined format, the controller to further communicate the accounting unit to another entity.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

an accounting processor adapted to receive accounting units from at least one other entity.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the accounting processor is adapted to generate billing to a subscriber based on one or more of the accounting units.

20. An article including one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions for accounting for services used on a packet-based data network, the instructions when executed causing a system to:

determine usage elements associated with each service, the usage elements including a service type, amount of data communicated, and mobility management; and

collect accounting units each including entries identifying the usage elements.

21. The article of claim 20, wherein the one or more storage media contain instructions that when executed cause the system to further communicate the accounting units to another entity.

30. The article of claim 20, wherein the usage elements further comprise quality of service, usage of air interface, and a network access identifier.

22. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave comprising one or more code segments containing instructions for accounting for services used on a packet-based data network, the instructions when executed causing a system to:

receive accounting units from at least another entity, each accounting unit containing a first entry identifying a quality of service, a second entry identifying a terminal the accounting unit is associated with, and a third entry indicating usage of mobility management;

determine, from each accounting unit, usage of a service on the packet-based network; and

charge at least a subscriber for the usage of the service.

23. A storage device for storing data for access by one or more software routines being executed on a system, comprising:

a data structure stored in the storage device and including a plurality of entries, the entries including a first field indicating a quality of service provided over a packet-based network, a second field indicating if the service is chargeable, and a third field including an identifier identifying a node using the service.

24. The storage device of claim 23, wherein the data structure further includes a field indicating if mobility management is provided for the node, a field indicating usage of a radio interface by the node, and a field indicating usage of a visited network by the node.